I've decided to get my first caravan probably around the new year 2017. As my budget is limited, I will be getting a used one. With that in mind, what is the most expensive thing to repair with a used caravan? You can pick them up for under £1k, but if you then have to spend ££££s on repairs, it's the not worth doing.
Damp,it can cost well over £1000 to repair,I would be very careful buying a cheap van privately as there's no comeback, or from a dealer one sold "as seen",there are genuine bargains around but it would be safer to get it inspected by someone in the trade
Damp repairs are expensive because of the time they take so if you pay a workshop rate, ie £50+ p/hr then it's going to cost more than a cheap caravan is worth. Parts required, mostly wood & sealant is not that expensive so if you are going to run a cheap caravan you really need to be able to diy the body & interior.
Mechanical repair costs are much less. A cheap 'chassis service' of just the running gear is about £80 but parts are extra & an old caravan might need new brake shoes &/or hitch damper for example so thats £100 extra for each job.
Also tyres may need replacing regardless of wear as many old caravans have tyres 7 or more yrs old which could fail at motorway speeds.
For a £1k caravan, do not go anywhere near a dealer. A dealer selling caravans that cheap will give no warranty whatsoever. Buy privately off ebay etc. Try to find a caravan that has been used & looked after by an owner for a few yrs. You will need to learn how to check for damp.
All old caravans need to be a hobby & an ongoing project. You need to learn how to do simple repairs. Small, localised damp repairs are not difficult but a cheap caravan with serious damp is probably only worth scrap value.
Freedom will probably be a good bet if you want a small caravan. Interior trim tends to come away but much easier diy repairs that taking body apart.
I'm not a brilliant DIYer, but keen to learn. What would you class as a simple repair? If I'm not even up to those atm, then I need training, lol!
Examples of repairs my friends have had, or still need to fix!: Toilet not flushing. Hot water not running off gas. Awning light won't work. door rubber seal falling off. Travel light on side not working. Leisure battery not keeping charge. Fridge reluctant to light on gas.
Can all those things be fixed by yourself? I tend to be good with finding the problem and can probably swap out old for new or do a clean. And it will be serviced regularly to check road worthiness and internal working.
Bodywork repair would be a bigger problem, so think the Freedom, or similar, will be the route I take.
All those small jobs are what you need to diy on an old caravan, workshop will charge £50/hr min charge on top. As pointed out, if you want a small & light caravan then Freedom is a good choice.
how old are you looking at? what are you planning to do with it?
Damp is your number 1 enemy and the sort of caravans sold cheap without warranty have had (or still have) leaks. water ingress can transform a caravan from a valuable item to scrap. any other repair electrical or mechanical is cheap to repair and will be easy for an amateur to fix. and the dealers will have done these and sell the van on. to seal leaks its extrmeemly difficult to find where they actually are and prove you have actually stopped the leak. a small damp problem 20-30% is not going to effect you using the caravan for your own fun but will effect resale value. and if left will just get progressively worse. it also smells.
i was having a chat to a caravan repair guy on the place where i keep my caravan. he was repairing a 2008 caravan with extensive damp. the structure was rotten and it smelled obviously damp. he totally re boarded it inside and you wouldnt know even with a damp check because the wall boards are new. its a good advertisement for yearly damp checks as this would have been caught before it got to the stage it had.
and it was up for sale in the adjacent lot for over £7k. i hope the new owner knew about its shady history but i doubt it.
part of me thinks that buying an old caravan for less than £1000 is the way forward because if it is written off its less of a problem than if you had spent 10000 of your hard earned on it.
i think there are some smaller and older caravans 2 berth for example that are manufactured in a way less likely to leak. there is also quite a following for retro caravans. and a few running repairs on a 20 year old van is to be expected.
It's just for me and my dogs, used for going to dog shows, so weekends and the occasional week long stay. Haven't decided on an age range, but will get the newest I can afford. Damp does seem to be the biggest problem, so it will probably be a grp fiberglass one as bodywork repair I doubt I'll be able to do myself, and appears the most expensive to sort.
The freedoms will be fine but the biggest is only 10 foot long. An old one will be 3 or 4 berth and have no toilet, shower or hot water. Probably not even any heating either.
It does mean there is nothing much to go wrong.
No reason why you can't have a portaloo either inside or in a toilet tent or awning.
The biggest problem is the roof lining tends to come unstuck so it hangs down. You can replace it.
We had the freedom microlite LE for 8 years, great light van. 2 berth with toilet, no shower though. I think the glue on the insulation on newer models is better as ours never came away, it was a 2005 model and we sold it for £3k 2 years ago.
Quote: Originally posted by fleck2 on 17/2/2016
We had the freedom microlite LE for 8 years, great light van. 2 berth with toilet, no shower though. I think the glue on the insulation on newer models is better as ours never came away, it was a 2005 model and we sold it for £3k 2 years ago.
Hi Fleck. Just wondering if you had to do any repairs on your van over the years you had it. Thanks
New sink tap & water pump at 7 years.. The latch on the gas locker broke but I made a sirclip out of tin for it.. The hinged wooden hob tops were just chipboard and needed bigger hinges and screws, again easy fix... errrr.... Can't think of any more.
PS the cupboard under the hob is ideal for a small microwave combination oven.
Treky, it doesn't matter how old the van or what you pay for it, things will go wrong I'm afraid. This can be anything - electricity whether 12 or 230v, gas, water; all appliances; body fittings; chassis items.
When its not obvious how to repair something just come on here - someone will have come across your problem and be able to help or advise.
Before all that,as has been said, make sure your knowledgeable person really does understand what they are doing, with special attention to damp, and later have everything demonstrated to work properly
before you buy you must learn how to check for damp & how to use a damp meter (about £15) tyres must be replaced if they are over 7 years old (tyres are date marked ) or any sign of cracks on the sides or between the treads , fridges are expensive to repair & bl+++dy expensive to replace. Finally when you have found a van you want ,get it checked over by a independent mobile mechanic before you buy.this could cost around £80 but save you £thousands & a lot of worry
At around a £1-3k its not the age of the van that matters but the condition,as a 20 yr van in good order is worth a lot more than a 10yr old damp van
Quote: Originally posted by bnmuk on 15/2/2016
Damp,it can cost well over £1000 to repair,I would be very careful buying a cheap van privately as there's no comeback, or from a dealer one sold "as seen",there are genuine bargains around but it would be safer to get it inspected by someone in the trade
All dealers have to comply with the Consumer Rights Act so cannot sell anything "sold as seen".
get yourself a copy of this for some heavy reading https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caravan-Manual-John-Wickersham/dp/1844256782
it will teach you the basics and give you an idea of what to expect and do, also meantime build up a decent toolkit, dont buy cheap tools as tthey will let you down ( we all have the knocks to prove it) decent sockets and spanners and torque wrench, I reccomend the halfords advanced range as they are lifetime guaranteed (there is often sales on) but have a look on ebay or gumtree or even car boots. Brand tools like draper, stanley, britool, teng. dont bother with snap on or mac as they are for the pros and are mega expensive. some basic joinery tools also, scrapers, chisels, screwdrivers, good knife
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Topic: Most expensive thing to repair?
