buying from dealer

[cidersteve]

hi, will be going to look at a few caravans from dealers in the near future , and as i am brand new to the caravan purchase world , i was wondering what to expect. both caravans are around the £4000 mark and come with a 3 month warrenty. would i expect them to have a full service and damp check for this price and would i need to see everything working before purchase. sorry if this all seems obvious , i have bought and sold loads of cars but not a caravan so am unsure what to expect. thanks in anticipation of any feedback

 

[Martin24]

If they don't offer all that then I would walk away. Your budget is in a very difficult area, you could get an absolute gem of a van or a total dog be it from a dealer or not, be careful and if possible take someone with you that knows what they are looking for. Also look for a full service history if possible and lots of receipts etc... Those people that keep every scrap of paper have normally looked after their van well. I would suggest walking away from anything that is sold as seen but don't expect perfection. Over the years PC magazine have had a wealth of tips for buying second hand vans so someone may be able to help you out with archieve materials

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Steve,
It would help if you could tell us the make, model, and age of the caravans you are intending to look at as you mentioned both caravans I assume you have a couple in mind, this would help as maybe some of the forum members who have owned the particular vans may be able to help further with what to look out for.
in general terms however Martins post gives a good starting point I would only add (and without being too negative) explain that at the price quoted while it is feasable to get a very good van it is unlikley that it would get you a van less than 10/12 years old maybe even 14 and a this age there will be undoubtedly be a fair amout of wear and tear and in many cases vans of this age are sold as seen.
this does not mean that all vans will be riddled with damp or any such malady but it is unlikly a warranty would be offered.
a good dealer should however if pressed supply a damp certificate and gas and electricity safety certificate this time of year is a good time to buy though as with the cold damp weather sales will be slow and all the new models for 2012 will be arriving soon which mean dealers will be trying to clear out some space with a bit of arm twisting it is supprising just how much can be squeesed out them to get a sale, above all if your not sure or suspect something walk away. as the dealer up the road will be more amenable.

colin.

 

[cidersteve]

thanks colin and martin, as you pointed out i missed the obvious point of my post , the caravan .

.the two i am going to look at are , sterling eccles diamond 1998 end washroom and a bailey pageant imperial,1998 end washroom, both are just under £4000, come with a service and a 3 month warrenty which i believe is extendable, thanks again for your help

 

[Red_Mick]

I've been trawling around dealers and private sellers. I bought a 1999 ABI Sprinter from Peter Roberts Caravans at Honley. It wasn't quite up to your budget limit, although fitting a mover brought it closer to that figure. It's in good nick, Peter spent ages showing us how things work (being a first timer, I was a bit green). Any little thing which didn't look right, he replaced straight away, when we had electrical trouble after coming home ( a blown fuse which I couldn't find

) one of his fitters came out to sort it for me, 100 miles round trip! Twelve months guarantee too.

I was told when I started looking that dealers only sell basic van with little equipment, but this has a full awning, new, bigger leisure battery, step, water carriers, even a noseweight guage, levelling ramps, extra pegs, etc. etc.

OK, I could have got the same van privately for maybe £500 less, but I'm happy with the course I took.

 

[cidersteve]

thanks all, have bought a 2001 abbey expression 470/2 for£4500,fully serviced and 6 months warrenty,immaculate inside and out, a credit to the last owners,who had owned it since new, cant wait to get away now

 

[Martin24]

well done and enjoy!