Changing gear/lifestyle...

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Fat Controller, Sep 6, 2021.

  1. Fat Controller

    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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    £480 per year if I move out a bit into Herts.
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      £65 a month is quite a lot, added up over a year you can rent good AirBnBs for say a couple of weeks. Caravans start to make sense financially if you are going away a lot.
       
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      • Fat Controller

        Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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        I really don't think the girls would go for AirBnB's - that is the problem. I am (aside from being at the point of giving up) trying to cover off quite a specific load of circumstances and winning with none of them. I know one thing for sure, I am not driving the sort of distances I have just done this past holiday on a daily basis again. So, no holiday it will be.
         
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        • gks

          gks Total Gardener

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          I don't know if this will suit you but it's another option.
          Below is a link to a website that rents out both campervans and caravans. With the caravans, you rent it from the owner who will deliver it to a site that you will pre-book, you are actually not allowed to tow it. So you can enjoy camping without the hassle of towing, pitching and packing up as the owner will do all that. Some will deliver up to 150 miles from their base and there is some pet friendly caravans.

          Pet-Friendly Caravans for hire in United Kingdom :: Camplify

          Caravan for Hire in Worcester from £50.00 "All Set Up - Relax. Refresh. Explore. *New Listing*" :: Camplify
           
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          • Fat Controller

            Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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            That may be a possibility - I'd have to run it past the girls of course as it may fall under the same problem that AirBnB does (it is someone else's and doesn't 'feel right'); I confess I battle somewhat with that as I was always generally a 'wherever I lay my hat' type of guy, so it does cause me frustration.
             
          • gks

            gks Total Gardener

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            When me and my sister were kids my parents used to take us camping in the UK and also to France and Spain. My dad purchased a pop up camping trailer which he towed with a VW Passat. Got to admit, we had a lot of fun, it was easy and quick to set up. That was 45 years ago, but the below picture is very similar to what we had.
             

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            • Sheal

              Sheal Total Gardener

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              It's possible to lease a used car FC, it may be possible to do the same with a caravan or campervan?
               
            • Fat Controller

              Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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              That would be one to look at once the world stops going mad I think - currently, used vehicle prices are extremely high so leasing them costs arms and legs; indeed, the car is on a PCP/lease deal and there is no way I could afford both.

              Looking at the announcements swirling around this morning about three day weeks, power cuts and lack of food this winter I think we will all be lucky if we get to spring in a sane condition - holidays will be the least of our worries.
               
            • Sandy Ground

              Sandy Ground Total Gardener

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              Being a bit pedantic, thats not 100% correct. A lot of older campers/caravans have gas only heating, usually from Truma. After a certain year, this can be updated to gas only, electric only, or a mix of both. Truma do a kit for the purpose. Later vehicles have almost the same as standard. Two stages of electric, 1 stage of gas (sometimes diesel in PVC's) or a mix of both. I personally prefer the diesel version. 6kW of heat in the swedish Winter works very well indeed!

              The lowest internal headroom in a van that I've so far seen is 190cm. That was in a Winterised PVC with a double floor. Others would have more. Pop Up rooves are becoming more popular, they would give about 28cm.

              A personal opinion. The "sweet spot" for a Camper is under 6m. and 3500kg max weight. As soon as those limits are exceeded, freedom is lost. With those over 3500, bridges, ferries usually cost more. In France, three angles morts stickers are needed, and added to that, in a lot of countries lower speed limits apply. Greater Manchester will be introducing emission charges next year. From what I've read, over 3500kg means a charge of £60 per day!
               
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              • Sheal

                Sheal Total Gardener

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                But if you had a camper van you said you would change your car to something smaller/cheaper to run. Would this help towards leasing a camper van?
                 
              • Fat Controller

                Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                It would, however all of this is part of a big soup - if I didn't have to finance a car, I wouldn't be to be honest. We ended up with the car we have simply because the deals we were getting at the time to buy something decent on HP (Focus, Mondeo etc etc) we could have the Jag on PCP for not a lot more. However, it is still a hell of a lot of money to be fair especially as it has been reduced to being little more than a commuter car. Running costs themselves are actually remarkably low (costs less to run than the Qashqai for example)

                I am hell bent on moving away from this area when we get the opportunity to do so - if that is pre-retirement however, that will then mean I will have a long run into the office a couple of days per week at least, so I will then need a decent set of wheels under me. How soon that will be is a different question
                 
              • Sheal

                Sheal Total Gardener

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                I think that is definitely the way to go. Can you not make the move sooner rather than later?

                Excuse me for splitting hairs. If that means a commute to your office a couple of times a week, surely a reliable and young set of wheels that is cheaper to run than your present car makes sense?
                 
              • Fat Controller

                Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                I can't move at the moment - zero funds to do so, and implications for our daughter's college.

                The car is not expensive to run by any stretch of the imagination; quite the opposite in fact. This car is cheaper to run than my mum's Peugeot 208 for example, and her car has done a lot less miles than mine. The cost with this one is the PCP deal, which to be fair would be exactly the same situation with another youngish car - beside that, to get out of it early would see me hit with a penalty (circa £3k last I looked, so not something I want to do unless my back is against the wall)

                The move could be a quite a while away yet, but we are looking to see what areas we want to be in.
                 
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                • Sheal

                  Sheal Total Gardener

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                  Yes, it's the PCP deal I was thinking of, a disadvantage being tied into it until the stated time expires.

                  How long do you think it would be before you can move to a different area? I'm thinking if it's only a matter of two maybe three years then it would be worth abandoning the idea of owning a caravan/camper van until you've made that move. Meanwhile what you save on the expense of buying and maintaining said vehicle could be put towards a weeks holiday here and there. Or maybe even B&B's if you want to tour a little while your away.
                   
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