Our author and his partner expect freedom and adventure from the new vehicle. Carlos Link-Arad
Our author and his partner bought a caravan for 11,500 euros. They negotiated the price down. Your total budget is 20,000 euros.
They now want to invest the difference between the purchase price and the budget in the equipment.
In general, our author hopes that the purchase price will still be amortized: either when the caravan is sold again at a profit, or by renting it out by the day.
In the last few months we have finally decided to buy a caravan. The dream of traveling more flexibly has finally come true. With the caravan, we can now spontaneously decide to take a short trip at the weekend, regardless of hotels or holiday apartments.
Do you always want to have your accommodation with you and save money when travelling? Then you can find out here what you should pay attention to when buying a caravan.
The first question: Do we buy the caravan new or used?
It was always clear to us that we wanted to buy a used caravan. We want to expand the caravan in our style and not wait too long for it to be completed. With a new caravan, the initial investments are so high that a conversion is rarely worthwhile – if only for the reason that it would be a shame to lose the new equipment.
Depending on the size, you can expect a purchase price of more than 20,000 euros for new caravans. Depending on the season, it can be a few months before you can pick up the caravan. This is not the case with a used model. Due to the high demand, only a few used caravans are currently available. With a little patience, you can still make attractive bargains.
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Our caravan was listed on a platform for new and used cars, which now also places caravans, mobile homes and other vehicles. On such platforms, caravans are offered by dealers, but also by private providers. The prices for private purchases are usually lower than from dealers. The big advantage of the dealer, however, is that you get a guarantee for one year.
If you find out that there is a leak in the caravan this year, you can make a claim under the guarantee. We also bought our caravan from the dealer. We were able to negotiate the purchase price down to 11,500 euros. We are still a long way from the maximum budget that we had set ourselves (20,000 euros). So there is plenty of room for expansion.
Be sure to pay attention to these points when making your selection
It can always happen that defects in the caravan are revealed afterwards that you did not previously have on the screen. The residual risk is given even with a dealer guarantee.
One of the most important things to check is the density of the caravan. A caravan is always exposed to wind and weather. It is important for durability that no water penetrates. For this reason, we searched the caravan in detail at the dealer for leaks. Luckily everything was clean. The smell in the caravan can also give an indication of the condition. If it smells musty, you should be even more specific. We also looked at all the corners and felt whether the material was soft.
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Hail damage on the roof, indentations or moss are all indications of poor maintenance and increase the risk of being surprised by water in the interior. Other criteria you should check are:
Gas: Is there a gas test certificate? In the caravan, the heating, stove and refrigerator run on gas. TÜV: Is there a TÜV? Water tank: Is the tank tight? Is there algae in it? You should also check the tire profile as a matter of urgency.
At this point you should definitely not save any time. Go through the individual points in detail and don’t let yourself be put under pressure. If you don’t pay attention to these points, you risk high maintenance costs after buying the caravan.
Remember: When planning your budget, you should also consider accessories such as gas bottles, camping accessories and others. This doesn’t make a big difference in the overall price, but it can add up over time.
Save money when traveling with the caravan
We paid 11,500 euros for our caravan. There are definitely more expenses to come. The caravan should be equipped with a music system, power generator and some standard accessories (cutlery, lighting and the like). Since we bought a used caravan, the purchase price was significantly lower than for a new vehicle. This provides a buffer in the budget, which we will gradually invest.
Our goal with the caravan is flexibility and freedom. If you want to travel spontaneously at the weekend, the accommodation and trips are often significantly more expensive than if you plan such trips with a lot more time. Since we tend to be the spontaneous type, we can travel at much shorter notice – without having to worry about Airbnbs, train journeys or flights. Depending on the season and location, campsites can be expensive, but they are far cheaper than other types of accommodation.
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Buying a caravan is also an investment
Compared to buying a new car (car), the loss in value of a caravan is only small. Because we are even expanding and improving our caravan, the value should even increase. If we realize in a year or two that we no longer want it, we can hopefully sell the caravan again for a small profit.
The market for used caravans is very small, which is an advantage. The lower the supply, the higher the prices and the less the price drop. We don’t want to do that at the moment, but in the future you can also consider renting out your caravan if you don’t need it at the moment. Rental prices of 60 to 120 euros per night for a normal caravan are realistic. Depending on the purchase price, you can calculate how long it will take you to recoup your acquisition costs.
Apart from that, a caravan is just plain fun. We really enjoy working in the caravan and investing time in the project. It ensures that we can be on tour soon. Also, it’s quite an adventurous action that we can experience together as a couple.