I know absolutely nothing about caravans however I have seen one for sale it is a 1997 kanaus sport but is absolutely immaculate, £4500 the age puts me off but as I say it's immaculate, comes with new Awning and loads of extras any advice please.
Don't know anything about this make/model so my only piece of advice is never ever buy a caravan without checking it over thoroughly with a damp meter.
Knaus (correct spelling) are one of the cheaper German marques to begin with. German vans have a deserved reputation for not leaking - but eventually, they do.
That Knaus is 16 years old, and not even German vans are good enough to go that long without developing damp.
If the seller won't take 1200, walk away! (and if he does accept £1200, check it thoroughly for damp! - don't listen to the rubbish about German vans never leaking, they do)
BTW, I base my opinions on ownership of Hymer, Hobby and LMC vans.
------------- Getting Old, Staying Active (much to Mrs Folder's dismay..)
Thanks everyone, my first impression was it was overpriced but had googled knaus and everyone was raving about it, was worried about the damp thing though. Can anyone also advise me about getting a damp meter or are there firms that can come out with you to do a caravan check you know like the aa when they send a mechanic to do a check on a car you're buying
my advise would be to find a cheaper ,newer u.k model .for a comparison i have a 1999 eldiss whirlwind that i paid £800 for last year ,so yep that ones a bit overpriced ?????
I Agree very overpriced no matter what the condition
However I would at least buy a damp meter & LEARN how it should be used BEFORE buying a caravan whether from a dealer or private, But the best advice is to find a mobile caravan mechanic to do an independent pre purchase check,again whether you buy private or from a dealer.This should cost no more than £50 but worth every penny in peace of mind.
you can find trained & registered independent mechanics here http://www.mobilecaravanengineers.co.uk/
Whether it gets a clean bill of health or not, the check is going to be a waste of money as the seller is never going to drop the price by half anyway.
Please take the advice from the members above the van is way overpriced and you must check it out for damp you could get a mobile caravan fitter to check it out for you at a small cost.Ian
------------- Sandy Gulls caravan site
Mundesley
North Norfolk
1st July to 22 July
One other point, who is selling it? - a private seller, or a dealer?
If it's a dealer, point out to him that the cushions and upholstery may not fire-proofed in accordance with UK legislative standards, and that he really shouldn't be selling it in the first place.
An 'official' Knaus import *will* have had the cushions changed - but, given the age, it may well be a privately imported caravan that does not meet UK upholstery standards regarding fire.
You can check the labels to find out.
I'm being serious here - only few years ago, Bawtry caravans had their fingers burned (no pun!) when they tried to sell new German vans.
The point is, they had imported them in full German spec - which meant that all the upholstery was fire-proofed to German standards.
There is nothing wrong with the German standards - and they might even be better than the UK requirements - BUT, those vans could not legally be sold by a UK dealer unless they had upholstery that had passed the FIRA tests.
The only way they could be sold was to change every bit of upholstery for something that was approved - as Bawtry found out to their great dismay
The legislation also applies to second-hand vans - so, if it's a dealer, go and check the cushions, then furrow your brow, look suitably concerned, and tell him how worried you are about buying it, and how he shouldn't be selling it in the first place...
I'm sure he'd find some way of selling the caravan as a 'private purchase', at a knock down price...
------------- Getting Old, Staying Active (much to Mrs Folder's dismay..)
dont know the cost but one of these guys will look at it for you,could save a lot of money in the long run.just had look on the web and one 1998 just sold for £1700.
Would agree with others that it seems overpriced. Knaus have a good reputation. When you say its immaculate I assume you have seen it in the flesh? If its an unofficial import, ie perhaps purchased in German by a serviceman its likely to be of German spec which will be different to the UK spec usually no 12 volt or battery. The door will also be on the "wrong" side so to speak, not a particular problem but another clue. If you can get it for a more realistic price it could be a bargain.
Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 02/2/2013
Would agree with others that it seems overpriced. Knaus have a good reputation. When you say its immaculate I assume you have seen it in the flesh? If its an unofficial import, ie perhaps purchased in German by a serviceman its likely to be of German spec which will be different to the UK spec usually no 12 volt or battery. The door will also be on the "wrong" side so to speak, not a particular problem but another clue. If you can get it for a more realistic price it could be a bargain.
David
Thanks for all the replys, it was an ex serviceman selling, brought it back from germany with him, he later dropped price to 3500 after I told him answers on here, but have decided not to go ahead even if its ok damp/leaking etc its not going to remain so for long I suppose. We need something a bit newer I expect although might have to stick to the tent a little longer till we save up lol. Thanks again for all you help, really appreciate it.
For one thing, as it was a personal import it will have the German fires-standard upholstery. This won't matter, of course, until you try to part exchange it at a dealership - at which point you will find that no dealer will want it because the can't legally sell it on without replacing the upholstery, as previously mentioned.
The other point is that when times get hard the caravan is usually one of the first things to be sold - and you can safely bet that quite a few genuine bargains are going to surface in the next few months.
I'm sure you'll get your caravan - and you'll be glad that you didn't rush into the Knaus.
Good luck.
------------- Getting Old, Staying Active (much to Mrs Folder's dismay..)
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Topic: Help 1997 kanaus sport
