My caravan history

[StuartGGray]

I bought my caravan on a whim. I was on my way to my local Asda for an emergency buy of red wine and spotted it for sale in a car park beside the main road. This car park is usually used to sell cars on the cheap, so I was intrigued by the caravan. I have camped all my life, going from hiking in my youth, to off-road biking with tents across Rannoch moor, to being married and ending up with three kids and a wife camping using a Volvo estate , 6x4 foot trailer and a large tent.


The caravan was a Swift Corvette and the bloke wanted £600. It came fully equipped, it even had a new awning.I had a look and drove it home. Had to drive back to Asda to get the wine after I put the caravan on the drive.








This was in 2008 and in 2010 I discovered some damp damage, so I elected to repair it. The local caravan shop wanted a minimumof £1500 to do the job, so I hit the web and researched ways and means.

I took the offside skin off and replaced the frame, put it back together, put new ply inside, papered it, replaced the internal fittings and ended up with a good waterproof van for £140 in materials.

water ingress damage after stripping sky light in bathroom.


Damage to frame



Old interior



New interior being built of old 4mm ply interior door skins and papered.



Old bathroom

New repair


Picture showing it all back together and side back on!


I don't have more photos due to losing an un-backed up disk, (tut), and being hospitalised during the rebuild due to contracting endocarditis, which sapped my energy somewhat.
This is a photo of the van while I was in hospital, it was covered in snow.

Edited by StuartGGray on Thursday 14th June 19:06

[PeanutHead]

Loving the work you did, have you got much use from the Van and how do you compare it to camping.
Thinking of starting a what car for van thread, although a Volvo always looks the biz after the 4x4s.

[Meeja]

PeanutHead said:

Thinking of starting a what car for van thread, although a Volvo always looks the biz after the 4x4s.

Apparently VW Passat estates are good tow cars.... My FiL has one and is a big caravanner. My BiL also has one, and he tows lots of heavy stuff around.

They have a high kerb weight for the class of car, meaning you can tow larger vans without going over the 85% rule.

Although IANAV (I am not a vanhead)

[volks al]

I am using my e430 W210 merc, and it loves the Van, 18 mpg towing though But very safe comfy way to tow.

[Lunablack]

First van was this Bailey Pageant Vendee.... Bought second hand from a chap in Telford



Decided we liked caravanning so upgraded to an Ex Demo Bailey Virginia... This really was a step up for us, and very posh inside...

Did all my towing with a Jeep 4.7V8 on LPG.....made pretty light work of a single axle van... And even fully loaded with awning, bikes etc etc didn't have much of an effect













Then sold the van, and got a motorhome








Just need some decent weather now

[StuartGGray]

PeanutHead said:

Loving the work you did, have you got much use from the Van and how do you compare it to camping.
Thinking of starting a what car for van thread, although a Volvo always looks the biz after the 4x4s.

I wish I'd started caravanning earlier. I started because of age, camping was getting too sore. A caravan is already prepped, and the bed is easier to get out of. I used to use a tent and a bike and sleep on rocks. Not anymore I'm afraid!
We do manage to get out most weekends, a favourite site in Callander is only 45 miles away by road, but a million miles away from home. Longer periods of a week or more, we usually go to the west coast of Scotland.

I've had a fondness for Volvos ever since I stared a family, I've towed trailers and boats with them, so it seemed natural to get another one for the caravan. The Citroen ZX 1.9d and the Mondeo 1.8i both struggled a bit with the Swift Corvette to my mind.(don't I just love saying I have a Corvette on the drive, especially a Swift one ) The Volvo will out-accelerate normal car boxes even with the van on the back. My crowning moment was out-dragging a Prious on the A9 going north. The V70 gets 32mpg in normal use, and 29 with the 950kg Swift Corvette on the back, about the same I get when hooning it.