Help with buying a new caravan please

[Hilda_374371251]

Hi All

We are totally new to caravaning and are looking for our first caravan. We have between £10,000 & £15,000 to play with. As most of the time there will be only 2 o us travelling we are not sure of what model to go for. We would like a 4 berth as soemtimes we may take our grandson. The car we would use to tow is a New Jaguar XFS which mean we have to pull a light van. the kerb weight i think of the car is 1550 approx. We have looked at the Pageant Series 7 bordeax and burgandy and also the Senetor 6 indiana which would push us to the limit. We have been trailing round caravan showrooms and are totally confused as the salesmen tell you what they think you want to hear. Please can anyone help....We are apprehensive about a second hand caravan as we dont know what deffects to look for. Any help or advise would be appreciated.

 

[AnnM1]

Choosing a caravan layout is a very personal thing. One person's opinion doesn't always lie well with others. I know is it very frustrating going round dealerships but have you thought about attending a Caravan Show. They are held in several parts of the country, i.e. NEC (Birmingham), The Lawns (Hull), etc. They have all the new 2009 models on show and you can see them at your leisure. You may also pick up a bargain if you are prepared to make your decision on the day. It is great to pit one company against another to see just how much discount you can obtain.

If you have been checking this site regularly you will see that Avondale has been put into Administration. Hence, I would boycott that company until the dust finally settles.

Best wishes

Ann

 

[Hilda_374371251]

Choosing a caravan layout is a very personal thing. One person's opinion doesn't always lie well with others. I know is it very frustrating going round dealerships but have you thought about attending a Caravan Show. They are held in several parts of the country, i.e. NEC (Birmingham), The Lawns (Hull), etc. They have all the new 2009 models on show and you can see them at your leisure. You may also pick up a bargain if you are prepared to make your decision on the day. It is great to pit one company against another to see just how much discount you can obtain.

If you have been checking this site regularly you will see that Avondale has been put into Administration. Hence, I would boycott that company until the dust finally settles.

Best wishes

Ann

Thank you for your reply Ann. We live in Shropshire so we are close to the NEC...We were not sure whether to wait for the sho or whether we would get a good deal from now till October. I must admit when we first started look we did not think of a fixed bed but hubby thinks this is a priority. Some dealer have really knocked the Baileys range however other love them. re have also looked at German makes but they are too heavy for our car. Thanks again for your help...

 

[Hilda_374371251]

Choosing a caravan layout is a very personal thing. One person's opinion doesn't always lie well with others. I know is it very frustrating going round dealerships but have you thought about attending a Caravan Show. They are held in several parts of the country, i.e. NEC (Birmingham), The Lawns (Hull), etc. They have all the new 2009 models on show and you can see them at your leisure. You may also pick up a bargain if you are prepared to make your decision on the day. It is great to pit one company against another to see just how much discount you can obtain.

If you have been checking this site regularly you will see that Avondale has been put into Administration. Hence, I would boycott that company until the dust finally settles.

Best wishes

Ann

Thank you for your reply Ann. We live in Shropshire so we are close to the NEC...We were not sure whether to wait for the sho or whether we would get a good deal from now till October. I must admit when we first started look we did not think of a fixed bed but hubby thinks this is a priority. Some dealer have really knocked the Baileys range however other love them. re have also looked at German makes but they are too heavy for our car. Thanks again for your help...

 

[AnnM1]

Hi

If you are in no hurry to purchase your caravan it might be a good idea to have a look around your local dealers and ask if they are 'showing' at the NEC. We usually trade our caravans in at a show and we have always received some very good discounts, plus extras. Mind you, you have to barter (a great game!). Find out which of the caravan layouts you are particularly interested in and approach the dealership(s). Some might do a deal before the show but you are more likely to get a better buy if you can attend as they have a set number of 2009 models to dispose of to meet their quota.

I would also suggest that you make sure the dealership is not too far from home as you might just have to return to them for manufacturing problems. Servicing is not normally a problem but building up a relationship with 'your dealer' can be quite useful.

Best wishes

Ann

 

[Hilda_374371251]

Thanks for your advice Ann. I will go to the Caravan show. I am like a kid with a new toy I am badgering my husband to buy one now but hubby wants to wait until October's show. With regards to the Avondale I nearly went for an Avondale Osprey but the guy was far too pushy and we thought that we had not done enough research. It was then we found out from another dealer that Avondale were in trouble and he did say there may be someone buying them out. I really do like the Pageant

Series 7 range but I would like a fixed bed that does not have a poky little wet room. I though there may have been more replies but i guess people get fed up of newbies asking the same questions.....Once gain thank you so much for you reply.

 

[AnnM1]

No problem, Hilda. Any time.

Ann

 

[slh78]

Ann

I can see you are talking a lot about the 2009 models but we are kind of in the same position as Hilda and want to buy a new caravan sooner raher than later. Do the 2008 models decrease in value when the 2009 models come out and therefore are you able to get the 2008 models cheaper than currently priced? I have spoken to dealers about this but again, am not sure if they are just trying to get a sale. We are interested in the Bailey Ranger series as it's lightweight and affordable and has the 3 fixed bunk layout we are after. However, there new range comes out next week (already have a brochure) and am not sure whether the hang on or not???

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Shelley

 

[DeliDave]

you say the indiana would push you to the limit but with the ATC system this should not be too much of a problem.I think the warning light should be in the car not on the van a s if the grey plug develps a problem/comes loose you are in blissful ignorance but part from that its great.Add shockers and load carefully and you would be sound

We have one and love it

 

[Dustydog]

Dave

If you are referring to the ATC warning light , then it comes as a standard fix on the drawbar of the caravan.

I see your point that a dash board warning would be better . I think this is something you will have take up with Al-ko. Let us know what they say.

Cheers

Alan

 

[AnnM1]

On re-reading Hilda's I see that she may possibly be looking at buying a 08/second hand van. Thanks for pointing this out Shelley.

If you are considering buying a 08 model I would do this earlier, rather than later, as your choice may be severly certailed as you near the launch of the 09 models. Many dealerships are offering great deals on last years models so it would be best to look around.

As before, I would highly recommend that, if you purchase a 'van from a dealer, make sure that it is within reasonable travelling distance for home as you may have to take it back for warranty work. Servicing isn't normally a problem, but you need to be sure that the service engineer is an approved by the caravan manufacturing company (as opposed to the dealership).

Hope this helps.

Ann