Hi
We are looking for our first touring caravan. Maximum 2 berth no more than 1500kg and our budget is around £1200.
We have been looking round and took a visit to Glossop caravan centre in Glossop which has scared the life out of us as their choice of caravans available in our budget range were horrendous!! I.e stink, full of damp, bare wires, no windows etc etc!
Can anyone recommend any other dealers in north west area or are selling any privately that are in a better condition than what weve witnessed in Glossop!
We realise that the caravan will not be perfect but we dont want to spend too much as its our first time and just want to get a feel for it and then upgrade at a later time. As long as its damp free and in working order!
Please help as we feel like giving up before we have even started!
It is possible to get a nice clean dry van within budget, but I don't think you will find it at any dealer, who after all needs to make maximum profit from their floorspace.
Bruneval3 - that's rubbish, your not going to get a newish van for that money, probably dated early to mid 1990's but there are plenty of decent vans around in there budget. Private sellers are the way to go, as has been said you wont get much at that price from a dealer. You just have to be prepared to look around and maybe travel a bit to look at some. I've been watching a few on e-bay as I was thinking of getting something bigger, all under £1200 but decent vans. Anyway decided to keep my little Wisp as it's so good and has no problems, cost me £700 off e-bay 4 years ago.
A dealer will not give you a worthwhile warranty on a £1200 'van so ebay is your best bet. Check carefully for damp & hope the appliances all work. A caravan for that price has to be seen as an ongoing project, repairing bits & pieces as needed. Budget for a chassis service, hubs/brakes/coupling & probably you will need new tyres whatever the tread because often they are old & perished & could fail at motorway speeds.
We are first timers and our original budget was £2 - 2.5k. However it was soon apparent that the quality of the interiors felt dated, often feeling/smelling musty, fixtures & fittings very worn etc.
We upped the budget & it opened up a much better style and feeling of van.
We came across a private sale on Preloved & the van is mint, modern, stylish..perfect! Dealers were selling same year (2005) & model for £6k, we paid £4,750 and that included every extra imaginable, including porch awning, gas, waste/water barrels..everything tbh.
Friend of mine picked up a used caravan a couple of years back for £500 he never even asked how old it was, and has been to both Scotland and Wales with it.
But since then it has never moved, lets say it is now in need of a little maintenance.
But for £500 he got a couple of years usage, so that's a good thing yeh!
My take,is that when I come to buy a caravan, I wan't to get a good few years out of it, and like russandjax has found £5k is probably about the best starting point.
I am not dishing all sub £5k vans but most vans in that price range will be over 10 years old, and starting to shows signs of there age, despite the best efforts of there owners.
Personally if I was looking now, I would be after something under 10 years old, and would expect to pay £5k upwards.
But I know when the time comes, finding the right van is going to be a challenge, as you often read about folk who have bought a lemon.
As with any media forums etc your normally only hear of those who have a problem so it makes things seem worse than they are. Im not saying there are not damp vans out there, as there deff are many, but also many dry ones.
We bought our caravan that is now 21 years old 5 years ago from a dealer for3k it came with a warranty (and yes they did honour it when the pump went wrong) 5 years later she just passed her recent service with no damp and and only part needed was new bathroom tap.
So what im saying is you don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent van, our van has hot water, loo. , heating , blinds and fly screens. We spend about 5 to 6 weeks a year in her with 2 kids 2 dogs and she still looks good we just treat her with care.
some good advice and some claptrap so far ,i see your based in merseyside so lets start from there ,if you pop down the wirral there are a couple of cheap dealers at the bottom end ,come off the motorway and head towards north wales two mills traffic lights ,just after the hump back and speed camera there is a caravan dealer in the dip before the great sutton turn off on the left .
have a look round but don't commit to buying ,next head for two mills and turn right at the lights about a mile up the road theres a large dealer on the left that sells on a commission basis lots in your price range but possibly some tatty ones .
driving about around deeside i see lots of two berths for sale privately and as has been suggested thats the way to go .unfortunately not the right time of year to buy but a good time to look round .
also looking at your car check permitted tow weights etc especially if your new to towing .
we have a 1999 eldiss whirlwind thats light ,fully fitted out and cost us under a grand 2 years ago so there are bargains to be had .
thinking on a bit as well theres flintshire caravans in queens ferry ,and also if you head along the coast road into rhyl theres always some for sale along the way ,.that should keep you busy for a day or two LOL
I think a lot of replies are based on not realising how cheap the north wales and surrounding area can be
I think as others have said I don't think you'll find a dealer selling vans for £1200, well not out front, but why don't you drive around and ask if they have any that they took in part exchange, you might be lucky. I bought my first van for £1300 off ebay, and it was in excellent condition, but after using it for a while decided the layout didn't suit my needs. But I always intended to change it at some time, it was simply a purchase to see if I enjoyed caravanning and how much use I would get out of a caravan for committing to a more expensive van.
IF the seller says there is no damp,don't believe them. If you find one locally that you really like,you could ask a mobile caravan service person to check it out. Might cost you about £50?? but well worth it.I have never used a Damp meter but I expect you will have to get under all on the seats,beds and every nook and cranny.
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Topic: Beginners needing help!
