To ask for advice with a financial/camping dilemma?

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

I didn’t know which category to put this in! Would especially love to hear opinions from seasoned campers and vanners.
we need to release money for our sons house deposit. We don’t have it all so would remortgage for some of it.
we have a VW campervan which we could sell
basically the financial difference between keeping or selling the van would be around £400 over 4 and a half years.
just writing it out here it seems like a no brainer!
but we do love our weekends in the van. Anyone switched to a tent from a van and kept their relationship intact? We tend to just do weekends.

Oh sorry -
YABU - obviously sell the van and suck it up
YANBU - maybe keep the van, it’s worth it

I don't really understand this.

A) what the £400 difference is?

B) why on earth you'd be remortgaging to help with a house deposit?

You don’t have to pay your son’s deposit, especially if it significantly worsens your quality of life and relationship.

Tents are rubbish once you’re middle aged!

If selling only here you about 400, it really doesn’t seem worth it. Or am I misunderstanding? I probably am.

All seems a bit odd. I wouldn't dream of remortgaging to give a house deposit.

Keep the van. Give your son what you can afford. Remortgaging sounds a lot ?

I don’t really understand, but it doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Don’t remortgage your home to give your son money for a deposit.

Taking out a mortgage when you don't have one or extending an existing mortgage is obviously not a good idea when you have access to funds that doesn't involve potentially putting your home at risk.

Is there a reason he can't pay his own house deposit? I have, every time.

Tents are great in nice weather, but vans/caravans are better for getting away more.

Also you would likely need to spend more than £400 for a tent and equiptment so would offset the £400 saving from the van.

Do you mean 400 a month? Your OP doesn't make a lot of sense

Is £400 a typo? £40,000 might make more sense.

I wouldn't be helping DS with a deposit if I needed to remortgage or give up something I enjoy. Why do you think you need to?

Thank you -
its £400 a month for 4 and a half years to pay off the remortgage for the money that’s in the van
its not negotiable- we did it for DD we’ll do it for all of our children. We have a LISA set up for the youngest but we just don’t have the funds for the middle one (cis we spent it on a Campervan lol)

anyone got a micro camper??

Errr because it’s 2026? Are you aware of what has happened to the younger generation’s prospects?

So keeping the van will cost you £400 a month for 4 and a half years? But if you sell the van you’ll save that £400 a month but you would lose your weekends away?

Tbh I’m not sure any of us can tell you if that’s worth it for you, I mean I wouldn’t spend £400 a month on a camper van but then I don’t like to go away much. My friend spends more than that on her camper van (I think she got it on hire purchase) but they’re away every weekend and love those trips.

How tight is your budget? Is that £400 monthly going to be a struggle?

Terrible time to remortgage by the way, rates are through the roof. If you really feel like you need to give your son a deposit I’d suggest waiting a year or so.

Thanks @KitKatPitPat it wouldn’t be a struggle but it would mean much less in the budget for other holidays, house maintenance etc.
my DS is looking at flats now so he will need the money this year.
we’ve been offered 4.09% which seems okay.

So the van is worth £21,000 ?
Or you are currently paying it off at £400 per month and you pay running costs ontop of that?
Or is that just your running costs?
Im assuming road tax, insurance petrol and site fees however many times a year as being included in the running costs.

Yes! Worth £21k

Running costs a bit more than a large car

So you are probably spending another £400 per month per year on running fees and site fees assuming you arre also running a more efficient car as you main drive ?
Thats £5,000 + a year on van based holidays ?

Maybe I'm being dim but how much are you trying to raise here? If you can sell the van for £21k I'd do that, give him the £21k, don't remortgage, and maybe help him again later down the line if/when you can afford it.

Our van is so intrinsic to our quality time together and to our general enjoyment of life that it would take something really detrimental to our quality of life to balance out the detriment of getting rid of the van. I've seen from a subsequent post that helping your son out is non-negotiable, so I'd say if the extra cost is affordable for you then take that hit instead of the combined financial/wellbeing hit/

We’re giving £40k
yes it’s a good point @WorstPaceScenario we love our weekends
one compromise would be to get an old micro camper- has anyone got one?

Yes
yikes

Agree with this.

Also the price of vans seems to have rocketed over recent years. If this continues and you subsequently regret selling your camper, it could be very expensive to replace it.

Looking at the things you would have to forgo for four and a half years, would you miss them as much as permanently giving up your weekends in the van?