Looking to buy a caravan - advice please!

shopping_queen_2

We just recently bought a tourer as we have 3 young children and felt that it allowed us to get away regularly and would essentially be a home from home.

We've already been away 3 times and really love it. It was a bit of a steep learning curve (for hubby mainly!) knowing what weight you can tow and how to pack it so that the noseweight isn't too heavy - lots of advice on caravan club website re this.

Your car will determine the weight of caravan you can tow (fully laden) - most dealers will also be able to help with this also. We went to a few dealers, looked at the different layouts to decide which one would suit us best and then bought cheaper privately. We saved thousands by buying a van which was a few years old but in almost new condition. We also found that we liked the fixed rear bunk configuration as the kids always had a place to go to rest or just play in during the day without the hastle of having to make up the beds again (might suit you with your grandkids). This has proved to be one of the best decisions we made, as they're still quite little and love their own den. It's also helped them them feel that it's an extension of their home as they've got their own permanent bed.

We bought a 6 berth, so there's another set of bunks which you make up from side seats - we only need one of these and it's really no trouble to set up although we've not used this much as one of our kids is still a baby.

We opted for a Sprite - it's lighter to tow than other fixed bunk models such as Cruach yet still comes with all the mod cons.

Also make sure you buy a van with a stabiliser fitted - we didn't and ended up getting one fitted ourselves which cost a few hundred pounds.

Hope this helps

cjj_2

York site (rowntree park) which is a caravan club site is brilliant for City breaks. 2 mins walk to the town, right by the river. Lovely at xmas as York town centre has open air ice rink and pantos etc. Good also as there is so much to do ie viking centre, york minster etc.

babyblooz

Hello again all, well, we've had a look at a few private sales, some that hadn't even been washed before we went to look at them. It's a bit hard to know if all the dirty stuff will actually wash off once youve bought it! Some people just think you will buy anything regardless.

simpywimpy

First point to clarify would be the weight of the caravan that your current car will tow. If you are unsure how to do that, call into a reputable caravan dealership and they will tell you what weight of van is the max you can have. Anything above that will be dangerous.

Check firstly for damp. You can normally smell it but you could buy or borrow a small damp meter while you view them. Check the tyres and ask how long they have been on. Check the seals on the windows. On older vans, water does come in sometimes.

If the van you are viewing is filthy on the outside I would think the owner is unlikely to have looked after it and therefore give it a wide berth.

I bought our first van on ebay and a relative of mine has just last month done the same. Many bargains to be had but view before you bid. Buying something that has all the extras such as water containers, gas bottle, awning will save money too.

Good luck with it

jenhug

you can get a damp meter from places like maplin I believe. when you look at a caravn you want to get right into the corners, under the seats etc, and dig the prongs into the wood, this will let you know if you have damp.
look at www.whattowcar.com to see what you can tow safely,
good luck.

SUESMITH_2

i second touring and tenting forums, i also suggest that if the person doing the towing isn't experienced at it that they go on a caravan club towing course. i would also say join the caravan club

packing so it tows well comes with practice - heavy things generally low down and over the axle. dont be tempted to overload it, just because there is space doesn't mean you should fill it lol

i think you will be quite limited with what you can get with the size of your car

babyblooz

Just to let you know, we have bought a caravan. We ended up going for a five berth, one that comes in well under the maximum weight we can tow with the car. It is an Abbey and is not new but it is very comfy and cosy, and has a full sized cooker and fridge in, so I can cook for us all and make our little breaks far more moneysaving than they would be if we ate out all the time. I am looking forward to taking my little slow cooker (bought at a car boot) and coming 'home' to nice healthy meals after a day out walking and building up an appetite.

I really fancy the idea of going to York at Christmas! It sounds really nice! I am thinking that we are going to be having some lovely jollies!
Thanks for all the advice. It has been really helpful!:T

rosekitten

buy something cheap to begin with we were
advised and see what suits.
when we got our first caravan we bought
an old Elddis,to try it out for the season
and see how we get on.
then you can work out any short comings
likes, dislikes ect so when we got the next one
we would have a better idea of what would be
suitable for us,as we are all different.

Sold the elddis for £400 so never lost out

So glad we did as one of my sons grew at
a rapid rate that year and suddenly it was
like having a large cuckoo in the nest.
Clearly he was going to be really tall in
a year or two.We also needed extra storage
an easier to put up awning.A lighter weight van
as we usually drive a nissan motor size 1600 to 2 litre
we change it every 2 or 3 years.

We bought a Marauder 450ct,large in size,high
head room.lots of storage,double bed each end,
ours sleep in sleeping bags.We have one end as
a sittingroom/dining room and the other end for
sleeping.Just one bed to make up at night

It can be towed with a 1800/2 litre engine easily.
We have recently bought a Sunncamp awning
for it as its easy to put up and we now have
a 2 man sleeping compartment in it
the kids will be trying it out first time on our
holiday.Our caravan really suits us but we are all
different I would try something cheap to begin
with see how you get on,there are lots of bargains
to be had on the likes of ebay or in local papers
as well as some of the dealerships that often
take in older caravans.

Have you thought about where you can store it
when not in use in the winter months ?
If you dont have a drive to keep it on it
would be worth checking out the
local storage sites first to see what they charge
and the availabillity,a lot of storage places have
waiting lists

this is our caravan

rosekitten

Also you mentioned a seasonal pitch we stayed
on one site where you could buy the pitch in blocks
first 2 months were £199 second two months were
£199 but the two months July/august were £699
dropping to £199 for the September/October months.

We used to do the first four months put it back
in storage for 2 months and then do the last 2 months
this was on a Park Resorts site with loads for the kids
to do.So it was a bit dearer than some others.

We dont really do the seasonal pitch much these
days prefering instead to try different sites for
weekends and holidays etc.this year we are travelling
down to London onto Poole,Exmouth and Bunham on Sea

Once your organised you just get itchy feet and want to
move on and try lots of different places.Hope you find
something nice.

babyblooz

Just popped back to say that we are keeping it on the drive for the moment. I have read some of the reports of caravans being stolen from so-called secure sites, so we are keeping it with us until we find out more!