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I will never buy an other caravan in my lifetime 😉🤔👍

I'm new to the caravan thing. Thanks for this.

“Dealers had to make some money while the sun shone” what because of the pandemic! I appreciate your honesty but it’s what the public already knew,you reap what you sow sunshine,no one will have any sympathy with caravan/motorhome dealers and manufacturers that have fleeced the public through these last few years.

Hi, Both myself and the Wife have been touring for nearly 18 years. In that time we are now onto our 4th caravan; changes due to family circumstances ie kids getting older and don’t come on holiday with us, therefore layouts need to be changed. We have owned 3 Bailey caravans, our first the Ranger Series 5, 2nd Bailey Unicorn Cadiz Series 3 and our 3rd the Bailey Unicorn Cabrera Series 5, which we bought in December 2023. None of our Bailey caravans have had water ingress. As you know our current van (Cabrera) has the Alutech construction, therefore can you please confirm if the £30 damp meter can only be used for readings on the floor? Incidentally our 2nd van was a Swift Challenger Sport 2012 and after 2 years old, it had to have the whole back panel changed due to water ingress, thankfully replaced under warranty! Regards, Steve Brown.

And how is the warranty doing from the bankrupt dealers 😅

Hi is it a good time to buy a new caravan or used ? I'm thinking of getting a van again aftef 10 years.

Customers are going 2 get some amazingly badly built vans this year 😅

Darren ,what a mess,I did buy new last year and was thinking of upgrade maybe not so keen now.😢 hope your able to ride the storm.

Its not just this industry...everyone is feeling the pinch. You lot who took the gov cash to sit on your arse during the plandemic caused this with your stupidity

Daughter has just hired a static for just over £70 per night in Devon. No towing, no large car , no servicing, no storage fees etc. kind of makes you wonder!

It's going to be a great buyers market out there with so many near new second hand caravans coming onto the market so hopefully you can pick up a beauty for a good cheaper price it's a win for the consumer

Hi, Our last two vans have been swift . First was a 2019 Sprite alpine 2 no issues. Second and current van a 2021 Sprite alpine 4 dealer special again no issues so far, we bought it when it was 11 months old, we have had it now for about 2 years. My question is are dealer specials worth the extra cost versus a standard van ?. Just wondering if you could do a little piece in one of your vlogs about this. Thanks. Paul and Joanne 👍 PS really enjoying your series about caravans at the moment great content 👌

I drive past you all the time. Wish i could afford something you sell lol

Excellent advice to would be consumers. It sounds like the Dealer defrauded the finance company insofar as they sought fit to raise finance on a caravan they did not own. The finance company will be reluctant to write the loan down as a loss which means the end consumer will have been shafted by the Dealer and one of the largest finance companies in the UK. There is something fundamentally wrong here. Great video, thanks.

Weather, site cost, fuel cost, tow car insurance cost, caravan cost is all playing a huge part in people wishing to choose Caravanning for their holidays, it's no longer a cheap alternative infact it's more expensive than going abroad in some cases, factor in the weather in the UK and Caravanning becomes very unattractive

Also, there is no such thing as a 'deposit' in consumer law. These are legally called 'part payments', as they are a part payment for goods or services. It's minor point; but worth knowing. Equally, you'd have to give any part payment (Deposit) back if the deal falls through so why bother asking for one...? They are legally refundable; the only non-refundable part payment might be for the purchase of a bespoke product, or for substantial amount of customer instructed non-reversible work prior to collection. People that know their rights are not going to walk away from a part payment (Deposit), only the uninformed will...

The Consumer Credit Act section 75 has a general time limit of 120 days and a ceiling of £30k - However, Section 75a takes over >30k but the object must be named or subject to a pending finance deal. So; if buying for less than 30k use a credit card on some part of the bill on a credit card; if more than 30k then get finance with zero early payment fee and pay it off before any interest is due.. (Remember there is a cooling off period for finance agreements so cancelling in that period is fine and only the core loan becomes payable, thus 0% cost of the facility for a few days).

Broadlane took my deposit 4 weeks before going into administration. They must have known when they took the deposit.... I'm in touch with the administrator.

FINALLY!!! someone from the industry that is talking sense and saying things need to change. Hit the nail on the head with the statement '1st Manifacturer to build like a German but style it like an English van will mop up' so true. Anyone with sense would buy one of those, hold onto it for years, customers would flock to them and they destroy all the competition. Pity about the Eldiss /Hymer collab as I to had high hopes they would produce something industry leading. Wake up British Caravan manufacturers before you go the same way as the British Car industry and pretty much ALL other British industries!

