Hello All

I want to buy a caravan.

5 berth for the family to go touring in.

Has anybody got one for sale or advice on buying ?

I know to steer clear of anything with damp and that's about the extent of my knowledge ( but do have a very knowledgeable mate who will assist).

I know there's loads on eBay, but it's not my favoured place to buy from, Autotrader seems a bit limited and they all seem to be at the other end of the country from me.

Anybody got one for sale before I concede and start looking on the Bay ?

Cheers

Rob

the modern style with the solid foam walls are really prone to delamination of the outer skin and repairs are very hard to do. Look along the side for large bubbles in the panel especially near body seams as the mastic dry’s up and lets water in.

Gumtree is usually full of bargain caravan’s

How old are the kids?

5 is a lot in a tourer bedtime will be hard work, we will soon have a superb van for sale but its only a 4 berth, fixed bed and all the trimmings

Hi Rob

Ebay is probably the best place to buy one - particularly if you aren't looking to spend much money. If you want to know how cheap stuff is on ebay go and look at the 'cheap' stuff at Catterick caravans then make your own mind up.

If you would like a hand looking at a van or two as you know I'm not far from you and I have had a few.

Cheers

Mark

we have a 2 berth caravan, (not for sale)
and sleep 2 adults and 2 children (11 and 1) insides the van
and i sleep in the awning

in fact two days time we off again to east sussex to play close familys !!

My girls are 5 and 2

I was thinking 5 berth for the layout - typically bed at the rear with bunk over it and can be closed off with a door.
There will only be 4 of us actually in it.

quote:

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Originally posted by mookaloid
Hi Rob

Ebay is probably the best place to buy one - particularly if you aren't looking to spend much money. If you want to know how cheap stuff is on ebay go and look at the 'cheap' stuff at Catterick caravans then make your own mind up.

If you would like a hand looking at a van or two as you know I'm not far from you and I have had a few.

Cheers

Mark

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Go for a 4 berth. It'll work better than a 5.

lunar quaser 615 | eBay UK

We have the Chichester Caravans version called the Freelander which is 6 berth, but above is 4 with bunks etc. Maybe just right.

Buying a van make sure you get the CRIS certificate as it's the 'vans Registration doc.

ATB

Simon

What You you need is to speak to my wife.

It's our fisrt year of Caravaning

The first was a '92 4 birth avondale for £1300 from ebay
Had it 6 months (summer) sold it for £1350 (ebay again). She said it was too small. (cramped)

Then spent many hours looking for a larger one.

Came up with another ebay one.
This time a 2002 Swift Conqueror 650

As with most caravans it's a compromise.
Ours is a small bathroom/toilet.

Research the layout you need, as there are many variations.

Good point was a rear bedroom (bunks) for the kids.
Could be shut of for some evening piece and quiet
Also had a small dining area for them as well.

Down side, it needs a big tow car. can be upto 1770kg total in weight.


Like this 2004 SWIFT CONQUEROR 650 LUX TWIN AXLE | eBay UK

The Total (loaded) caravan weight should NOT weigh more than 85% or the weight of the towing Vehicle.
Ideally you want a 2litre Turbo Diesel car minimum At least a min of 100+bhp. (Estate is better still) The lower the ratio, the easier they are to tow.

I liked my 110 Landy for that, at just 38% ratio. It makes a feckin HUGE difference, try not to tow at 100%, you can, but you wont want to after the first Coach overtakes you on the Motorway! It scared the SHIT out of me in my little Peugeot 305. SO much so that I sold a perfectly good car within the month and got the Land Rover. Be Warned

Remember the weight of the van often does not include all the pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, chairs, windbreaks, cloting, bedding, toys, etc etc etc that most people put in their van.

Once loaded Up....Stick the hitch on a bit of 3" square wood x about 12" long, and put that on a set of Bathroom scales. Note the weight on the hitch. This is the Nose weight. Check your Cars Handbook for the Vehicles Nose weight, and DO NOT exceed that figure.

