Hi - we've had to give up the ace ambassador as a bad job as the floor was rotten as well as the whole front end. So, we're looking at another caravan again today. It's an ABI Viceroy - unsure of year - possibly 92 - 95 -but it seems to be in fairly good condition apart from dark staining on the toilet/shower walls, under the shiny wall covering. Is this always a sign of damp or is it just normal from condensation and the like over the years?
I'm really nervous of buying another van and finding out I'll just have to scrap it. Once bitten and all that....
On a good note we're not just buying it as seen this time - we're going back later to see if everything works when it's hooked up. The guy seems honest but doesn't seem to know much about caravans so I'm anxious.
Why dont you buy a damp meter ? then you can test it for damp.My advice is DONT take anybody at their word its your money also,if some one has a van and seems to claim they dont know much about it then i would be a bit suspicious as it seems to me they do and hiding some thing.
AS far as the dark staining i would say its damp and the only way to be sure is a damp meter so buy one..
We're going to look at it at 2 o clock so I won't be able to get a damp meter by then. He has about half a dozen caravans that he's been using as bedrooms apparently. I dunno, this is all so stressful :D
Actually, I may be able to get one on the way from the builder's merchants. I hope it lets me know what's damp and what's not :-S
Try Tool Station if you have one near you. I bought one from there and i think it was about £18. If your so unsure would it not be best paying a qualified person to look over it. It'd give you piece of mind and if there are any minor problems you can use it as a bargaining tool.....
I got a damp meter but to be honest I didn't need it. Yesterday my husband looked at the front of the caravan and I looked at the back. He said it didn't look damp - only had a bit of peeling paper, which set my alarm bells ringing. Needless to say it was rotten.
Oh well, better than buying it and finding out after. We're really struggling to find a *&^%$£ caravan!
Theres plenty of good vans out there. i know it can be stressful.ive got a tee shirt which says I saw a 1000 vans before i bought this..and its true.Take your time, your in control of a sale not the punter.
We bought a cotswold windrush a couple of months ago, the woman selling it told us the water damaged by the skylight was caused by her leaving the skylight open and rain got in, I realised she had lied to us when I was cleaning the cupboards above the sink and found water in there, when I opened the skylight and felt around it I found no sealant down one side so had to seal it up, it cured the leak but I have a bigger job that I realised to repair the damage, at the time she seemed to know what she was talking about with the caravan, but then I was new to caravans.
I didn't expect to get a perfect caravan for £350 honesty would have been good.