Static Caravan Information Service

Looking round new caravans is one of the most enjoyable things to do, especially if you are looking to purchase one. From reading the section choosing a caravan, you should know the maximum size you are able to get onto the park and the layout to suit your needs best. Now the fun starts, looking round all manufactures to find the style and colour scheme you will like the best. Do you require any extras, for example, central heating and double glazing if you are going to use your caravan in cold weather.

Some manufacturers will do slight alterations, such as making space for a fridge freezer instead of just a fridge or putting extra power points in. It is better to get these jobs done before delivery, as it could affect your warranty if you get them done independently at a later date.

Make sure you know what you are buying, a caravan to look round may be set out with matching bedding and door curtains etc., these could be extra to the standard price so please check with the rep or read through the brochure very carefully. Check what length of warranty you are getting, some manufacturers are giving up to three years now but this may be at an extra cost.

Check on some of the manufactures websites which you will find in the Related Sites section some of these are very good and will give you some idea of the of styles, colours and layouts etc. View over some of the floor plans these will give you details of how the caravan is set out, kitchen/diner or the dining area might be in the lounge. You will be able to see the layout of the bedrooms/bathroom. It is important to remember you can get several different layouts on the same make and model of caravan so if you find one you like make sure its correct layout when ordering.

If you look on the internet or through the brochures and find one you like, go to your local dealer or site manager and ask where you can go to view one before you buy as things often look a lot different when seeing the real thing.

Sit in it and get the feel, often a static caravan feels bare and empty so try to imagine it with a few of your own items in, will it all fit to your liking T.V. HiFi Microwave Table Lamps etc.

When your new caravan arrives on the park, check it very carefully, as with most manufactures you only have a short period of time to report any items missing or damage caused during the manufacture or delivery.

Important News

We are getting increased complaints from members who feel they have been deceived when buying their caravan with extravagant losses when selling. One member (pensioner) paid £25,000 for a used static, used his life savings plus he had to take out a loan, due to health problems he had to sell 10 months later. The park offered just over £8,000 to buy it back (very large UK holiday company) wouldn't even pay off his loan.

We have taken a typical example of a New Willerby Granada 35' x 12' two bedroom RRP from Willerby £23,311.25 and for sale fully sited on a park in Kent for £31,995 (not including site fees).

As you can see a big difference but the Willerby figure is RRP so the Park will buy it at much less than that and when you try to sell most Parks only offer you the basic trade price it does not take a lot of working out that you could loose nearly half your money if you had to sell back to them in the first year.

To avoid falling into the same trap ask for a written buy back guarantee ie. what will they give you in 12months time if it was necessary to sell we think you will get some very red faced sales people.