Safari Insurance

[Brian M]

From: Brian (Original Message) Sent: 18/08/2004 21:09
When I first got my Safari I phoned most of the caravan insurers and even the Classic Car Insurers to get cover.
I got the same reply from all the Caravan Insurers (bar one) - they would not start a new policy for a caravan that was over 20 years old.
The one that did offer cover was the Caravan Club, I have just renewed for £600 caravan and £300 contents for the small sum of £35.00. (Their minimum premium).
Downside is that you have to be a member of the Caravan Club with an annual cost of £31.00.
I still think it is good value, theft from home or site, road accident, up to 90 days continental cover etc. for a bit over £1.00 per week.
If you are not a member and want to join, can you please email me and I will send you a form with my membership details on, I get a campsite voucher worth a fiver for every member I introduce.
Thanks.

Brian Miller

[Brian M]

From: Brian (Original Message) Sent: 25/03/2005 08:06
In another thread, Fleur has asked about insurance for Safaris so........


When I got my Safari, (two years ago last week), I spent some time trying to find a Company willing to insure a 25 year old caravan.

Most seemed to have a 20 year cut-off, unless the caravan was insured prior to being 20 years old, when they would continue insurance up to 25 years old.

In the end the Caravan Club came up with a great policy.

I had to join the Club (£30.00 per year) but this gives rights to stay at their sites, 6(?) magazines a year, and access to various other services.

The Insurance was for a maximum repair cost or replacement amount of £600 for the caravan and equipment, plus £300 for contents. Bear in mind that a lot of your contents will be covered on your house contents policy if you have cover for items away from home (tv, clothes, other personal bits and pieces).

Also included is £450.00 hotel or caravan hire to complete your holiday, £2,500,000 third party liability, and £10,000 personal accident cover,.

This would cost only £28.00 per year, except that they have a minimum premium of £35.00. I also have their legal protection policy, at £7.00 pa.

So in total my insurance costs £72.00.

Reading other modern caravan forums it seems that the CC have a reasonable reputation when settling claims, but thankfully I have no personal experience yet.

Hope this helps you and other members.

Brian Miller

[Brian M]

From: Smouty7 (Original Message) Sent: 19/12/2005 22:47
can anybody tell me about any insurance companys on the caravan i've got its a 1979 safari caravan. please i need some help i've run in to adied end.. pete



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From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/12/2005 01:25

For a great many years I have been very pleased with Drewe Insurance, who offer a Classic Caravan policy (placed with underwriters at Lloyds) that is specifically tailored to our sort of 'vans; agreed value clause (they will require photographic evidence of its general condition), and in the event of a claim they don't cap the cost of parts at the manufacturer's last published price list (which for your model would be perhaps 26 years ago, and at 1979 prices!) and will pay to have parts specially made if necessary.

Other members have been well pleased with The Caravan Club's policy, but that is NOT a Classic Caravan policy; any claim will be capped at market value (i.e. buttons), and the cost of parts will be capped at the figures in the 1979 price list. That is a problem that is not specific to The Caravan Club; it is standard on a "normal" caravan insurance policy, which is why I prefer a classic policy. Premiums are comparatively cheap, but perhaps that's why ...

I understand that both the classic & historic caravan clubs offer suitably designed policies also; you will have to do an internet search to identify the precise names, but they are something like either "Classic Caravan Club" or "Historic Caravan Club" (I am not sure which), and I think the younger offshoot from them (after they split) is the "Classic and Historic Caravan Club". I think only one of them welcomes 'vans as young as ours; the other specialises in pre-war (and possibly fifties) 'vans. You would of course have to join the appropriate one of them, but you might perhaps wish to do that anyway.

Bakers of Cheltenham (Parabola Road, but beyond that you will have to look up the details) used to specialise in caravan policies, and had a good reputation; I was very pleased with them before I switched to Drewe, but that was nearly 15 years ago and I have no up to date information, although I do know that much more recently they were still advertising themselves as specialist caravan insurers.

If you are of age to qualify, Saga also do a caravan policy, but it suffers from the same limitations as The Caravan Club one.

Camping and Caravanning Club very probably also do a policy, and I have no information about that.

Hope this helps,



Oliver


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From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/12/2005 02:08
Having forgotten to include Drewe's phone number (01299-401663) I did a quick internet search to see how easy it would be to find them.

