We have been thinking about buying a 2nd hand caravan for a while now, we have always been campers, but ill health now makes camping more difficult especially with the unreliable weather we get, the damp and cold effect my disability.
There would be myself and OH and our 10 year old boy, and on rare occassions a 5yr old boy. We also have a dog.
Would we be okay with a 3 berth and an awning or should we get a larger berth and forget the awning. OH has said he would prefer a twin axle as they are more stable.
We have a budget of £2000, we realise that this is not a vast amount of money for a caravan, but would really appreciate some replies on what we could realistically buy and what would be good value for money, any other comments are also welcome.
I think the first thing you should consider is, what you intend to tow the caravan with. Will you keep your existing car or will you upgrade. If you need to keep what you have at present, best start by seeing what weight your car will tow before setting your sight on a particular size/ type.
Personally, from what you have said, if at some stage you intend to accommodate 4 people, I would go for a 4 birth and have the option of putting on an awning if you wish, for the extra bit of room. There are only three of us (2 adults and one child) and we have a 4 birth van - I personally wouldn't go for anything smaller.
I think 85% of your kerb weight is only about 1088Kg, so you won't be in a position to tow a twin axle. The max tow of the vehicle is only 1200kg, and you really don't want to exceed 85% if you've never towed before.
If you are totally new to caravans my advice would be to take someone in the know with you when you go to view a van. You can seriously lose money buying a van that looks nice but may well at best be rotten as a pear and at worse a deathtrap.I don't want to frighten you but I don't want you to waste your money like we did either .
------------- Those that danced were thought to be quite insane to those who could not hear the music. Angela Monet
Thank you for all your replies, I will pass the info onto my OH when he comes home.
My OH has towed a caravan before about 20 years ago, when his sister owned one. I know its very different but he has experience of towing a box trailer.
Can anyone suggest any pros and cons with regards different brands, I think if I remember correctly our neighbours son has a bailey caravan and has said before he has the same car as us.
We have some knowledge of what to look out for on the bad side of things example leakes, and rust.
If you intend to buy a 4 berth, check out the weight limit and size on the upper bunk...these are often only suitable for very small/light children, so effectively are only a 3 berth + one very little one. These things vary enormously from van to van, depending on manufacturer, layout etc. so you need to do some research.
Follow the link above for advice on buying a second hand tourer. In your price range, you are going to be looking at something quite a few years old and there are many pitfalls to avoid. The main thing you are looking to avoid is a damp caravan and it's not always obvious at first glance. Ideally, take someone with you who knows something about caravans, when you go to view anything you like the look of.
To check on towing suitability/matching your car to the van, google what tow car and put in the details. It calculates whether or not you have a good match.
Hi, I am the one Jennifern knows down in Somerset. Please drop me an email on snowy747 at btinternet.com replacing the "at" with the squiggly thing if you would like to know more.
Oops pressed wrong key. ..to continue - We looked at about 10 or 12 vans all declared as dry.All were damp, some were obviously aware they had damp but not all. Because of demand they were selling. We were lucky eventually but had to go a bit over £2000. Advice is get a damp meter.Demand should be lower now and any damp clear but dont be afraid to poke around.
2k will find you a good dry van eventually, 1st step get a damp meter and make a list of all vans that meet your spec, prepare for a long trawl through a load a vans that have more holes than scotland's defence, then one day you will find one that meets your spec and the damp meter gives a lovely silence
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Topic: first caravan prchase advise please
