We have just purchased our very first caravan on ebay...... unseen! Yes, I know this is probably going to be a bad mistake but our budget was very limited and it was more of a last minute decision, my wife finally wore me down! We are due to collect it this Saturday (20th Oct) but after reading a few horror stories about buying on ebay I am a little worried especially as it is an older model (1992). I suppose we can always walk away if it is not as described. Is there anything in particular we should be looking out for? Would we be best to purchase a damp meter to take with us, although looking at the prices of some of these they are really outside our budget. Any advice would be greatly received.
I wouldn't buy anything unseen. Buy a damp meter, take your time don't rush into buying a van. I'm sure something will come up over the next few months. Also is it a match for your towcar? There are a lot of people on this site who can give you good advise.I wish you good luck in your search and welcome to the site!
Thanks for your reply Debbie. I know we will probably need some sort of adaptor for the electric connection to our car as the car is new with two sockets (grey & black) whereas i presume with the age of the 'van it will only have 1.
Mike - your two sockets on the car are for road lights (the black one - 12N) and for auxillary equipment (the grey one - fridge, battery charging etc - 12S). Your 'van should have corresponding plugs, but for towing it home, should you go ahead with it, you'll only need to connect the black 12N plug and socket so the lights, brake lights and indicators work.
Some people on here are very negative about buying off e-bay but there are some good buys as well as bad. I bought my caravan off e-bay over 2 years ago,( private seller,) admitedly I did go to see it first, but it's a cracking little van, got lots of things with it including brand new full and porch awnings. Didn't take a damp meter with me when I went to look at it but having had caravans before knew where to look for the most common places for damp and there was'nt any and still isn't. My daughter bought hers from e-bay 18 months ago, did'nt see if beforehand but again a great van. So dont be put off, when you go for it have a good look round, in cupboards, under beds, in the toilet, you'll soon spot if anything is amiss. Also check the tyres and if you've got a presure gauge check the tyre preasure if your towing home. If your buying private chances are they will have already done it.
Anyway all the best with it let us know how you go on.
if as you say your budget is limited ,look for obvious signs of damp if nothing shows go for it ,ALL caravans even new ones suffer from damp its the nature of the beast ,but nothing thats insurmountable with the help you get on here .tell us more i.e what car you have ,model ,engine,bhp weight etc and what caravan you have bought then we might be able to advise more on the safety aspect of things .REMEMBER your limited to 60MPH towing ,despite what other dickheads do .the most important thing to check is the tires for cuts .tears ,sidewall splits etc .if no good insist on getting them changed before paying .
Beg, borrow or steal a damp meter,but dont go without one. Having owned a damp van, I worked out that I was spending more time doing repairs than I was going away in it.....
You can buy damp meter from b and q for around £15. whilst not trade spec it will suffice. Try to read up on what to look for like tyres etc because of you do find things wrong you can bargain the seller down. Try to view van hooked up to electric to check all lights, water heater fridge etc are working. It may seem a bit daunting but its not really and a good vendor will help you out with all these things. The best advice i would say is try to get someone to mind the kids. When i went to look at my present caravan i spent more time getting kids out of cuboards than i did checking van. Good luck.
It does depend on how much you paid and how long you want it for!
I bought my first van DURING a failed tenting holiday , on ebay whilst at the pub trying to dry out!!!!!!
I knew nothing of them, paid the money £500ish i think, dragged back to the site and had a fantastic holiday!!
The van was riddled with damp, the tyres were about 10 years old and we used the life out of it for the next year.... We were away every single weekend between march and november that year.
Finally we upgraded to a bit newer (less damp!) bigger unit, again pretty.much buying.it on a whim (from the neighbour on a site!) And we kept the beast for 5 years it had a damp bit or two but some 'gunge' and plywood sorted it.
Last week we bought a proper, dealer history 4 year old van..... And finally I bought a damp meter!
I think I'm more scared of the new one...... It owes me a fortune, where as the previous ones were kind of run 'em till they drop units which was far less stressful
Bottom line, it's yours, the kids will love it, you can relax around it and if it had any bad habits, learn to work with them
You will have to hope the tyres are ok but take a wheel brace 19mm to check wheelnuts are tight & a tyre pump if you have one or check pressures at nearest service station. You will also need towing mirrors & a numberplate. Take some double sided tape to fix it on.
Got mine from ebay went to look at it and gave a depsite theer and then the chap told me all about it haveing a bit of damp around the door. He said everything working ok cooker/ fridge /12v and 240v came with small awning /microwave / water pump /new tyre/ digital arial/ hitch lock /full gas bottle /toilet/ curtains cushons. /carver heater .All for 300 QUID inc delivery . True to his word all working . Sealed around the door and no more leaks . If it lasts 2 years ii will be happy but for a van that is 26 years old i dont think i done too bad . Do you ?
------------- Get out and have a go !You may enjoy it !
Will have a good look round for obvious damp problems and think I will get a cheap damp meter from B&Q, suppose even a cheap one is better than none - thanks for the tip taxi paul. Thanks for the wheel brace tip Tentz, never even thought of that.
I think the wife has already made the decision so it will have to be in a bad way if we don't come away with it, she's already booked a site for the saturday night! But, we will have to see if it is as described and if not I will just have to cope with disappointed kids and wife! The dogs will probably forgive me after a few treats and a walk.
This will be my first time towing a caravan so don't think we will be breaking any speed limits . Our car is a Citreon C4 Grand Picasso Diesel 1997cc 150bhp with a kerb weight of 1688kg. The caravan is a Swift Danette Diamond (5 berth) 1992, the seller has put the delivery weight as 775 kg with maximum laden weight of 1060kg. This is ok... isn't it???
The seller does seem very genuine and has mentioned that there is a bit of damp on a corner. He has said that the tyres are good with plenty of tread left being less than two years old.
If we do come away with it and anyone notices a complete novice trying to reverse onto a pitch making a complete hash of it after about 100 attempts, this will be us, so say hi lol.
the tow match is spot on ,your well within your limits as a newbie .i tow roughly same weight van with a picasso 1.6 diesel 110bhp ,so no problem there.
a bit of damp could be serious if left so get him to point it out and try to establish wheres its coming from so it can be resealed in the future .
tyres sound o.k but ask about pressure etc and take pump with you ,also number plate ,and towing mirrors i find the screw clamp type best for a picasso
do not overload the van on first trip and remember to keep it nose heavy but not to much .when you have time go through it with a fine toothcomb and dump the junk the seller has left behind ,we removed over 35kg of uneeded stuff when we bought ours earlier this year .
doesn't look a bad van for £970 ,check that floor out though it sounds like delamination is possible ,also you might need some tools to fit the tow bar mounted stabiliser .fit it and use it ,its scary without one .
try to get manuals for the electrics etc the sign of a well looked after van is all the original paperwork
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Topic: Our first caravan
We are due to collect it this Saturday (20th Oct) but after reading a few horror stories about buying on ebay I am a little worried especially as it is an older model (1992). I suppose we can always walk away if it is not as described. Is there anything in particular we should be looking out for? Would we be best to purchase a damp meter to take with us, although looking at the prices of some of these they are really outside our budget. Any advice would be greatly received.
