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Hi

we are in the process of buying a new tow car, just about to sell the old car and will probably buy a mondeo or skoda Octavia. We are unsure on how much to spend on our first caravan. We have a few friends who have caravans and have given us different advice. One said to only spend a couple of thousand to see if we like it, and others say spend about £8000 to get a really nice van. To be honest our budget to spend on a van could be £7000 so should we spend all of it? Or are we better off getting a cheaper van? I wouldnt really want to change the van after one summer as I have been wanting one for a couple of years now. Of course we would like a nice caravan which we can use all year round, we are lucky to work term time so can go away in the school holidays and our kids, aged 13 & 10 will be holidaying with us for a few years yet. Any advice would be grateful, thanks!

Its up tp you, there may be some advertised in the local paper. You might get a van with all the bits included. Or try a dealer see what they can do for you.

Lots of info on here about what to look for! Good luck

We had this dilema last year, we spent £7k on the basis of we wanted something nice and thought that we were unlikly to loose anything/much should we have to resell if we didnt like it.

In all fairness, although it was our first van, we were keen campers and now were coming to 40 with two young kids we wanted a few mod cons so kind of knew there was no hope of not liking it!

The trouble with only paying a couple of thousand for a van is that it will probably need some work and may not have 'mod cons', if I were you and had £7k to spend on one, i probably would. TKMAXX is right, you might not lose much if you decide caravanning isn't for you and had to sell up. Have you been round some dealers to see what your money would buy. That will make your mind up either way.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Nicky

Forgot to say ness, we too were campers, husband was NOT keen on getting a caravan and the first couple of times away he missed it, then we had a horrible very, very wet 2 week holiday. The caravan was brilliant, if we had been in our tent we'd of been home within days. Not to mention, no more falling out while trying to pitch up, so much easier in a caravan. I for one am a complete convert and we got an awning for hubbies 'camping' experience.

nicky

We bought our 4 berth van in december 08 and got it for £4000 including awning and starter pack. All in I spent £5k on all the necessaries inc towbar, aqual rolls etc.

It's great and we intend to up grade to a 5 berth end of this year but have no regrets going down the cheaper route first. Would def recommend buying in Nov and Dec as the dealers give them away then!

I think that buying a van is not just a financial issue as I am sure will find as you look around.

On cost, the less you spend the more the risk of problems with the van (IMO). The older it is the cheaper. The more problems it has/damp the cheaper it is. From that it follows that you need to spend a good chunk of your budget. Shame to spoil the adventure by getting a van that is the bad experience rather than the caravanning.

Caravanning is a lot more enjoyable and safer if you have all of the trimmings in a nice comfy damp free heated van. So in addition to your van you would need to acquire a range of extras.

Essential (purely my own view)

Insurance; Fire Blanket and extinguisher; Chocks; Ramps; Water Hog; Waste Hog; Kettle; Toilet chemicals; Whale Pump;  Big foot steadies; Noseweight guage; 25m electric cable; 2 calor gas bottles; Wheel lock; Hitch Lock; Battery; Bucket; waste pipes 

Optional

Awning; awning carpet; Battery charger; Torque wrench; Water carrier; Aquasource mains supply pipe;  Tyre Inflator; Tyre guage; Rock Pegs; Motor Mover (£900); Winter wheels; Voltmeter; Digital tele and aerial; Vacuum Cleaner

Get the lot and you are up to a £3000ish level and bang goes your budget. Think about (my) essential list and consider what you can do without to have more to spend on the van. Spend all the budget on a van and have it wonky because you don't have ramps, and dry because you don't have running water is a bit of a bind.

So you need to see what extras you can get with a good van (as Dave suggested). Consider just what extras you would actually want from day one and cost that out. Shop around and you may get very lucky

When getting the new tow car take care to get something that can actually pull what you are thinking of buying. Check its kerb weight and work out what 85% of that is and that is the maximum MTPLM of the van you should be looking at.  Shame to get a car and then find it can't pull what you need. As you have two kids then it has to be a four berth at least. The heaviest Octavia appears to be the 1.9 TDI Estate (4x4) which can pull no more than 1373Kg. So, say, a Bailey Ranger GT60 500/5 which has an MTPLM of 1316

So you need to think about the max weight your car can tow, find out what vans have an MTPLM of 85% of the kerb weight of the car and then see if you can find the right layout at the right price to leave you some pennies left over for the extras. Many on the net offer water hogs etc.

