Slow change in models

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 19

Slow change in models

About 8000 new caravans are sold in New Zealand each year. Perhaps twice that number will change hands as used units.

That is not a lot of caravans in a country with more than 3M people and it means that as there are about 60,000 caravan owners in New Zealand, only one third are being replaced each year. It is possible that the average replacement period is much greater than three years — sales figures of used units are very incomplete — because there is little to wear out on a caravan and it should last a long time.

Evidence of this is provided by manufacturers who seldom change their

models. Unlike car manufacturers who change their models’ looks each time the sun shines, caravan manufacturers tend to stick with one design for up to 10 years. One company has made only the fifth major design change in more than 30 years of caravan manufacture and is already claiming it to be 10 years ahead of its time.

For this reason then, as well as the basic simplicity of design and the lack of moving parts to wear out, caravans do not date as fast as cars and they tend to hold their resale value well. People can now buy caravans on no deposit and terms over six years.

It is being made easier for families especially to

purchase a caravan and nearly all manufacturers claim that they are making caravans for the family market. The economics of purchasing a caravan and siting it on a favourite caravan park for use at various times throughout the year as against purchasing a plot of land and erecting a holiday house differ from location to location. But if you work it out with prices common to wherever it is you like to spend a holiday you probably will be very surprised at the terrific value a caravan is — and it. probably will help you to understand why people buy caravans and why they keep them for so long.