Caravan ownership - choosing and buying tips please

Jaybee_16

Look at You Tube videos posted by caravan dealers. I was quite surprised how common they are to have damp issues, window leaks and rotting floors from underneath. Check cooker, heating, fridge and lights all work correctly.
You mention electric hook-up but will it come with leisure batteries as a back-up? Do they hold charge?
I'd agree that the fixed bed layout is better.

jimbo6977

Take a look at some of these? 

https://www.practicalcaravan.com/buying-guides/best-caravans-for-seasonal-pitches

https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/adria-adora-tiber

lincroft1710

You say you only expect to stay 1/2 nights at a time. How many times a year? Because you can get a huge variety of vans in your price range and probably something suitable for a lot less money

forgotmyname

knightstyle said:

A 4 berth will be bigger, less easy to tow and manoeuvre than a two berth.

My wife keeps saying this why not downsize and get something a bit shorter but when I tell her that the shorter caravan she

is looking at weighs a good 300kg MORE that our van she doesn't understand how.

Just because it has less berths or shorter does not always mean its lighter and easier to tow.

You can get an 1800kg 2 berth thats 24ft+ and a 5 berth thats 1000kg and under 18ft.

Nebulous2

We have a large 4 berth, twin-axle caravan and it works very well for two of us and two dogs. 

End bathroom and fixed bed in the middle. You get similar vans with bed at the end and toilet / shower in the middle. The bed is best with access at both sides, otherwise someone getting up overnight has to climb over the other person. 

I wouldn't budget as much as that for a caravan on a seasonal pitch. Things like alko atc wouldn't be necessary if you aren't towing. 

I wouldn't put up an awning on a seasonal pitch. Storms can damage the awning and you aren't there to deal with it if you leave it up. 

Caravans need some care and attention. With alarms and trackers they use electric which can flatten your leisure battery. If not on electric the battery will need monthly charging over the winter, or you'll need to buy a new battery each spring. 

This has been a bad year for caravan sales, with several dealers going burst. Prices are traditionally lower now and higher in the spring, so deals should be there to be had. You'll need to know what you are looking for though, and be prepared to haggle. 

To_be_Free

ProseccoGirl said:

Afternoon.

We are thinking of buying a Touring Caravan*, but as complete novices in this, I wonder if you are able to give any pointers, recommendations etc  about what to look out for and to beware of.

It’s only for us 2, so we think we’ll go for a 4 birth, with fixed bed(s).

Choices are myriad, as to what layout of bathroom/bedroom are available.   What’s worked best for you? 

Pros and cons of the various specifications available?    What’s worth paying extra for? 

Things you wish you’d known before you bought.    Specs you wish to had opted for.   Things that are ‘must haves’

What other add on’s or ancillary equipment  should we be budgeting for.   Awnings?   Water system?  Flooring?

Any other “top tips” to the novice caravanner. 

 

We are looking at second hand, up to about 8 years old, max.   No real budget as such, as that is flexible.  

Look forward to your replies.    

 

*Having said all that, we will NOT be towing it.  It will be sited for the season and stored over the winter.  We'll have electric hooked up.   I know this is the Motoring board, but I thought any caravanners would likely hang out here. 

If you are.not.going.to.tour with it, and it's going to be on a seasonal site and stored on that site over winter, I would advise you to get the biggest caravan you can afford, we have a small 4.berth ( Sprite Alpine 4 ) which we tour with for 10 months  of the year   ( 2 weeks away then 2 weeks at home and so on )   and is ideal for what we want. But if we were to go seasonal I would change it and buy a large twin axle.

ProseccoGirl

lincroft1710 said:

You say you only expect to stay 1/2 nights at a time. How many times a year? Because you can get a huge variety of vans in your price range and probably something suitable for a lot less money

We might not sleep in it that often, as it is within an easy commute of home, but will be used quite a lot for just days.   Maybe 2/3 times a week, throughout the season.   

Will will have one eye on 'value for money' (this is MSE after all) and will be happy if we can get what we want for less, but like I said, our budget is flexible, for the right van.  

We had a look round a few yesterday.    Very interesting.    So much choice!!!!  Quite overwhelming.    Husband has started a spreadsheet. 

We like the idea of either a large island double (access all around), with mid-bathroom, or twin-singles with end bathroom, so that's narrowed it down a little bit.  

Newish ones are really quite posh aren't they.   We'd probably go for something post 2020.  

I don't mind having to use the on site showers (to save water and power), but I'd rather be able to pee at night in the "comfort" of my own van 

We will have an awning though, as it just gives so much extra space, and we are close enough at hand to keep an eye on it.  

lincroft1710

If you are not going to sleep in it very often, why have a fixed bed? A second dinette or single bed settee would be much more practical and give you far more space. My caravanning experience dates back to the 1950s and the very popular and practical drop down or foldaway double bed seems to have disappeared. Agree about toilet for night time.

Jinnyw

We've just bought a 2022 touring caravan. We started looking at 2020 fixed beds but decided we wanted more living space and end bathroom which always has a bigger shower. If you're buying privately take a water ingress meter with you to make sure its dry. Theres a timber lining in a lot of older vans that can rot. If you're leaving your caravan for a long time on the site the planning ruling is you have to move it every 28 days for 2 days then you can move it back again. We didn't;t realise it but read it when we joined the caravan club.
Theres lots to buy to set up. Water container, waste container, Elsan fluid for waste, leisure battery, step, awning, ground sheet if you don't want grass, gas and bottle (good idea to get 2 if you can afford as you've always got a backup), electric hookup cable, tow bar unless you already have one, electric kettle,pots, pans crockery, cutlery, glasses, towels, bed linen (duvets, pillows, duvet covers), hitchlock. If you're lucky enough to have water and drainage hookup you'll need connections.
I wouldn't recommend leaving an awning up. We had one blow down in a sudden high wind and it took part of the channel that the awning fits onto leaving water ingress where the channel had been pulled off with the awning.
We looked at loads before we bought and its a good time to buy as a lot of the caravan sellers want the space for the new vans so there are some good deals. We got nearly £500 off our s and an electric hookup cable thrown in after a bit of haggling so don't be afraid to barter.
Caravanning's great fun. We bought our  first tiny caravan when we were 19 and now 72 and pulled it with a Mini (wouldn't do that now). Been all over Europe over the years with and without children and had wonderful holidays here in England. Thoroughly recommend.

Username03725

As a ‘reluctant caravanner' - wife is the enthusiast; we had one for a while and also sited it somewhere that suited as a base for days out etc. 

For all the supposed pleasures of living in a tiny confined space with limited facilities and in any weather other than high summer the ever-present mud and wet footwear going in & out of the thing, I could never get past the idea that the thousands of pounds this thing cost buys an awful lot of overnight stays in hotels and Airbnbs.