Last year we brought a Lunar Chateau fixed bed, the kind of van we thought would be perfect for us. However after a year and due to the fact we take our cats away, which the number of cats has changed from 2 to 3 (even though hubby told me the caravan was big enough for 3 cats) we are looking at changing it for a sprite majour 4 berth fixed bed.
We went to the dealers we got ours from yesterday as they had open weekend, they have a sprite major 2013 in which we would be paying just over £9k for, but if we went for 2015 it would be just over £12k.
To me it seems better to go for 2015 as we then get the full warranty etc where as for the 2013 we will get 6 years.
Any advise on if it is worth to go for the 2015 or not would be great.
Thanks trog, the 2015 model has an worktop extension, which could be the discussion maker, mind you I am not 100% convinced we need the diamond package, mostly only for the fly-screen door.... but i don't want the microwave :( x
How long are you likely to keep the caravan for? Unless you keep it for 20yrs then its just self indulgence, which is fine if you can afford it. Its not like a car with an engine to wear out & it does far less mileage so a caravan can be maintained in good condition indefinitely.
If you want a shiny new caravan then buy the new one. Chop it in after 3 yrs for another new one & take the hit with the low trade in you will be offered because if you have the cash the pleasure you get from a lovely new caravan every 3yrs will be priceless if thats what makes you happy.
However if you want to be purely cost effective you will need to keep the caravan for many yrs & if both caravans have layouts perfect for you for the foreseeable future then it will make little difference which caravan you buy & the cheaper one will mean you will have an extra £3k for next yrs hols.
Liking your idea Ludovine plus as we heard someone say yesterday any warranty work is most likely to have been done and I am sure hubby can do something to add a worktop extension the the 2013 version all need is some material and hinges!!
We have a worktop extension on our adria - it's one that is just screwed to the side of the kitchen unit...part of the sportline package and to be honest, I rarely use it...its such a faff having to move the cushion to lift it up...and then it overhangs the seats, which I'd rather not have food going on.
Having said that, if you have the money, I'd go for the new one...but I'm funny about sleeping in beds that other people have slept in (this is one of the reasons why we bought our own caravan in the first place!)
Yes its true enough about the warranty work. You will get threads on here ranting about faults on new caravans & the difficulty with getting dealers to do the warranty work, when those same faults on an older caravan bought cheap off ebay would be seen as just a bit of diy work that is usually needed on older caravans anyway.
Once a caravan is a few yrs old & you are happy to keep it indefinitely it can be seen more as an ongoing project that you fix & modify/improve as needed.
Thank you all for your replies which as normal have helped us a lot!
We have gone for the 2013 model, more due to finances as we would have been stretching ourselves to much for the 2015 as we also need to get a motor mover on it and an awning and there seemed no point in over stretching ourselves that then we are paying back finance but not able to go anywhere.
I think you've made the right choice. Best not to stretch the finances too much, IMHO. You're spot on when you say there's no point in overstretching yourselves. The differences between one and t'other can't be that much.
The difference in price says a lot about the depreciation, though, doesn't it!
if the money didnt matter the three grand saved would buy an awful lot of extras on the older van.. these extras would without a doubt make it a better van than the newer one..
three grand would buy a nice mover.. an led light conversion.. plus a few extra bits and bobs the newer van would not have..
money saved or money wisely spent.. apart from the pleasure gained from owning the "latest" model the older van wins hands down.. he he
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Thanks guys we are happy with it and tbh you guys helped me see sense, one of the things i love about the people on here.
At least if he gets scratched down the narrow lanes of Cornwall or something it wont be as heart breaking as if on a brand new van and motor mover and awning are very important to us as we use them both.
Plus the awning gives us an excuse to still go to the caravan show this month!