I'm struggling to find the right caravan (as a first time buyer) that comes with an awning which is something that we definitely want.
I've seen loads of vans for sale on eBay etc. that don't have awnings but haven't bid for that reason. As I'm now beginning to run out of options (without continuing to travel the whole country it seems!) I'm looking for some general advise on the cost of an awning if I was to add this to a van after buying.
Can anyone offer advise on this please? - I'm aware that different vans have different size awnings, I just want to get an idea of a ball park figure if possible...
If you find the right van I would not be put of just because it does not have an awning included
Most folks sell there's separately so don't expect it , just aim to buy your ideal van at a price you can afford and buy an awning later .
There are plenty of second hand ones on E-bay or you can buy a new one from £350 upwards from Towsure
The cost of the awning will depend on the size of your van. Basically, the bigger the van the more expensive the awning. There are some good awnings available at the budget end of the range IMHO. Unless you want to fork out mega bucks for an Isabella then I would look at a budget awning. If you had a Eurovent Sancerre, for example you could pay somewhere between £500 and about £770 for an awning with a fibre frame (depending on the size of the caravan) and between about £450 and £630 for a steel framed version.
No, Steve, you won't need to look for an awning designed for a specific van, just one of a suitable size as shown on this NR Awnings page as an example.
You would be better off buying a good secondhand awning than a cheap new one, we had a dorema awning for our last van and it was really good we picked it up for £125 in 2004 at a bargin price than sold it for £200 3 years later. when we changed van we brought a brand new pyramid Corsican awning and its not as well made the skirts are thinner and have ripped, you should be able to pick one up for £200-£300 pounds secondhand.
I think that you are making the caravan purchase far too difficult for yourself. I would advise choosing a van to suit you - ignoring whether it has an awning or not. A lot of people won't sell an awning with a van, because they can get a better price if they sell them separately.
Awnings last donkey's years - good ones probably survive better than vans given that they are only exposed for a few weeks per year! After you've bought your van, it's a simple matter of measuring the 'A' measurement and finding a suitable size (and price) second hand awning. There is a bit of leeway on sizes - e.g. you can buy one a few cms bigger or smaller than your actual van measurement.
Unless you choose a van with an exceptionally unusual height or roofline shape - I would feel confident you could buy a good 2nd hand awning to fit it later.
Thanks for all the fantastic advise above - we bought our first caravan today!!
If it hadn't been for the advise above we wouldn't have considered it as it doesn't have an awning - once we get it I'll be on the lookout for a used awning though...
Dorema have a factory clearance with brand new awnings with a massive 40% discount. If you want to know if I have got one the answer is yes as what they were asking second hand I paid about another £100 more and their customer service is quite helpful too.
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Topic: Cost of awning
