I'm sure you guys are fed up answering questions like this but here goes..
We're starting to do our research into buying our first van, we're total novices. We are a family of 4, the kids are aged 4+5 and were looking for a decent starter van. What price should we be realistically be paying to get something decent? For our first van are we better buying from a reputable dealer, if so can you guys recommend a good one in scotland? We have a vectra currently, this would make a decent tow car so we just need to look at weights.
So what vans should we be looking at that would suit our needs for a decent standard of accommodation?
Apologies for the long winded questions, but we're notices and need all the advice/assistance we can get.
Start with eBay for a guide to prices , sizes and weights .
Check your car and van of the same weight on `What Tow Car`. This will all be useful . £1500. should get you a good starter on the private market and in the dealers clearance at the end of the sales season . Damp will always be the big issue so buy or borrow or even rent a good damp meter , not a £10 bargain . Even if the van smells nice , poke the points of the meter in to the walls in high and low cupboards , in all corners , around windows in particular and the floors , toilet/shower room and under the sink unit . Check ALL electrical items and lighting systems work and that there is no accident damage on joins/corners . This will cause leaks . You may have to go into England for the best prices . If using a dealer , try for a warranty to cover damp repairs if found .
Thanks very much for the advice Alan, very much appreciated!
I was thinking that I needed to spend around 5k for a decent van, so can you really pick up something reasonable for less than 2k? Wow..
The price would depend on the spec and age. You certainly could get a van for £1500, but it may not have the spec you want.
Take a look at the lists on caravanpriceguide, it will give you an idea of age versus price.
We sold our 1998 van in 2008, it was a 4 berth Sterling Emerald, so a fairly high spec, we sold for £4500.
Preloved is a good place to look too.
If going for a private sale, look for a van that has had light use, non-smokers, no pets, well looked after and clean.
I think your figure of £5000 for a decent van is fairly realistic.
Where exactly are you? Dealers are a bit thin on the ground up here. We use Duncans at Waterloo, Wishaw. There is also Halleys near Beith in Ayrshire.
Several further east, Perthshire Caravans are good. There are a couple over Stirling way, and a few up Aberdeen way.
There is Knowepark at Livingston too, but we were not impressed with them.
It's a good idea to go round the dealers to see what is available, make a short-list, then search privately for good examples of those models. You will get more for your money that way.
Damp will be the big problem in an older van. Ask to see service records and damp testing records, but also do your own checks.
Make sure everything works, see it working, and ask for the handbook.
A van with full service records and handbook indicates a careful owner.
& when you find a van you aresure about,even if you have damp tested it with your own meter. call in a mobile caravan eng for a pre buying check.
so it could cost £40 but that's better than losing £1500-3000
& when you find a van you aresure about,even if you have damp tested it with your own meter. call in a mobile caravan eng for a pre buying check.
so it could cost £40 but that's better than losing £1500-3000
Hi gil16e, If you are just trying out caravanning, to see if it is for you, you should also consider, buying a cheap van(still do all the checks mentioned in the other posts), If its not for you, you haven’t spent a great deal of money. Presumably you’re Vectra is a 2lt. diesel, its kerb side weight will determine the weight of van you can tow, the van should be no more than 85% of the kerb side weight of the tow car. Any van you are considering buying, get the chassis number and check it with CRiS before you buy, they will be able to tell you if it’s a stolen van. (If you buy first then try and insure van only to find out its stolen, you will not be able to insure it, and it could be taken off you). Don’t let that put you off. Perthshire Caravan’s (a bit expensive and not much variety when I was there), there is Kirkcaldy Caravans, I think there is one at Kincardine, I bought my van from Knowepark Caravans in Livingston, have found them very helpful, and the after sale service I cannot fault. Good Luck with your search.
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Hi, we are in the same boat as you. The main factor to check as mentioned above is the weight of your vectra. Our 1.9CDTI SRI (2006 model) was lighter than even we expected at 1456kg so this has very much limted our choice in vans. I was speaking to a dealer at the weekend and he said they get a lot of problems with some vauxhall cars being lighter than people expect! As we didn't want to change cars as well it has limited us a little. We have 1 child under one and also want room for a 2nd in the future. At the moment the Bailey Ranger is looking favorite for us as its very light and the 4 berth comes with one double and 2 single bunks. The OH wants a decent bathroom with seperate shower in case we use sites without good facilities so this has limited our choice a bit more. We are currently looking at spending around £8k for a 4 year old one but you can get them for around £5k that our older. Don't forget to haggle from a dealer....so far I have been offered a full starter pack (water containers, battery, step, gas bottle & regulator, number plate, EHU cable, pipes, loo chemicals, etc), plus the Alko 3004 triple pack stabiliser (£250-£300) fitted plus a sold secure wheel lock plus a good discount on a full awning and a full service & 6 month warranty. Its also worth checking that the van has a spare wheel, small point but some vans like the Ranger never came with a spare so it depends if the previous owner got one and left it in!
We must have looked at every dealer in our area before narrowing it down to the few models that suits us...........although the OH still loves the new Bailey Orion 440 which we could also tow but would set us back £13k!
Thanks very much for the information guys, much appreciated!
Jennifer, i'm up in Argyll on the west coast. I spoke to halleys today and they were mega helpful and gave me lots of information which was good of them.
JHSW, my vectra is an 06 2.0 turbo petrol hatchback(thirsty!) so i better find out the gross weight of it before i start to get excited.
Dazzer, the ranger does seem to tick our boxes but i will wait until we can get to view some before deciding on what layout suits us best.
Halleys offered me a 2002 swift challenger 490 for around 6k, are these good vans?
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Topic: Advice needed..
