Can anyone advise what the initial setting-up costs for a new caravan are (e.g. additional purchases like 'security' systems not supplied with the unit, stabiliser/wing mirrors for the car and so on), please?
Also what the annual costs are, for example, insurance, storage, servicing and so on. The caravan we're thinking of is c.£12,000 new.
Quote: Originally posted by michael on 24/11/2009
The quick list of the essential kit you need to remember for every trip out in the caravan!
The Essential Kit
Caravan Brace for Corner Steadies £6
Caravan Step from £25
Rear Registration plate for Caravan £10
Extension Mirrors from £10 +
Waste Water Container & Connecting Pipe £12 +
Fresh Water Container & Submersible Pump £40 + £40 pump
Mains Electric hook-up Lead £30
Leisure Battery £ from £35 +
LPG Gas £20 if you have gas bottle
Chemical Toilet NA
Spare Wheel and Jack £80 +
Caravan Wheelclamp from £35
Hitchlock from £ 35
Stabiliser.depends on type
Awning, Poles, Pegs and Mallet from £ 250 +
Fire Safety
Fire Extinquisher (Dry Powder Extinguisher 600g - 1Kg
Smoke Alarm (spare battery)
Fire Blanket (For Fat and Barbecue Fires)
Medical
First Aid kit
A bit optimistic on some of those - spare wheel and jack for £80? More like £150-£200 but then you could just use the car jack...and a battery is £80 at least...
If you're getting a new van, you should be able to get at least a leisure battery and spare wheel included. Probably more if you're a better haggler than me...
Annual costs are:
Insurance (c.£250 depending on various factors). Storage (if not on your driveway) - £350 average. Service - £120 or so.
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
For a new caravan the corner steady brace, the step, the number plate, the pump, the hook up leadall come as standard with the caravan. Though you might prefer a different step from the plastic one they generally supply.
Starting from fresh I would buy an Aquaroll in preference to any other fresh water container simply because they are so much easier to handel, I would not have any water container that did not have wheels on it, cost is about £40. The a wastemaster another £40, same reason wheels make for easy carrying water is very very heavy in large quantities. You would be advised to carry a spare wheel and some form of Jack £120( or have some sort of rescue service that would come out and fit your spare wheel ), I have never needed mine in 17 years but sods law would say that if I did not carry it I would need it. Then you need some security devices, either one or tweo depending on your insurance company ( insurance is essential as no matter how much you spend on security the thieves have ways around it ) so say a minimum of £80 per device ( wheel clamp and hitchlock )
Then inside the van , you need pots and pans ( you can take the ones you use at home but it is a pain in the neck remembering them and loading them ), then you need a battery ( even if you are using Electric Hook Up ( EHU ) £35 the battery supplies an even level of voltage to the 12V electrics of the caravan and provides a supplement to the 12V supply when you use more than the charger can supply directly. You need a supply of chemicals £12 for the loo blue for the cassette and pink for the flush reservoir ( unless the caravan flush is supplied direct from the caravan supply ). You then need some gas bottles it is worthwhile making a visit to your local tip to see if they have either calor 4.5kg or 7kg butane ( blue ) or 3.9kg or 6kg propane ( red ) bottles. The important thing is that they say calor on the side, you can use others but calor is available everywhere. If you get empty bottles and swap them for full ones it will cost about £20 per bottle ( it is worthwhile having two bottles ) but if you have to buy them then it will cost you £30 per bottle plus the gas.
Other things are optional, you might like a TV or a radio, an awning is useful especially if you take a pet with you or have young children especially when it is wet.
So my total would be £460+
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
Sometimes if you analyse every single cost you would probably say its not worth it. Mind you if you anaylse how much its costs to have children you would probably say you couldnt afford that either. I have probably spent thousands on caravan kit other than a solar panel I have every thing. Even down to a flat pack Tesco bottle carrier for the wine so they dont bang together.
------------- A barman is just a pharmacist
with a limited inventory
I am quite startled by some of the replies here. Our new van came with everything on the above lists, right down to the fire extinguisher and the mover. The only 2 items missing from the list was the first aid kit and the fire blanket. We already had these though.
I would have presumed that the awning, water carriers, gas cylinders, battery, hitch and wheel lock, spare wheel and jack would be standard fittings and not things that I would expect to have to buy "as extras".
All of these items were included in the min vehicle weight so it is only right that they were included in the van to start with.
We did have some extras built into our van during the manufacturing stage but these were for our own particular needs and we would not have expected these to come "as standard".
We approached it the other way, decided that we'd barter the dealer down to the lowest we could get just for the van then pick and choose the other stuff we wanted or needed item by item, and by shopping around.
From the other posts I've read about what people have paid for the van we're getting and what they got "thrown in", the end result is pretty similar.
We never really gave "the extras" a thought. We had plenty of these having written off our last caravan.
We went for that particular van because it gave us a layout that, at that time anyway, was unique for a British Built 2 berth caravan. When it then came with all the extras thrown in, we gave/sold off those bits that we no longer needed. It was good to see the stuff going to other caravanners that could make good use of them.
On the up side, we now have matching waste and fresh water barrels.
Going back to the original question, the only yearly charges we have is the Service, £120 (mobile engineer) and the Insurance £380 (Caravan Guard). It is stored in my workshop so I have no storage fees to pay.
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Topic: Initial Setting Up and Annual Costs
