Best time to buy?

[CheekyMooster]

We went for a look around some local dealers at the weekend and the only caravans they had were brand new, too small (never seen so many 2-berths in one place before), and a couple of early-90's models that were still over our price range!

My dad and one of our neighbours are both of the opinion that we would be better off waiting about 5 months and buying one then.

So...when *is* the best time to buy a second-hand caravan?

Ali

 

[Rita1]

It used to be buy at the end of the season But now season never ends with all the mod vans and EHU If you wait 5 months you will be able to save a bit more

Have you thought of a trailer tent as they can come out reasonable priced and can be extended to quite a large size

what about a folding caravan they would be cheaper and with an awning quite big

You can always compromise till you see what you want

We started off with trailer tent and gradually over the years built it up we now buy new caravans

Keep looking there's got to be the one you want out there somewhere

Rita

 

[Rita1]

Oppps forgot to ask did you not find anything suitable in Auto Trader

 

[CheekyMooster]

Thanks Rita

No, haven't found anything in Auto Trader yet although we are still keeping an eye on it.

I thought this was going to be easy, and in theory it should be! All I want is a clean and tidy model, with a double bed at each end - doesn't even have to have a full cooker.

Hubby is admant it has to have a cassette toilet and for some reason he wants a shower too, although I'm sure it would just be easier to go to the shower block and get water all over the place there instead!

I think the main problem is that my parents bought a caravan when I was about 12/13 - it certainly wasn't new, in fact I'm sure it was the same age as me! It was very basic but we had some fab times in it. Hubby has never been caravanning before and seems to think we need more facilities than we really do...

Ali

 

[JeremyClarksson]

If you are looking for a S/H van I would have guessed at around Easter as most people seem to pick up their new vans for the new season around that time and that is when the dealer might get overstocked with trade-ins and they need axtra space to shift the new vans that are going through.

 

[JoannaLesley]

I agree with Garry - the first part of the year seems to be better. Have you throught about local small ads? You often get a much better price and all sorts of accessories (like awnings) thrown in. Just as long as you check it our carefully, you should be OK. There are some real bargains to be had in older caravans - especially under the

 

[Rita1]

Suggest to OH that you have a towing hitch put on house n take that with you lol

There is more fun roughing it for a few days

If you are going to use club sites as you say use there facilities as showers in van do create steam n damp

Have you thought of hiring a touring van

Buy an old mini bus and fit it out

Rita

 

[Moonstone1]

Be very careful at the moment.

Dependent on where you live, if you are near a flooded area, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire - there will be a lot of damp vans on the market.

Also due to the flooding, a lot of family sized tourers have been bought up by Insurance companies for people to live in - here in Hull nearly all the dealers have sold out of touring vans around the

 

[Rioja]

There are lots of small caravan sales places that tend to buy insurance write offs and auction house sales but they are not necessarily near the source of their purchases. If the price is right they can turn up anywhere.Make sure you take an expert with you, I came very,very close to being conned once.

 

[Parksy]

Our flood damaged caravan was taken away by a Norh Notts firm last week. The caravan was only 4 months old and the water oly went inside about 3 inches high, so apart from a bit of mud which could be valeted from the floor ther was no real sign that the caravan was written off. The salvage bloke asked me how long the water was in for ( 1 night) and we had to make sure the front of the stereo, cushions & alarm fob were with it so its a fair bet that it will turn up somewhere soon.

With that in mind I made sure that I sent the bottom part of the CRiS document back to the CRiS office stating that the caravan had been transferred to the insurors.

 

[LMH]

Just looking in on this as we are looking to change our van.

Lisa

 

[Moonstone1]

Steve and Cal

Yes we did the same, in fact the CC insurance insisted we sent them the original receipts for the van and awning and wouldn't release payment until they had the CRiS document with them. We then sent the other part off directly to CRiS to comply with their rules.

 

[CheekyMooster]

Thanks everybody for all your comments!

We have decided to hold off for the time being and start looking again around February time. Hadn't thought of the possibility of there being flood damaged caravans on the market so rather than risk ending up with one we'd rather hang on for a while.

Tenting it is for the rest of this season at least!

Ali

 

[JeremyClarksson]

On the other hand it might be worth a call to the insurance companies or going to an auction if you are after a real bargain - after all a couple of inches of water should not cause a problem if everything including electrical components are cleaned off and dried properly.

Regreasing of chassis, wheel bearings etc would be required as well.

I would not be at all surprised if you could get a van for half the showroom price.

BTW Do CRIS use the "written off" and "damaged repairable" markers as used on car log books.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

I should clarify - I would still get the electrical system checked out by an electrician as some components like transformers and electronics may still be defective and a lot of these are at floor level.

From what I saw of the floods most caravanners lifted their vans on bricks etc to avoid this and they may still have been written off.

 

[Moonstone1]

Our van was flooded. It stood in flood water for 4 days, which was a foot deep inside the van. This was after we had raised the legs as far as we could to avoid the floods. A waste of time in the end. To add to this, the smell was absolutely disgusting, raw sewage had been inside, and when the water subsided, the floor had become excessively spongey. In fact two weeks later, the floor was still sodden.

I personally would not wish my van on anyone and I was glad to see it go after all it had been through. All the cupboards had water tide marks and you could see all the covering coming off.

 

[Colinn]

I think that this time of the year is a very good time to buy privately - I have just changed my own van.

When I was buying, it was obvious that the sellers were anxious to do a deal because if they didn't they feared they could well be left with the van until next spring - another year older, worth a lot less!

As a result, I put money on the table well below the asking price - two were accepted (after a bit of thought!) and I took the best deal, which gave me an absolute bargain!

When it came to selling my own, of course, the shoe was on the other foot - and I was the one sweating until I got the crucial viewer. By then, psychologically, I admit I was already prepared to take a hit to avoid having two vans on my hands for the winter.

I accepted a lower offer than first asked, but it was not far off what I had budgeted for, so quite relieved really.

In your case, Cheekymooster, you won't have to worry about the selling bit, so be cheeky with an offer - you might be surprised with what you can get.