Advice on matching caravan to car....

[Robcaravan]

Dear all
My mother has offered to buy me a used caravan. With a budget of around £10,000.
The thing is that I have a 'petrol' Renault Kadjar 1.2 Turbo (130ps) - It has an MPTL of 1500kg but I wouldn't want to tow that, not even near. I realise it's not the most ideal tow car but it's what I have and I can't change it at the moment.
I will need a 4 birth caravan to accommodate family.
Can you provide me with some suitable caravan choices please......

 

[Brasso530]

Hi Rob,I would think that your problem might be what your kadjar can tow ,not what it weighs.Have a look on you v5 reg document and look at towing capacity,then post it back on here,along with when you passed your test(pre or post 1997).cheers russell.

 

[Buckman]

Dear all
My mother has offered to buy me a used caravan. With a budget of around £10,000.
The thing is that I have a 'petrol' Renault Kadjar 1.2 Turbo (130ps) - It has an MPTL of 1500kg but I wouldn't want to tow that, not even near. I realise it's not the most ideal tow car but it's what I have and I can't change it at the moment.
I will need a 4 birth caravan to accommodate family.
Can you provide me with some suitable caravan choices please......

You are correct that the Kadjar (where did they get that name) can tow up to 1500kg so a B licence is all that is required. However if has a low kerbweight so ideally a caravan with a MTPLM of 1150kg should be okay even though it is above the 85% guideline. Unfortunately you may struggle to find a decent 4 berth caravan with a MTPLM of 1150kg although there are a number around. IMHO I would push the boat and go for a caravan at 1200kg, but definitely not any higher.

 

[Woodentop]

Have a look at the Bailey Pageant Series 5 range. They are now about a decade old but well built and compared with modern vans they are light.

 

[Mel]

Have a look at the Caravanfinder website. You can search by MPTLM, although it is not exact. There are some 4 berths out there that would work. Lunar vans are quite light and some little vans like the Elddis xplore 304 will come in under weight.
Mel

 

[Hutch]

Get a small towing caravan, put he kids in. Then t have a nice awning , bottle of wine, (or two) and look for a five berth caravan an a year or so enjoy caravanning.

 

[Robcaravan]

I have taken my BE test so towing any weight is no problem.
I am just after some suitable suggestions for 4 birth caravans that I can tow with the Kadjar.
Another poster has said nothing over 1200kg, possibly lighter. So what 4 birth caravans are this weight or lighter?

 

[Brasso530]

Hi Rob,as has been suggested go on caravan finder and narrow it down with weight and berths.I think you will be looking at vans like elddis xplore,swift Sprite,Bailey pursuit.These are all base models but lightweight.I assume you need a four berth for two young children?we have an xplore with a max of 1253kg this has a side dinette that has a bunk above,so there are vans out there.My advice would be to go around a few big dealerships and go sit in loads,most modern vans have all weights on a sticker near door,quick curtisy glance as you browse around,or get a salesman to narrow it down for you.
As a first time buyer with a £10,000 budget ,you're in a great position,sit in loads,but think long and hard before committing,as you may keep caravan for many years but may change car in a year or so.Happy hunting.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Rob,

Choosing a caravan is usually down to personal tastes, but it must also be within the legal requirements of your chosen car.

I just express a note of caution, because you are using a Renault. Don't get me wrong, I have had 4 Renault's and they have been nice cars, but when it comes towing, they sometimes have a nasty suprise to do with the way the quote their weight limits.

You should check the cars weight limits plate. You will find the largest value is the car Gross Train Weight (GTW) and the second largest value is the cars Gross Vehicle Weight(GVW)

If you subtract the GVW from the GTW you'll get the maximum towed weight limit, when the car is fully loaded. If its less than iffers from the manufacturers quoted towed weight limit, it means you can only tow the bigger figure when the car has no passengers or luggage in it, otherwise you would exceed the cars Gross Train Weight which is illegal.

Please check as it could be a game changer for you.

ps. My Renault Grande Replace does this, but despite this, it's a great tow vehicle.

 

[Thingy]

I seem to recall Lunar doing a range called Chateau that were very light caravans, maybe worth having a look in that direction. The Bailey Rangers were also quite light, model dependant. Both of those should be withing your budget.

 

[Hutch]

Rob, with such lovely mum, take her around some dealers , let her find a nice caravan then let her help to buy a car to suit the caravan.
But seriously, take your time go around lots of dealers, see whats around , your price range is fantastic, but remember, where are you going to store it. Etc. Take your time Buying towards the end of this 'season' will help. But remember you can caravan all year round as do a lot of us do.
Enjoy though.
Hutch.

 

[Raywood]

With a 1.2 engine you are right to keep the towed weight down as far as possible. With Renault it is possible that the maximum gross weight of the car and the towing limit add up to less than the gross train weight so check this out as it might be important.
The car should manage the weights you mention but it will be at best steady going so long term I would think a more powerful car will be needed.
As mentioned by others there are a few caravans around that might suit you so check dealers adverts and if you want to buy privately classified ads to see what you can find. If you buy privately I would be very cautious and avoid anything that looks too cheap as these tend to be the suspect ones just like with cars.
If you are thinking of buying privately then let us know and we can spell out the pitfalls. Having said that some salesmen are not all they should be either.

 

[ProfJohnL]

...With Renault it is possible that the maximum gross weight of the car and the towing limit add up to less than the gross train weight...

That is totally illogical! Not even Renault are that devious!

The GTW is statutory maximum weight figure for car AND trailer.

What Renault have done with some vehicles is to set a GTW that is LOWER than the GVW + Towed weight limit. That means you cannot pull the towed weight limit if the car is already fully loaded See my previous post.

 

[claver58]

I think a 1.2 car is too underpowered for a tow car but your £10k budget iss great. Use some of the budget to uprate the tow car.

 

[Raywood]

...With Renault it is possible that the maximum gross weight of the car and the towing limit add up to less than the gross train weight...

That is totally illogical! Not even Renault are that devious!

The GTW is statutory maximum weight figure for car AND trailer.

What Renault have done with some vehicles is to set a GTW that is LOWER than the GVW + Towed weight limit. That means you cannot pull the towed weight limit if the car is already fully loaded See my previous post.

That is what I meant to say, but I seem to have been half asleep and put less instead of more. Sorry.

 

[Craigyoung]

Sorry for the delayed response as still catching up after been away for a few weeks but like you have been saying you are after a lightweight caravan . We were in the same position a few years ago when we had a different car and we went down the Bailey Orion models with success which was good enough for 4 years , have a look at the link https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://storage.highbridgecaravans.co.uk/brochures/2012-bailey-orion.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjSmNuN3KfdAhULZ1AKHQxICYYQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw3nXC86Mj81jB2oXjSULqE_ and it will show you from 2 to 6 births all low weights . Our one was a 5 Berth with 3 bunks for the kids , spot on and lightweight , look at used ones as you'll get one for your budget no doubt . Happy hunting ,
Good luck & enjoy .