No problem at all, but the search also brought up a list of something like 35 other companies who all offer caravan insurance. Try this link if you want to browse them:

www.ukcampsite.co.uk/directory2/results.asp?type=19

Hope this helps,




Oliver


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From: Brian Sent: 20/12/2005 11:50
Welcome to the group Smouty

I agree with Olivers's comments, but must point out that with the Caravan Club policy, I have my 1978 Safari insured for £1000 and contents at £500 for only £35.00 per year using my no claims discount this year to increase the value insured. No valuation or photos were required for this vaule, but may be if you wanted a higher value. In addition I have to pay the £35 club membership fee.

Oliver has two very special Safaris that would be difficult to replace and therefore requires a policy that will repair his Safaris.

My situation is different - if my Safari was seriously damaged I would immediately go for a replacement and the CC put in writing that if the repairs were to be estimated at more than £1000 they would pay me the insured value so long as I demonstrated that this sum was required to buy a similar Safari in the pre-accident condition.

So you can take your choice.

Brian Miller


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From: gkp107 Sent: 23/12/2005 09:42
Hello

Try the Caravan Club I pay about 45 for my 1982 Safari 400. Hope this helps

phone [phone]

Happy Christmas

Geoff






========================================
Message Received: Dec 23 2005, 02:31 AM
From: "Classic Safari Caravan Enthusiasts" <[e-mail]>
To: "Classic Safari Caravan Enthusiasts" <[e-mail]>
Cc:
Subject: safari caravan

New Message on Classic Safari Caravan Enthusiasts

[Brian M]

om: cajw69 (Original Message) Sent: 10/06/2007 17:57
hello everyone, i have just got my hands on a 1977 two berth 12/2, imaculate condition, one owner from new,who sadly passed away a few months ago, i want to insure it, can anyone tell me what the value of it would be for insurance purposes please



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From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 10/06/2007 20:18
It all depends what you mean; there are two entirely different standpoints from which to value it.

The more usual one is the market value. Nowadays, because of the age of these caravans, that is rock bottom; typically a few hundred, around a thousand if the seller is very lucky, and I think we have seen one sell on eBay at around £1300 - but I am open to correction on this.

There should be no difficulty in obtaining insurance on this basis, and the premiums will be as modest as the protection that the policy offers.

The major problem with that route is that if you suffer even a minor accident, one which is a very long way short of a total loss, the cost of repairs are likely to far outweigh the insured value. The only options are then to dig deep into your own pocket, or to do your own repairs, or to write off your caravan.

In the latter event, if you wish to continue caravanning, you then start the search for a replacement; that is very likely to be either a very long search for a caravan in comparable condition at the sort of price you get from the insurers, or accept that the replacement caravan is unlikely to be anything like as good as the one you have lost, or you have to dig deep into your own pocket to buy a substantially more expensive caravan.

Similar problems arise if you suffer a total loss, e.g. by fire, or theft, or a major accident. Unless you are immensely lucky in finding an outstanding one up for sale at your price, you are then faced with what is likely to be seriously inadequate funds to replace with a caravan in similar condition, unless you dig deep into your own pocket. And even more so if you want one reasonably quickly - even if "reasonably quickly" means no more than some time during the current caravanning season.

The alternative basis of valuation is what the caravan is worth to you, setting a figure which allows a reasonable margin for the cost of repairs in the event of an accident, and which in the event of a total loss allows you to have a reasonable chance of being able to buy a caravan in comparable condition.

To get insurance on this basis you will require a Classic Caravan policy, on an agreed value basis. This is a more specialist field, and I know of only one provider (Drewe Insurance, who place the cover with Lloyds; 01299-401663), although there are no doubt others. They will require a recent photograph as evidence of the condition of the caravan, but that is the only evidence that they require, or at least I believe that was the case when I set up my insurance, although I probably also submitted my reasoning for my proposed valuation.

That will not only provide cover on the basis of an agreed value, which is the reasonable value to you, but the cost of replacement parts is not limited to the manufacturer's last published price list (i.e. 1982, 25 years ago!); within reason they will if required pay for parts to be specially made.

I have been very well served by Drewe and by this policy over many years, including two claims in recent years when in both cases parts had to be made.

Similarly my late father before me was very well served for several decades and again including a number of claims, and here again in several cases parts had to be made. Sadly there were what I consider to be rather a lot of claims in his final years, all of them the result of minor driving accidents, when in late old age his once excellent driving skills were firmly on the wane. The latter, sadly, is something that families sometimes have to cope with, and on which one sometimes needs to take anguished decisions, in late old age.

