We are considering our first Caravan having had a Folding Camper for a few years.
We have looked around a few dealers for inspiration and to get the layout we really like (fixed bunks for the kids, front lounge/diner/double bed, mid kitchen and washroom) it seems we will need an HGV licence to tow it and an airstrip to store it!!
Can anyone suggest any modern looking vans (used) to look out for in our budget of £5000 to £7000 with fixed bunks, sub 7mtrs and light. Does not need to be too flash - just a fridge, a washroom, a hob and an oven and maybe a heater would be nice for winter breaks.
I have seen a couple of Lunar Chateau 500s in our price range and they seem to tick all the boxes but I cannot find much written about them and the examples I have seen advertised are located some distance from us. Are they any good?
If money was not an issue I think the new Bailey Orion 450-5 would possibly be our perfect van in terms of size, weight & layout as we tow with a Passat.
What advice can anyone give to a keen but green caravanner nervously looking to enter the market?
We started off with 5 berth, rear bunks. Left the bunks up when away and closed them off with sliding doors during the day/night.
We soon realised that having a small cubicle shower room/toilet was a pain and the wardrobe location proved arkward when we were all in the van.
When then changed to a 4 berth van with side dinette/bunks and rear shower room/toilet and wardrobe, this made a huge difference as we normally use sites without shower block. It also made the kitchen area a lot lighter, with the dinette window.
Everyone has different views due to their needs. For example:
1. How old are the kids?
2. How many do you have?
3. Will you be using the site facilities for showering/toilet/washing up?
4. Eating in?
5. What time of year will you be using it. Awnings can have bedroom compartments, great for summer time.
Hope this helps and good luck with your search!!
------------- Feb-Setthorns New Forest.
April-C&CC Certified Site, Corfe, Dorset.
The rest of 2012-Who knows??
You can tow more than you think with a Passat, have a look here once you've put in the basic search you can change the MTPLM (max loaded weight) for the caravan and narrow it down to all sorts of choices, berths, price, layout etc. Will give you a good idea of the vans you can tow. I haven't yet found anywhere else that I can search by weight and it opened our eyes to a fair few models we could look at.
When you do find one, hire a damp meter or a mobile engineer and get it checked for damp, whatever make or year there may be a problem there and before you fork out your savings it's worth doing.
Thanks for the replies and advice. We favour the fixed rear bunks as we have 2 kids (8&11) who fight over bed space and we think this suits us best.
We always use sites with facilities so as long as the washroom is big enough for the 3am pee and has a basin for brushing teeth we are not fussed about the shower or lack of shower as we would use those provided by the site.
We tend to eat in or BBQ but kitchen size is not a great concern as long as it has an oven and a fridge.
The main criteria is that it is light and compact and has rear bunks. We have seen a new van which would be perfect but out of our budget.
Can anyone suggest a make/model to search for? in the meantime I will look at the link sent by Andi & Rob - thanks for that.
We are in a similar boat to you but currently only have 1 young baby but also want the room if number two comes along. We are probably going to go for a 2007 model Bailey Ranger 470 (4 berth) but they also do this in a 6 birth which is very lightweight and has the fixed end bunks. We did look at one of these at a local dealer last week but it is just a tad over our 85% weight limit plus the OH liked the end washroom on a 4 berth (the 6 berth has a mid section bathroom). If you have a look at 6 birth rangers around 2005-2007 you should be able to get one around £7k ish if you haggle!.
We also liked the Orion 440 but not sure we can justfify the extra money!
You could look at Sterling Europa 540 - 6 berth, end fixed bunks, side dinette/bunks, front parallel seating either as double or singles, reasonable kitchen with additional unit opposite, and 'wetroom' style shower room. Sorry, have no idea if Passat would tow it, but it's MTPLM is about 1490-1500 if I remember correctly. Good luck!
Well, we have been searching - the Firebrand is still a contender but they are all 100's of miles away - And is £7000 reasonable for a 6/7 year old van when you can get a new one for £13000?
Had a look at what the dealers have near to us last weekend and it is fair to say that there is very little on offer near to us currently and what there is seems over priced. From the dealers, our budget which is really £6000, will only get us (if we can find one) something produced in 2002 or older trimmed in lovely draylon.
Think we may leave it and pick something up at the end of the season - also liking the look of the Bailey 500/5 - just about as big as we dare get for our drive but it seems spacious inside compared to others and it is lightish.
We have a 2001 Avondale Godiva (556) we purchased reasonably last year. It is a 6 berth with the 2 fixed bunks at back. My son and his friends love it when we go away. This set up works for us, however we are all different.
Good luck
Elaine
------------- Elaine
Clumber feb 1/2 term
clumber april 2011
May Clumber
May Scarborough
August Corfe Castle and any other weekend i can manage!
Not sure if this would be of interest but I have just listed our Bailey Ranger 550/6 2003 on the free ad section on here,we are in South East England too, Kent/East Sussex border, we are looking for offers around £6300 for it.
We looked at rear bunks not so long ago. Nearly bought one too. It was only when a thought about the future I realised that the bunks may well be too small for the kids in a year or two so we went for a fixed double instead. This way the kids can sleep on the seats at the front as two singles, just throw the backrests on the floor.
We just sold our Bailey Ranger 550/6 (coincidentally to another UKCS member!) and it sounds like it would fit your bill - fixed bunks at the back etc. Also the ranger is about as lightweight as you will get in a 6-berth, the reason we bought it in the first place. There is another set of optional bunks which can be made out of the side dinette.
Look on ebay, you should be able to get a nice one for £5-&7k,....ours was in that price range and a 2004 model.
**edited as just saw your post about the length. Not sure you will find a smaller fixed bunk model. We couldn't fit ours on the drive either so it had to go across it instead! hahaha
------------- Claire x
Jan 2013 - Skiing, Kühtai, Austria
May - Swiss Farm
Fforest Ffields
Aug - Saumur, France
Oct - Somewhere...
Jan '14 - Skiing, Les Houches
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: First Caravan - Advice sought
