basilthedog replied on 10/12/2015 22:56
Posted on 10/12/2015 22:56
Hi all,
I realise there a quite a few threads out there already on this topic but would like to ask a few questions specfic to my situation.
Me and my girlfriend are considering living full time in a caravan as we both love the outdoors, don't like routine, have geographically mobile jobs, and as recent ex-students we dont like wasting money on excessive rent, council tax etc!
This would be our first caravan so our knowledge is very limited hence all the questions.
So far we have decided we would like a large caravan that importantly has a seperate shower, large fridge/worktop areas and a fixed double bed. We don't need a large lounge area or other sleeping areas. Ideally we would like to be able to achieve this within the 3500kg so we don't have to do the B+E test and get a large 4x4 to save costs, but that is not essential. I would want to buy a caravan that is a couple of years old to avoid the worst of the depretation and have a budget of around £15000.
Do you have any suggestions for a suitable caravan? At the moment we like the look of the Bailey Unicorn Valencia, Bailey Pegasus Veron and Lunar Delta RI. I also like the look of some of the European brands such as Eriba but the weight and price puts me off a bit. Are the British brands of suitable quality to stand up well to living in full time or is it worth getting a more heavy duty European caravan? Also I assume that most of the higher end caravans are suitable for year round use e.g have inboard water tanks and sufficent insulation?
In terms of the practicalities of year round living I like the look of CL sites due to the fact that they have a limited number of spaces so hopefully don't become overcrowded. How easy is it to secure places at these site during peak months and how willing are the site owners to let people stay for 28 day periods? Also what is the average cost of a CL site? From what I have seen £10 a night seems typical.
Also what do people do about clothes washing? I have seen that you can get mini washing machines but can't imagine they cope that well with towels and then it is not ideal to have to go to laundrettes regularly.
One final question I understand that getting caravan insurance for full timers can be difficult. Is safeguard the best company to use and if so how much is caravan insurance?
Sorry for the essay, but want to try to get a full understanding of the pros and cons before I commit. Thanks in advance for the advice!
basilthedog