Valuing for an agreed value policy, on that basis, is a bit more than just plucking a figure out of the air. Adopt several different methods, work it out on paper (or computer if you prefer), keep a record of your working, and then take a considered estimate on the basis of your several resulting figures.

Method 1: Typical asking price for a similar caravan in good condition (say £1,000). This should be the full asking price, without haggling; if you are in a total loss situation and you find the right replacement you want to have the funds to snap it up immediately, and without argument and without being trumped by another buyer. Then add a reasonable amount (at least £1,000, and I would suggest rather more, perhaps £2,000) for the cost of unforseen but essential repairs done professionally. Then add something for the cost of journeys to inspect caravans that fail to satisfy you, perhaps 6 journeys of over 100 miles each way, costed on whatever basis you think fair. Then add the new replacement cost of all your equipment, and all your contents; those will be covered under a separate section of the policy from the vehicle itself, but don't underestimate these, because the cost of replacement can be surprisingly high.

You will find that all that comes to a surprisingly high figure, several thousand, but don't panic; if the caravan really is in first class condition, and in that respect is something special, and your estimate is reasoned and reasonable and is backed up by a photograph to illustrate the condition, in my experience insurers insurers will happily accept it for a Classic Caravan agreed value policy.

Method 2; Work similarly, but start with the price for a typical Safari on eBay (do your own estimate, but without researching the point I would think in terms of £400 to £600), and a rather larger sum for repairs to bring it up to an acceptable standard; £2,000 at the very least. You will end up with at least a similar sum to method 1, probably rather more. In extremis, in a total loss situation you may have to go down that route, but one would hope not; there are enough 12/2s around for you to have a reasonable chance of finding a good one when you need it.

Method 3: Imagine that you have a medium-scale road accident with the caravan, say one corner badly bashed, where either the accident is your own fault or where it is either a hit and run or the other driver is uninsured, so it becomes a claim on your policy. What would the repairs cost?

You could ask a caravan workshop for an informal ballpark figure for this, but I would be surprised if there were much (if any) change out of £5,000.

Once you have these three figures, backed up by reasons, you can then make a considered estimate of what the loss to you would be in the event of such an accident, or of a write-off. That is the basis of your figure for an Agree Value Classic Caravan policy.

The premiums won't be anything like as cheap as a basic market value policy, but neither will they be outrageous, and it is worth asking for a quote.

I had a very relevant experience rather less than 2 years ago with a boat, which illustrates the importance of allowing sufficient for accident repairs. I had paid £1,000 for the boat, after a bit of haggling, and I then spent a bit of money and a great deal of TLC on her. I insured her for £2,000, thinking that I had made sensible provision for the increase in value from my ministrations, and for being able to buy a replacement in comparable condition if needed; what I had not however considered was the cost of repairs in the event of an accident.

Twelve months later I had a medium-scale accident (at sea, but it could equally well have been a road accident). The actual damage to the boat was comparatively minor, in terms of the boat as a whole. A DIY repair job to a near-professional standard was certainly possible, and was within my abilities, but there was going to be a cost in materials and parts, and a major investment of my time, so I got an estimate for professional repair; £2,400.

So the cost of repairs was vastly higher than the insured value, and (with my agreement, in the circumstances) she was declared a constructive total loss.

(There was a happy outcome; we agreed a deal in which the insurer paid a total loss claim, and allowed me to retain the salvage, reducing the payment by just £50 in return for this privilege. I could justify that to myself because the professional value of my time, at my normal professional rates, was fairly close to the boatbuilder's estimate. When the repairs were completed the same insurers were very happy to reinsure the boat, this time for a more generous valuation(!), and the bulk of the insurance payout then went towards paying the new boat that I ordered from the same boatbuilder.)

Essentially you get what you pay for; the basic policy is an "el cheapo" in terms of both premiums and the level of protection that it offers. The Classic policy offers very substantially more protection, and the premiums reflect this.

Personally I find the Classic premiums affordable, not least because I could not otherwise comfortably afford to replace the caravan in the event of a total loss or to repair it in the event of a medium-scale accident, and although I could if necessary put my hands on the money it would be a major financial sacrifice that I would not choose to make. So an insurance policy that offers sufficient protecrtion is my personal solution.

Hope this helps,





Oliver