Help please!!

[Andy_5075298]

Hi

We want to buy our first caravan but need some help. I know we have a lot of decsions to make about size, number of beds, layout, etc. I think we can sort that out for ourselves. BUT.....what would you consider to be the 3 most important things to take into consideration when buying. We are thinking of spending 7000/8000. Are there safety issues we should be thinking about? I have a 2litre A4 estate will that be ok for most caravans?

Anything you suggest will be of great help.

Thanks

Andy

 

[Lol1]

Layout, layout, layout, these are the 3 most important deciding factors when buying a caravan. If you need to swop because you cant get on with your van it can be expensive, very expensive.

 

[audiorob]

Know the weight of your car and what it's max tow is, then have a look through the back of the mag for suitable weights, given around 85% of the car weight. You may find this has already provided something approaching a shortlist. You should be able to buy a great tourer of 'nearly new variety' so be prepared to visit as many dealers as you can to see what your money can buy. Non smokers and no pets is a good bet too - who wants to own a stinker?

 

[Award1]

Andy

Couldn't agree more with Robert. The starting point is the weight and towing ability of your current car. After that you can start looking at weights of particular vans, after that it's down to personal preference re brand/graphics externally/interior etc.

As regards the Audi, until recently they were quite light so as above check the kerb weight, then the max tow limit on the car. As a starter after this you should try and achieve around 85% of the kerb/towing weight of the car to the MGW/MTPLM of the van.

Andrew

 

[Dawn4]

Hi Andy, we are to looking for our first caravan, and i agree that the weight is one of the most important issues you must check. We have a Vauxhall Vectra and were very surprised at the number of caravans that were to heavy for our car. Now that we have looked into this we have narrowed our search down to 2/3 different makes and models of caravans. We are still looking for the right one, happy hunting.

 

[littleangel]

1. design

2. age/sondition

3. price/weight

 

[DevonshireDave]

I wish I had seen this site before looking for our first caravan! I'd go with the advice given.

Know what your car can tow, try the link for help(http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm)

Look at all the layouts available to help you decide what suites you best. Shop around for the best deal. We saved about a grand on our caravan and got a great deal on accessories at the time of purchase. You'll know when you've found the right van for you. It's a bit like love at first site, something just clicks! Have fun.

 

[Robert_5077145]

The above is all great advice but might I add two other points to consider.

1. Within your budget don't forget to price in accessories ie Awning, Aquaroll, Wastemaster etc,etc,etc It all adds up. Buying a used caravan some of these may come with the van. I bought new a couple of years ago and the accessories added upto over

 

[AnnM1]

Hi - We bought a new caravan 2 months ago from a dealership who had a computer programme which showed us if our 'unit' (car & caravan) would be compatible. This is the safest and cheapest way of ensuring you will have no problems in towing. The dealership also issued us with a print-out (they retained a copy on their files) so we had it all up-front and in writing! This was done at no extra cost and, I believe, the salesperson told us that it was now necessary when selling caravans, new or second hand.

 

[RichL812]

I have had my van now for 2 months and the dealer did not give us the printout. When he put the car / van combination in the computer he said the van was a 'little heavy' - max weight of fully loaded van is 50kg heavier than KW - but with such a large payload (250 kgs) he said I would be fine.

As a total newcomer I wish I had taken independant advice because even though I still only run at 88-90% of KW the car just isnt man enough for the job and I cant afford to change it right now.

 

[Lutz]

Hi - We bought a new caravan 2 months ago from a dealership who had a computer programme which showed us if our 'unit' (car & caravan) would be compatible. This is the safest and cheapest way of ensuring you will have no problems in towing. The dealership also issued us with a print-out (they retained a copy on their files) so we had it all up-front and in writing! This was done at no extra cost and, I believe, the salesperson told us that it was now necessary when selling caravans, new or second hand.

The sort of computer programme that you are referring to is only an indication of whether the outfit is theoretically suitable and legally OK and whether you are more or less likely to have problems towing if everything is set up as it should be. Of course, all computer calculations assume that loading distribution, noseweight, tyre pressures and so on are all correctly adjusted. Otherwise you can still expect problems despite a good result on paper. Conversely, not every outfit that is rated unsuitable by the computer is automatically illegal or fraught with towing problems.

 

[Lutz]

Perhaps I am understanding you wrong but if the fully loaded van is 50kg heavier than the kerbweight of the car then you must be over 100% and not the 88-90% that you state.

 

[Lutz]

Perhaps I am understanding you wrong but if the fully loaded van is 50kg heavier than the kerbweight of the car then you must be over 100% and not the 88-90% that you state.

OK, after posting the message I see what you are getting at. Although the outfit could be over 100% you are actually only using 88-90% of that because you're not putting the full 250kg payload into the caravan.

Of course, if you had a light but powerful car it could well be up to the job despite the caravan being heavier than its kerbweight (assuming that you remain below the maximum permissible legal towload of the car).

 

[RichL812]

I have taken the van to a weighbridge, checked its weight and then weighed every ounce of stuff I put in it.

If I load it up to 100% of its max MTPLM then I go 50kg over max tow. I therefore only load it to 88-90% of the max tow weight and this allows me 150kg of payload.

 

[Lutz]

In your first response, Richard, you say you would be 50kg over kerbweight if you loaded the caravan up to its MTPLM. Now you say you would be 50kg over max. towload. Is it pure coincidence that both statements are correct? I somehow doubt it. In any case, the maximum permissible towload is the axle load of the caravan, not its MTPLM.