Rainy Saturday morning, we plunged in and bought a caravan from the local dealer. Dont you just LOVE impulse purchases?
We ve camped before and enjoyed plenty. So we know we re going to like it, the dealer was helpful, but I got the distinct impression , as we were buying at the budget end of the market, he didnt WANT to be helpful,(If you know what I mean)
I'm going to need lots of advice so thanks in advance for that.
To start with ,
1. What size gas bottle do I need? is it just a case of "As big as you can get in the compartment? 7 kg?
2. Awnings MUST be different sizes? (Never thought of this before) We havent got one, should I just get a cheap Porch Awning to start with? Or there are 2nd hand Full Awnings in the shop where we bought?
3. Storage. The dealer has offered to let me store it there, but I can only get at it when they re open, I reckon this is a bit restrictive, do more specialised storage places let you have a key etc? What else should I look for?
The van itself is clean and tidy, I wouldnt know how to check for damp so have no idea if it is or not. My thought is if we enjoy it, then we arent going to lose a lot on it when we trade in / up, are we? (Help!)
Hi welcome to caravanning! you will not look back :)
1-Gas bottles are a standard size usually I am not sure of the size but if you ask at the caravan shop they will advise you. The first one is really expensive but they are quite cheap to refill.
2 - I have got a outdoor revolution porch awning as it is not much smaller than a full size awning! and really easy to put up. They are not that sturdy in bad weather though but full awnings are very expensive
3- Most storage places you just have a key and you come and go as you please
Hiya Melster, its an aged Sprite Muscateer. I know these were vans with minimal spec, but the previous owner has clearly loved it back to a good condition!
Looking forward to trying it proper now.
First things first, a tow bar for my new company vehicle! Thats proving to be a minefield !
Thanks for the response Susie!
Why are so many of these user names suffixed with "69"? I ve noticed it on a few forums!
hi!! We've got a sprite musketeer xl (1990) and love it! Going away in her for the first time next weekend and cant wait!!
Weve got a 7kg gas bottle in ours, we are going to get a porch awning for weekends and a full awning for longer holidays (dorema have an almost half price sale on at the mo) and our storage unit is manned 24 hours so we can just call him and he will open the gates for us whenever we want to go.
You need to get a gas bottle that suits your needs. A Calor 6 or 7 KG bottle will do you at first. Don't go to Calor for a bottle, that is a good way of wasting money. Pay £5 -£10 for one at a boot sale, type immaterial as Calor will swap any of their bottles for a full one of any colour (gas type) and size. Butane is better for use in the summer. (Butane is in Blue cylinders).
Awnings are different sizes and you MUST get the right size. Measure the awning rail length with a piece of string from the ground to the ground, this is the awning size that you need. Why go to a dealer that sounds iffy to buy anything?, get an awning from somewhere else. A porch awning is a good idea at first. When you step up to a fuul size awning the porch is still usefull for short trips or Autumn/Winter use.
Hi there, We've just put a deposit on a Coachman Laser, 590/4, 2000, and will be taking delivery next weekend & I AM SOOOO EXCITED. We were camping in our new Wynnster Eagle 6 last weekend and got a sickener with all the rain. I don't think we'll be selling the tent as we are siting the caravan and may still feel the need for a night under canvas/polyester. We're now on a spending spree for all the extras, and I am loving it.
Well done on your new 'van (and same to you skippy)
I'm sure you will have many happy times.
I wouldn't worry about not having hot water on tap as it doesn't take long to fill a kettle and boil it up. We do have hot running water but when we got our 'van it took me ages to not boil up the kettle for hot water lol.
We have 2 medium size gas bottles that fit in the front locker so that we never run out of gas but you don't have to have 2. We are getting a new 'van soon that comes with a gas bottle so i'm going to get a red gas bottle just in case.
You can buy a damp meter quite cheap but i don't know much about them. Did the dealer do a damp test on the 'van?
Thanks for the post ashwell, we had one done independently and it s all good !
I think I'm pretty much sorted now! have tested all appliances with the patio heater bottle, and have a small propane bottle winging it s way to me now (Good old mate!)
Next weekend will be the inaugural trip! Looking forward to it.
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: We Plunged!!
Looked clean enough to me ?
) and stabiliser. THAT one seems a minefield too 
