We have a 45 foot van which is now coming up to 12 years old. We know our current site in North Wales will soon ask us to move on so we are looking at the options. Does anyone know of any sites that take older but good condition vans? I can't believe that we will have to scrap a perfectly good van, because although dated it is in perfect condition.
If you post up an area where you would prefare to be that would help draw in some positive responses maybe? My son in laws family have a static caravan on one of the Skegness sites thats over 15yrs old, but its been there since new, so im unsure if they would accept an older caravan from another site. You may be better selling it on to a new owner complete with the remainder of the lease on the pitch, then looking for a newer model on a more owner friendly site. A tough decision to make, and something we looked at doing a couple of weeks ago for when towing finally gets too much for us old fogies lol!
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Does your Contract/Agreement with the current site allow you to sell on to anyone you want or do you have to sell the van back to the site(presumably for a lot less than it's actual worth) or does it just have to be scrapped because is is older than the contract stipulates?
If you have to move it from the current pitch, regardless of the reasons why, you may find you are in difficulties finding someone who will take it. There's just not enough profit in it for the site owners - they want to sell you the van on its pitch not re-site an older van from elsewhere.
This is one of the main reasons I wouldn't want a static. I have stayed in a hired one and they are lovely, but with many sites requiring their removal when they reach a certain age, they can turn out to be a liability, even if they are in excellent condition. Sadly, if they have to be removed because of age, they become virtually worthless overnight. The only people who could be interested are people who own their own site, or who want to put it in their garden while they renovate an old house.
There were loads of very decent looking statics for sale on ebay when I last looked. Many advertised at less than the cost of a decent garden shed. I guess they were too old for most sites, although they looked fine to me.
Looking at the size of your van..45 foot..could it be some type of park-home or chalet? something like a tingdene perhaps? If so you will stand a very good chance of selling it on.
If it is a "caravan"..it will probably cost you quite a lot of money to get rid of it.
Most sites will charge you a disconnection and/or unsiting fee.
Then you will have to arrange transport to wherever the van is going.
These days "scrapping" a van is called recycling..and you pay for the yard to do that! I am involved in the industry and assuming you can find a recycling yard to take your van...expect to pay £400.
There is a lot of waste and not much scrap metal left at the end which is why you pay.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...but thats how it is. I doubt you would be allowed to dismantle a van on site..but if you could it would fill 2 big skips.
Your options....part-ex it now while it still has some value(just what the site owners want)----find a friendly farm site and pay to get it there(hopefully happy to have your rent for a good few years) or sell on a well-known auction site and let the buyer arrange removal/transport.
Dont know about your site..but regularly hear of sites charging £2000 for dis-connection and un-siting--and they dont do it carefully!!! add another £1000 for transport and "recycling" and you will have an idea what it costs when your van is too old .
Hi BRYANMITCH, have things changed with Park Homes then? We lived in one in the early 1970s, and when we came to move we couldn't give it away, as the new owner would have had to remove it from the park. We ended up having to sell it to the site operator, for pennies. After we had moved out, they tried to charge us for un-siting it, more than they had given us for the unit! As I knew it was still on site, and had been sold on for 10 times what they gave us, I ignored their charge for un-siting, but they were quite persistent, sending us several threatening letters which I also ignored. Eventually they gave up, but it took over a year.
Sounds about right for most site-owners! Park homes are usually easier to sell on ...especially onto private land.They are usually a bit more acceptable should you need any sort of permission from councils etc and I think park home type sites give you a much longer tenancy.They tend to be made of wood and seem to be favoured over the aluminium variety.Much easier to dispose of too....big bonfire
They can often be seen being used as offices or changing rooms due to the open plan/loose furniture interiors and look a bit more"proffesional" than an old caravan.
As regards transport..they usually require specialised trucks ie low loaders..due to their length and height.
Our Park Home was quite different to modern ones. It was much more like a static holiday home of today. It was aluminium clad, 38 feet long by 12 feet wide. It had a lounge, kitchen, bathroom, and two small bedrooms.
We had an open-ended tenancy of the ground on which it stood, paid by monthly direct debit. It was only after 4 years when we came to sell that we realised that the new owner would have to take it off site, or we would have to sell to the site operator - on their terms! Without a site it was worthless.
In my opinion, the only way to sell privately a Park Home or a time-expired static, is to someone who has their own piece of land to put it on. Unless anyone knows different?
I think we've been very lucky. We've just bought our 18 year old static on a site where some are much older than ours. The site is perfect for us with only a small play area for children but plenty of wildlife for the grown-ups, i.e a wide variety of birds but best of all an abundance of red squirrels, no shop, nor pub/club house. Perfect. The owners have assured us that as longer as the caravan is kept in good clean condition we can stay as long as we want. The only thing that is stated is that the site owner is responsible for showing any prospective buyers the van when it is up for sale and if there is any damp then it cannot be sold and must be removed. For the price we paid and the ground fees we think we got a good deal.
Sounds like a good site...the best sort to be on..but the owner has covered his back very well.Even a brand new -factory fresh van will register as damp on a damp meter.I dont know the exact percentages that are thought of as acceptable...but even a cheap damp-meter will register something for you. That is the site owners get-out clause..but if you are happy and just want to enjoy your caravan..as long as you are paying rent you wont have a problem
Quote: Originally posted by BRYANMITCH on 02/8/2014
Sounds like a good site...the best sort to be on..but the owner has covered his back very well.Even a brand new -factory fresh van will register as damp on a damp meter.I dont know the exact percentages that are thought of as acceptable...but even a cheap damp-meter will register something for you. That is the site owners get-out clause..but if you are happy and just want to enjoy your caravan..as long as you are paying rent you wont have a problem
It does say OBVIOUS damp and we haven't found any. Only one thing is the cushions have gone a bit soft in parts due to use so having them re-foamed as we speak. Upholstery is still fantastic with no breaks so everything seems to be a bargain.
Quote: Originally posted by HeatherTM on 19/6/2020
Owens in Towyn take older vans.
That may be handy for some people to know, as this is a question that is frequently asked. However, you are replying to a post that is several years old, so I doubt the original poster is still looking.
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Topic: Site for older vans?
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via mobile 23/4/2021 at 8:58am
