Restored my faith. I don't see why caravanning should be the hobby of the elite/wealthy. It should be, in my book, there for the experience/adventure. Whether your van/car is new or old. Being cuddled up while the soft English rain is beating a steady tatoo on the roof is all part of the experience. There is IMHO nothing like a good cup of tea and a mars bar reading a good book under the evocotive light of a gas light ...... Hmm maybe I am a bit nostalgic. Guilty as charged sir. Or maybe a romantic. Whatever. If I like it. It is good enough for me.
Amazing. My first post and Mr nasty/negative pops up. How to get rid of potential members. Is it a test?
Blimey, what a delicate flower! Seriously, if you think I was being nasty, I'm sorry - I wasn't. I was discussing the point, as were you.
I'm not trying to score points, but I would point out that everyone approaches caravanning differently, and everyone has their own priorities and experiences. You are only speaking of your own priorities and experiences, and how you want to approach things - and started off by wondering how people came up with the £1,000+ figure when you don't regard things like insurance, storage and servicing as important. I simply tried to explain to you why many people find them absolutely vital.
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Ignoring the sarcasm. Never mentioned things being unimportant. I was pointing out that there is a capability of doing certain jobs [servicing] yourself if you have the quite moderate skills required or are not afraid to learn. As with most things in life there are other paths to tread to reach the same destination. I think it is dreadful for such a lovely thing as caravanning to be taken over by the well to do and sold as a middle class pleasure. When it clearly, with a little effort and imagination, it does not need to be.
Fair enough, Jim - there are cheaper alternatives that may be available to some people. But safety is paramount, and relying on a carbon monoxide alarm bought off eBay - as you suggest - isn't my idea of safety.
I'd say that an annual inspection of gas appliances by a qualified person is vital, and if you are having that done it's not that much more money to have the entire caravan serviced.
My free time is worth more to me than the difference in cash terms and, as I say, I don't have the tools or facilities to do the job properly. I think that's the case for a great deal of people.
This has nothing to do with "class" and everything to do with being safe on the road and on the site.
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I service my own vehicles because so-called "qualified persons" have not done the job properly in the past leaving me in what could possibly be a dangerous situation.
Doing a job yourself can result in peace of mind knowing that it has been done properly to ensure the family's safety.
Why would an alarm off e-bay be a bad thing? For somebody so safety conscious why would a back up be so bad for you? Do I detect a touch of snobbery?
I agree with being safe but it seems to be rolled out as a reason to obliterate anybody's enjoyment/raise costs of anything these PC days. So maybe caravaning is being taken over by the H&S brigade?
Whatever happened to hook it up and lets go!
Have you had a risk assessment yet, before you hit the dangerous road?
. Being cuddled up while the soft English rain is beating a steady tatoo on the roof is all part of the experience. There is IMHO nothing like a good cup of tea and a mars bar reading a good book under the evocotive light of a gas light ...... Hmm maybe I am a bit nostalgic. . Or maybe a romantic.
Quote: Why would an alarm off e-bay be a bad thing? For somebody so safety conscious why would a back up be so bad for you? Do I detect a touch of snobbery?
Now who's being Mr Nasty?
You weren't suggesting the alarm as a back-up (which is a fine idea) but as a substitute for proper servicing by someone who knows what they are doing.
------------- * You never know where you're going 'til you get there...