I have used this website to check campsites before as we have a continental tent that we normally take to Cornwall once a year, however hubby has talked me into a caravan (I was brought up with caravanning, my mum and dad have owned caravans since they were 21 and hubby has been bitten by the bug ).
I was a bit dubious at first as being 26 and hubby is 32 I felt that we were a little too young (no offence meant at all with that) to start caravanning. However I am going to give it a shot and see how it goes.
We have started to look at 2 berth caravans in the region of £2-3k and that budget seems to be up to 1995 vans privately. However we have seen about 5 private vans now and they all seem to have some kind of damp issues or be in really bad condition. Are we setting our sights too high. I am used to how my parents look afetr theirs, constantly washing. polishing it etc, they have a 2001 Fleetwood and its really is like new. So many people are saying 'as new' and they are no where near!
Any advice? Are there damp free good condition vans out there in our price range? We are going to see an Elddis Glen this evening and that is priced at £3k for a 2 berth end kitchen style. Is this expensive?
I thought it would be easy to find a van but is proving harder than we thought. Looking for something local so hopefully in Glasgow. Lanarkshire area.
there is a place on the A1 called ecosse storage at tranent who have some caravans for sale, he actually has a 2 berth twin axle for sale for £950 i think it was butalshasa few others aswel. as we have our own van i dont get to see te rest.
i dont think you are setting your sights to far always best to get a damp free van if poss as it saves money and time if it needs repairing although a few memebrs have done just that on this forum.
i do hope you find a van you like and want and that its not out o your price range. and welcome to UKCS hope you find some useful tips and information
Hi Pamelab21 , Welcome to UKCS , there are some good dry caravans out there , they just take time finding , 2 berth caravans do tend to be lower priced than others so don't end up paying too much for one .
If theres just 2 of you- get a small Eriba--you will get a late 80s one in good nick for less than £2K- they are built on a rigid steel frame so they dont flex & leak like other caravans--if undamaged they seem to last forever-theres still 60s Eribas in use--put eriba into ebay search-theres several on there at the moment--we towed our '88 Eriba Pan around France & into Spain Jul/Aug-just got back--tows lovely behind our Berlingo--
I'm sure you should be able to find a 2 berth thats clean & dry for that price range. It wouldn't hurt to look at the local dealerships, even if it just gives you ideas of a particular layout you like. Don't give up and Good Hunting.
I agree with the comment to hang off until winter.Dealers tend to only sell on "dry damp free" vans as they don't want grief from their customers.They tend to trade damp ones.Try looking at local dealers it will give you an idea on whats on offer and let you see what kind of layout you want.There are quite a few dealers in the central belt ,Burnhouse in Beith,Eginton in Irvine,Duncans of Wishaw and probably the biggest in the area Knowepark at LivingstoneStrathaven caravans are no longer in strathaven but at Carfin and tend to have only motor caravans.Happy hunting
We got an Elddis Vogue last year as our first van. we were nieve and didnt take a damp meter. we found out later that the owners had done some repairs due to water ingress and had not done a good job. We only found this out when we came to trade the van in for a new one this year. I would advise you to take someone along who knows about caravans if possible. I think vans over 10 years old, dont normally have a damp report. A good site to try for used caravans is www.caravanfinder.co.uk and also ebay. Make sure when you buy, you see the CRISS registration
Hubby and I had the same reservations as yourself Pamela - and one kind member advised taking along a damp meter. You can get them in B&Q.
One thing you will find though when you visit the dealers is that you are in a very strong bargaining position because you are not trading in a van. Haggle for everything - money off, free awning or a offer of a percentage off one - and if they offer you a six month warranty, insist on 12 months. The dealers want vans off their site to make way for the new models and all the trade-ins expected from those who go to the Caravan Show at the NEC in October. They will be picking up their new vans from February onwards, so that may be a good time to look.
We bought our first van in March, it's a 1990 ABI Tristar, 4 berth twin axle for £1,500. We were advised by a friend not to go over £2k for an early 90's 4 berth.
We got it from an ad in the Scottish Ad trader paper. All of our local newsagents and supermarkets stock it. It comes out weekly on a Friday morning, and costs £1.50 (I think). We saw quite a few vans before we found the ABI. Most were really good condition, only one or two had damp problems. Also, do any of your local supermarkets have classified ads boards?
You've probably done this, but first off make sure you know the 85% figure for your car
As you've got experience of what a well looked after older van looks like, you've got a good start. Take a damp meter and use it. Look at lots to decide what kind of layout you prefer. Things to look at: Knock/press on the walls, especially where there are seals nearby (eg roof and windows) to check for signs of damp or rot. Make sure the floor doesn't feel spongy. Pull all of the grab handles, this can also be a sign of damp in these areas. Open all the windows to determine what condition the stays are in. Look at the tyres, a well looked after van will have good condition tyres and a spare. Check what is to be included with the 'van.
This is another benefit of buying private. Often a lot of the required accessories are included, so look at something like towsure.com so you have a good idea of the cost of things like hook up cables, aquarolls, wastemasters, wheel lock and can factor this into the price of the 'van.
Don't always go for the advertised price, you may be able to haggle it down, especially if you spot a few minor flaws. And if you can't see the awning up, assume it is effectively worthless when considering the total price to offer.
Finally, e-bay is a great source of info e.g. weights & layout. I usually find there is either an active or completed sale for most models. You can also search for all active listings within a certain distance of your home postcode.
thanks all. We have been taking my parents along to see any vans (went to one last night and the floor was like a trampoline, she had all the roof lights open for us coming and a glade plug in burning away nicely in the socket! Described as damp free and first to see will buy!)
We have been checking ad trader, especially on line, been to Duncans Wishaw they don't have anything under 6k they told us. Knowepark only had spares or repairs vans in our budget! The search goes on!
have been looking on there too thanks. Nothing much on there at the minute either, maybe we are looking at the wrong time.
We have had to reserve our storage space already though as a space came up locally and we had to grab it. He has been good nd said the year will start from the first day we bring a van in though so thats not too bad, we were just hoping to maybe get some use out of one this year.
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: Hi all,newbie here,do we expect too much?
