I'm very new to all this and am looking to buy my first caravan later this year. I know pretty much just the basics and from that I've managed to narrow down the layout of caravan my family are looking at is -
It'd need to be 4-6 berth, quite happy for a reasonably older caravan as we're only looking at spending up to £7k on this first setup. So far I've found the Bailey Ranger 550, Avondale Dart or Abbey Freestyle that have a similar layout, though I have no idea which is the better van from those!
Basically I'm looking at advice on what make/model caravan would fit the bill - we'll be towing with a Zafira Elite 1.9 diesel. If anyone has any ideas it'd be much appreciated.
Hi
As you have suggested, the ideal layout of a van is very much dependent on your own family's requirements. I also don't think there is much to choose between the various "middle of the road" British manufacturers. I do think that you should look carefully at the weight relationship between your car and any intended purchase. You are looking at vans of a considerable weight. If I am correct, you car has a kerb weight of just over 1600 kg, so ideally the MTPLM of your chosen van should not exceed about 1450kg, to provide a safe tow. Hope you find what you are looking for, and enjoy your caravanning.
Looks like it's the 120bhp version so would be 1300kg, I guess that narrows things down. Am I right in thinking that the 1300kg is the maximum, including any luggage/equipment and not just the weight of the caravan on it's own?
Incidentally, I was erring towards the Bailey Ranger 550/6, either the 2003 model or the 2007 model. Is that still going to be feasible? And if so, would that still allow me to carry an awning, etc?
Anything like an awning and other equipment comes under the caravan PAYLOAD which the calculation is the MTPLM minus the MIRO. The MIRO is the weight when it departs from the factory and the MTPLM is the maximum weight which includes the payload (equipment carried on board) when travelling.
If you can carry a few heavier items in the car(-like the awning or bikes on your roof) it will help your stability (keps car better planted) and also reduce the weight in your van (again increasing stability)
------------- if your not living life on the edge your taking up tooo much room
With a car like a Zafira the braked trailer weight will almost certainly be limited by the gross train weight. This is the combined weight of actual weight of car and caravan. This might reduce the 1300kg to maybe as low as 1100kg.
I started out a few years back with a Bailey 550/6. It was a 2004 and cost me 6k.
At the time I had a 6 and 1 year old and it worked well for us. The only downside was that the toilet and shower was one cubicle and we had to dry it after a shower, compared to having a separate shower. But its not really a big deal.
:-)
------------- I pull it while she sits next to me!
my first caravan was a bailey ranger 550/6 2007 model. for a first caravan it was great with a few exceptions.
they are light, 1280kg MLPM so you could tow it with a zafira and indeed i could have towed it with my wifes Zafira B but never did, i towed it with a Jeep compass, then a mitsubishi outlander.
i recently traded the ranger in for £5k i bought it 2 years before for £6500 with the awning included. the dealer i traded it in with sold it for £7k!!!!
the ranger suited us fine as a first caravan, everything worked and the layout was ok.
however, in the 2 years i had it the dealer i bought it from did damp repairs including replacing all the wall board from the rear through the bathroom, through the airing cupboard up to the kitchen. then in the second year they replaced the wall board from the rear to the door on the opposite side. if you do view any take a damp meter. maybe i just had a bad one? i think mine had leaked from the strip that joined the rear moulding to the roof, across the roof (very bad design). also check for cracks in the front and rear moldings where they meet the body. they cracked form the screw holes. Bailey should have replaced cracked panels under warranty but some people buy caravans then never get them serviced so the warrantys become void and they may never have noticed the cracks. it is possible to repair the cracks by plastic welding or with a paste made from a white lego brick dissolved in acetone.
2 things that bugged us were the wet room style bathroom (which is quite standard on this size of caravan) and the lack of windows at the rear end.
not sure if they are too heavy for your Zafira but i also looked at the Adria Adora 540UK, same layout but a gather a lot better built. i chose the bailey because i could get a 2007 for the price of a 2006 Adria....we live and learn eh.
i have a coachman Amara now which is towing at 87% with my outlander.
if you do buy one and need a good seasonal quality awning i still have mine i will gladly sell for a reasonable price.
oh yeah and with a zafira you can carry the awning in the boot so it will remove weight form the caravan and add it to the cars ballast. the extra ballast really improved my jeeps handling.
------------- First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara
Ahh, this is excellent, just what I was after - any info on any of the vans mentioned so far or suggestions for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids - 6yr & 3yr old) that would be okay being towed by a 120bhp Zafira. I'm an absolute newbie to all this and have no idea what I'll need or what would be best! Thanks for the info so far.
I wish there was a site like this around 30 years ago when I bought my first caravan. Consider all the advice you get and buy privately - there's plenty of good caravans about and caravan users tend to look after their caravans. Go to a dealer and you'll think the salesman is a really nice guy, but sure as eggs is eggs, you'll get shafted at some stage as you do with second hand cars. good luck!
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Topic: Caravan Comparisons