Place Heavy Items over the axle in the van, like the Awning and poles etc. Getting the van ballanced with the right Noseweight is as important as the 85% rule above.
Think of this: Noseweight too heavy, presses down on the back of the car taking the weight off the front wheels which is your steering and braking affected by light and vague steering, and poor braking. Too light a noseweight, and the rear is lifted, putting heavy pressure on the front, making the steering heavy and upsetting the braking.

Get a Anti Snake / Stabiliser Bar. These are essential for novice towers. I have been camping and caravanning for 54 years, and just sold my last caravan which I owned for the last 20 years. I WONT tow a caravan without one.
A snaking Caravan is a VERY Scary situation. I have seen a van overturn the car and wrote both off. DONT try to accelerate out of a snaking situation. Take foot off acceclerator, and slow down gently without brakes if you can help it. Accelerating might fix it, but if it doesnt you will have a far more dangerous situation to deal with than before.

You will want an Awning. Get one with zip in panels as they are easier to put up with just two people.

Your kids are a bit young for camping out in their own tent. Keep them in the Van, then the awning, then boot them out into a small tent. Mine are 22, and 24, and wont sleep in the van now!

STERALISE the WATER system (ALL of it including the water barrel). Use either caravan steralising powder / fluid, or even Milton Baby sterailising fluid as a last resort. BUT DO IT a day or so before you go out. Fit a new water filter if its got one, usually its a cartridge filter, just replace. Key an eye on the kids when the fluid is in the pipes / tank. I had a scary timne when my youngest aged 5 drunk some from the tap in the van. Hospital job, but all was OK in the end. ie lock the van when you leave it overnight with the fluid in the pipes.

DRAIN all the water out the system, and the toilet, before you lay up for the winter, as it freezes and cracks the rigid plastic pipes and the water filter housing. Guess how I know!

Connect the mains electricity, and get the fridge nice and cold for the whole 24hrs or so before travelling. Those fridges are good, but they work better if cooled on the mains first.
You DO have a split charge relay fitted dont you? Otherwise you stop with the van still attached and it starts to drain the car battery, Worse Still trying to start the car will try to use the Caravan battery, and will cause a fire, as the wiring is only thick enough for charging the battery in the van and NOT for turning the starter motor. Thise fridges draw approx 8 amps continuously when on 12V. Hence the split charge relay to prevent mishaps.

If buying check the mastic is not hard and cracked onall the seams. Its not a hard job to fix, just time consuming and very messy.
Best to get a dry van if you can. Once mould gets in, you wil almost certainly NEVER get rid of it.

Check the chassis for rust.
Check the tires, they should be replaced every 5 years. They dont wear out, but they perish and crack thru lack of use.
Check the spare!

Buy wisely, there are good vans out there, and there is a LOT of rubbish.

If you get as much fun out of camping / caravanning as I have had, then it will be worth while.
Its a great bulder for the kids. They will love it, especially if you get good weather.
Oh... NEVER put away DAMP awnings or canvas, its the kiss of death (well Mildew and mould!)
I hang mine in the garage if its wet, and do it as soon as you arrive home, not a day or so later... thats too late.

Its getting late and I cant think of any more at the moment.

quote:

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Originally posted by wilkingj
The Total (loaded) caravan weight should NOT weigh more than 85% or the weight of the towing Vehicle.
Ideally you want a 2litre Turbo Diesel car minimum At least a min of 100+bhp. (Estate is better still) The lower the ratio, the easier they are to tow.

I liked my 110 Landy for that, at just 38% ratio. It makes a feckin HUGE difference, try not to tow at 100%, you can, but you wont want to after the first Coach overtakes you on the Motorway! It scared the SHIT out of me in my little Peugeot 305. SO much so that I sold a perfectly good car within the month and got the Land Rover. Be Warned

Remember the weight of the van often does not include all the pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, chairs, windbreaks, cloting, bedding, toys, etc etc etc that most people put in their van.

Once loaded Up....Stick the hitch on a bit of 3" square wood x about 12" long, and put that on a set of Bathroom scales. Note the weight on the hitch. This is the Nose weight. Check your Cars Handbook for the Vehicles Nose weight, and DO NOT exceed that figure.

