Why are motorhomes a good investment?
By Wayne Kavanagh Posted: 12/07/23 (Last updated 11 months ago)There are always plenty of new motorhomes for sale, and there is no doubting that these vehicles offer great value and can be a good investment. In this edition of our blog we’re going to break the information behind that statement down into chunks and explain just why a motorhome is a such a good investment.
Depending on the dealership you buy from, you may find it possible to get a finance deal to buy your motorhome. This will offer great value in the sense that the expense of the vehicle will be spread out in a manageable and affordable way. Obviously there will be T&Cs (Terms & Conditions) attached to any deal, so if you go down this route then you should make sure to check these out.
Imagine wading through the drudge of your working week and getting to Friday with a feeling that life has become a bit of a grind. Tired and in need of tremendous times, you have a real desire to just ‘take off’ for a couple of days so that you can recharge your batteries. With a motorhome, you can do exactly that. The sense of freedom owning a motorhome will bring you is astounding, really. Holidays at the drop of a hat!
Motorhomes offer not just the freedom to spontaneously clear off up the road and chill, they also offer the chance to move from place to place once you are out there. Parked up somewhere for a night but found that it’s not quite to your liking? No problem – with a motorhome you can move on quickly and easily. Fancy a holiday in more than one location? No problem – with a motorhome you are mobile enough to move around fuss free.
When people stay in hotels or similar accommodation on their holidays, they probably eat at the inclusive dining room or restaurant (if there is one) – or even go out for all of their meals. This can become rather costly. A family of four, for instance, needing a couple of meals a day, and those eight daily meals taken in restaurants or cafes and taken directly out of the holiday budget is certainly going to mount up the costs.
In a motorhome this additional expense is totally negated. All motorhomes have some form of kitchen / diner – an oven, hob, fridge, perhaps even a microwave – so every meal can be prepared on board, which will drastically reduce the family spend on food. If you are away for, say, a fortnight it’s not going to be possible to take along everything you need. Not all foodstuffs will stay fresh for that long even if chilled in the onboard fridge. This means that you will probably have to make a trip to a supermarket or corner shop to stock up on a couple of essentials (milk or fruit, for example). That should be no problem as – don’t forget – you’re able to move around in your motorhome.
Very similar to how we covered food in the last section, owning a motorhome will also see any holiday accommodation fees drastically reduced. No more significant hotel or apartment bills. Motorhomes come in a variety of configurations and with different numbers of berths, dependent on the make and model, but they do all have beds and bathrooms and so everyone will be comfortably catered for. This shift in accommodation represents great value as it significantly reduces the overall cost of taking a family on holiday, or even of a couple going on holiday.
In other words, the rate at which the value of your motorhome goes down. This is an important part of ownership, as the large investment at the start of ownership can be significant, and people tend to want to know that some of that spend is going to be recouped when they sell the motorhome on. In part, this depends on…
Usage: The rate of depreciation on a motorhome that is used infrequently will be less than the depreciation on one that is always out on the road (i.e. the mileage counts).
Condition: Looking after your motorhome is important as its condition will affect its value when the time comes that you want to sell. If repairs are needed, don’t leave them and allow problems to develop. Making sure the motorhome is cleaned and tidied regularly, and that all mechanical and engineering aspects are maintained, will help achieve a higher value.
In the end, one of the key things to remember when considering the value of your motorhome is that money isn’t always the most important thing. If the motorhome has provided you with years of comfort and convenience, then it has been a truly valuable part of your life, and that’s not something to be sniffed at. You definitely won’t ‘get back’ what you paid for it in the first instance, but this ‘loss’ should be more than balanced by what the motorhome ‘gave you’ over the years.
Here at Chelston, we have a massive stock for you to choose from – including Adria and Swift motorhomes, which are amongst the best you can buy. It’s simple to find a motorhome you like, with us. Simply take a browse through our website and, if you want to know more, it’s very easy to get in touch. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have!
