We considered motorhomes for a little while. But their size was
a huge factor in not venturing down that path. That and Jamie said I would have
to drive it everywhere. I stood next to one that would be big enough for us,
and there was no way I was driving that thing. We also didn’t like the idea of
having to pack up your home every time we wanted to go to the shops, or work or
explore. Now for some people a motorhome is the right choice, but we do like to
go exploring and looking at lighthouses. Often the lighthouses are on dirt
roads, not necessarily suitable for motorhomes.
Little miss cried when I asked her how she would feel if she couldn’t
see any more lighthouses.
That made the decision pretty easy, that a caravan was going
to be what was going to work for our family. With that in mind we then made the
list of things that we wanted in a caravan and set a budget.
Our list of must haves
- Shower and toilet
- Inside kitchen
- Microwave
- Air con
- Fridge
- 2 beds
- Be 18 foot or under
- Be around 2 tonne fully loaded
- Have off road tyres and suspension
- Be within budget
Our original budget was a lot more than I was comfortable
spending. Knowing that every cent we spend give us less to use when we want to
settle down or less to live on so it’s a bit scary when we’re talking about spending
a lot of money. Jamie had a preference for a new caravan where as I was pushing
towards second hand (mainly because of price). Jamie was wanting new, as we had
great after sales service with the camper trailer and there is warranty.
We also got the advice from Mr Butinski and Mrs Meddler not
to buy the first caravan we saw. I was looking at the Windsor rapids after
looking at a family friend’s, but they didn’t quite tick all of Jamie’s boxes.
We liked the layout but Jamie wanted something a little more modern.
That’s when we found the Savannah Golf Maxxi Caravans. We loved
the layout, they had everything on our list of wants and we found one second
hand that was within budget. Nanna did a little bit of babysitting and we
headed out to look at the caravan. It was in pretty rough shape, and had been around
Australia and even to the Cape. The main reason we didn’t buy it, was the water
damage to the roof. We just couldn’t trust how far it had gone, and being such
a big purchase we didn’t want to end up regretting our purchase.
Once we found the caravan that ticked all our boxes, we went
looking at what other models were available and their layouts. When we looked
at brand new, the price scared me. I cant believe how expensive caravans are,
but if it means that we’re more comfortable and happier then it’s worth it
right? We made the plan to go to Nowra while we waited for our new car to be
ready to be picked up. We had Poppy paTROLL with a 3.5 tonne towing capacity,
with everything in mind we went caravan shopping.
We had a look online and Avan in Nowra had a selection of Golf
caravans. We went and looked in every single caravan that was displayed there. Some
had too many beds, some had not enough beds, some were the wrong brand, had the
wrong layout, didn’t have a bathroom. But one ticked all the boxes. Right layout,
right number of beds, ticked all the boxes well except the budget box (but I was
keeping an open mind). We touched everything. Opened all the cupboards. Looked in
every nook and cranny.
Once we were happy with that caravan we needed to know how
long the wait for the caravan was going to be. Our camper trailer had buyers
lined up, so we were soon going to be homeless. This could be a big deal
breaker if we can’t get the caravan. We were lucky with Poppy paTROLL, and we
were lucky with the caravan. Every other caravan had a deposit on it but ours. It
was meant to be. The other bonus we have is they will have it delivered to
Coffs Harbour, which saves us a full days travel rather than having to back
track to Nowra to pick it up.
Now I will mention that we could easily have continued on
travelling as we were with the camper trailer. You don’t need to have a brand
new car and caravan to have a good time. For us as a family we made the decision
that we needed a bit more comfort. We need to have a car we both feel
comfortable to drive. And most importantly we need a house that is already
built so we don’t have to build it again and again to save our sanity.
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