Place Heavy Items over the axle in the van, like the Awning and poles etc. Getting the van ballanced with the right Noseweight is as important as the 85% rule above.
Think of this: Noseweight too heavy, presses down on the back of the car taking the weight off the front wheels which is your steering and braking affected by light and vague steering, and poor braking. Too light a noseweight, and the rear is lifted, putting heavy pressure on the front, making the steering heavy and upsetting the braking.

Get a Anti Snake / Stabiliser Bar. These are essential for novice towers. I have been camping and caravanning for 54 years, and just sold my last caravan which I owned for the last 20 years. I WONT tow a caravan without one.
A snaking Caravan is a VERY Scary situation. I have seen a van overturn the car and wrote both off. DONT try to accelerate out of a snaking situation. Take foot off acceclerator, and slow down gently without brakes if you can help it. Accelerating might fix it, but if it doesnt you will have a far more dangerous situation to deal with than before.

You will want an Awning. Get one with zip in panels as they are easier to put up with just two people.

Your kids are a bit young for camping out in their own tent. Keep them in the Van, then the awning, then boot them out into a small tent. Mine are 22, and 24, and wont sleep in the van now!

STERALISE the WATER system (ALL of it including the water barrel). Use either caravan steralising powder / fluid, or even Milton Baby sterailising fluid as a last resort. BUT DO IT a day or so before you go out. Fit a new water filter if its got one, usually its a cartridge filter, just replace. Key an eye on the kids when the fluid is in the pipes / tank. I had a scary timne when my youngest aged 5 drunk some from the tap in the van. Hospital job, but all was OK in the end. ie lock the van when you leave it overnight with the fluid in the pipes.

DRAIN all the water out the system, and the toilet, before you lay up for the winter, as it freezes and cracks the rigid plastic pipes and the water filter housing. Guess how I know!

Connect the mains electricity, and get the fridge nice and cold for the whole 24hrs or so before travelling. Those fridges are good, but they work better if cooled on the mains first.
You DO have a split charge relay fitted dont you? Otherwise you stop with the van still attached and it starts to drain the car battery, Worse Still trying to start the car will try to use the Caravan battery, and will cause a fire, as the wiring is only thick enough for charging the battery in the van and NOT for turning the starter motor. Thise fridges draw approx 8 amps continuously when on 12V. Hence the split charge relay to prevent mishaps.

If buying check the mastic is not hard and cracked onall the seams. Its not a hard job to fix, just time consuming and very messy.
Best to get a dry van if you can. Once mould gets in, you wil almost certainly NEVER get rid of it.

Check the chassis for rust.
Check the tires, they should be replaced every 5 years. They dont wear out, but they perish and crack thru lack of use.
Check the spare!

Buy wisely, there are good vans out there, and there is a LOT of rubbish.

If you get as much fun out of camping / caravanning as I have had, then it will be worth while.
Its a great bulder for the kids. They will love it, especially if you get good weather.
Oh... NEVER put away DAMP awnings or canvas, its the kiss of death (well Mildew and mould!)
I hang mine in the garage if its wet, and do it as soon as you arrive home, not a day or so later... thats too late.

Its getting late and I cant think of any more at the moment.

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I actually prefer single axle vans to tow, as the twin ones seems to track to well, and i found reversing them a real pita

Sound advice from wilkingj !

As usual LB comes up trumps with the info !

I've tapped into a good source of advice - could someone cast an eye over the figures below and give me an answer on whether my SEAT Alhambra coud safely tow a caravan I've got my eyes on please.

Caravan details:

Internal length: 5.94m / 19'6"
External Length: 7.62m / 25'
Width: 2.18m / 7'2"
Unladen weight: 1264kg
MTPLM: 1558kg
Twin Axle

Car details:

Seat Alhambra - 1.9 TDI aut.
Year of issue july 2000 - october 2010
Power 114 bhp (85 kW) at 4000 rpm
Torque 229 lb/ft (310 Nm) at (or from) 1900 rpm
Kerbweight (may differ in the UK) 1766 kg and 'ballasted' with 150 kg
Tyres 215 / 55 R 16
Transmission Automatic with torque converter (5 speed)
Nose weight 85kg

Thanks

The bit that confuses me is the maximum length of 7m - link

Loads of caravans are over this, including mine.......