What possible negative effect could there be to the planet if caravans stopped being produced? In what way are caravans relevant or even feasible to the electric vehicle future? Best give up now and find something more useful to get on with mate. Blind idiots - look ahead ten years - how will we get rid of all these useless bloody things?!

I think we need to be realistic and charging £40-50 a night for a place to park a caravan with access to running water, waste and electric quite frankly is taking the mick. It's no longer a cheap hobby and there's a mass exodus within the leisure industry. Be interesting to see how this all pans out.

The problem is they sowed the seeds and they reaped the benefits but know it’s come back and biting them on the back sides the quality control is non existent on lots of these vans there is a lot of used and new vans in dealerships go on eBay auto trader and there’s hundreds for sale . Wouldn’t caravan makers be better off cutting production back for a while get the quality control back in line , then let the dealerships move some of there new stock and used stock then start producing the new vans again with a better quality product .As for sites charging too much if everyone refused to pay these high pitch charges they would drop there prices or go out of business simple?

Good video. For me, I didn’t think that recent years had seen bigger increases than the before. I have always thought that they were increasing equally around £1k per year, so Sprites for instance have seen their prices literally double in 12 years. Also, Elddis and Coachman seem to have increased even more with some of their top end vans costing over £50k. 12 years ago, their top range vans were all well under £30k. That is definitely greed. So caravans are now in some cases are costing more than a motorhome was just a few years ago. Poor quality and obvious greed (in some brand examples) just miff the customers off to the point that they get out of caravanning altogether, or as in my case decide to save for a motorhome (which to me seems better value when considering additional costs like tow cars etc). Keep up the great work and exposing the issues around the decline in the caravan market …….

I bet there’s a lot of caravan dealers cringing at what your saying😂😂

will this tester work through the lino on the caravan floor? keep the videos coming

Think a couple of things at play, mentally.. a lot of people don't swap vans often so the price difference from when they last swapped they feel has jumped massively, when in reality it hasn't that much as you have proven, add to that time in general feels like its flying, lets face it, the pandemic was 4 years ago now! yet still feels like last year and I think a lot of people feel that way because it was a big event! probably people from WW2 had similar feelings for a good few years after the end of the war!. Add to that the pricing has broken a "milestone" in that a few now are over the £30k mark, is it the old "we sell things for £3.99 etc because it feels like we are saving a massive amount compared to pricing at £4", what I mean by this is human nature we look at a van for £29,999, didn't feel anywhere near as expensive as a van worth £30,999?

A swift solicitors letter to the finance company pointing out the dealer had no legal title to the caravan they financed followed by a small claim should get the chap his caravan back.

I'm not surprised at all, new and used prices shot up during and after Covid, the industry created an unsustainable market. The value proposition of Caravans stopped adding up for most potential buyers. Add to the that storage fees and rising site fees, plus the lack of pitches available at good sites during peak times then its just easier to go Airbnb etc. In my experience the idea of roaming freedom with a caravan is a myth in the UK. Good sites are often booked up months in advance, so you can't actually tour around spontaneously, that takes sum of the fun and freedom out of the equation. On the plus side there are some good prices in the used private sales market in recent weeks.

Another interesting video. Can you give a rough idea what it would cost to replace the floor on a 2015 Bailey serville 2 berth. I know it’s how long is a piece of string but just a guide price .

Let's look at the reality of the situation caravans, while previously a cheap holiday are now a luxury. Here are my costs (approximately) over 10 years. Cost of van new about £24000. Value now £8000 or £1600 per year. Storage costs about £500 per year. Insurance about £120 per year. Site fees for 14 nights per year about £350 per year. So without taking into account the need to run a larger vehicle than I need for the rest of the year the annual cost of my van is about £2570 without going abroad, changing the van every very frequently or having a particularly top end van. Unfortunately, in my opinion, touring caravan holidaying is finished.

The dealship has committed fraud, by leveraging something they have no entitlement to. Call your insurance company report it as stolen, contact the police and report it stolen, inform the administrator that if they persist they are party to fraud and liable for prosecution.

Surely Caravan Dealers could buy insurance that would cover repaying any customers owed money in case the business goes bust? It would be a huge comfort to buyers and a big selling point for a dealer ?

