Newby - buy old or new?

[The Irish Photographer]

Hi guys, we are a family of 5 from Ireland. We are early 40s and kids and 8 and half, 3 and half and almost 2.
We have done a few yrs camping but now really want to get into the caravan world. We currently have about £12k max to spend.
We love the fixed bunks and our plan was to save for another 2 years and buy a good second hand 2025 Swift sprite major 6th exclusive. I flew over to the motorhome show last weekend to find that is discontinued for 2026 and replaced with the Challenger 590, which was also gorgeous.
Having never even towed or stayed a night in a caravan I felt completely out of my depth at the show. Watching and listening to everyone checking everything, Hitch, gas points, water points ect...I just though we are mad coming so up in the years with no experience.
Now I think we have decided to go for something maybe in the £10/12k range for maybe 4 years. We can save £25k during that time and come up in the years then with 4 or 5 yrs experience under our belt. I'm just wondering is this a smart move or what does everyone think as ye are all seasoned caravaners. We could be set for next season if we go older now, and might not feel so out of our depth. With the UK a much bigger market is there any go too UK and Northern Ireland website for 2nd hand vans, or what would you guys recommend for a family like our? We like the layout of the fixed bunks at the back, or even the triple bunk Elddis Explore 506 triple bunk. We do love the Swift but are open to any for the 4/5 years. And ideally something with the extras like all the gear, maybe motor mover and awning if we got lucky.
Would love to hear your views and advice as we are new and clueless to it all .
Tommy,Mary,Conall,Laura and Ollie 💚💚

 

[otherclive]

I think your idea has lots of merit, as buying new will loose you a lot if you have to sell. Also buying a reasonably modern pre owned caravan it should have had its “birthing” issues sorted out, plus you can buy lots of decent kit second hand. Going for an awning I’d recommend a larger porch which will be suitable for a family and can generally move to the next van. Good oreowned Isabella Magnums are the gold standard. Might be a good idea to buy from a dealership as you gain the benefit of Consumer Law in Ireland which will probably be different to UK law.

Good luck in your new hobby, I’m sure you will love it.

 

[birdman101]

Buying second hand always has the chance of buying problems,if you are not aware as what to look for, as you don’t want to finish up with a worthless caravan fit for scrap. If you are not fully confident worth paying a mobile caravan engineer to do a check for you before buying. From personal experience of buying caravans over the last 53 years I would steer clear of Elddis, We have bought all our caravans brand new but both Elddis suffered damp at 2 years old. Out of 11 brand new caravans we have bought ,8 have been Swift, and have had no major problems ,only a microwave replaced and a fridge module changed all done under warranty.

 

[The Irish Photographer]

Buying second hand always has the chance of buying problems,if you are not aware as what to look for, as you don’t want to finish up with a worthless caravan fit for scrap. If you are not fully confident worth paying a mobile caravan engineer to do a check for you before buying. From personal experience of buying caravans over the last 53 years I would steer clear of Elddis, We have bought all our caravans brand new but both Elddis suffered damp at 2 years old. Out of 11 brand new caravans we have bought ,8 have been Swift, and have had no major problems ,only a microwave replaced and a fridge module changed all done under warranty.

Thanks a mill, we would probably go with a dealer is going 2nd hand. And iv heard that about Elddis...we really want the Swift sprite major 6td. Just love the layout with the kids down the back 😁 thanks for the message 🙏🏻

 

[The Irish Photographer]

I think your idea has lots of merit, as buying new will loose you a lot if you have to sell. Also buying a reasonably modern pre owned caravan it should have had its “birthing” issues sorted out, plus you can buy lots of decent kit second hand. Going for an awning I’d recommend a larger porch which will be suitable for a family and can generally move to the next van. Good oreowned Isabella Magnums are the gold standard. Might be a good idea to buy from a dealership as you gain the benefit of Consumer Law in Ireland which will probably be different to UK law.

Good luck in your new hobby, I’m sure you will love it.

Thanks so much will take it all on board 💚

 

[ProfJohnL]

If you have any friends or family who caravan, nag their ears for advice, becasue they may understand your families needs better than us strangers. Ask them to come along to look at any caravan you think you might be interested in, their experienced eyes might spot something you would miss. I definitely suggest you have a pre purchase inspection carried out by an independent engineer - before you agree to purchase, not after, If there is anything that does not add up be prepared to walk away use your head not your heart.

