With international borders closed and school holidays just around the corner, many Australian families are looking to explore our great country this summer and this is causing a recreational vehicle renaissance. with caravan and camper sales booming.
Not since the 70's have caravan dealers seen such a high demand for caravans and camper trailers, however, this demand is causing a supply shortage that is leaving buyers wanting and in some cases waiting for up to 18 months to take possession of a new caravan.
This caravan supply shortage was recently the feature story of channel 7 news. Here's the news report.
If you watched the video it's clearly obvious that if you're in the market for a caravan this summer, buying second-hand is really the only option.
According to Jake Neilson from Concept Canopies and Tactical Tourers delays in manufacturing supply materials like aluminum are being felt right through to the top of the chain and this is leading to delays of up to 12 months for those wanting to buy a new caravan. The wait can be even longer if you are looking for a custom build. However there is a solution, consider purchasing a second-hand caravan.
There are many advantages to buying a second-hand caravan, the most important of which, right now, is availability. There is still good stock of great second-hand caravans in Australia, but with increasing demand and dwindling supply, you need to be quick.
Our advice is to check out our guide to buying a second-hand caravan. In the guide, we also provide you with our handy second-hand caravan buyers checklist, a tool you can use to assess condition, quality, and safety before purchase.
Our second piece of advice is to get your caravan finance pre-approved before visiting the caravan dealership. This way you will know exactly what you can afford with the added bonus of having room to negotiate as you are already cashed up and ready to go.
Caravan stock is moving fast and if you are not ready to act fast, the van you looked at last week will probably be gone by the time you've arranged your finance.