Hi everyone,
We are looking to buy a 6 berth caravan.It will be used every weekend for 2 years! so we need really good quality.Which brands are good? We have up to 13 grand to spend.
What are you going to be towing with? Does the 13k budget include all the extra bits and pieces you may need such as towbar, awning, aquaroll etc?
There are good and bad caravans out there, it is just a case of careful checking of each van that takes your fancy. If you are spending that sort of money you may be better off going to a dealer and getting a reasonable warranty.
Nobody can suggest suitable vans until we know your towing limitations.Do you have a restricted licence? This will limit your choice with a 6 berth to some of the lighter models such as the Adria range.
My husband has b+e on his licence! Im not sure what that means though.
Tow car still to be bought,but we are looking at Mazda 6 or Mondeo estate.
13k all in really would be ideal.
We have always had tents in the past so this is all new to us!
There are good and bad in every brand it seems from the stories of problems you read online.
We have been very pleased with our Adria and depending on what layout and ability to tow etc, may suit your needs well and you would be looking at pretty new with that max budget.
Maybe a bit more detail about what you will tow with or whether your are seasonally pitching, how many people and ages etc would help
EDIT crossed with your previous reply. Mondeo estate seems to get good rep as towcar and depending on spec and therefore weight you could be looking at vans maybe upto 1400 MTPLM as a guide
Layout is the really important thing as this is what you will have to live with and you will soon tire of living with a compromised layout. get out teher and see lots of different vans to work out what may suit your needs then look at options within that layout
The b+e means you are not restricted to a total train weight of 3500kg so your choice of car and caravan is not restricted.
If you buy a car without a towbar you'll need to budget for £150 to £500 for a towbar and electrics before you start spending on a caravan.
There's lots more advice on the towing forum but ideally you are looking at getting a caravan that has a max weight(MTPLM) of 85% of the kerbweight of the car. I think a Mondeo diesel estate has a kerbweight of around 1500kg so you would need a caravan with an MTPLM of about 1275kg. Individual cars and models vary so it's best to check the weight plate on the particular car.
I don't know how many caravans are available of that sort of size and within that weight limit but as a general rule older caravans are lighter. Have a look at sites of caravan dealers that list by berth and weight and you'll get an idea of what is available.
Still not clear, you mean you want both car & caravan within £13k budget. You want to use it every weekend without fail all year round? 6berth, so adults/kids/big/small? As for brands, all brands can be good or bad depending on individual condition or indvidual opinion.
If you want 6berth then it will be more about finding a suitable caravan within your price range than looking for specific make. Best idea is to find some that could be suitable & report back for further advice.
I've just had a look at the Adria 542 mentioned above and you could get a brand new 2013 model with MTPLM of 1300kg for £12000. Of course it may not be suitable for your family but it shows what is available to suit the car and budget you have in mind.
Yep highly recommended but I would suggest the OP gets out and sees as many vans as possible at local dealers
The Adria was an easy choice for us once we had been out and seen what was in our budget we wanted to spend.
The Sportline versions of the Altea 542's are even better specced and although probably slightly over budget brand new may be worth a look nearly new if you can find one
No,the car has its own separate budget!
We are military and have just been posted a crazy distance from our children's boarding school!!The only thing we can think to do will be to drive and stay near the school at weekends on a campsite!
It will be 2 adults and 2 older children,need it to feel like home.... need car that is amazingly good on fuel for all the mileage.
I will have a look at Adria.
Ideal world need best car for diesel and biggest,most homely caravan i can get for 13k all in!
Have looked for campsites open all year near the school? Unless you want a caravan anyway for holidays etc I would have thought it would be cheaper overall to find a reasonably priced hotel, you might even get discount for regular bookings.
Why dont you buy a very large twin axle caravan, have it put on your site near your kids on a seasonal pitch, use it every weekend no need to change to a heavy car as your not towing and wasting fuel and time every weekend, when your done just sell it.
very large twin axle vans depreciate faster the smaller single axle vans as they limit what can actually tow them with, you'll certainly get more for your buck & the added bonus of more space being on a seasonal pitch would mean you just rock up on a friday night and its all ready to use & you get the full advantage of leaving when it suits you on sunday night, if at the end of your 2 years you enjoy it downsize to one you can tour with.
Now there is an idea bessie500!
Can you have them put on a pitch and left there?
I assumed you would have to tow it at some point... especially if buying second hand.It would be for 2 to 3 years max
Yes you need to look around the area and chat with the campsite owners, As for getting the van there you can pay people to do that for you, on some sites you can even set up an awning and leave it up, we did this one summer and it really worked for us we left everything set up, electric hook up fridge on van full of food and clothes, tv set up beds made, we just rocked up on a friday night usually called for take out so we sat down straight away having tea. that site had a club on aswell so we could even go and have a drink after that.
Just had a quick look on autotrader and seen a 1 year old sprite quatro for £12500 i think they are around 17k new, personally i'd be tempted to look at a van of around 3/4 years old for the best value, just keep clear of Hobby vans as the are prone for being stolen.
With those extra details I would look also at buying a static and then buy a smaller more efficient car
You will get far more room in a decent size static than any tourer you will ever find. Do check out site fees although these may be similar to a seasonal pitch fee
As you only want it for say two years I would buy cheap and older and put your own stamp on it and you won;t lose too much. Hoilday periods you may even be able to rent it out
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: 6 Berth Caravan
