First Caravan - Advice

[GreigR]

Good Afternoon

I’m looking for some advice as a complete newbie. We are looking for our first caravan, we attend many motorsport events throughout the year and fancy upgrading from a tent and car packed to the brim. Ideally a 5 berth as we have 3 children who may come away on the odd weekend but usually it will be the two of us.
Budget around £6000 - £8000, we can always upgrade in a year or two if it’s a success.
I appreciate its probably a personal opinion but where do the usual makes rank from top to bottom?
We have a large 4x4 so rowing weight isn’t too much of an issue.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

[slopes]

Visit as many dealers as you can and see what is available

Figure in extra expenditure for essentials like an Aqua roll, waste pipe/container

If you're planning on using the battery in the caravan, either get a trickle charger and keep it topped up or get a solar charger fitted so it charges the batery regularly.

Get a decent wheel lock, the 3.142 keys will have it away otherwise.


Regards the van itself, get the best you can afford as getting a bargain might end up costing you more if it has damp. We prioritised a full size bathroom over an extra berth but you might want to go the opposite way. Oh and a full sized bed is far more comfrotable than fold out beds but if you do get a fold out bed style, for your backs sake get a mattress topper as the seat cushions are flippin hard ( thats if you put them soft side down so you have a flat bed base, you can of course do it the other way but i could barely walk after the first attempt at that ).

[littlebasher]

GreigR said:

We have a large 4x4 so rowing weight isn’t too much of an issue.

Firstly, when did you pass your test? If it was after 1997 you'll need to do a B&E test, otherwise with a large 4x4 you won't legally be able to tow anything.


Other than that, at the price point you're looking at, you need to be careful as in my experience these are the ones most likely to have issues. A couple of years ago, i was looking for a caravan around £6K - I looked at nearly 20 sold privately and every one of them was riddled with serious damp / spongy floors.
Obviously this is just my personal experience, but should give you an idea what to expect. Take a damp meter and keep your wits about you, there are plenty of videos on youtube which give a good idea what you need to check.

I would suggest you buy from a dealer, but bear in mind that you may not get any of the required accessories (and the price of those can add up quickly!).

As for which make to go for, they're mostly broadly similar anyway. German stuff is better quality (along with Adria).

Edited by littlebasher on Sunday 1st March 20:52

[Chrisgr31]

Go and look at caravans in a dealer to get an idea of layout etc. Some vans have bunk beds and some will do triple bunks but it depends on the age and weight of the children.

We don't have a fixed bed, and if you have young children I would ponder if its a good idea unless you are going to bed at the same time as them. Bathroom size is dependent on whether you will actually use it. We dont use ours at all.

caravanfinder.co.uk is a good place to look. We live in the south east and went up to the north west to get our caravan from a dealer, which was a similar budget to yours. Caravans in the south east are a lot more than the north west and there are more dealers in the north west. So I would plan a trip there once you decide the sort of thing you are looking for and if buying from a dealer.

[C0ffin D0dger]

slopes said:

Regards the van itself, get the best you can afford as getting a bargain might end up costing you more if it has damp.

Whilst this is reasonable advice damp can effect pretty much any caravan at any age. You might buy something for £15k that's a couple of years old and find it riddled with damp, or get something old for a few grand that's as dry as a bone. Main thing is to check carefully for it, get a damp meter and use it, if you're not sure what you're doing get an independent damp report before handing over the cash.

[JagBox]

This site will check your car is a good match for the caravan you choose.

https://towcar.info/GB/

[slopes]

C0ffin D0dger said:

slopes said:

Regards the van itself, get the best you can afford as getting a bargain might end up costing you more if it has damp.

Whilst this is reasonable advice damp can effect pretty much any caravan at any age. You might buy something for £15k that's a couple of years old and find it riddled with damp, or get something old for a few grand that's as dry as a bone. Main thing is to check carefully for it, get a damp meter and use it, if you're not sure what you're doing get an independent damp report before handing over the cash.

Well yes that is true, you could spend £40k on a Buccaneer and get damp early in its life but as in all things, if you spend more generally you get better quality.

We had a solar panel fitted to the roof of ours and had it checked for damp and so far all good.

[simons3000]

as above,spend your time looking at various models to see which layout meets your needs.trust your nose,if it smells damp or musty ,walk away.if the floor feels spongy in places,walk.check EVERYTHING works,caravan bits can be expensive to fix/replace.good luck finding the right van,there are some really nice ones out there

[GSalt]

GreigR said:

We have a large 4x4 so rowing weight isn’t too much of an issue.

Towing weights are always a limitation, so better to know what it is and understand what it means.
Check the vehicle homologation plate and handbook so you know your limits in terms of:
- gross vehicle weight
- towing weight
- gross train weight
- front and rear axle limits
- nose weight

It's not unusual for "not too much of an issue" turns out to be limited by just one of those numbers. Or how often a specific trim/option level turns out not to be approved for towing at all.

[slopes]

GSalt said:

GreigR said:

We have a large 4x4 so rowing weight isn’t too much of an issue.

Towing weights are always a limitation, so better to know what it is and understand what it means.
Check the vehicle homologation plate and handbook so you know your limits in terms of:
- gross vehicle weight
- towing weight
- gross train weight
- front and rear axle limits
- nose weight

It's not unusual for "not too much of an issue" turns out to be limited by just one of those numbers. Or how often a specific trim/option level turns out not to be approved for towing at all.

You need to find the MLTP for your car and that will tell you what you can and can't tow. Believe it or not, a 2.0 diesel XC90 can only tow a maximum of 1900kg yet a 2.0 diesel Kia Sportage has a higher MLTP.