Hello looking for some advice, we bought our caravan last year and went to get some minor work done, to be told the caravan looks like it has been damaged at point and the person who sold us the caravan has ripped out entire inside of caravan, now caravan soaking wet inside due to not sealing caravan again. Don't have contact details of man who sold it ( on gumtree!) we did phone him after buying and he never returned any messages! Is there anything I can do???? Got a caravan repair man to look at it and he says it's unfixable!!!
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Caravan issues
- Thread starter Lubyloo36
- Start date
hi, it may be very disappointing news, but unfortunatly Damian is correct. that is the trouble with buying from places like Gumtree and E bay little or no recourse from private sellers, if you know nothing about the items you wish to purchase you really should take someone along who does, to spot a ringer so to speak, now it's too late. unless you paid by credit card then you may have a glimmer of light once you get them involved. really the only way to view such items as if they are suspect form the outset.Lubyloo36 said:
you do not say what van it is, how old it is, or how much you paid for it. but I doubt very much if it not repairable. the caravan repair man was probably inferring to it being a uneconomical repair for him to do as it would cost more than the van is worth or he just did not want to do it, as any repair professionally done would have to carry a garauntee of work done.
now if you are handy with the tools or know some who is anything is possible I and some of the other members have undertaken major van repairs with complete success, when the jobs would not be touched by a workshop at any price it is up to you, there is not enough detail in the opening post to guess what might be wrong with it. to say anything more.
Private sales which is what Gumtree gives you are very much "buyer beware" and your legal rights are far less than if you buy from a trader. You would have a come back if he misrepresented the caravan saying something that was nut true and you relied on that but even proving it is another problem.
You would be pursuing a private individual and you cannot even be sure he has the money to pay you if you can trace him and get a judgement against him assuming in your case you can actually trace him.
When seeing the caravan you need to visit and enter the owners house to make sure he is who he says he is. Do not buy anywhere else as that is a ploy of thieves on many occasions.
If you are buying privately you need someone who knows what they are doing with you and you need to examine the caravan in minute detail. You also need the chassis number to do an HPI check, get the seller to produce proof of ownership and provide servicing records. If they cannot do that walk away there are plenty more out there.
I am sorry you have learned too late but basically the same rules as buying a car apply.
You would be pursuing a private individual and you cannot even be sure he has the money to pay you if you can trace him and get a judgement against him assuming in your case you can actually trace him.
When seeing the caravan you need to visit and enter the owners house to make sure he is who he says he is. Do not buy anywhere else as that is a ploy of thieves on many occasions.
If you are buying privately you need someone who knows what they are doing with you and you need to examine the caravan in minute detail. You also need the chassis number to do an HPI check, get the seller to produce proof of ownership and provide servicing records. If they cannot do that walk away there are plenty more out there.
I am sorry you have learned too late but basically the same rules as buying a car apply.
Thanks for your responses, we have now learnt our lesson, it is a relatively old ( 99) Swift islay. We bought it for £2000 last year. This is our 3rd caravan and it did look very tidy, but the first wet spell and it began to fall apart. The gentleman told us it had been in family for years and never had a problem! We now realise he has gutted and replaster-boarded most of inside! My husband will try and "fix" it sell for parts! Thanks again for advice folks. Next time I'm going to a trader!x
we all feel for the OP.
but as I said in my previous post vans are repairable if you are prepared to do them, kind of reminds me of the old wreck we bought years ago. started with a little 3 berth and with a growing family wanted something a little bigger. looking round the dealers I spotted a 5berth fleetwood colchester sat in one corner, when I asked about it the salesman said it was not for sale as it had extensive damp at the front they were waiting for a scrapper to collect it FOC but I still liked the look of it and it didn't seem that bad, on impulse I offered him £50 for it. he accepted and I took it away same day even gave us £250 for the little van.
armed with the remaining £200 I set about the van stripping out the front of the van is was bad but the frame was suprisingly solid just one rotten piece that was replaced, you could see where the water had got in so it was resealed on the outside as well as inside, new wall boards and section of floor fitted window seal and new carpet.
kept that van 7years never leaked again. when I sold it to get the motorhome the new owner was happy about the repair and even though the van was now over 20years old was bone dry. they kept that van a further 10 years after that on a seasonal pitch and never reported any issues, If there had been I would have known as I sold it to the BIL.
thats a full 17years after it was going to the scrapyard.
old vans can be repaired if you are prepared to do them. just because a van repairer says it too far gone does not mean it is !!!!
but as I said in my previous post vans are repairable if you are prepared to do them, kind of reminds me of the old wreck we bought years ago. started with a little 3 berth and with a growing family wanted something a little bigger. looking round the dealers I spotted a 5berth fleetwood colchester sat in one corner, when I asked about it the salesman said it was not for sale as it had extensive damp at the front they were waiting for a scrapper to collect it FOC but I still liked the look of it and it didn't seem that bad, on impulse I offered him £50 for it. he accepted and I took it away same day even gave us £250 for the little van.
armed with the remaining £200 I set about the van stripping out the front of the van is was bad but the frame was suprisingly solid just one rotten piece that was replaced, you could see where the water had got in so it was resealed on the outside as well as inside, new wall boards and section of floor fitted window seal and new carpet.
kept that van 7years never leaked again. when I sold it to get the motorhome the new owner was happy about the repair and even though the van was now over 20years old was bone dry. they kept that van a further 10 years after that on a seasonal pitch and never reported any issues, If there had been I would have known as I sold it to the BIL.
thats a full 17years after it was going to the scrapyard.
old vans can be repaired if you are prepared to do them. just because a van repairer says it too far gone does not mean it is !!!!
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