We're looking at buying an old cheap tourer as a first caravan. If we buy privately from Gumtree, Autotrader, etc what paperwork would we need as proof of ownership? Do we just need to get the van CRiS registered? Obviously we want to make sure we aren't buying a stolen van.
all you can do is check to see if the caravan is CRIS registered and then check it against the sellers name and address, then its a case of registering it in your name
but a stolen van is only one of your checks you need to do, you need to get a damp meter and check everywhere to make sure its dry, and then get the seller to show you everything working correctly, water plugged in power on in both 240volt and 12 volt, check the age of the tyres they shouldnt be any older than 7 years and dont forget the spare either and also check the age of the gas pipe as that needs changing every couple of years if any of that fails then walk away, there will always be another one
Probably there will be no documentation at all if old & cheap but most important is to avoid buying an unusable damp wreck. Speak to seller first. It is better to buy from an owner who has used caravan rather than someone who obviously buys & sells old caravans.
Remember no comeback from a private sale so ensure caravan is good before paying. Follow the advice in this thread. You would need to budget for service to ensure caravan is safe to tow. If you are collecting from seller take wheel brace or torque wrench to check wheel nuts usually 17 or 19mm & tyre pump with pressure gauge to at least ensure to get it home ok.
If you have a caravan dealer near you call in and ask them if they have any "trade sales". They very rarely advertise them or put them on display.
That is how we got the one we have now and we have had it about 5 years now. It cost us £1,100 without warranty, but whether it is warrantied or not if you buy from a dealer you have more protection than if you buy privately. Having said that the one we had previously was a private sale. We spent £500 on that one, had it 4 years, then sold it for a small profit. I am fairly handy though and have a good shed full of tools.
Haven't needed to do much to the one we have now until this year when I discovered some damp. Well on the way to fixing it now though.
Quote: Originally posted by bessie500 on 24/4/2023
as above but 5 years for tyres, 7 years could be to late
Bessie
Why would 7 years be too late? There is no legislation about age of tyres only guidance from people selling tyres. How many people change the spare tyre on the car when it is 5 years old?
Quote: Originally posted by bessie500 on 24/4/2023
as above but 5 years for tyres, 7 years could be to late
Bessie
Why would 7 years be too late? There is no legislation about age of tyres only guidance from people selling tyres. How many people change the spare tyre on the car when it is 5 years old?
I would guess the thinking on the spare, is that often its seen no weather, and even less weight. 7 is a good age for any piece of rubber to be fair. Let alone a piece that connects you to the road.
If its an old van, they may not have bothered with Cris. So im not sure how you would check if its stolen, unless they do one-off checks for a fee? Then i would just need to know it was safe and roadworthy. Anything else on a 'timepiece' van; you pays your money, and takes your chance.
The tyres may have been 5years old when fitted but are still classed as new, you could be rejecting the caravan because the tyres are out of date but they may have only recently been fitted.
saxo1
On the question of tyres I feel that it is better to be safe than sorry. Caravans that have been stood all winter in the open will have been exposed to sun and the wheels will probably not have been turned since it was last used.
Caravan tyres on single axle caravans often carry a heavier load than tyres on a car because on a car the weight is spread over 4 wheels.
Caravan tyres very rarely wear out like car tyres, but they do tend to perish.
It is perfectly possible that the tyres on a caravan may last a lot longer than 7 years, but why take that chance? A burst tyre could cause a caravan to overturn, which would almost certainly write it off.
CRIS checks can be done on any caravan for a small fee, but they will only tell you who the last registered owner was, and that may not be the seller because registration is not compulsory. We did register ours when we bought it though.
Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 25/4/2023
The tyres may have been 5years old when fitted but are still classed as new, you could be rejecting the caravan because the tyres are out of date but they may have only recently been fitted.
saxo1
The tyres on our 2011 Lunar were already 3 years old when fitted to the caravan.
The tyres are on current caravan are just over 5 years old and have racked up several thousand miles in their lifetime and they look as good as new even the one that had a puncture. They were checked 4 months ago by the service department.
Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 25/4/2023
The tyres may have been 5years old when fitted but are still classed as new, you could be rejecting the caravan because the tyres are out of date but they may have only recently been fitted.
saxo1
The tyres on our 2011 Lunar were already 3 years old when fitted to the caravan.
The tyres are on current caravan are just over 5 years old and have racked up several thousand miles in their lifetime and they look as good as new even the one that had a puncture. They were checked 4 months ago by the service department.
Having 'aged' tyres fitted is a bone of contention with me. Given its generally accepted that about 7 and they are ready for swapping, to have them approaching halfway from the off, isnt acceptable. Given the prices for 6 month old tyres would be the same, how can this be right?
My service guy advised me to swap my tyres 'in the coming year' early last year. They were 6 years at the time. I swapped them at 7 a couple of months back, and sold the van with new tyres. They were about 9 months old in reality.
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Topic: Documentation when buying privately?
via mobile 24/4/2023 at 1:01pm
