Sunday, 15 July 2018

#whichisthebest car - camper van - boat ?

I explained in my first ever blog back in 2014 that one of my motivations for blog writing was to commit to paper (so to speak) pearls of wisdom (oft simple) I had acquired over the years that had worked for me. This is one such - ha!

From time to time we all have to make decisions on things to buy (or perhaps more specifically which model to buy) - even if we are not particularly materialistic. Sometimes these are big ticket items - and a lot of angst can go into making the decision.

Recently I have been chatting to one of my sons regarding the purchase of a new car - to one of my brothers who is considering buying a camper van for retirement - and to my other brother who is thinking about buying a boat. (it is a massive coincidence that these conversations have come around at the same time - and the reader should only form the view that these type of purchases are exceptional - they are not the norm in the family - ha!)

Anyway the focus, as I say, has not been on what to purchase - the decision has been made in principle to buy a car , a camper van and a boat! The consideration - the decision - the angst - the stress - relates to what type of car, camper van and boat to buy because they obviously come in all sorts of guises with a myriad of different features (and prices).

Ok I am getting to point of the blog! I am taken back to a  school oral exam when I was probably 14. I remember being sat outside the examiners room and being given 20 minutes to read a magazine article (on which I would be subsequently asked questions). The magazine was a car magazine and the article title was "which is the best". The article described the luxury of the Rolls Royce, the speed of a Ferrari, the nippiness of the Mini, the carrying capacity of a Volvo and the off road ability of a Land Rover etc. I go into the examiners room - and the million dollar panel question eventually comes - "so David which is the best car? ". I remember being confident with my answer because it was the thrust of the article - "it depends what you want it for!". 

So you have guessed it! My simple advice - on which car on which camper van or boat to buy should primarily or at least largely be based on an evaluation of what you want to use it for - and which one best meets your actual need.

Buying decisions can be complex. We can be attracted by the pricing marketing strategy - for a little bit more you can get these features. For this extra I can get the larger model. It is a one off purchase - why don't I push the boat out so to speak - and go top of the range!

But extra features cost money. Extra features can add complication. Extra features can go wrong! Size costs. Size can be a an advantage - a disadvantage - it depend on what you intend to use it for.

There is no point buying a massive camper van equipped with every luxury under the sun - if it is for use in the windey lanes of Cornwall or for weekend use. It might be the right thing if you are going to tour Europe for 6 months. The boat decision - are you likely to be crossing the Channel in it. Will you be sailing singlehanded - are you looking forward to sailing up the muddy creeks of the south coast river estuaries. What is the point of acquiring a fast highly tuned car if it is for urban use?

So there we are - a simple thought. Focus on your actual intended use and you are more likely to make a good decision. You can always change the model if your needs change!  

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