I think with your budget a private sale will offer more value. As has been said above the first things are to check your license is ok and work out what the max weight is that your car can tow. Once you know a max weight of van you can go for then start looking around. The one thing I would do before parting with my hard earned cash is get a independant mobile caravan engineer to check the van out and do a damp check. This will cost between £50-£80 and could save you a lot more if they say it has damp or needs major work doing.
Insurance is not a legal requirement for a caravan as your car insurance will cover you for 3rd pary while towing but bear in mind this won't cover you for any damage to your van or fire / theft, etc.
Site prices vary a lot ........I would say that on average this year we are paying around £20 per night staying mostly at caravan club sites. If you don't need facilities then small 5 van sites called CL / CS sites are available for £10-£15 per night or the caravan club has 10 sites that only charge £11 per night (but they don't normally have facilities).
As a basic starter you will need:
Aquaroll (a 40L external water tank that holds your fresh water)
Wastemaster (a 40L external tank that holds your "grey" tap / shower water)
Battery. This is measure in AH (amp hours) and the bigger the number the larger the battery. Aim for around 85ah if you will use an electric hook up and don't have a motor mover fitted. If you want to go without hook up, or have a mover, then 100-110AH is best
Hook up cable. Need this to connect the van to on site electric
Towing mirrors
Caravan Step (cheap to buy)
Gas bottles. These are either red (propane) or blue (butane). The van will run on either but they have different connections on the bottles so it depends what the van nozzle is (these can be changed). To get a bottle you will need to pay a one off deposit of around £25 plus another £20 to fill it. Most vans will hold 2 bottles in the locker and propane is better if you intend to use the van all year as it works better at lower temp's
Security devices. These will be needed to get the best insurance deal. The most common is a hitch lock and wheel clamp.
Toilet chemicals. You will need one type that goes in the flush tank and another for the waste tank. Some, like Elsan Organic, can be used in both tanks so you only need to get one bottle.
Number plate for the van with the car Reg Number
Other than this you will then just need all your living bits such as pots, pans, etc. An awning is also useful so look for private sales including these.
Good luck.....we only started last year and are really pleased we did!
Darren
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Topic: Any advice pls!
