Campervan and caravan dealers are reporting booming sales as one area of the motor trade rides a wave of post-lockdown activity – with prices rising sharply.
Motorhome dealers, classified advertising websites and have seen interest in campervans and caravans skyrocket.
The surge in staycation planning in anticipation that the government will allow camping sites to reopen in July has seen buyers flock to a market already short on stock and prices are beginning to rise.
One campervan dealer told us he had sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week back after the lockdown while Auto Trader has reported caravan advert views up 18 per cent and motorhome adverts up 17 per cent.
Meanwhile, auctions are selling to the trade and well above predicted prices with bidding ‘frenzied’ among dealers scrabbling to replenish stock.
Pricing earlier this year was strong as dealers could not get hold of quality used stock and that was even before coronavirus. A number of factors combined then which saw stock dry up and that has got worse now.’
Vaughan said he thinks the biggest firming up of prices will be in the sub-£25,000 bracket.
‘That sort of money is where car buyers and those new to the sector look first,’ he explained.
‘£25k doesn’t get you a lot of motorhome, but comparable to a car it’s a lot of money, so it’s here that a combination of little stock and a lot of buyers will push prices up.’
Vaughan said most dealers are rushed off their feet ‘running around in tiny circles’ as they look to juggle huge demand with fewer staff.
Used motorhome dealer Bill Hayes is one of those. He has been selling motorhomes for 45 years in Darlaston and told Car Dealer he sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week of June alone.
‘There’s a lot of pent-up demand, but we had an amazing first week,’ he said. ‘I’m not surprised. Many are new to the market and we’ve sold models from £30,000-£60,000.
He also said the sub-£30,000 market is booming with models in that price bracket ‘selling almost immediately’.
‘We have just one motorhome for sale that’s around the £25,000 mark and it won’t last. Even dealers are calling us up wanting to buy it.’
BCA held its first exclusively online caravan and motorhome sale last week and reported that every lot sold – most for far in excess of their expected values.
Nearly 800 trade customers registered to bid for the auction, which was held on June 1, and activity was ‘frenzied’ at times.
Among the stars was a 2019-registered Bailey Autograph 79-4 Motorhome, which sold for £45,600 – more than £7,000 above the guide value.
Meanwhile, a 2012-registered Nu Venture Rio Motorhome sold for £24,100 – more than twice the guide value.
Dealer Hayes – who says this year has been ‘one of the strangest ever’ in his 45 years of trading – said he believed the lack of foreign holidays is certainly the reason he’s so busy.
Manufacturers are seeing the boom in interest too.
VW told Car Dealer Magazine that requests for quotes on its popular California model were up 250 per cent and Grand California up 100 per cent in April.
A VW spokesperson told us: ‘Web stats show this interest. During lockdown we saw a big increase in web traffic to our California and Grand California pages, so we know people are researching, configuring vehicles and starting to dream about getting out and about.’
Conversion companies are enjoying rising interest too – and tell us the post-lockdown surge comes on top of an already buoyant start to the year.
Adrian Cross, CEO of Hillside Leisure, which converts VW Transport and Crafter vans is currently 20 per cent up on sales year-on-year.
Motorhome dealers, classified advertising websites and have seen interest in campervans and caravans skyrocket.
The surge in staycation planning in anticipation that the government will allow camping sites to reopen in July has seen buyers flock to a market already short on stock and prices are beginning to rise.
One campervan dealer told us he had sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week back after the lockdown while Auto Trader has reported caravan advert views up 18 per cent and motorhome adverts up 17 per cent.
Meanwhile, auctions are selling to the trade and well above predicted prices with bidding ‘frenzied’ among dealers scrabbling to replenish stock.
Pricing earlier this year was strong as dealers could not get hold of quality used stock and that was even before coronavirus. A number of factors combined then which saw stock dry up and that has got worse now.’
Vaughan said he thinks the biggest firming up of prices will be in the sub-£25,000 bracket.
‘That sort of money is where car buyers and those new to the sector look first,’ he explained.
‘£25k doesn’t get you a lot of motorhome, but comparable to a car it’s a lot of money, so it’s here that a combination of little stock and a lot of buyers will push prices up.’
Vaughan said most dealers are rushed off their feet ‘running around in tiny circles’ as they look to juggle huge demand with fewer staff.
Used motorhome dealer Bill Hayes is one of those. He has been selling motorhomes for 45 years in Darlaston and told Car Dealer he sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week of June alone.
‘There’s a lot of pent-up demand, but we had an amazing first week,’ he said. ‘I’m not surprised. Many are new to the market and we’ve sold models from £30,000-£60,000.
He also said the sub-£30,000 market is booming with models in that price bracket ‘selling almost immediately’.
‘We have just one motorhome for sale that’s around the £25,000 mark and it won’t last. Even dealers are calling us up wanting to buy it.’
BCA held its first exclusively online caravan and motorhome sale last week and reported that every lot sold – most for far in excess of their expected values.
Nearly 800 trade customers registered to bid for the auction, which was held on June 1, and activity was ‘frenzied’ at times.
Among the stars was a 2019-registered Bailey Autograph 79-4 Motorhome, which sold for £45,600 – more than £7,000 above the guide value.
Meanwhile, a 2012-registered Nu Venture Rio Motorhome sold for £24,100 – more than twice the guide value.
Dealer Hayes – who says this year has been ‘one of the strangest ever’ in his 45 years of trading – said he believed the lack of foreign holidays is certainly the reason he’s so busy.
Manufacturers are seeing the boom in interest too.
VW told Car Dealer Magazine that requests for quotes on its popular California model were up 250 per cent and Grand California up 100 per cent in April.
A VW spokesperson told us: ‘Web stats show this interest. During lockdown we saw a big increase in web traffic to our California and Grand California pages, so we know people are researching, configuring vehicles and starting to dream about getting out and about.’
Conversion companies are enjoying rising interest too – and tell us the post-lockdown surge comes on top of an already buoyant start to the year.
Adrian Cross, CEO of Hillside Leisure, which converts VW Transport and Crafter vans is currently 20 per cent up on sales year-on-year.