Historically caravans almost always do need some warranty work at some time (even second hand ones) so do check your local consumer laws about way to protect your investment, such as using a credit card to pay for the deposit as this invokes the consumer credit act, and its worth checking the Consumer Rights that apply to you. I suggest using a dealer that is as close to you as possible to minimise the distance and time should you need to have any warranty repairs etc.

 

[CustardAvenger]

Hi Tommy, I would recommend a used caravan for starting out and testing the water. I caravanned for 5 years in a really old sub 750kg caravan before buying new, so I was able to get experience towing something small before jumping to a 'proper' modern caravan and decide if the move from camping was the right one.

I would also recommend finding a towing course or trailer instructor for practice. I had to pass the B+E test for my outfit prior to the 2021 government changes on post 1997 B licences, so was already well practiced and had instruction prior to the DVSA licence test.

My 2018 Sprite Major 4 SB owned since new, has only had minor warranty issues which were mostly cosmetic. After owning for a year, I had the ALKO Shock Absorbers installed which seemed to improve the way the caravan towed.

Another consideration for new caravans is warranty work; this is usually performed only by the supplying dealer, so the caravan will need to be taken back to them every time at your expense. NEC shows usually have dealers vying for business but they may be based hundreds of miles, and in your case, a ferry ride away.

 

[otherclive]

If you have any friends or family who caravan, nag their ears for advice, becasue they may understand your families needs better than us strangers. Ask them to come along to look at any caravan you think you might be interested in, their experienced eyes might spot something you would miss. I definitely suggest you have a pre purchase inspection carried out by an independent engineer - before you agree to purchase, not after, If there is anything that does not add up be prepared to walk away use your head not your heart.

Historically caravans almost always do need some warranty work at some time (even second hand ones) so do check your local consumer laws about way to protect your investment, such as using a credit card to pay for the deposit as this invokes the consumer credit act, and its worth checking the Consumer Rights that apply to you. I suggest using a dealer that is as close to you as possible to minimise the distance and time should you need to have any warranty repairs etc.

I believe the OP is in the Republic of Ireland so that country’s consumer rights laws, laws relating to credit cards, or finance loan company responsibility may not be the same as UK laws.

 

[Hutch]

Welcome Tommy and Family, I think the same as the others, go 2nd hand at first, you might find that the previous owner had the same idea and then part exchanged for a newer model. So you get a nice but older caravan.

As it will all be new to you and the family, with a brand new van you would be miffed if someone dented the van with a bike, or even rolled the aqua roll into the side, I have the T shirt for that. You will still be angry but you can put a patch over a dent.

Some dealers, over here at least, do starter packs, aqua rolls, waste master etc. I got a full sized awning, worth £700, turned out I didn't need it so could have got £500 off the van, and bought a large Porch Awning that would fit any largish van.

In the back of Practical Caravan, magazine, there is a page showing all the different layouts, so you can narrow down your search.
Look around the dealers if you can, I found out first "perfect" caravan after missing it several times as it was dirty and unwashed in a dealers, after the dealer washed it it was our first, loved caravan, good luck with your search.

 

[borderbilly]

Welcome Tommy and the gang, you will get great advice here, remember, there is no such thing as a silly question, as we all had to cut our teeth sometime. P.S. watch out for Fred.

 

[IanB1485]

I concur with custardavenger. A towing course is worth its weight in gold , the caravan and motorhome do run them, probably the caravan club as well. There are private companies as well .THO went on one when we got our/her caravan , having only towed boats before , she learn't so much and gained confidence in towing the 'big white box '.Also don't believe the seller of the van when they say its damp free, get it assessed independently , there are three mobile caravan engineers in NI who are members of the mobilecaravanengineegieers associaition (MCEA). Also when buying ask to see everything working and I mean everything When we bought our 'new to us' from an independant caravan. I was a complete novice when we bought ours and fortunately it was mainly OK. It did have a slight damp issue in the corner of the toilet , but resealing the awning rail-rear roof fixed it, other novices haven't been so lucky.

 

[otherclive]

Hi Tommy Autotrader is a good starting point for caravan sales. Caravan Finder and Caravansforsale too.