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Hi, we are thinking of trading our Folding Camper in and buying a caravan.  I was just wondering whether there are any makes that we should avoid, or any that we should consider looking at

We are going to have a look at the weekend to get an idea of layouts etc, is there anything else we should consider when looking

Thanks

Hi

First thing you need to check is what your car can safely tow, check your cars kerbweight and whatever van you buy you should make sure that the MTPLM doesnt exceed the cars kerbwieght, if you go on whatowcar.com you can do a search for a suitable outfit match for your car.Most dealers should check this before selling a van to you but some dont, the CC receommends 85% of your cars kerbweight but this is not the law, as long as you dont exceed the towing limit of your car then you will be fine so make sure you check that too. Weve had 4 new vans since we started, 3 Baileys and our current Elddis, we always went for Baileys as they are lighter, however, weve had lots of serious issues with all 3 of them thats why weve changed and bought an Elddis. I just think its luck whatever you buy abit like buying a car, at least with a new van you get a long warranty but you also have the expensive servicing costs over the years.

Main thing to get right is the layout!! if you buy the wrong layout then it wont work for you. Weve had 3 fixed bed vans as my hubby would only consider a fixed bed, however, our girl are growing up and need more space so weve changed to a triple bunk layout with side dinette area, its fab for families, if it was just us two then I would want an island bed or fixed bed layout with a good size bathroom. Make sure you get this right at the start or it could end up costing you a fortune!! Another thing to consider is a single or double axle, theres pros and cons to both and if you need a motor mover on the van, a double axle will probably need a mover whereas a single wont need one. Storage is another thing to consider and insurance companies can be funny about where they are stored thats why we stick with the CC as they dont stipulate where the van should be stored, if you have room at home then thats better.

You need to decide if you are using the van all year round therefore you would need a heating system in it, we caravan all year round. If your looking at a new van then haggle with the dealers and try to get as much thrown in as possible, its sometimes good to buy a previous years model as they want to get rid before the new ones come out, the new vans are launched at the show in Oct so from then would be a good time to buy a 2012 model, or if your not in a rush go to the show and buy there, weve bought two from the shows and got better deals than at the local dealers. New vans are pricey now and seem to be increasing at a high rate, we bought our first one in 2006 and you could buy an entry level van for around 8k, now your looking at more like 13000K

We spent a few months going round dealers and getting ideas, we intended on buying second hand but when we looked around they were pricey and we decided to buy new. If you buy second hand make sure you get a good warranty on it as weve had vans less than 6 months old thats had water/damp ingress so consider this, our last van was in the dealership more times than we had it and it was an expensive van at 22K!!

The best bit is looking around to get ideas, take a notepad with you because it becomes confusing, you will probably know when you walk into the van thats right for you, you get that feeling abit like when your buying a house! Its very exciting buying a van so enjoy looking at weekend.

Weve been to a few of the sites youve visited we live quite close to you. We may see you on a site in the future in your new van??

We will be looking at a second hand one, probably in the region of £5,000 - £6,000

We really like a couple of the sites listed on my signature and visit them quite often

We liked Manor Wood when we visited a few weeks ago that we booked 4 nights for over the August Bank Holiday.

We have just come back from Plassey and I thought the same thing about no bikes, but there were quite a few with bikes and the rules only mention no skateboards or electric scooters.  We are going back to Plassey in September for a child free couple of nights.  We are considering storing the van either at Plassey or quite close to it, as we envisage most of our stays will be either at Plassey or Manor Wood.

Its good to hear that we should get a lovely van for the amount we want to spend, especially when you look at some places online and they are quite pricey.

Quote: Originally posted by kathrynmc1974 on 15/8/2012

Hi, we are thinking of trading our Folding Camper in and buying a caravan.  I was just wondering whether there are any makes that we should avoid, or any that we should consider looking at

We are going to have a look at the weekend to get an idea of layouts etc, is there anything else we should consider when looking

Thanks

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will help

Buying Secondhand
A fantastic guide to what to look for when buying a second hand caravan.

You may find my notes here of assistance

Phil

Quote: Originally posted by cwdc56768 on 17/8/2012

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You may find my notes here of assistance

Phil

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That's superb info  just what we were looking for.

Thanks