Might be worth checking to see if your Auto box has a fluid cooler, or if one can be fitted.
Depending on the terrain and driving style, you might want to fit a cooler, if its possible. More Belt n Braces and a MUST Have.
I would have thought your choice of vehicle would be fine, size / power wise.

I've seen bigger vans pulled by smaller cars, and all driven by some very stupid owners!

I agree on the twin axle info, not so much fun manouvering on the drive by hand, or reversing with the car.
Neither are impossible, but single axle is easier, and cheaper on tyres (being 1/2 as many)

Cheers

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Bought a single axle 5 berth in the end - pick it up on Friday.

Mind and check the tyres before you tow, they are often overlooked by owners as they tend to have plenty tread but the side walls will most likely be showing signs of age if they have been on a while.....

quote:

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Originally posted by kevmcdo
Mind and check the tyres before you tow, they are often overlooked by owners as they tend to have plenty tread but the side walls will most likely be showing signs of age if they have been on a while.....

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We brought a really cheap 'van off eBay. £500. An old ABI Jubilee Courier. It has the full sized awning with it.Shower.Toliet.Rear bunks for the kids.A 17ft body and the awning make a large space. Only brought cheap to see if we get on with caravaning. We do. Got a "Carpet" and ground sheet in the awning.Put a few hours in fettling and resealling. I think all in we are still under a grand sat in it.It'll go for another year at least,
Tow it with a 2006 Jeep CRD Auto. No problems. The bigger and heavier the tow car the better,see the earlier posts.
We will eventually get a newer 'van.But this one does exactly what we ask of it.Been all over the UK.No worries.
A new 'van can have its faults. Friends of ours have a Bailey in for repair work on damp and frost cracked panels and a fogged up front window...
As with cars,take each one as it stands in front of you.

Some cracking advice here as usual.

We got given our 1990 Jubilee equerry by my inlaws last year, its only a 2 berth but it has a big shower/toilet/dressing room right across the back which is really useful having 2 kids around, it also has a full size double wardrobe in there. We sleep the kids in the caravan, one on each sofa & have an inner tent in the awning for me & the wife.

They hadn't used it for 5 years, it was covered in green crap etc. spent a few weekends cleaning it all up, luckily my father inlaw had greased everything & drained water etc before he stopped using it. New pair of tyres & a good look at all the mechanicals etc & we were all set for our 1st holiday in it.

I think we will upsize at some point but at the moment it only owes us about £150 quid so it seems silly to spend a few grand on a newer one right now, i do keep thinking that a nice 4 berth would mean we didnt always have to set up the awning though if we wanted to just pop somewhere for a couple of days.

I tow with a SAAB 95 & i was surprised at how well it towed. I was pooing myself for the 1st hour or so but once youve done it, its not so bad. It has a stabiliser bar that fits between the car & the caravan, i have been told NOT to tow without one by many people so i wont, it works very well.

I was recommended some extended mirrors so i brought a pair, they were really good & didnt shake around at all, cant remember the make but you can see them in this picture.


Hooked up front

We are heading away again soon for a week in it, the kids really enjoy it & we found it easier than tent camping if the weather is a bit wet due to the creature comforts like running hot/cold water, toilet/shower & lighting at the flick of a switch.

All the best - Andy

If your still after a caravan drop me a U2U.

My father is selling his. Its a 6 birth. 2 sofas at the back with a table, transforms into a bunk either side. 2 sofas at the front with table in the middle transforms into a double bed. Shower, non fixed toilet, gas water heater, gas/electric fridge, oven and hob/grill.

Not been used for a while so needs a good clean and service, but nothing major wrong with it. I think his asking price would reflect this.

Its in Malvern, Worcestershire though!

quote:

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Originally posted by Wheels244
Thanks for the advice everyone.

Bought a single axle 5 berth in the end - pick it up on Friday.

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