Old Caravans?

[LMH]

Hi

A neighbour has decided to buy a two berth. Never had a van before and he's seen an Elddis two berth but it's about 18/20 years old. It's a private sale.

I don't know how much the asking price is etc but do Elddis vans suffer from damp any more than other vans etc? Is it worth a punt or not?

Lisa

 

[UKHunk]

All Caravans that age will have some sort of damp/wet problems,i guess it will be about 1988/1990 model expect to pay no more than a few hundred quid and of course its the safty issue ie tryes and braking system,im afraid to be honest a caravan that age i would only buy and use it as a shed at the bottom of the garden and Elddis vans are no better than any other,having said that there could be an eception to the rule where by it could become a good old classic..

 

[Aberdarian]

All Caravans that age will have some sort of damp/wet problems,i guess it will be about 1988/1990 model expect to pay no more than a few hundred quid and of course its the safty issue ie tryes and braking system,im afraid to be honest a caravan that age i would only buy and use it as a shed at the bottom of the garden and Elddis vans are no better than any other,having said that there could be an eception to the rule where by it could become a good old classic..

Well just had to reply to Eddies comments.My so called shed as you put it being 18/20 years old did the business this year by taking us down to Spain and back.It has no damp whatsoever and served us like a dream.From your comments I presume you have a newish caravan but quite a few people (i'm not in the minority I don't think)have older caravans either through preference or cannot afford the luxury of a new caravan.If I was you lmh tell your neighbour to have a good look at the van get it damp tested and take it from there.You see there are still excellent 'GOOD OLD CLASSICS' around.

 

[Jim_374473646]

I think that reply is a little harsh Eddie.

Caravan sites across the country have loads of vans of that age, unfortunately some of us cannot afford to spend

 

[LMH]

Hi

Thanks for the replies.

We went with one of our relations to view older vans a couple of years ago and some of them, even without doing a damp report etc were 100% no-no's.

I appreciate some older vans have been well looked after and well maintained. I've had coffee and cake with emmerson and his wife in their classic caravan and its immaculate.

Lisa

 

[Guest]

Dare I suggest there is a world of difference between a 'classic van' and an 'old van'. Although both could be of the same age the former will have been coddled and probably had more money than it is worth spent on it. As with old cars they can be addictive. However, an 'old van' could have had years of abuse and will usually not be economic as an investment. Even fixing the basics to ensure it is safe to live in, will cost money. I feel that once it has reached a certain age economic sense suggest it is time to break the bonds and move on to a younger model. I mean the van, not the wife.

 

[CameronBurns]

yes, believe it or not, there is a huge differance between an 'old van' and a 'classic van'. we are members of the Historic Caravan Club (HCC) and seeing those classic caravans on display reminds you that they are an entirely different ball game to old vans and new vans alike. they are all beautiful, all have interesting shapes and most are beautifully finished off inside. they are nothing like 'old vans' which usually are just dated caravans. classic caravans are usually pre 1960.

i think you should be ok with an elddis. i have a 1988 ABI Award dawnstar, and it's better than our new Swift Challenger. it's much more well built, it's not got damp, it's just as well equiped (except the microwave) and is much more cosier to be in. it also has a HUGE double bed too. i wouldn't ever part with the dawnstar, with 21 years worth of use, it's still ready to use and everything works first time, everytime, compared with the swift, which is riddled with faults.

it may depend on the exact year and model for the elddis in question. most family models suffer a bit of a battering, but two berths are usually well looked after and cared for.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Lisa

If your neighbour has never had a caravan before it makes sense for them to buy an older model for a modest outlay.

By doing this they can find out if caravanning is really for them and any mistakes that they may make will not affect the resale value of a newer caravan costing a huge wodge of cash.

Your neighbours should try to limit the amount of money that they spend to purchase a caravan which is 18/20 years old and the chances are that it will be damp.

They should use their noses, a damp caravan has a musty smell and they should beware of springy floors and soft wallboard which indicate that damp is present.

 

[Parksy]

I forgot to add that a caravan costing a couple of thousand pounds is as just as likely to be as damp as a caravan costing a couple of hundred pounds.

