MARCH 2021
     

'Some very serious doubts'

COVID leaves would-be caravanners with a dilemma ... rent or buy?

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WOULD-BE caravanners have been left with "some very serious doubts" over whether to hit the road or not ... thanks to the COVID pandemic.

The Caravan Council of Australia says it has received numerous calls and emails from nervous buyers worried about "the comings and goings" of factory workers and alleged severe shortages of components and materials.

 "Will the post-virus 'vans, especially from low-volume manufacturers, be fully-compliant and of high standard," CCA founder and general manager ColinYoung asked.

"Clearly, a lot of possible customers are having second thoughts about buying new caravans and are considering the options of buying a used 'van, or more-likely renting a 'van each time they plan on taking a vacation."

Mr Young has penned the following article saying there are two significant factors to persuade "non-vanners" to get into the caravanning lifestyle and enjoy travelling around Australia.

1: People who simply cannot afford to buy a 'van, may well be enticed to go for the significantly lower-cost renting option.

2: People who do choose the renting path - and enjoy their short travels - may well be encouraged to go for longer vacations, and decide to buy a 'van.

Is it more economical to buy or rent a caravan ... that is the BIG question.

What are the pros and cons?

Over the past seven years or so, the Caravan Council of Australia has received many calls from remorseful buyers of caravans that have numerous defects, including extremely-dangerous safety issues, and major non-compliances.

In far too many cases, these highly-aggrieved owners have had significant, traumatic and costly hassles in trying to get the supplier to rectify them, as legally required by the Australian Consumer Law.

A lot of unresolved hassles unfortunately lead to litigation.

A common story from unhappy owners is that "we were sold something that we didn't really want, we were too naive, and we hadn't done our home-work properly".

The image of the caravanning industry is being badly tarnished by these continuing problems - despite the intentions of the ACL - such that new regulations for caravans are being introduced by the Federal Government in an attempt to prevent such occurrences.

For a high percentage of 'vanners, the renting option may well be much more beneficial, in terms of saving money, and in not having the stressful worry and annoyance of ensuring that a purchased caravan is indeed fully-compliant, safe and of very high quality.

It also allows the renters to relax and forget about caravan insurance, registration and servicing obligations.

The first step for 'vanners preparing for their travels is to decide on exactly what they need - and also prefer - to have in a caravan.

An informative article - Evaluating What You Want in a Caravan - is freely available by emailing: caravancouncil@optusnet.com.au

The first vital consideration is to determine how large (and heavy) your "ideal" caravan will be and and where you intend to travel.

The second vital consideration is: "Is our current tow vehicle suitable to legally and safely tow your 'ideal' caravan?"

If it is, that is fine! If it is not, a major decision must be made on whether to buy or rent another new or use tow-vehicle.

Another option then arises: "Would it be better to buy - or rent - a suitable motor-home or campertrailer?"

All Caravan rental businesses obviously warmly welcome the opportunity to serve 'vanners who have realised that renting is appreciably more viable and cheaper than buying ... particularly if they do not travel for long periods each year.

Caravan rental businesses no doubt do their "homework" in a meticulous manner before deciding on which 'vans to buy!

This encourages - and necessitates - manufacturers, who want to be in the running, to be 100 percent certain their 'vans are professionally designed and built, so as to be able to guarantee full compliance, exceptional quality, safety, reliability, durability, competitive pricing, acceptable servicing policies, ethical and knowledgeable conduct by all company personnel etc.

Renters appreciably assist the manufacturers by providing constructive comments on the usability and acceptance of their 'vans, along with suggestions to improve any items that have any drawbacks.

Renting first is certainly an excellent decision for 'vanners who may wish to travel long distances in the future and who can see the many benefits in the adage of "try before you buy"!

A simple spreadsheet calculating the costs of buying vs renting is freely available by emailing caravancouncil@optusnet.com.au

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