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Posted on 29/11/2018 10:42 by moulesy

"IMHO, caravanning/MHing certainly isn't a cheap form of holidaying, not in the way most forum members do it......£40k tow cars every 3/4 years and £25k caravans every other NEC show..."

Really, BB? You think "most" forum members do that? It's a good job I don't let Mrs M anywhere near the forum then!  I guess your reference to expensive tow cars and caravans just as easily applies to changing Motorhomes as well, but I have to say, you must move in very different circles to us! 

Posted on 29/11/2018 10:54 by young thomas

yes, MHs are expensive too.....but I'd say most keep them longer than folk keep caravans, wouldn't you?

..and with the size (weight) of many caravans these days, suitable tow cars don't come cheap.

the Swift forum is full of folk with 'the latest....., must have', plenty of upgrades going on on other branded (not ours) forums too....

..but I don't move in those circles (I though that was vanners looking for the best CC pitch) I just read about them...

Posted on 29/11/2018 10:42 by moulesy

"IMHO, caravanning/MHing certainly isn't a cheap form of holidaying, not in the way most forum members do it......£40k tow cars every 3/4 years and £25k caravans every other NEC show..."

Really, BB? You think "most" forum members do that? It's a good job I don't let Mrs M anywhere near the forum then!  I guess your reference to expensive tow cars and caravans just as easily applies to changing Motorhomes as well, but I have to say, you must move in very different circles to us! 

Posted on 29/11/2018 11:04 by moulesy

I'm not sure about "most", BB - I can only speak for myself. Our present van is approaching 10 years old and cost, I seem to recall, around £14000 new when we bought it. We have no intention of trading it in any time soon,

How long did you have your previous MH before changing?

Posted on 29/11/2018 09:47 by young thomas

interesting....my son and partner both work full time for the emergency services....they have just (2 years ago) bought a flat....

they didn't have a car and cycled to work......I gave them my old Audi when we downsized to a single 'city car'....

they couldn't afford the huge deposit on their Bristol property so 'we helped' make it happen....

a car parking place was another £10k....which was a stretch too far...

the Audi is now 16 years old, still flying but starship miles from my original business use and to think they could find a replacement to tow a caravan they can't afford (and nowhere to keep) is totally unrealistic......

so, they 'go away' at short notice on the cheapest flights possible, back pack and use cheap hotels and the like, eating local food, often in the street....

they love what they do and have seen the world....more than us and we are pretty well travelled....

they like the occasional family get together at a site that takes vans, their tent, lodges etc....but this is not their idea of a (real) holiday...

IMHO, caravanning/MHing certainly isn't a cheap form of holidaying, not in the way most forum members do it......£40k tow cars every 3/4 years and £25k caravans every other NEC show...

add in the fixed costs to maintain new(ish) cars/vans and it really starts to pile up..

then the fuel, ferry costs, site fees for (perhaps) 20-30 weeks touring a year......

I do have some numbers but I'm loath to add it all up.....yes, I can afford it but 'cheap', (nor 'cheapest') it ain't....

back OT, I'm glad to say that our (nor their) electricity costs have risen by 25% this year.....

is Martin Lewis a member?

Posted on 29/11/2018 11:48 by Tammygirl

We came into this hobby not out of any desire for a 'cheap' holiday but because OH was in the military and holidays were something we (at that time) couldn't predict. So booking 6 mths ahead to fly off somewhere didn't happen. 

We had the opportunity to buy a small 3/4 berth caravan secondhand, we had a car that would tow it so we thought lets have a go. Our first break away was Whitsun 1980 to the New Forrest, with 2 small children ages 4 and 2, the rest is history as they say. 

Over that time we have had 8 caravans and 1 MH, we did have a break for a few years after we returned to this country with 2 teenagers. In that time we have had 4 brand new caravans and 1 MH the rest were secondhand and 1 of them we were given by OH's Mum. 

Cheap is certainly not a word I would use for our hobby, we recently went back to a caravan from a MH for many reasons, 1 of them was the shear cost of changing one MH for another one. We feel we have better VFM with the car and caravan combination. As I said this was only 1 of the reasons we changed, we do have sufficient funds to buy a new top of the range German MH should we wish to do so, however we don't. We prefer to have what we have and to have sufficient funds available, to do lots of other things as well and to be able to help our sons should they require it (they don't at the moment)

Anyway back on track I've booked a short break away using C&MC site next Spring prior to our overseas trip, we can check out the van etc and have a good time while doing it, that's what its all about isn't it.

Posted on 29/11/2018 10:54 by young thomas

yes, MHs are expensive too.....but I'd say most keep them longer than folk keep caravans, wouldn't you?

..and with the size (weight) of many caravans these days, suitable tow cars don't come cheap.

the Swift forum is full of folk with 'the latest....., must have', plenty of upgrades going on on other branded (not ours) forums too....

..but I don't move in those circles (I though that was vanners looking for the best CC pitch) I just read about them...