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No - older vans are not always prone to damp. Also some newer vans are damp.

You should be able to get a decent van for your £2k but you do need to be careful. You probably won't find many for this money at a dealers but you will anyway get more fore your money privately. However, you must check it fully for damp and will really need to use a damp meter.

Hi, we bought a swift 4 berth van, 1995 this year for 2K. It took us a long time to find a decent van but it has blown air heating, casette toilet, no damp, immaculate inside, usual marks outside and was complete with full awning, gas bottles, leads, water and waste containers, service history etc 

There are good deals out there to be found for your price (private sale) just be patient, do your homework, be prepared to travel  out of your area and don't be afraid to ask the seller lots of questions and check everything on the van. You will probably find vans cheaper this time of year also.

Good luck

I paid £450 for my little 41 year old 2 berth van and she is as dry as a bone.

I then spent about £200 on new foam for the seats and some lovely fabric to make seat covers and new curtains and I also bought 4 venitian blinds.

You just have to be a bit patient to find the right van at the right price, but it will be out there somewhere!

Quote: Originally posted by Margo + Jerry on 25/9/2010

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Thank you all do much for your replies so far. Very useful advise. I've got my eye on a couple on ebay at the moment which look nice. Oooh!! I'm getting really excited now!

Must remember to try and be patient. That's not really a quality I have

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Quote: Originally posted by jhsw on 25/9/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by Margo + Jerry on 25/9/2010

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Thank you all do much for your replies so far. Very useful advise. I've got my eye on a couple on ebay at the moment which look nice. Oooh!! I'm getting really excited now!

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Must remember to try and be patient. That's not really a quality I have

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Hi Margo + jerry, If you buy off ebay, see the van before you bid, as the pics of van can be better than the van when actualy seen, i have saw vans that look almost mint condition in the pics, and when viewed were nothing like the advert pics, pics must have been taken years before.Before you see van,ask owner for CRiS Number, and Chassis number, get thier name and address,Genuine caravaners will be only to happy to give you this information,(for check for stolen van, and so you can insure it if you wish), (Last thing you want is to buy van and try to insure it, then find out it is stolen, you lose the van and your hard earned cash).If all checks out,See the van and that every thing is working properly,lift covers,lids look every where in and around van,check fridge,cooker grill,lights,check tyres are good and not cracked, and most importantly take a damp meter with you,to check all the seams around windows, doors, cupoards,and under beds.hope this has not put you off,better safe than sorry, good luck in your search.

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You should also get lots of extras included if buying private sale.   Things like awnings, water hogs, wastemasters, EHU cables etc. etc. as these can be expensive to buy if you need to kit the van out yourself...easily around £1,000 if you buy new.

Also remember to check if there is a spare wheel included and what condition it's in.

Have you checked out the free adverts on this site to see if there is anything suitable in your price range?

Hello ! are there any damp meters that are accurate but cheap lol ! any recommendations ?

Happy caravan shopping Sarah. I'm getting giddy for you lol!