Hi everyone, great site you have here.
Please excuse my lack of knowledge, I'm looking to purchase my first caravan, a 1991 Swift Corniche 12/2 in great condition all round. Does anyone know these vans ?
The book that comes with it states a maximum load of 850kg so it's reasonably light. I have a 2001 Skoda Fabia 1.9tdi hatchback that i was considering using as the towcar, does anyone have any experience or advice regarding this outfit ?
Depends which model. The ambiente has a braked towing weight limit of 800kg so is not good. The comfort is 850kg. By the time you put your sandwiches in it will not be good either.
Whatever you buy please make sure the van is dry. So many stories of buying damp vans appear on here.
I got the info from "parkers". Double check your car handbook if you have one but it doesn't look good. Don't think you'd find a van much lighter so yes. Another car.
Are you sure about the weight of the Corniche? IIRR they were quite a heavy van for their time which make a max weight for one of 850kg more than a little low, I would have expected them to be more like 1100 or 1200kg. Is there a plate on the van that could tell you it's weight, there should be?
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013