Personally I would not buy a caravan with a known damp issue unless it was professionally repaired before I collected it. Damp is difficult to assess before the area is stripped out and can turn out far worse than first anticipated.
Thanks all. Going to look this afternoon as it's only 30 mins away and made it clear to the seller we won't commit to anything until its been inspected. Spoke to a local aws company who can come and inspect later in the week if we are interested to look at everything.
There's loads of paperwork to view showing the service history so going to have a good look through all that as well as around the caravan. Current owner said the next service is due soon and may need tyres but looking around at other similar caravans it's price is reflected in the need for this but depending on what else is found will dictate if its a good price overall or not.
Thanks
There's loads of paperwork to view showing the service history so going to have a good look through all that as well as around the caravan. Current owner said the next service is due soon and may need tyres but looking around at other similar caravans it's price is reflected in the need for this but depending on what else is found will dictate if its a good price overall or not.
Thanks
A good move having an AWS technician to go over it and advise on the likely cause and rectification of the damp area.
Perhaps ask the current owner to get the nearly due service done. In that way, you could make the damp report a sale condition, and it would save you from paying for a report. Even if you paid another hundred pounds if the sale went through. You would then have a freshly serviced van and a damp report. A win win situation.
John
Update. Been to look at it. Interior really nice, clean and in good condition. Bodywork in good condition except black front locker cover was cracked. All four corners underneath were soft (about 2" square) and you would be able to push your finger through. Good price £8.5k considering it came with about £1500 worth of stuff but we can't afford to buy it then resolve the floor issues. Shame really.
Dare I ask how soft and what area in each corner?
Was that soft from the top or underneath?
Did you see the FSH and damp reports!
Was the seller open to offers? Did he acknowledge the issues?
Sorry to ask but just curious.
You could push your fingers through easily. I did accidentally on one of the better corners. Soft from the outside in so underneath. You cant get to the inside above these areas so no idea if water had soaked through without srripping the interior. Front ish corner inside floor around water tank had 40 to 60% damp readings at last service in 2021 which he didnt disclose over phone. Seller claimed it was down to the internal water tank but he also said he never used it so not sure how something he never used can cause damp amd he has owned it since 2017 and wasnt on the previous service report. He did tell me about one corner being soft but they all were. He is aware of the issues but thinks its a good price and in no rush to sell. Although he hadn't used it for well over a year he said he would rather keep it and mend it rather than sell it cheap.
Replacing that front locker door will not be cheap. The Elddis locker door is a couple of hundred quid.
Mel
Moderator
Shame, but you are right to walk away. The amount of used caravan stock seems to be increasing rapidly. Keep looking, something will come up. A quick look on Caravanfinder shows quite a few 4 berth sub 10k.
good luck
mel
good luck
mel
It’s a brave man who has the sense to walk away ,well done !
clearly it’s been damp for over two years, not good. Plenty more on the market.
clearly it’s been damp for over two years, not good. Plenty more on the market.
Not easy to do as I loved it but I just don't have the finances or desire to take on major issues but I'm hopeful there will be a little more choice around once the summer (I say summer loosely) is out of the way and we are in no rush as don't intend using one much before Easter.
I think you are correct to leave this one. If the corners are soft enough to push your finger through - that's mighty soft and until the affected area is exposed, you really have no way of knowing the full horror story of what going on behind the waterproofing underneath and the vinyl on top.
Incomplete service history is also a big question mark.
Incomplete service history is also a big question mark.
If you not in any rush i would wait, there be plenty of caravans coming up and one might just suit your pocket and got great service history from new
Probabaly correct. In Autumn the trade drops off and many dealers are wanting to clear stock for next years new models as they need the space.
Excluding the VAT our almost 6 year old caravan is now worth more than it cost new. Similar applies to many other makes.
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