Caravan ownership - choosing and buying tips please

knightstyle

One thing that gets overlooked is the age of the tyres. Often tyres that look good are over 10 years old!
So always check the date code on the tyres when buying.
 Look out for a four-digit code. The first two figures represent the calendar week in which it was made (from 1 to 52) and the second two figures are the year of manufacture. So a code of 1316 would mean your tyre was made between 28th March and 3rd April 2016.

Herzlos

Username03725 said:

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. 

That was my sticking point, if you don't use it often it seems like a very expensive and time consuming way to do it. But then I know people who have caravans on site out on the coast about an hour away, and they can just head from work to the caravan whenever they want and it's ready for them.

twopenny

The only help I can offer is if you are intending to 'explore' then get a suitable sat nav.

I live in an are of tiny lanes and the steepest of everything and the road is repeatedly blocked by caravans overturning.

I can only think they don't keep their eyes open for signs or ever look at contour maps or local info. Honestly you wouldn't believe where they end up following a car sat nav

The quietest road is the ones dedicated to caravans and motor homes that by passes the hairpin bends and 1 in 4 hills.

And yes, I have 2 friends who've kept vans on parks that store them, both in lovely places and it's wonderfully stress free to just drive down and relax taking day trips out. 

Can still be hitched up to go off for a while but you're already half way there.

Nebulous2

knightstyle said:

One thing that gets overlooked is the age of the tyres. Often tyres that look good are over 10 years old!
So always check the date code on the tyres when buying.
 Look out for a four-digit code. The first two figures represent the calendar week in which it was made (from 1 to 52) and the second two figures are the year of manufacture. So a code of 1316 would mean your tyre was made between 28th March and 3rd April 2016.

In general yes - tyres should be changed every 5 years. I shudder every time I see a caravan with a blowout at the side of the road. Fortunately it has never happened to me. 

For the OP though, if the caravan is on a seasonal pitch, and the only movement it ever does is from the pitch to storage on the same site, then changing the tyres wouldn't be particularly high on the priority list. 

Supatramp

Username03725 said:

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. 

As a "reluctant caravanner", your bias against comes over loud and clear.

Although my caravan has never been sited, always a tourer, it has always been my home from home, as distinct from a soul-less hotel room. Food, drink, dishes and cutlery, cooking utensils etc are all simple there, in situ.

You paint a very bleak picture, which I struggle to recognise over 47 years as a caravanner.

Bigphil1474

They aren't going to be towing, why not read the earlier posts!

ProseccoGirl

Thanks for all the relevant comments.   Sorry I haven't been back sooner.

These hit the nail on the head...a bolt hole, somewhere to go and visit/stay/relax, at the drop of a hat.   The park we have in mind is only about 30 mins drive away.

Herzlos said:

Username03725 said:

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. 

That was my sticking point, if you don't use it often it seems like a very expensive and time consuming way to do it. But then I know people who have caravans on site out on the coast about an hour away, and they can just head from work to the caravan whenever they want and it's ready for them.

twopenny said:

And yes, I have 2 friends who've kept vans on parks that store them, both in lovely places and it's wonderfully stress free to just drive down and relax taking day trips out. 

Not bothered about tyres, as long as they stay inflated      Or having a tow-car.  

We've bought a damp meter, where's best to stick it ?   In the corners, under the windows, back of the cupboards?