American Travel Trailer Owners & Depreciation

[ClubmanGT]

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Myself and my family (5 of us) are currently selling our property with the hope of relocating to West/East Sussex. The house we fell in love with unfortunately fell through.

Rather than hold the chain up, we continue to sell our home. Most people would usually find somewhere to rent, however, we thought the possibility of Camping would be a much more adventurous choice whilst we found our forever home.

We love the American Campers as they offer so much more space.

Ideally, we would purchase a circa 30ft American Travel Trailer or a 5th Wheel due to the increased space and size when the slide-outs are extended.

Does anyone here own an American Travel Trailer or 5th Wheel??

If so, how does it perform on UK roads when towing?

Is it too big?

Do you find pitches hard to source?

I think after all of my research, we are likely to go the American Travel Trailer route for ease of use.
However, how much, on average % do American Travel trailers lose compared to EU ones for example?
I understand that they are not the most desirable however, value for money £ to £ they seem very good value.

As this is purely some "Fun" and a stop GAP I don't want to lose more in depreciation that what I would living in a rented 4 bed house.

Positives and negatives are welcomed, please.

Thanks in advance

Sam

 

[Terry]

It’s a few years since I looked at prices but usually if you buy without paying through the nose come sale time you should get most of your money back.Do your homework on prices or consider a large caravan that may hold its price better and be easier to sell on

 

[ClubmanGT]

It’s a few years since I looked at prices but usually if you buy without paying through the nose come sale time you should get most of your money back.Do your homework on prices or consider a large caravan that may hold its price better and be easier to sell on

Thanks for the reply Terry,

Yeah we started off at conventional Motorhomes however as it may be 6-12 months inside one I feel that with 3 kids under 8 it could all get a bit "tight"
Ideally looking for something 2017 circa £20-£30k
With the state of the UK at the moment, would I be right in saying more people are likely to be spending the summer months in the UK holding prices up a bit?

Thanks

 

[PhilMary]

Have you thought about a "static" on a site over the winter?

 

[Terry]

Who knowsWith the state of economy people may find they need to sell vans etc

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[ClubmanGT]

Have you thought about a "static" on a site over the winter?

Thanks for your reply.
We have considered this but again have hit a few hurdles.

1. Sites aren't open all year round
2. They have a 21-28 day staying clause.

Joys are that who knows how long a house sale takes, let alone trying to find another one!
We even considered buying a static but hit the above 2 points but also the 3rd point of needing a permanent residence to buy one.
As we have sold our house, we can't officially "buy" one.
Hence the motorhome/RV/Travel Trailer.

Have some fun with the kids for 6-12 months.

Thanks

 

[Riverbankannie]

RVOC is our sister site and you might get more replies on there.
Broken Link Removed

 

[ClubmanGT]

RVOC is our sister site and you might get more replies on there.
Broken Link Removed

Thanks for this,

I did sign up, but it says I don't have permission to create a thread or even reply.
Is it a subscription-based service only?

 

[Riverbankannie]

Thanks for this,

I did sign up, but it says I don't have permission to create a thread or even reply.
Is it a subscription-based service only?

Yes, like this site, there is a subscription, however the majority of members find it value for money. There is so much help available .

 

[MisterB]

Thanks for your reply.
We have considered this but again have hit a few hurdles.

1. Sites aren't open all year round
2. They have a 21-28 day staying clause.

Joys are that who knows how long a house sale takes, let alone trying to find another one!
We even considered buying a static but hit the above 2 points but also the 3rd point of needing a permanent residence to buy one.
As we have sold our house, we can't officially "buy" one.
Hence the motorhome/RV/Travel Trailer.

Have some fun with the kids for 6-12 months.

Thanks

There probably more sites open 12 months of the year than you think, though prob not where you want to be. The major concern for me would be high buying cost and low selling cost as most sales go through the site operator/owner. You would still also have to pay rates etc!

If you're in a position to travel and home school the kids, consider buying an older classic motorhome and travel for six months, if not then consider departing these shores during the school holidays and do some travelling, so again an older but reliable motirhome could still be your answer.

If you didn't fancy that, perhaps there may be some out of season rental deals in holiday locations in the UK or out of the UK that may be cheaper and more comfortable than a wet/windy/snowy field or campsite?

Hope everything goes well

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[old-mo]

RVOC is our sister site and you might get more replies on there.
Broken Link Removed

Not been on for months..... thought would have a look but wont let me log in...

 

[pappajohn]

also the 3rd point of needing a permanent residence to buy one

You also need a postal address for vehicle insurance, family insurance, GP registration etc.
You can get full timer vehicle insurance but the premium usually runs into four figures.

 

[Minxy]

Static caravan ownership ... don't go there! Whilst they may seem a good buy when you add in the cost of selling (usually 15% commission to the site) you're already onto a lot of depreciation, not to mention the site fee itself which can be many £'000s. There are a few static sites that don't charge commission but they are very, very rare and you'll still need to pay rates and the energy costs will be more.

Personally I'd stick to bricks & mortar and a standard rental property especially as this will mean you don't have to deal with insurance etc issues if you go into 'mobile' accommodation. If you can manage with a smaller property than you'd want to live in permanently obviously that will cut down your outgoings a lot then when you do get a new permanent home you'll really appreciate the extra space and by then will likely know what you need rather than just buying somewhere large that you may not actually want.