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Every Van that I've been to that has been purcheased off EBAY has been an absolute nightmare.

Caravaner's------- Stop Buying them...!

Quote: Originally posted by Dave101 on 12/9/2008

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Every Van that I've been to that has been purcheased off EBAY has been an absolute nightmare.

Caravaner's------- Stop Buying them...!

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your absolutelty right dave 101.i drove over 700 miles one weekend to look at ebay leak free no signs of damp caravans. not one of them was near as described.one did state slight leak thro back window when we got there the back panel and timber had completely disintegrated.i dont think it was safe to tow as suspension was down one side.there also seem to be a lot sold as younger than they are i saw an avondale 92/93 ish sold as a year 2000.

neil

I went to see a van from that was advertised in the Autotrader, he was a trader aswell!!, the seller said it was in perfect condition, no damp and clean throughout!

And it did look that way, the 3 nutrodol tubs puzzled me slightly but not knowing anything about caravans, I haggled on the price, as I did I walked to the back of the van which parked very close to the fence, and just shook the grab handle gently and it nearly came off and a slight trickle of water came out for a second or so..the whole corner metal just seemed to "slack",  I didn't even finish haggling and left, he shuggled his shoulders...

My mate also noticed sold auction stickers on the windows as well !!

Not as discribed is not just an eBay thing...its consumer law even on second hand items, but with some sellers it will mean a fight on your hands....

Although I wouldn't recommend taking your van to a dealer for a service, because of their high fee's, your time and costs involved with getting it their and back and your inability to watch the service being carried out.  I must admit that although you may pay a few quid more, buying from a dealer is recommended as you have a fall back if it turns out to be a lemon. 

If you have a rapport with your local Mobile Engineer, they will/may, for a small fee, carry out a pre-purchase check of the van that you wish to buy. 

A couple of years ago we saw a Buccaneer Elan on ebay for £1000, and went about 30 miles to view it. It was lovely, just as described (if not better than!) Anyway, we decided to buy it and the friendly ebayer even offered to deliver it free of charge! Cash on delivery, and when he brought it to our home he'd included aqua rolls, awnings (x2) and all kinds of extras that must have added up to a few hundred pounds...FREE! Even a portable colour telly! 

A very positive experience, and as yet another bonus, when we traded it in after 18 months we got more than we'd paid!

Visited a local dealer the weekend and most of the vans under £4000 had funny smells or signs of damp.

I would be gutted after spending that amount of money & finding damp areas.

Strange how we visited before & at least one caravan we had looked at did not smell previously. Is it best to buy a van on a warm sunny day after a few days of rain? Maybe its down to naughty sellers hiding the problems when trading in? I always mentioned that the rear wall on ours had leaked over the winter when asking for the P/Ex price.

Think we will be keeping our avondale grampian for a while longer.