One very IMPORTANT piece of info. Many people do not know that the protection afforded by paying for goods or services by using a Credit card {known as section 75 of the consumer credit act} does NOT APPLY to a purchase where the TOTAL of the sale exceeds £30000. So whether you pay a large or a small amount (deposit) by card, and a chunk by part ex….if the total purchase exceeds £30k……you are NOT protected by section 75. Worth noting

I’m new to your channel and find your honesty refreshing, I have been caravanning for 30 years did buy a campervan 2 years ago and still use it as my tow vehicle and my daily drive. I totally agree that caravans are getting out of reach of the average person and second hand vans are a gamble because of the build quality, I have a 2021 swift challenger out of warranty and constantly worry when will I find damp or something else break, this van was 30k new, the manufacturers should be made to recall faults that are happening to there products. It’s sad but this will be my last caravan.

Not sure I want a caravan anymore. Doom & gloom 😩😩😩😩😩

with the part exchange, it wasn't theirs to put on a finance line, isn't there any legal ownership documents?

Vins are year build legal requirements once it is built

Appreciate your video we are about to buy a new caravan so better to be forewarned. Thank you 🙏👏👏

Totally agree with most you are saying,I am a small independent dealer & just disagree with the px drop off process as that PX needs to be accessed for condition,service & damp to confirm a accurate price prior to agreement on value,the px might require £?…. Spending on it to make it resealable,there needs to trust but both ways,thanks for the great videos

Congratulations on putting your head above the parapet, Im sure some of the big boys will be on there way to cornwall as we speak. In the present circumstances and for the forseeable future the industry will have to come up with some modern thinking, such as a seperate independant holding account, I would hope that black horse , robber barons as they may be, will be working on this. This is now the time for the caravan/ MH industry to drag itself into the 21st century, nobody with any sense will pay a deposit or the full amount, god forbid , for a caravan ever again. Time for a fresh start, only the fittest of us will survive.

I will always pay the deposit by credit card then you have a claim on the credit card company and always do a bank transfer for the rest on the day of collection. If they are not happy with this I will buy elsewhere

By the way I also pay in full privately.. no loans No dealer fees Dealer warranty - can check van properly any issues can knock price down. Extras thrown in can be sold for profit I can ask about the History I can see the vehicle with faults I can purchase cheaper I can sell privately for more If you have to make a deposit you ask for deposits to be "refundable" only

You can of course ask if there is finance on a caravan, if this is the case you can pay the finance element on the day of collection to obtain title of the goods

Pay a deposit with a credit card, with a Motor Home it is simple, do a HPI check this will show any outstanding finance. If every thing is okay get the dealers Bank Details send them £10 pounds via phone banking. On the day you collect it takes just a few minutes to transfer the balance because it is already set up. Another way is do it on finance, pay it off after a week or two.. NEVER EVER PAY THE BALANCE UP FRONT PRIOR TO COLLECTION. Inspect the Motor Home, Tax it, and pay the balance with the keys in your hand. Caravans are not so clear cut, I may be tempted to go the finance route, if it all goes down hill, it is the finance company's problem, pay deposit with a credit card just the same. Hate to say it, however Caravan / Motor Home Dealers have in the past had history - If you know you know.

You're not entirely correct...The insolvency practitioners first responsibility is to ensure HMRC get paid first. Secondly the Banks get there money back. Finally everyone else including the insolvency firm. My advice presently is pay on delivery no deposits...

our 2010 Harris was £15,000 and we sold the Harris for £8,000 in 2017 we noticed every year they were going up in price by about a thousand pound a year.We purchased a Swift 580 for £25,000 in 2019 and We sold it in 2020 due to faults for £20,000.

We Will be keeping our 08 Abbey vogue until it falls apart or we are forced to pack it in altogether. Certainly won't be replacing it with another, not financially sensible anymore

Manufacturers have taken us for granted for to long.They have all neglected to deal with water ingress issues and cracks in GRP not forgetting the uncomfortable cardboard seats and lack of care in build quality.all compounded by the high sight fee charges. Caravanning is now only for the rich. Wages have been kept to low for years, people are struggling to pay the high cost. of renting a home and the rise in the cost of food etc.

I read a lot about site costs and as someone that tends to use sites with ehu in the UK and EU I always set a maximum of £40 per night which is still a lot of money.

We never used to have the likes of the Lusso which started off this £50k caravan craziness. Despite what you say I think that prices have risen sharply in the last two years or so not a gradual rise over six years. I think Coachman started 2024 with their slogan about the price rise for 24 being zero. Pity others didn’t take the hint. Whatever happens the bubbly has burst for caravans and Motorhomes plenty of stock not enough buyers high interest rates so 2025 will not be a corner turner for the manufacturers.