I most respectfully suggest that before you spend £9,000 on a pig in a poke, that you spend £10 odds on a Haynes Caravan Manual, read it from cover to cover and then go out and spend your money on a nice little van that will do you and your family proud for many years to come.
First find out the weight of van you can go to, then look round lots of dealers forecourts, because getting the right van layout for you is very important. Decide what your priorities are - separate bedroom for a young child going to bed early? or a bathroom? Fixed bed? Is the kitchen workable? Whats the storage space like? We all have different requirements and I think its important to look at loads of vans to get a feel of what is right for your family. Plus its fun! Remember to take pen and paper, tapemeasure is useful, and a dampmeter!
If you do decide to buy from a dealer, bargain hard for lots of extras. See if they have a starter pack, many do. Try for an awning too, they often have second hand ones they want rid of. Remember you're their perfect customer, cash to spend and no rotting 20 yr old van to part exchange! Ask lots of questions, ask how things work, make them earn their money.
Quote: Originally posted by Turners999 on 19/5/2010
Hi ive just purchased a Vauxhall Zafira CDTI 1.9 SRI and am now looking for a used caravan.
Im a 1st timer in the caravan world and am moving onwards and upwards from camping
Any ideas what make/model etc would make a decent buy - its mainly for 2 adults and 3 1/2 child. Probably pay up to £9,000 max
Waiting in hope
You need to know your cars kerbweight and aim for a caravan that when fully loaded (MPTLM weight) is 85% of that figure . Most if not all twin axles van will probably be to heavy for your zafira but a single axle will certainly be in your reach
Second hand you can get alot for your money at the moment and if you don't like it you will not be stuck in a massive finance agreement with a dealer and you may get a awning thrown in and dont go to big to start with max 16ft and make sure it has a stabilizer on it or a ALKO hitch
dont get sukered in by dealers lots of bargains out there i took my laptop with me and when the dealer gave me his price i said hang on let me check something and i found the same van at another dealer on the net for cheaper and i showed him and he matched the deal £3000 of the pricef better in your pocket then there's
you won't get much of a feel for vans looking at adverts. Go to several dealers - they will work out the weights for you. Have a look round the stock & see what you like even if you don't buy from there. You can then target various adverts for van specifics.
I'd second what Anniemacxx has said there are sooooo many different layouts to choose from & we all like different things. If you're looking at spending that amount of money I'd also assume you'll not want to be changing too soon so you'll need to think about what will work for you in the future when your litte one's bigger, or if you add to your family as well as what works for you now.
Before taking the plunge read as much as you can on here - we've learnt so much it's incredible! Especially read up on what to look for in a used van (damp etc...) & don't allow yourselves to get caught up in what appears to be the perfect van until you're 100% sure it's dry and everything works as it should. And bargain hard for those extras!
Enjoy looking - we still like to go round dealerships for a good nosey even tho we have a new van!
Have you considered a folding camper or convertible caravan. Cheaper to tow and compatible for small cars. Just bought Ours new which is over your price range but very close. New 10500 six berth and a breeze to tow, Its our first van and I did'nt want it sitting a a storage site for most of the year costing me at least 300 plus with insurance on top before I took it out on the road.
Have a look and see what you think, it costs nothing to look
2010 Platinum Crusader - if you do buy it dont get the skirts - you don't need them especially if you get an awning at some stage
There is one very important point only mentioned above once.
Do you have somewhere to keep it as storage will cost you quite a lot of money?
Don't be persuaded that caravanning is cheap. It isn't!
You don't say how many of you there are in the family. This would help in giving you a guide.
John
Thanks for the reply. I did mention at the start that is was for 2 adults and my 3 1/2 yr old daughter. Hope this gives a better indication for a caravan.
Most of the Lunar caravans are extremely lightwieght so most of those will be more than suitable, as others have said go to a dealers have a look at layouts, our van is four birth the front turns into a massive double and at the back is a rear dinette this is good for searing in the day and at night it turns into a single bed and also a bunk over the top, what we like about the dinette at the back instead of the side is the bed is the full width of the van and also if a child is using it they can go to bed early and won't be disturbed as it at the other end and there is also a privacy door which you can pull across making it a small bedroom.we didn't want side dinette as the kids would still be in the longe area at night and would be disturbed by us going to bed late and having it at the end gives them there own space.
Have fun looking I Still love going to look at vans at dealers :)
The other thing is if you do buy second hand (ebay.autotrader) make sure it comes with all the paperwork
and find out when it last had a safety testif it comes with a awning try it up beforehand as this may not be the right one for the van i have seen that happen and if it has a tracker device fitted you need to let them no it is your van ONLY!!! be careful as they may try and role you in to a subscription
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Topic: Ideas fo starter caravan
