New guy advice please

[geezerdave]

Hi
I am considering purchasing a caravan this year for a family of four (Me + wife and 2 young children) and am looking for some advice on where to purchase a caravan from. Is it best to go to a dealer or is private ok. Would be looking to spend approx £6000.
Also i currently drive a 2.0 Petrol Mazda 6 Saloon 2005 year, is this a suitable vehicle for towing i have read mixed reviews on the web.
Any advice on the above would be much appreciated

 

[forestgump]

where are you have a look at adria altea venture caravans are good at daventry but depends wear you are.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Dave
Welcome to the Practical Caravan forum.
The main difference between buying from a dealer or from buying privately is that with the dealer you have some protection under the sale of goods act if the caravan turns out to be not as advertised or not of merchantable quality.
You might be better to ask about the Mazda in the Towcars section of the forum where it will be seen by more of our members.

For the caravan you need to first of all find out what weight your towing vehicle and drivers licence will allow you to safely and legally tow and then look around dealers forecourts for suitable layouts within your budget.
Ask in the various sections of the forum where you will receive more replies from experienced caravanners.

 

[mucky pup]

Hi geezerdave
To buy from a dealer gives a lot more protection if things go bad however buying a van on the private market will normaly include a lot of the equipment you will require such as water, waste containers, awning, hook up lead ect. If you decide to go down the private road take someone with you who knows what to look for or get a mobile servicing person to look at it first.
Secondly i have a Mazda 6, 2.2 deisal 2009 that i used as my towcar and am not impressed with it, i tow a luna clubman at 1320kg and while the car has loads of power i never felt at ease while towing. The fuel consumption while towing is around 30mpg and i always felt the van was driving the car. I have towed with several cars and the Mazda is the worst i have used, hence i have now brought a Kia Sorento just for towing.
Hope this helps and good luck with your search.

 

[waffler]

I bought my first van in 2003 for £6250 from a dealer. 10 months later traded it in for a new one. On handover the van was declared suitable for spares only- the entire back was rotten. Cost me £3000 on trade in. The original dealer refused to acknowledge a problem went to the dealer i had traded it to bought it back and sold it again for £4500 without doing anything to it. I took him to county court and he paid on the steps but someone else had bought it. (I know this because he had to submit papers to court.) My message is only buy from a dealer who sells new vans or one who has a good reputation locally.

 

[loadsadogs]

Hi Geezerdave!

Wherever you decide to buy your caravan from, check it is registered with CRiS (just google CRiS for loads of info). It's the nearest thing you can get to to knowing your caravan is not stolen.

We've just had a nearly-new caravan stolen and it's out there somewhere, possibly on sale for £6000!

Unfortunately for us, the dealer we bought from didn't register our 'van with CRiS, and the omission wasn't spotted until we reported our loss to the police and insurers. At that point we had to hurriedly organise the paperwork so that we could be added to the 'stolen' list. It's not a legal requirement, but I would feel more comfortable buying a 'van that was registered.

Best of luck - and lots of fun - choosing your new caravan!

Jenny

 

[Beachball]

Hi Dave Welcome to the practical caravan forum some years a go i brought a ex company car a Mazda 6 1.8 5 door petrol engine it had done some miles but what a car for towing we had a sprite alpine 4 berth and you did not know it was there this car came with cruise . We always use a dealer because me been disabled the van has to meet my requirements we got done private but the choice is up to you . look forward to your posts in the future .........

 

[grambo62]

Hi, we were in the same boat, what we did is go with an open mind looking a caravans in our area and decided that room was the most important aspect (other than correct wieght for car etc.). We finally decided that one where you converted one set of seats into bunks (our boys love this) and then use the sofas as two seperate beds ( not a double bed, so we would not disturb people in the night). A frend of ours has a L shaped main sofa and they say it can be quite dificult to set up at night.