thinking of getting a used caravan

spurs24

Hi there

We are and have been thinking about getting a used caravan, were just not too sure where to start looking and what we should go for.

We would like a 4 berth and have about £2000 to spend what should we look for and where would be the best place to get one, and any advice that you have would be great.

Many thanks

Fortyfoot

Bailey have a good reputation, I got mine from HERE.

Look at as many sites as you can and find out what you can get for your money, large discounts at the end of season. The Caravan Club magazine has adverts for 2nd hand vans, private sales on free ad websites are worth checking. Be prepared to haggle!

Take your time and think carefully about which layout you want. Buying from a company will give you a warranty.

Fortyfoot

verityboo

If its your first caravan then look privately for a good caravan thats not suffering from damp inside. Many dealers don't sell caravans that are more than 7 years old.

If you look privately then there are lots available with awning and all the extras that are needed (water bottles, waste bottles, gas bottle, spare wheel) that would soon add if you had to buy them separately.

Look in the usual places - Ebay, Autotrader etc and take the same precautions that you would if buying a car. If the windows are etched with the chassis number then make sure they have not been tampered with and that the caravans chassis number plate does not look tampered with.

pulliptears

Advice? ok..

Check what weights your car can tow, this is probably the most important! Its all very easy to get caught up falling in love with a caravan and forget this.

Check the CRIS numbers on the windows of the van! Check there is no evidence of any tampering. If you are serious about the van get a CRIS report to make sure that its not stolen or written off.

Look for damp. When you walk in the van does the floor feel spongy? Any signs of peeling wallpaper? Have the owners replaced any wallpaper? If so its usually a sign they are trying to hide something.

Depending how brave you are, written off and repaired Caravans can be ideal. We bought a write off some years ago for £1500 against a book price of £5000. The only issue being because we never had it certified with a dealer (this would have cost a fair penny) it remained a write off and as such we were unable to insure it. We weighed it up and decided that it was worth the risk as the van was kept secured on our property. We dont leave anything of value in it now, and have had our £1500 worth lol

forgotmyname

I agree with the above, Hundreds of different caravans for sale, You can remove a lot of that choice depending
on when you passed your driving test and what car you have.

Different spec of the same car can vary a lot also, It maybe a 1.6 but that may have several different power outputs.
Sometimes that makes a difference in towing weight.

pulliptears

forgotmyname wrote: »

I agree with the above, Hundreds of different caravans for sale, You can remove a lot of that choice depending
on when you passed your driving test and what car you have.

Different spec of the same car can vary a lot also, It maybe a 1.6 but that may have several different power outputs.
Sometimes that makes a difference in towing weight.

I cant recall the exact weights, but our PT cruiser can tow something like 1100, yet the same car, same spec in the USA can tow 1500! Never understood that, but we stick to the 1100.

Unfortunately newer vans all seem to be incredibly heavy so unless we swap our car we are really stuck with late 80's early 90's vans. We still have the written off 4 berth Lunar Sunbeam and have yet to see a newer van we can tow

research is always key, spend hours trawling the weights and specs online and then narrow that down to vans you like

MM30_2

Advice on tow car size and limits HERE plus lots more.

Hammyman

Also make sure you have some service history. Caravans spend lots of time stood which does the brakes, the braking mechanism, wheelbearings and the tyres no good. You can spot those who've been years without a checkover on every weekend during summer - they're the ones at the side of the road listing to one side with a completely missing wheel.

forgotmyname

Dont trust that site, I only read the 1st paragraph and its utter rubbish.

Wrong weight figures. 3600kg?

sassy_one

spurs24 wrote: »

Hi there

We are and have been thinking about getting a used caravan, were just not too sure where to start looking and what we should go for.

We would like a 4 berth and have about £2000 to spend what should we look for and where would be the best place to get one, and any advice that you have would be great.

Many thanks

My wife and me have bought quite afew caravans on eBay, very good value for money on there and it's often great fun if you want to get one and completely re do it all yourself


I would have a look on eBay, there are completely tidy ones or ones that need some small work.

Personally, we now don't bother with a caravan and have bought one a holiday site, but this would of course cost more

Good luckw ith finding one