Ladies & Gents,
Here it is :
After a couple of years of camping with a camper trailer, enduring the ordeal of 'setup' and 'setdown' with two small kids, and dealing with wet canvas, we would really like to buy a Jayco Expanda 14ft Outback with the two bunks on the end.
Here is the thing, i am trying to figure out how to finance this project without breaking the bank, with having to buy the caravan itself, a new car to tow it, and a new house so it can fit in the garage!
So my first question is in relation to buying the caravan itself. The 14ft Outback Expanda's start around the $41K mark, according to the Jayco website, but i have friends who have bought brand new 16ft or 18ft Expanda Outback caravans from Jayco, for around $40K, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Obviously you would expect to pay more for an 18ft model. Can someone tell me what you would expect to pay for a caravan like this, is the price on the website accurate? And what is the best way of going about getting one which is only couple of years old, whilst getting the most 'bang for your buck?
The other question relates to our tow vehicle. We have a 2005 automatic petrol Nissan X-Trail, i believe our TARE weight is 2000kg, (i think), our tow ball weight is 150kg. The 14ft Expanda's tare weight is 1635kg, so you would think it would be okay, but then when its loaded up maybe it comes to around 1900kg, its starting to look a little heavy. I'm just wondering if based on the TARE weight, people think this is realistic, or if its getting a little on the dangerous side, even though it is within the specs? Then of course the tow ball weight for the Trail is 150kg (i think), but the tow ball weight of the 14ft Expanda is 164kg, which of course is too heavy for our X-Trail. I just don't quite understand this, as from my research on the internet there are people out there pulling larger caravans than the 14ft Jayco Expanda with XTrails?
Lastly, if the caravan doesn't fit in the garage, which is going to be a struggle, even with a 14ft caravan, is it possible to keep in on your driveway, in a manner which will ensure it doesn't degrade, and won't be stolen?
Any advice is appreciated.
Cheers - Bob
Here it is :
After a couple of years of camping with a camper trailer, enduring the ordeal of 'setup' and 'setdown' with two small kids, and dealing with wet canvas, we would really like to buy a Jayco Expanda 14ft Outback with the two bunks on the end.
Here is the thing, i am trying to figure out how to finance this project without breaking the bank, with having to buy the caravan itself, a new car to tow it, and a new house so it can fit in the garage!
So my first question is in relation to buying the caravan itself. The 14ft Outback Expanda's start around the $41K mark, according to the Jayco website, but i have friends who have bought brand new 16ft or 18ft Expanda Outback caravans from Jayco, for around $40K, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Obviously you would expect to pay more for an 18ft model. Can someone tell me what you would expect to pay for a caravan like this, is the price on the website accurate? And what is the best way of going about getting one which is only couple of years old, whilst getting the most 'bang for your buck?
The other question relates to our tow vehicle. We have a 2005 automatic petrol Nissan X-Trail, i believe our TARE weight is 2000kg, (i think), our tow ball weight is 150kg. The 14ft Expanda's tare weight is 1635kg, so you would think it would be okay, but then when its loaded up maybe it comes to around 1900kg, its starting to look a little heavy. I'm just wondering if based on the TARE weight, people think this is realistic, or if its getting a little on the dangerous side, even though it is within the specs? Then of course the tow ball weight for the Trail is 150kg (i think), but the tow ball weight of the 14ft Expanda is 164kg, which of course is too heavy for our X-Trail. I just don't quite understand this, as from my research on the internet there are people out there pulling larger caravans than the 14ft Jayco Expanda with XTrails?
Lastly, if the caravan doesn't fit in the garage, which is going to be a struggle, even with a 14ft caravan, is it possible to keep in on your driveway, in a manner which will ensure it doesn't degrade, and won't be stolen?
Any advice is appreciated.
Cheers - Bob