Have a Budget of £5000- £6000 total and looking for a 4/5 berth which would cope with an active family of 4 , girls aged 11 and 13. We have a large frame tent which we used in France for 3 great years but went to Cornwall this year and glad given the weather, we did not risk the tent and stayed in a rented house. However missed the buzz of the campsite and now considering a caravan for next year.Any advice most welcome
Well, its forecast a reasonable weekend, so I`d get the tribe together and get round some dealers and compare layouts, weights and what you can for your money.
Then do it again somewhere else next week.
Golden rule:- Leave your cheque book at home!!
Don`t rush in, take your time, consider what each van offers and how that fits in with your needs, and remember to budget for insurance, storage (if you can`t keep it at home) etc.
and take a damp meter with you and have a good poke around the cupboards etc.
------------- "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." In memory of Bear. 06/03/06 - 25/01/12 Izzie 23/09/07 - 25/03/13
Don't spend a fortune. You will inevitably decide in a years time that you want to change layout. I'd say look for something cheap until you get the feel for caravanning and when you decide what you think could be improved on your layout go for something better. We got ours a few years ago with double diner, since decided we would rather fixed end bunks, then decided we would rather have an end washroom with side bunks but saw the new Swift at the weekend with end bathroom and fixed double and fell in love. Goodness knows what we will want next week.
We moved from a trailer tent to caravan as we wanted to be less weather dependent and I suffered with my back and neck in the trailer tent, but since changeing we have found our choice of site has changed. We avoid commercial sites now and prefer to rally. EHU is very rare for us indeed now.
Remember the girls will grow. If you get an end washroom side dinette the bunk will only be suitable for a child. Our 12year old son who fitted our bunk is now 6'3''. However the big end bathroom will provide the privacy you will need for dressing etc.
You really need two full size singles and a double.
You could go for a 5 berth with twin dinettes. The back will make a double and the front will make two singles. However the kitchen & washrooms in these tend to be a bit small.
Alternatively a fixed bed will do but, unless its a big van, you won't have two singles, only another double. Would that be OK for the girls? Smaller fixed beds tend to be used as 2 berths as the lounge can be a bit small for four, but fixed beds are lovely.
Many teenagers prefer to sleep in a pup tent so they have more privacy and can stay in bed till lunchtime.
Multiply your cars kerbweight by 0.85 and that is the heaviest MTPLM you should tow. Then check your cars tow weight.
Not spending too much on your first van is sound advice. Live in one for a while and you'll form a much better opinion of what will suit you.
Arpsy, what you really need to do here is post what type of car you have, it's kerb weight and max towing weight so that we can give you some idea of the size of unit you can tow.
Also, did you pass you test before or after 1997? If it's after you are a lot more restricted.
I'd say the type of vans you're looking at will be pretty heavy units so you would need to make sure you can tow it all legally and, most importantly, safely.
You should be OK with an older 5 berth then. We currently have a 1999 Elddis Firestorm (basically and Avante but a dealer special) that weighs 1250 fully loaded.
The newer ones tend to be a bit longer & substantially heavier. We've just ordered a new Coachman Amara, same kind of layout but nearly 2 foot longer & weighs in at 1590 when loaded. Big difference between the two!
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 time second hand Caravan