 

[forestgump]

elldis was a good van back then not like some later vans i would buy many old elldis just a good clean up and pass it on .they are the least off yhe old vans to worry about

 

[Jim_374473646]

Older vans are possibly more economic than new vans.

When you think about a new van costing

 

[forestgump]

un like a car its not governd by mot so price is up to the buyer .the trade works on about 10years or olde there is no guide price if the van is good and you want to pay that price its a done deal

if you dont walk away

 

[smiley]

We have a Swift Challenger 91. Bought it rising 5 years. Still have it. It's a 4 berth, end toilet, with coach seats.

We took our daughter for a few years and now our grandchildren. Ours isn't battered from the kids as we boot them outside to sleep and make sure they are careful when inside. It's now peeling in places on the walls, not sure how to cover these thought of the sticky paper you can buy.

I have seen the new vans but, they seem to be all cupbaords, I like some of the changes, but our van is sound and not cost a lot in upkeep. We ought to love it a little now it's a bit OLD and long in the tooth. But I hear at lot of people bemoaning there new vans and the problems they have.

 

[chillidave]

Hi OH and myself bought a 1991 2 berth Sprite with everything in ,awning, bottles etc for

 

[Guest]

I have no doubt that soime old caravans are doing a wonderful job, however my point is that in general a van will deteriorate with age and that the money required to get it back into conditon is more than it is realistically worth. Any van of 20 years age is most likely, but not always, to have had a fair number of owners and a fair number of additons/fixings etc in its life. These may, or may not have improved it. Buying a 20 year old van at say

 

[Jim_374473646]

But using the same principle, a

 

[ValA.]

Our first caravan was 17 years old when we bought it. We put in a couple of electric sockets (at about

 

[Guest]

Jim,

The depreciation on a 2009 model is known, however what about a 3 year old model? The the depreciation has already been built in, and will lose much much less over the next few years.

We can look at vans in categories. Those that are new, 3 -5 year old, 5-10 year old and 10+ year old and work out ourselves the relative value to each of us as a potential purchaser.

There is little chance you will buy a 10+ year old van from a dealer, it is likely to be a private sale. It is also likely to be sold 'as seen' so it is your responsibility to ensure all is well. You are not able to do a professional damp check and although your nose will give you a good idea, you cannot be certain that there are no 'skeletons' behind the panelling. If you find these out later then the value of the van drops to scrap. Also as mentioned already it is highly likely the equipment will,need replacing as repairs will not be possible. To get that done correctly will involve gas work and time and money.

I am not suggesting for a moment that anyone should jump in and lash out 10-15k on a new van, especially in these constricted times, but do your homework carefully. It just may be better to get a loan of

 

[DeliDave]

If it smells and feels OK and looks decent how can you go wrong?People spend 2k or 3k on a package holiday and its all written off when they get home.Spend 800 to a 1000 try it and scrap it and your still pounds in and no hassle about advertising it to get your money back.

 

[LMH]

If I spent

 

[Merve_5103671]

If I spent

 

[Gav]

ive just bought a 90 ish corvette, replace a couple of bits, and put a new carpet in. we're going away this w/end for the forst time, its cost me 800 quid. now i know its not going to last forever but if i get next year, as many w/ends as i like, in it then i reckon i will have saved loads and gone to exactly the places i want to!!!

my post in this section will explain how excited me and my 5yr old are to be going off caravanning!!

i think its more what you make it. just make sure the van is solid dry and safe and all the rest can be tarted up to make it your own.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all

while SL may well be right there are some sheds out there are some very good old vans as well, the old van we had before the m/home was a classic example a 1978 colchester that we bought for

 

[Parksy]

The first caravan that we bought ten years ago cost

 

[markemall]

All Caravans that age will have some sort of damp/wet problems,i guess it will be about 1988/1990 model expect to pay no more than a few hundred quid and of course its the safty issue ie tryes and braking system,im afraid to be honest a caravan that age i would only buy and use it as a shed at the bottom of the garden and Elddis vans are no better than any other,having said that there could be an eception to the rule where by it could become a good old classic..

what a load of old rubbish, when i first started caravanning i bought an old van, it cost me