Phil

If you want one to keep I'd say about £5000. If you are not absolutely sure you can get a nice van for £2000 and they don't all need work.

Whatever you do make sure its not damp. Buy from a reputable dealer or if you decide to buy private make sure you have a good damp meter

We bought our first van last year. We hadn't camped since we were teenagers but had spent the last 5 years renting statics for our holidays. We did spend two years considering all the options, many hours were spent looking at tents and motorhomes before finally deciding that a caravan was the way forward. I did look at vans for a couple of thousand but just felt that we needed the extras that come with a newer van. We eventually bought a 2005 Elddis Avante 556 from a dealer with a starter pack included. Including all the extra bits we have bought in the past year we have probably spent between £9000 and £10000 (I could check exactly but don't think I really want to know!). I have to say it has been the best thing we have done in years, we all love it, including DD age 12 and DS who is 10 and autistic. This year our expenditure should be much less. I'm looking at a topper for our bed but otherwise our holidays will only cost us site fees and petrol. It sounds like you have been considering buying a caravan for some time so I would defiantly recommend buying the best you can. As others have said you probably won't loose much valve if you decide to change / sell it after a year and you stand a much better chance of enjoying a van which has more mod cons.

All very sound advice above, all I would add is think what a normal holiday/s would cost you over a year and factor that into your sums too. Bottom line is that if you have a budget of £7k overall I would allow £5k for the van and £2k contingencies and you are not going to get much for under £5k anyway - well at least without the risk of some problems. But at £5k you can do well.

I would say go with a reputable dealer first time around and if you can buy an extended warranty period with them too, it's great for peace of mind and you have a come back if thngs go wrong unlike a private sale.

Good luck and enjoy it, I don't think you will look back

Hi

thanks so much for the advice, I hadnt realised just how much all the extras would cost, maybe I will have to reconsider the budget in order to have money to spend on extras if the van doesnt come with them. We too Benson Bunny have stayed in statics over the years and camped in our tent for nearly 3 years and have also looked at motorhomes and folding campers. Reason for not wanting a folding camper is similar to a tent we want to go away come rain or shine and wouldnt have anyway we could dry a folding camper. We have looked at a couple of dealers and have noticed that most caravans a few years old with a one owner are about £8000 upwards. I am very aware of buying private could be a problem as we know nothing about caravans but luckily have friends who may be able to help. A reputable dealer is not that far away who has been in business for many years so would be inclined to buy from them. I am aware of the 85% rule only due to reading threads on this website  so will look to getting a minimum of 2 litre diesel mondeo or 2 litre octavia in order to pull a suitable caravan. thanks so much to you all!

Quote: Originally posted by NessP on 03/3/2010

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Hi

thanks so much for the advice, I hadnt realised just how much all the extras would cost, maybe I will have to reconsider the budget in order to have money to spend on extras if the van doesnt come with them. We too Benson Bunny have stayed in statics over the years and camped in our tent for nearly 3 years and have also looked at motorhomes and folding campers. Reason for not wanting a folding camper is similar to a tent we want to go away come rain or shine and wouldnt have anyway we could dry a folding camper. We have looked at a couple of dealers and have noticed that most caravans a few years old with a one owner are about £8000 upwards. I am very aware of buying private could be a problem as we know nothing about caravans but luckily have friends who may be able to help. A reputable dealer is not that far away who has been in business for many years so would be inclined to buy from them. I am aware of the 85% rule only due to reading threads on this website  so will look to getting a minimum of 2 litre diesel mondeo or 2 litre octavia in order to pull a suitable caravan. thanks so much to you all!

 

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We use an Octavia estate and it's a great tow car, if you have a good dealer near you for a van then that sounds excellent to me, it really helps in that first year while you are learning the ropes as it gives real peace of mind and often you can keep the extras down by getting a good starter pack from them.

My FIL (another vanner) said oh you need nowt extra when you have got the van, errm, it soon adds up!