I'm after some suggestions please. I'm looking for a caravan that meets the below criteria:
4 Berth
Circa 6.5m. The drive is 7m.
I don't want a fixed double and bunks for the kids are preferable but not essential.
A bathroom with a shower cubical.
I can't find anything under 7.5m which would mean paying for storage. Any suggestions would be appreciated,
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
You also need to consider what your car can tow before you get carried away and buy something that is dangerous or illegal for you to tow.
The basic principle is that the max loaded weight of the caravan should not be higher than the kerbweight of the car and the advice for novice towers is 85% of kerbweight. If the car has a lower towing limit this must not be exceeded.
How big is your budget? Do you need to allow for towbar fitting? You also need to allow money for water carriers, awnings etc that you may need to buy.
Thanks for the reply. We have a 2ltr VW Sharan so there isnt much we can't tow. We already have a towbar but the electrics will need upgrading. We would like to spend 10-15k.
there are an awful lot your car wont tow! so go and check your vin plate for the true weights, then and only then can you go caravan hunting once you know your max weights
Swift challenger sport 524 with side dinette which converts to bunks around 2013 year or a dealer special based on this which we have. 6.9 m overall length. Rear wash room and separate shower. Will fit your price range. Or if looking for cheaper van same layout which we had new in 2009 a Bailey Ranger same layout which we bought new . We had the GT60 model bit more specification. Hope this helps
Check your own driving licence. Are you allowed to drive a combination unit of over 3500 kgs?
Your car has a kerbside weight of between 1850 and 2400kg (depending upon the options for the 2ltr model).
At the worst scenario you will have only 1100kg to play with for the caravan(unladen).
It is immaterial what load your car can take, it is what load you are permitted to take
Stuart, the weight restrictions on the driving licences issued since 1997 were removed at the end of last year so everybody can tow over the 3500 GTW limit.
There are a couple of interesting French lightweight 4 berthcaravans that are shorter, but with all the bits. Caravelair and Weinberg spring to mind, and might be worth exploring.
Just another thought. I know caravan storage can be expensive but depending on where you live, it might be a better option. For example, I live in a pretty dodgy area of Liverpool and if I left a caravan on my driveway, it would either be vandalised or stolen, even with all the best locks.
My parents live in a very affluent part of another town and the problem in their area is that people use an absent caravan as an indicator that the occupants are away from home and the houses are then burgled at night. In my parents area, several houses were all burgled in the space of a couple of nights and it turned out that the occupants were all away Caravanning. Friends of my parents had a 20 year old daughter who wasn’t away with them and she came home from being out with her friends around midnight only to disturb burglars in their house. It really traumatised her and she wouldn’t stay on her own in the house for months.
For us, we don’t want our caravan stolen or damaged on the driveway and we don’t want to wave a flag to the local burglars to say we are away from home, so we keep our caravan in storage even though we could squeeze it on the driveway if we chose to.
Thanks for the replies. We live on a private road so it's fairly safe. I've done alot of towing of trailers and boats so I'm aware of what I can tow. I'll take a look at the caravans that have been suggested, thanks again.
Quote: Originally posted by Rob and Tina on 02/10/2022
Stuart, the weight restrictions on the driving licences issued since 1997 were removed at the end of last year so everybody can tow over the 3500 GTW limit.
Rob
You will be telling me that they are making films in colour and with sound, next
Quote: Originally posted by Rob and Tina on 02/10/2022
Stuart, the weight restrictions on the driving licences issued since 1997 were removed at the end of last year so everybody can tow over the 3500 GTW limit.
Rob
Not quite everyone. Those over 70 can no longer tow over 3,500kg GTW unless they also have a PCV or HGV licence. I am 73 and no longer have my PCV licence so I am limited to 3.5ton GTW.
Colin, you should still have BE on your licence, if you check the DVLA website you can check your licence and you may find BE is there even though it's not on the plastic card they sent you when you renewed.
Hi Rob, yes that is correct but BE category only allows the licence holder over 70 to drive up to 3,500kg. To drive vehicles in excess of that you still need a PCV licence or HGV (groups D or C) I used to hold both D and DE, but they expired in 2021 and I didn't renew them, which means I can now only drive up to 3,500kg. From age 70 I have had to renew my D/DE licence annually, but as I haven't driven a bus or coach lately, last year I did't bother as it would have meant arranging and paying for a medical. It's annoying as each year I have to take a quite comprehensive medical as I still drive trains on a Heritage Railway, but that doesn't count apparently.
BE.allows you to drive a vehical up to 3500 kg but you can still tow caravan or trailer with it. I have been doing it for 9 years now after 70th birthday. At 70 I gave up C licence which allows to drive a vehicle over 3500kg.
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Topic: Caravan Suggestion
via mobile 01/10/2022 at 9:26pm
