Hello all I am a bit of a noob to caravanning but myself and my wife would like to give it ago next year along with our 2 year old son which I think would love caravanning.
Now in order to do this we will need a caravan and a new car I have worked out that my budget to be around 10k to get both a caravan and car with that budget being 6-7k for a car and 3-4K for a caravan.
I have been poking around on eBay and auto trader as it looks like you get a bit more bang for your buck with private sales. I have seen a few 4 and 5 berths that are in that price range from the early 2000's that I like to look of but what brands of caravans from this age are reliable and hold up?
Also what towing car do you recommend in this price range? This will be an everyday car so needs to be affordable also I passed my test after 1997 so I am currently restricted to category B for the time being anyway.
I'd agree you may get a better deal privately for both, but if you don't know about cars and caravans, make sure someone knowledgeable is with you.
Damp and water ingress are the biggest likely problems with second hand (and some new) caravans.
A damp meter is a good investment on your searches. Every corner, around all windows and doors and on internal panels behind awning and other rails need tested. Don't forget inside lockers and cupboards.
The choice of caravan / car is personal but as a beginner, the caravan is best not to weigh more than about 85% of the weight of your chosen car.
Bearing in mind, you will use the car 365 days but will only be towing on a few of these, try to avoid a gas guzzler.
Look at lots of caravans and layouts before you choose. Start at a dealer with lots of sizes and types until you see what you like,
You need lots of tips and you will certainly get more on here.
Your licence means that the maximum loaded weight of your car and Maximum Technical Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM)of the caravan combined must not exceed 3500kg.
In practice this will typically allow about 1560kg kerb weight for the car and 1330kg MTPLM for the caravan.
There will also be a Max braked Trailer Tow Weight for the car which should not be exceeded.
You're in pretty much the same position as we were just over a year ago.
With regard to weights, if you pick a car with a kerb weight of around 1500-1600kg (that includes Mondeo, Passat, Vauxhall Zafira or Nissan Qashqai to name but a few), and go for as big a diesel engine as you can afford. The maximum allowable weight of the car will be around 600kg more than the kerb weight (i.e. 2100 to 2200kg) leaving you to find a caravan with a MTPLM of around 1300kg to stay outside the B+E licence requirements. This covers a number of basic to mid-range 4 or 5 berths from the late 90s/early 2000s but some higher spec models will be heavier.
The MTPLM will be stated on a plate which - in our experience when we looked - is usually either by the door or on the tow bar.
Most caravans are built on the same chassis (either Alko or BPW), use the same electrical and gas equipment made by third party manufacturers and copy each others' layouts. So I don't think that at that age there's one manufacturer that's head and shoulders above another. It depends more on how well it's been looked after.
I agree that the right thing to do is visit a few dealers and sit in as many caravans as you can to get a feel for what layout suits you best, so that when you do your ebay search you know what to look for. Now is a good time to buy as people sell at end of season, and several caravans that we saw for sale at around £3k privately were in better condition than ones at up to £5k on dealer forecourts.
PS - Octavia 4x4, love the blog - that's the sort of thing I want to write as soon as I get time. We did have this article published following our first trip though :)
http://www.practicalcaravan.com/blog/35489-newbies-take-their-first-caravan-break-in-wiltshire
Definitely better to go privately for that age. It will be a lot cheaper leaving you some money for a few repairs if needed.
Also you may get one with a lot of equipment included such as awning, water containers, battery, gas bottles, step, hook up lead, mover etc. This kit can add up to a very tidy sum if bought new.
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Topic: Looking into caravanning
