Time to Roam Magazine Issue 5 - October/November 2013 | Page 28

Daniel Linnet

The caravan that almost sells itself
Tested Jayco Starcraft 16-51-3 Report by Rod Bruem

Daniel Linnet

Australia’s most popular budget caravan comes packed
with so many luxuries, it’s hard for buyers to walk away

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www.timetoroam.com.au

Sometimes I think I’d be a richer man
today if only I’d heeded my father’s advice
not to waste money on expensive cars when
you could get something cheaper that would
still get you me from A to B the same way.
That advice could be equally be applied
to buying caravans and the phenomenal
success of Jayco in Australia shows buyers
are crunching the numbers and finding it
hard to go past them.
Jacyo accounts for more than 40 per cent
of all Australian caravan sales and after
spending some time in the Starcraft it’s
easy to see why.
It is so packed with features, the complete
package for under $40,000 almost
sells itself.
Today Jayco touches almost every part
of the Australian RV market, producing

everything from budget campers and pop
tops through to luxury firth wheelers.
While it’s a big range in total, it’s also
very straightforward. In caravans there is
basically two models, the Starcraft and the
bigger fiberglass Sterling.
Sterling remains Jayco’s biggest seller,
but the Starcraft is fast catching up,
accounting for approximately 40 per cent of
sales – which means 35 a week roll out of
Jayco’s massive complex at Dandenong.
Starcraft is a heritage brand for Jacyo,
originally used for popular pop tops back in
the nineties, it was resurrected four years
ago for new lines of pop tops and caravans.
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