First Timers

Jul 18, 2005
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We would like to buy a touring caravan but do not know where to start. There are so many makes and models and layouts that I am finding the whole thing very confusing. We are a family of two adults, one toddler and one baby. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
 
Apr 11, 2005
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Hi Deborah

Have only had my van since april and am absolutely loving it,and you and your kids will too,I would say first get a copy of practical caravan as it has diagrams of all the different layouts you can find,then go to the dealers on a sat or sun and have a look at them all in 3d so to speak,take your kids too!then I went through all the private ads,ebay and such and found that one paricular layout stuck in my mind,then its down to budget etc...you find with dealers you might get a warranty,however some private sales have a lot of equipment thrown in,Am sure everyone will say damp is the big issue so dont be afraid to get a damp meter,there are so many other things but you've picked the right place to come for help,the people on here know their stuff and will be only too willing to help,You wont regret it,its a great life !! xx
 
Jul 5, 2005
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Hi,

I'm a newbie too, and have spent a lot of time researching and asking questions - this forum usually gives you a good response and dont be scared to ask "stupid" questions, I have!

all I would add to Tina's comments are that your car's towing capability may restrict your choice of caravan, as in my case. P.C. mag gives plenty of information on Kerbweights, Noseweights, MIRO's, etc.

also a website I found useful was www.whattowcar.com which is a free site, once you find a caravan you like you can see how well your car will perform towing that make.

I'm picking my caravan up on Monday and hope to get away soon after, all the best!

Mark (",)
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Deboroh, you'll love it!. This is my first year, it's great fun and the total independance is what we love most.

To answer your question though on layout, this is the most difficult and somewhere down the line you will have to make a small sacrifice. If you have the time ( I took over 6 months) visit as many dealers as you can and keep looking at all the combinations. Ask as many carvanners that you meet along the way what they like/dislike about the layout they have, we're a really friendly lot and will pass on information with pleasure.

Finally, when you are totally confused, sit down and write down exactly what you require and see how close you can get....... unfortunately the perfect caravan is yet to be made so this is where that sacrifice will have to be made. Also if you can visit Earls Court in November, then you can look at the whole range under one roof and get totally confused. But if you intend to buy new this is where you can drive a hard bargain with a dealer and get what you want.

Don't forget half the fun is tramping round and finally deciding.

Have fun

Graham F
 
Jul 18, 2005
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Hi,

I'm a newbie too, and have spent a lot of time researching and asking questions - this forum usually gives you a good response and dont be scared to ask "stupid" questions, I have!

all I would add to Tina's comments are that your car's towing capability may restrict your choice of caravan, as in my case. P.C. mag gives plenty of information on Kerbweights, Noseweights, MIRO's, etc.

also a website I found useful was www.whattowcar.com which is a free site, once you find a caravan you like you can see how well your car will perform towing that make.

I'm picking my caravan up on Monday and hope to get away soon after, all the best!

Mark (",)
Thanks Mark, excellent website. Hope you have a good trip.

Debbie
 
Jul 21, 2005
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Hi, we have just ordered our first new caravan (we did do a bit of caravanning a few years back but in a very old & leaky unit!) We've been in a trailer tent for the last 2 years which we have loved but also having a crawling baby & a toddler it became a bit of a nightmare setting up.

We have ordered a TEC caravan which after a lot of looking seems like the best layout for us (although obviously we have not put it into practice yet!). It is a travel king 540gk and has fixed bunk beds and a fixed double bed. This obviously means that you haven't got the large u shaped seating area with table, but there is a side dinette for 4 which is fine for us. It is finnished really nicely and it will be great not having to bother making beds up every night.

The bunks look great for having toddler & baby. The top bunk has a good, long rail so i've no worries about my 3 year old falling out. the bottom bunk can also double as a garage, and there is a sliding door to shut it off. We are therefore just going to get a clasp so that we can "lock" it and know that the baby will be safe - not able to roll off or open it up and endanger himself.

Hope this helps!
 
May 21, 2008
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Well as you say there are so many options. My van for instance is of 1982 vintage but has a seperate end bunk room for two children. Thus leaving us to enjoy the lounge at night. I would steer away from any van that has a flap that folds out over a doorway to increase kitchen space, as kids don't realise not to lift the flap when you have a hot drink on it!!

What we did was to visit several dealers and sample diferent van layouts. Then we scanned the local papers to find our van.

Ours turned out to be a rare van. A 1982 Link 575, twenty foot twin axle van, which I updated with an electric flushing casette loo, an upgraded carver water heater to bring it upto a more modern spec. Even now after 5 years of use it is still proving hard to beat, and for the princely sum of
 
Jul 26, 2005
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Start by working out the maximum weight of the caravan you could tow, and the budget you need to fit into too. If you supply your make,model and year of car, I'll do some rough calculations for you.

Once you know this, you will now how big that caravan can be, and then people will be able to make better suggestions.

You will love caravanning, I can tell by the way you type!!!
 

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