Dashboard. INVESTIGATION
Staycation boom sees motorhome and caravan used prices rocket
C
ampervan and caravan dealers are reporting booming sales as one area of the motor trade rides a wave of post-lockdown activity – with prices rising sharply. Motorhome dealers, classified advertising websites and manufacturers have all told Car Dealer Magazine that coronavirus killing off the traditional foreign holiday has seen interest in campervans and caravans skyrocket. The surge in staycation planning in anticipation that the government will allow camping sites to reopen in July has seen buyers flock to a market already short on stock, and prices are beginning to rise. One campervan dealer told us he had sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week back after the lockdown, while Auto Trader has reported caravan advert views up 18 per cent and motorhome adverts up 17 per cent. Meanwhile, auctions are selling to the trade and well above predicted prices, with bidding ‘frenzied’ among dealers scrabbling to replenish stock. Peter Vaughan, editor of Which Motorhome Magazine, said he ‘wasn’t surprised’ that prices were going up. 12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk
by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd ‘It’s a combination of people not wanting to holiday abroad, get on a plane or a cruise, and looking for a safe and enjoyable holiday at home. ‘Pricing earlier this year was strong as dealers could not get hold of quality used stock and that was even before coronavirus. A number of factors combined then which saw stock dry up and that has got worse now.’ Vaughan said he thinks the biggest firming-up of prices will be in the sub-£25,000 bracket. ‘That sort of money is where car buyers and those new to the sector look first,’ he explained. ‘£25k doesn’t get you a lot of motorhome, but comparable to a car it’s a lot of money, so it’s here that a combination of little stock and a lot of buyers will push prices up.’ Vaughan said most dealers are rushed off their feet ‘running around in tiny circles’ as they look to juggle huge demand with fewer staff. Used motorhome dealer Bill Hayes is one of those. He has been selling motorhomes for 45 years in Darlaston and told Car Dealer he sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week of June alone.
‘There’s a lot of pent-up demand, but we had an amazing first week,’ he said. ‘I’m not surprised. Many are new to the market and we’ve sold models from £30,000-£60,000.
‘The idea of holidaying in a space that you yourself own is definitely reassuring.’ Rory Reid, Auto Trader editor He also said the sub-£30,000 market was booming, with models in that price bracket ‘selling almost immediately’. ‘We have just one motorhome for sale that’s around the £25,000 mark and it won’t last. Even dealers are calling us up wanting to buy it.’ BCA held its first exclusively online caravan and motorhome sale on June 1 and reported that every lot sold – most for far in excess of their expected values. Nearly 800 trade customers registered to bid during the auction, and activity was ‘frenzied’ at times. Among the stars was a 2019-registered Bailey Autograph 79-4 Motorhome, which sold for £45,600 – more than £7,000 above the guide