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Hi Breadknife, Go to Halfords and buy a Haynes Caravan Manual. That will tell you what to look out for and how everything works.

Once you have red that, you will save yourself hundreds, if not thousands of pounds.

Hi,

Some good advice from the above. It is certainly worth taking your current car to a local weighbridge to see what it weighs and then this will allow you to calculate your 85% figure. Vehicles vary quite a lot so although you may find a figure on your V5 I would still take it and check. Most councils will have one at their larger refuse tips and my local one weighed it for free or charge £5 for a print out (for free they just tell you the figure).

The other advice I would give is find a good local independant caravan enginner and ask how much they would charge to inspect a van local to you if you find one. Our local chap charges around £50-£75 for a check and in hindsight we should have done this as we have since discovered a few issues with our van. Thankfully we brought from a dealer so it is still under warranty and they are going to do the repairs.

Expect to pay around £500+ extra for a 2nd hand van from a dealer, as opposed to a private sale, but then you will get between 6-12 months warranty. If the van is under 6 years old check the service history is fully up to date as you will need this to transfer the water ingress warranty (most manufacturers give you 6 years but best to check, the new baileys are 10 yrs).

Personally when we were in your shoes last year (i.e new to caravaning) we paid the extra and went to the dealer for peace of mind and the warranty cover. Also if you haggle you should get a starter kit included from a dealer which should include your water tanks, battery, electric cable, number plate and gas bottle, etc.

Best bet is to find the van at a dealer you like and then hunt around for similar ones in the area and compare prices. Then go back to the dealer and see if they will price match or included some extras.

Fixed beds are an individuals choice. I think they are ok if you are just a couple and don't take anyone away with you but we have kids so need the extra daytime space the sofa's give you.

Good luck with your hunt

Personally I would have a look at a dealer first. At least you can see what is available for your budget.

The name escapes me but there is one on the A127 near the M25 junction which normally carries a fairly wide stock or if you fancy a run out of Romford have a look at Countryside Caravans in Hatfield Peverel. ( No, I don't work for either but have always had good service from the latter. )

Fixed beds are great for 2 of you ( and that cut off bit is not a problem ) but you do lose living space if you have got 2 little ones rushing around on a wet afternoon.

As said above it is important to get the correct car/caravan match

DaveS1

What engine size is you Zafira and is it a diesel or petrol engine?

Practical matters here seven posts down. Hope it helps

Phil

I had exactly the same motor on a 54 plate and the maximum towing capacity is only 1200 kgs. so I think you will be limited to the weight of caravan you can tow. Also I found the Zafira rather useless especially on slight inclines although I have been told that the Zafira 1.9 diesel is far better. My old 1992 Coachman 2 berth was only 1,000 kgs, fully laden and it struggled with that to be quite honest. There's a reputation that Vauxhalls don't make very good towers compared to other rivals and this is the feedback I have had from many caravanners in the past 6 years. Anyway, I have provided a link so you can identify the vehicle, year of manufacture and the kerbweight etc. Hope this helps.

http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/vauxhall.htm

You could look at a bailey ranger 4 berth as the max weight on this is 1179kg. We brought ours last year due to similar towing issues with a vauxhall vectra. It has a front dinette that converts into a double and a single side dinette that converts into bunk beds. There is also a nice large rear washroom. Price wise you will be able to pick up a 2007 one for around £7500 private or a bit more from a dealer. We are considering selling ours in the next few months and a dealer has advised us to put in on ebay for £7699 with all the extras (awning, tyron bands, etc). We brought it as our first starter van and overall have been very pleased with it. If a seperate shower / bathroom isn't crictical then maybe look at some of the Swifts or Lunars as well as layouts very so much from make to make.

Age is a useful guide but the main thing is to have a damp meter and know how to use it as the biggest problem will be water ingress on older vans. Caught early this can be fixed. We checked ours fully when we purchased it but a recent service has now indicated two small areas of damp where panels join which is sadly not uncommon. Thankfully we have a warranty on ours so the work is all been done free of charge and once finished we can then sell it with confidence that it is "damp free"

Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 04/2/2012

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I had exactly the same motor on a 54 plate and the maximum towing capacity is only 1200 kgs. so I think you will be limited to the weight of caravan you can tow.

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Quote: Originally posted by breadknife71 on 04/2/2012

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Tango55 - we have a Petrol 1.8 58 plate

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