Buying a caravan...

[millar84]

Hello,

I'm in the process of buying a caravan, & I feel i'm struggling to find what I want for the amount of money I have to spend.

I have up to the very maximum of £3,000 (accessories included with the van) & was looking at vans that are no older 1999. The trouble is, the caravans we've seen (4) all seem to have leek / damp issues.

Have I got to face the fact that, if I want a van of this age & for this price, I'm going to encounter damp issues??

Cheers

 

[Parksy]

Hi Millar
It's true that there are a lot of used caravans offered for sale that show signs of damp but there are also some really good well looked after caravans that are dry and worth buying, it's just a matter of looking until you find one.
The overall condition of a caravan is a more important factor than it's year of manufacture when buying, our first caravan was a 1988 Eccles Topaz 2 berth that had all of the paperwork, bills, service history etc and it cost £750 (12 years ago). It was as dry as a bone, we only sold it to move up to something a bit bigger but it took us almost a year of looking at caravans before we bought that first one.
Take your time, look through all of the adverts including dealers trade ins,ask the right questions before you go to look at a caravan and hopefully you will be able to buy a caravan that is dry and well looked after.
Having found damp in the ones that you've seen so far I'm sure that you know what to look out for but have a look at
The Caravan Buyers Guide
This will give a comprehensive guide with a methodical approach when inspecting prospective purchases.
Good Luck

 

[Martin24]

There should be plenty of good vans out there in this price bracket that are not damp and are well cared for. I'd rather have a 30 year old dry and cared for van than a 10 year old with issues!! Keep looking and you'll find what you're looking for. Often the best buy will be someone giving up that has looked after the van well and will throw in lots of extras. The dealers may as well have PX's coming in that are too old for their forecourt but have years left in them, let them know what you're looking for as well as carefully weeding through the classifieds. If in any doubt just walk away!!