Help me choose my first van

[Eddie 27]

He might not have been referring to her engineering skills 😂😂🙈

🤣 I am quite sure he was not.

 

[Hutch]

Surely if you are using a credit card to buy a caravan or a car, and you pay the card off in full, there must be a cut off time the finance company, will help you out.

 

[otherclive]

Surely if you are using a credit card to buy a caravan or a car, and you pay the card off in full, there must be a cut off time the finance company, will help you out.

Not many dealers will accept a credit card for the full purchase. But if you pay towards the deposit above £100 you receive protection under the CCA section 75. The period of protection is in CCA and 6 years from date if purchase for values £100 to £30000. Paying it off doesn’t affect the protection provided.

 

[Buckman]

Not many dealers will accept a credit card for the full purchase. But if you pay towards the deposit above £100 you receive protection under the CCA section 75. The period of protection is in CCA and 6 years from date if purchase for values £100 to £30000. Paying it off doesn’t affect the protection provided.

You can pay £1 to get the full protection if the goods are valued between £100 and £30k?

 

[otherclive]

You can pay £1 to get the full protection if the goods are valued between £100 and £30k?

Hadn’t realised that subtlety. Thank you.

 

[Eddie 27]

Took SWMBO along to a dealer at the weekend so we could both have a snoop around to see what we liked. They only had one van with the twin single layout and it was a firm no from Claire. Lounge was quite small and I had to agree with her, not big enough to lounge across the couch. It was an Eldiss but not sure exactly which model.
They did however have a 6 berth twin axle with a fixed double which was significantly more roomy so now I am looking at 6 berth vans. Thinking about it this does make sense in regards having plenty of room for the dogs and the grandchildren if we ever drag them along with us. I see that we have cars that can handle the weight of the vans I have looked at on the Web so as it is by order of the management then it looks like it will have to be a 6 berth.

 

[Dustydog]

Eddie
6 berth for the rare times the grandkids join you may a bit like having a five bedroom house all kitted out for family and guests whom you see once a year😜
If it's just you and Claire the other 51 weeks look to a big four berth
Plus most 6 berth bunks are small and no good for lanky teenagers!

 

[borderbilly]

Compromise, 4 berth and if kids and dogs tag along stick them in the awning . i have 4 berth and its just me and SWMBO and the dog, bags of room.

 

[Eddie 27]

The 4 grandkids range from 2 months to 5 years currently, our Lurcher is bigger than any of them 😁 Another one due just before Christmas, grandchild that is. Although knowing Claire we could well acquire another dog before then.
Taking teenagers on holiday with us is just not going to happen, been there, done that. No thanks.
The twin single we looked at was a fairly compact van. 7.2 metres overall length so giving away a bit when compared with the 8 metres maximum?
It was our first visit together to take a look and was only a small dealership. The Eldiss had a sticker price of £11500 but the guy said he had sliced £1k off, this was Saturday. It is now showing as £9999 on Autotrader.
I see that there is a news article on this site telling of the state of the market which is slow and slowing further. I'm going to visit more dealers with Claire and get to look at as many vans as sanity will allow, might make a few cheeky offers just to test the water.
Not in a great rush to buy but if I can find the van for us and the price is right then could pull the trigger, as long as the management gives the green light.

 

[RogerL]

fairly compact van. 7.2 metres overall length so giving away a bit when compared with the 8 metres maximum?

In case you've misunderstood, the UK limit* is 7m not 8m but is based on body length not overall length.

* longer trailers/caravan can be towed with trucks over 3.5 tonnes

 

[Eddie 27]

In case you've misunderstood, the UK limit* is 7m not 8m but is based on body length not overall length.

