Just looked at a 1992 Elddis Wisp 4 berth caravan this evening, as it is our first van we are not too sure if the price seems right for this age and model and so have decided to ask here for some advice.
On inspection the van has minor dents around the sides of the van, the front left quarter has been cracked,but repaired( crack has not penetrated the boot), for some reason the rear grab bars have been removed and replaced with rubber stops??
The interior of the van, i have to say is immaculate with no smells of air freshener or damp.The only major fault as i see it is that the hot water apparently does not work and the vendor has said it may just need serviced as they did not use it?
Would this be expensive to fix?
Seems the perfect van for us apart from the water problem.
Hi Susie, it depends what price their asking however the grab handles being removed does ring a few alarm bells, why were they removed they are usually a necessary to move the van about and i would wonder if there is rot somewhere, Elddis Wisp's were very popular vans so there should be a lot of them out there i would maybe still keep looking,
Depends what else is thrown in with the sale as for how expensive the heater is to fix really does depend whats wrong with it and you will only find out after youv'e bought so price should reflect that also i find rear grab handles missing a bit suspect
The van comes with full awning, aquaroll, tv, microwave and gas bottle and water pumps.All tyres are new.It also has an adjustable booster aerial.
I looked in all the cupboards and seating area at the back of the van and all seems dry and solid, but again, i know very little about vans. The price is £1600.00
i would still be wary about the grab handles missing, might hint at a bigger prob, do you have anyone that can throughly check the van over, if it has rot it won't always be evident.
Worth thinking about that a NR new awning will cost about £280, an aquaroll £40, a TV £50, Microwave £30, Gas bottle can be sourced from your local tip, not sure what water pumps are. so these items are not vastly expensive
£1600 isn't too bad a price its roughly in the right price bracket
Beware of tyres looking new caravan tyres do not normally get a lot of wear age is more important I reckon to change mine every 6 to 7 years as they begin to perish then due to uv damage etc For buying purposes i would class it as a van without hot water so if it was in really good condition would not go for more than £1300 that way you could replace the hot water heater with the 300 saved + a few jobs
Why don't you buy a damp meter and go and test out if you are worried. Even without a meter you could ask the owners if they would mind you testing it or having it tested, that way if they know there is none there they will be o.k about it, if they don't want you to test it then leave well alone.
I would be very suspicious. Why would they not use the water heater? Who would prefer to have to boil kettles? Presumably they didn't use it because it didn't work , and they didn't want to spend any money fixing it! Servicing will not fix it, it could be that an expensive repair or even replacement is needed. And missing handles???....please walk away.
To be honest there's so many vans about in the market place just now that you don't need to buy anything with a possible problem. As far as I know the water heater could be expensive to sort out. If it's a carver, I understand they no longer trade. The information did come from a mate at work so could be incorrect but I'd tread with care & advise walking away & buy something else.
Thank you all for your advice and experience. I returened to the van again today, and inspected the rear of the van more closely inside below where the grab bars were and the whole lower back panel was soft to the touch like cardboard!
Its amazing how i did not spot that the first time, but through your good judgement and experience was able to identify the problem.It was also soft around the window next to the sink unit.
The seem on the exterior of the van that runs beneath the grab bars and been filled with clear silicone whereas the original sealant was black.
All in all the van would have been an awful investment and so i walked away.
Thank you all for your time and advice.
I now feel a little wiser and may have more confidence in checking future vans for problems.
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Topic: Used Caravan
