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Thank you to those who commented when I put this thread in completely the wrong place - and to the poster who said the easiest way to move a thread on here was  simply to cut and copy and start again!  Better luck this time, hopefully!

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Ok, I can see that I can save a bucketload of money if I buy a caravan privately rather than through a dealer - and I've realised that our budget of around £3000 has to cover towbar, insurance, storage, extender mirrors .. all sorts of extras that need to come out before we actually buy a van.  Then obviously, the less we spend on the van, the more we have for our holidays in it right now. So a van for around £1,500 is probably the van for us.

So I started looking on ebay and gumtree and have seen a couple of possible vans - one only a few streets away listed as ready to pack up and go with all the equipment we would need.  But I'm finding it very hard to convince myself that I'm not going to buy the world's worst van and that, as a consequence, Mr WR will refuse to set foot in a caravan for ever more (after it took a lot of persuading from me that it is a good idea to buy one in the first place)! 

I've read some online guides so know i have to take my dampmeter and my torch, to try out that everything works and the beds make up with no missing slats, that the fridge/lights/fire all come on (how does that happen if there's no gas in the bottle or no ehu?), do I ask for a demo of the shower and taps?  Do I assume that the loo will flush in the right sort of fashion?  I ask about service history and Cris registration, and whether it's been involved in an accident. I have a pull on the grab handles to make sure they aren't loose, check the handbrake-y thing that I've temporarily forgotten the name of, make sure the jockey wheel turns and the breakaway cable isn't rusty. I look for cracks in the windows and cracks in the tyres. What else is there that's obvious that I'm missing?

If you bought privately with no previous caravanning knowledge, how long did it take you to make the jump?  How did you avoid all pitfalls? Did you buy a nightmare van and if so, what did you do?

And how do I know what makes of van were the real good 'uns 15 years ago? The top notch caravans that were built to last? 

So many questions!!

You seem to have most of it covered in your post.  If you're really worried about it why not reduce your budget by about £100 (or spend that much less on accessories) & pay for a mobile engineer to give it a once over when you find a van you think you want to buy.  The fee could actually pay for itself if he finds anything wrong but easily fixable as it gives you some bargaining power.

Good luck!

Hi White Rose, nice to see a fellow tyke on the forum

Not sure where you are in West Yorks but have you looked at Albion Caravans in Bradford?  They specialise in the  older van and a look round there might give you some ideas and feedback. Also you'd get a feel for layouts and can make a note of models you like.  You would also get some warranty and accessories thrown in with the price if you saw one you liked.  Dont forget the price in the window is always negotiable!

You'll get lots of help on here if you need it, dont be afraid to ask.

the best advice I was given was from a very experienced caravaner and that was to go for an older type as they are often lighter and better to tow and made from lighter materials that are fitted to use the space rather than fitt into the available space. many new units use MDF that weighs. as does the cooker fridge and microwave often fitted into units.

with your budget the newer type of unit can be a bear pit.

in short spend lots and lots of leg work or else buy the first one and find you are trying to sell it to upgrade next year and sods luck will turn out to be hard to sell at the desired price.

go to lots of sites have a look around talk to the owners. and then look at sales sites and inspect further, but dont get brow beat by the sales man. all he is after is your money not your friendship.

Quote: Originally posted by Anniemacxx on 04/5/2011

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Hi White Rose, nice to see a fellow tyke on the forum

Not sure where you are in West Yorks but have you looked at Albion Caravans in Bradford?  They specialise in the  older van and a look round there might give you some ideas and feedback. Also you'd get a feel for layouts and can make a note of models you like.  You would also get some warranty and accessories thrown in with the price if you saw one you liked.  Dont forget the price in the window is always negotiable!

You'll get lots of help on here if you need it, dont be afraid to ask.

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Thank you all for your comments - it's always good to read success stories and gives me a bit more confidence to give it a go. 

I think the biggest problem is going to look at vans privately then saying you don't want them always feels like you are criticising something that people might be attached to   Yes, I know ....!  I'll have to make sure I take Mr WR with me as I don't think that thought would even enter his head!!