* longer trailers/caravan can be towed with trucks over 3.5 tonnes

You are quite correct, I was a bit uncertain on the total permissible length regulations.
I am finding it a touch irritating that so many adverts lack the comprehensive data on dimensions that I would expect to see. And far too often the data is conflicting or just plain wrong. I'm getting a bit fed up with seeing something that seems to fit the bill but after checking out a selection of other reviews or data sets finding myself totally confused as to what the weights and dimensions really are.
Autotrader is notorious for numerous errors in listings when they use the autofill option, and that is generally how any dealer uses Autotrader.
And this is why I intend to visit the dealership in person and see for myself, tape measure in hand 😁

 

[otherclive]

You are quite correct, I was a bit uncertain on the total permissible length regulations.
I am finding it a touch irritating that so many adverts lack the comprehensive data on dimensions that I would expect to see. And far too often the data is conflicting or just plain wrong. I'm getting a bit fed up with seeing something that seems to fit the bill but after checking out a selection of other reviews or data sets finding myself totally confused as to what the weights and dimensions really are.
Autotrader is notorious for numerous errors in listings when they use the autofill option, and that is generally how any dealer uses Autotrader.
And this is why I intend to visit the dealership in person and see for myself, tape measure in hand 😁

I sometimes think the missing information on Autotrader and similar sites is to get you to contact the seller, which allows them to open a conversation. MTPLM was one important piece of information that was often missing.

 

[Buckman]

The 4 grandkids range from 2 months to 5 years currently, our Lurcher is bigger than any of them 😁 Another one due just before Christmas, grandchild that is. Although knowing Claire we could well acquire another dog before then.
Taking teenagers on holiday with us is just not going to happen, been there, done that. No thanks.
The twin single we looked at was a fairly compact van. 7.2 metres overall length so giving away a bit when compared with the 8 metres maximum?
It was our first visit together to take a look and was only a small dealership. The Eldiss had a sticker price of £11500 but the guy said he had sliced £1k off, this was Saturday. It is now showing as £9999 on Autotrader.
I see that there is a news article on this site telling of the state of the market which is slow and slowing further. I'm going to visit more dealers with Claire and get to look at as many vans as sanity will allow, might make a few cheeky offers just to test the water.
Not in a great rush to buy but if I can find the van for us and the price is right then could pull the trigger, as long as the management gives the green light.

Make sure you buy from a reputable dealership! Read as many reviews as you can on a dealership before making any decision. Buying from a dealership with a poor reputation can cost you a lot of money. Before buying a caravan you are entitled to ask the dealer if you can get a third party i.e. AWS technician to check the caravan. If they refuse go elsewhere. Always wise to buy first caravan from a dealer rather than privately.

 

[Eddie 27]

Make sure you buy from a reputable dealership! Read as many reviews as you can on a dealership before making any decision. Buying from a dealership with a poor reputation can cost you a lot of money. Before buying a caravan you are entitled to ask the dealer if you can get a third party i.e. AWS technician to check the caravan. If they refuse go elsewhere. Always wise to buy first caravan from a dealer rather than privately.

I didn't mention this dealers name because I understand the forum rules would prevent that. I saw a few red flags which put me off straight away. Probably being a bit anal but simple spelling mistakes is all it takes for me. Having a board on a van with the statement "single axle" when it is clearly a twin axle makes me particularly dubious. If they can't manage to get the obvious and simple details correct then it is not possible to believe anything.
A lack of important information is quite likely a deliberate tactic to entice an enquiry I would agree.
I wish all the adverts would include the floor plan layout diagrams, would save me having to click on the unsuitable vans. But of course they have made me click on the advert after all, win for the dealer.

 

[Buckman]

I didn't mention this dealers name because I understand the forum rules would prevent that. I saw a few red flags which put me off straight away. Probably being a bit anal but simple spelling mistakes is all it takes for me. Having a board on a van with the statement "single axle" when it is clearly a twin axle makes me particularly dubious. If they can't manage to get the obvious and simple details correct then it is not possible to believe anything.
A lack of important information is quite likely a deliberate tactic to entice an enquiry I would agree.
I wish all the adverts would include the floor plan layout diagrams, would save me having to click on the unsuitable vans. But of course they have made me click on the advert after all, win for the dealer.

Here you go; https://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan_layouts.html All the caravan layouts you could wish for.

 

[Eddie 27]

Here you go; https://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan_layouts.html All the caravan layouts you could wish for.

Thanks Buckman 👍

If only autotrader had a similar feature.
Whilst on the subject of faulty data from AT adverts, was just looking at a van with a claimed 8,000 mm width dimension 😂