Buying a Second-Hand Caravan: Is It Worth It?

Since the pandemic, with the restrictions on overseas travel, nomads across the nation started looking inwards for their future adventures. With this increased demand to travel domestically, the caravan industry skyrocketed.

There has been a significant influx in second-hand caravan purchases, and many potential buyers question if it is worth it. You can use this article to find out for yourself whether or not it’s worthwhile to buy a second-hand caravan.

Why It’s Worthwhile

1. Quicker

Buying a new caravan means you have to wait a longer period of time. In some cases, there is an eight-month wait time in deliveries from the time of purchase till the time of hand-over. Whereas second-hand caravans are already available.

2. Cheaper

From a price of purchase cost, buying a second-hand caravan is cheaper than buying a brand new one. However, second-hand caravans may have more issues and wear and tear which could cost more later on than a new caravan would cost. With that said, if you are only planning on doing a couple of trips a year and not putting it to full use, then it may just be worthwhile to go for a pre-loved van to get your value for money.

3. Experience

This is specifically for newbies or first-time buyers of the caravan industry. You may not entirely know what you want out of a caravan yet, where you’d like to travel and how much you’d be using your caravan.

Buying a second-hand caravan gives newcomers a more affordable entry into the industry to figure out whether or not owning a caravan is really something they like, before deciding to upgrade to a new caravan.

4. Warranty

If you are buying the caravan from a reputable dealership then you can usually get a warranty that can cover any major faults or issues with the vehicle. 

What’s Limiting About It

1. Modifications

Ordering a new caravan means you get any modification added while the vehicle is still being built. However, with a second-hand caravan, this is more difficult and sometimes can be more expensive depending on the manufacturer and service provider.

2. Condition

Having had a longer lifespan, it’s hard to be certain what kind of care, conditions, and service history the vehicle has been through. You may well experience some minor faults, but hopefully not any major faults. This is just one of the risks involved in buying a second-hand caravan.

You can reduce your risk by doing your homework, check out Caravan Sales Online tutorials on buying a second-hand caravan.