Hi all,
I've been browsing these forums for a few weeks now and this is my first post.
Basically we are looking at purchasing our first caravan/camper trailer/poptop. We honestly don't really care what we buy (caravan, camper trailer etc.) as long as it suits our requirements.
There appears to be so many options/models and it's all a little bit daunting, so I'm hoping you can assist me with our decision. Ok, first of all, we are a family of 4. Myself, my wife and 2 kids. The kids are aged 2 and 4. Our requirements are:
1. $20,000 MAXIMUM. I've listed this as our number one requirement because this is really the maximum we are looking to spend. I realise this will narrow down our options considerably but we simply can't go higher than this. In fact, my wife wants to spend around the $10000 mark or less but I think that may be too low.
2. Because there's two of us and two kids, we require at LEAST two beds. The kids are quite
young at the moment so they could share a bed but we would like to future proof this to a degree.
3. We will NOT be using this off-road, EVER. So we don't require an offroad model.
4. We will ONLY be using this at caravan parks and holiday parks.
5. We drive a Kia Optima which has a towing capacity of 1200kg. So obviously we want something with a TARE weight under this (preferably under 1000kg)
6. We definitely want a kitchen of some sort. Definitely a fridge and sink. The wife would like a gas griller although I have a Weber Q and will be using this most of the time.
7. An annex is also required so we can sit outside in the shade and have a drink/kids can play etc.
8. We don't mind brand new or second hand...but obviously leaning towards second hand due to the price.
9. Once we get to our destination (ie. holiday
park) we will be setting up once (and then packing up once). We do NOT have a need to constantly pack and unpack. We will not be stopping on the side of the road and suddenly want to unpack out of the blue. We will not be travelling around Australia. So therefore, we're happy to spend a little bit of time setting up. Saying that, we really want something as simple as possible (really like the look of the Jayco camper trailers...which are more like a caravan).
10. The height (when packed up or condensed etc.) needs to be lower than 1800mm so we can fit in our garage....again, this is going to shorten our options even more.
I think that's everything we need.
Also, I've bought a few Camper Trailer magazines (Camper Trailer Australia I think it's called) and it has a heap of ads which show REALLY cheap camper trailers (brand new). I'm talking in the $2500 to $3500 price bracket. Obviously this is very, very cheap....is there a reason for this? Should we stay away from something this cheap?
Out of everything I've looked at thus far, my favourite would have to be the Jayco Eagle. Sounds like I can pick up a brand new Eagle (Standard, not Outback) for just under 20K. Something like this would suit us perfectly.
Would really like some good options for under the 20K mark and some other options for under the 10K mark.
REALLY appreciate any assistance which can be passed my way :)
Thanks!!!!!!
Agent009