Southsea 30 Y/O in need of Caravan help.

[themeatthief]

Hello guys.

So i am 30 with wife and a 6 month old baby boy, we have recently started wanting to go away at weekends and with the price of tents very high i have come to the decsion that i would like to get a caravan for holidays, Its my birthday on Wednesday so this is my present to myself.

So i have a ford mondeo and need to get a tow bar fitted this week
I have had boats in the past which i lived on for a while so i understand the basics however a little help would be useful.

Do i need to notify my insurance company that i am having a caravan?
What insurance is needed for the caravan?
I am looking for a cheap caravan as im not sure i love it yet so looking to spend abount £1000 so if anyone knows of anyone selling a caravan this week please let me know.

Any other bits of advice also very welcome.
Jordan

 

[Mel]

Hi Jordan. Welcome to the forum. For some insurance companies having a tow bar fitted counts as a "vehicle modification " and you should inform your insurance company to be on the safe side. You can get caravan insurance, there are lots of places that do it, including the two main clubs (Caravan club and Camping and Caravan Club). Prices and levels of cover vary so do compare the policy. It isn't a legal requirement to have caravan insurance. You might also want to look at Breakdown cover as many car breakdown cover policy will only rescue the van if the car is broken down but not if something happens to the van. Again have a look at what the clubs offer. You have a small budget, so you will be looking in the small ads and on gumtree etc for a van. Watch out for the dreaded damp. Lift up all the cushions and open all the lockers. Have a good prod and a sniff. Some people invest in a damp meter for testing.
Good luck
Mel

 

[themeatthief]

Thankyoyu very much Mel.

The other thougt i had was about the towing licence i have looked online and as i passed my test i can have a vechile with a 3500KG MAM with my car being 1200KG i think i can tow a caravan without any additional lisences.

Jordan

 

[Parksy]

Hi Jordan
Welcome to the forum ,our friendly members can offer a wealth of advice and if there are any specific points you're not sure about just ask.
It's a wise decision to limit your budget for your first tourer to see if the lifestyle suits you and your family.
Click Here for the Used Caravan Buyers guide, a browse through the various sections will help you to avoid the more common pitfalls.
If you are buying a caravan via an online auction website it's vital that you inspect it first, or perhaps engage the services of a mobile caravan engineer to give your prospective purchase the once over if the caravan is some distance from your home.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[saint-spoon]

Be careful with your driving license. Obviously you are limited with the weight that you can tow with the Mondeo but it doesn’t take much to push the weight up.

 

[Raywood]

Looking at your post I think you may have the weight of the car too low. I thought any Mondeo would be around 1500kg or more but a lot depends on the body style, engine and trim. It is generall recommended that you do not tow a caravan as a beginner weighing more than 85% of the cars weight and 1200kg would make this difficult. At 1500 there are a number that would be suitable so I would double check the weight. This includes 75kg for the driver, half a tank of fuel and the engine oil and water.
On older caravans damp can be a problem so you would need to have this checked with a damp meter along the corners, roof line and where the sides meet the floor and around the windows. If you do not want to do this use a mobile engineer.
You will find information on http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/choosing-a-vehicle/choosing-a-caravan that may help.

 

[saint-spoon]

Best be careful here RayW, If Jordan's license only alows up to 3,500 kg combined weight then the trailer is not allowed by law to be heavier than the unladen weight of the tow vehicle. I appreciate that the advice is 85% but that normall includes a bit for the driver and fuel etcetera, the law says unladen. I was looking at this earlier because it caught my eye that a trailer can not be longer than 7m which gave me a shock as mine is 7.4m (the 7m does not include the A-frame according to the government’s own site… phew).

 

[swpostie]

with the price of tents very high i have come to the decsion that i would like to get a caravan

:huh:

:huh: :huh:

:huh: :huh: :huh:

I paid £200 for my tent (new) and £9000 for my caravan (used)

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[saint-spoon]

ha ha yes you can pick up a pretty decent tent for nine grand :woohoo:

 

[Raywood]

Best be careful here RayW, If Jordan's license only alows up to 3,500 kg combined weight then the trailer is not allowed by law to be heavier than the unladen weight of the tow vehicle. I appreciate that the advice is 85% but that normall includes a bit for the driver and fuel etcetera, the law says unladen. I was looking at this earlier because it caught my eye that a trailer can not be longer than 7m which gave me a shock as mine is 7.4m (the 7m does not include the A-frame according to the government’s own site… phew).

I do appreciate what you are saying but felt he had his figures wrong and this is confirmed on this site
http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capacity.asp?make=Ford&model1=Mondeo
although some are not as heavy as I thought but most will not be basics so should be a bit heavier than the figures on the4 website.
I did refer to the CC site which covers the weight rules and if the OP sticks to something near the 85% figure he should be safe but if he has one of the lighter models then it might be difficult. The site also suggests suitable caravans which might help.
Agreed you can get the tent for 9 grand but you then need the cooker beds and everything else that comes with a caravan so a cheap caravan might just be the better option particularly when it is cold wet and windy.

 

[Hutch]

TMT, have you thought about a trailer tent, some have wind up roofs and showers, and with a small Meat Theif on board could be a happy option between tent and caravan. And can be easier to store.
Just a thought.

 

[brian_c]

Welcome to the Forum Jordan.
I hope all goes well with your search for a Caravan.
Best wishes Brian

 

[Dustydog]

A warm welcome to the forum Jordan .
Forget the tent jokes etc B)
Many of the old dogs on here did exactly what you are thinking of doing now.
I was 25 with kids when I bought my first caravan. Never looked back nor will you if you follow the good advice give on here eg Ray Wood and others.
Mel has explained what to look for regarding damp.
By now you will know the weight, MTPLM, that will suit your Mondeo.
Please don't hesitate to ask on here if you are unsure on any aspects of your new found family enjoyment.
Good luck

 

[LizziePope]

Hi Jordan and welcome to the Practical Caravan forum. Thanks for posting. It looks like you've received a warm welcome on here and some super advice. There's plenty more elsewhere on our website. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel where we've lots of videos, including our towing masterclass playlist which has information about outfit matching, loading your van and towing.

Welcome to caravanning and we hope you're on the road, having fun, soon.