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Hello all :-) (please ignore my slighly embarrassing username which I dont think I can change)

We are tempted to take the plunge for our first caravan. We tent camp which we love (and I will be sad to stop using our beloved tent and kit we have invested in) but think we would go more often and come home less tired if we had a caravan. I find the light mornings, lack of toilet, cold/damp and all the packing exhausting with 2 small children.

So today I fell in love with this rather old caravan -Abi Yorkshire Rose 1999 for 3.5k at a dealership. I liked it because (1) It is immaculate iniside and has everything we need. The seller said even they find it odd, it is as if it has not been used, which is why they kept it to sell on rather than traded it. It reportedly came from an old couple who traded it for a new caravan and had it from new (2) It is very light. We only have a Citreon C4 Picasso 1.6 vtr semi auto which has a low towing specification and buying a new car is not an option right now (3) The layout is perfect for us. It feels surprisingly spacious for its size and has bunks. My girls (aged 3 and 6) squabble horribly when they have to share a bad (4) It is reasonably cheap although I know it is still quite a bit for its age and I could get something newer and cheaper buying direct though the reassurance of buying it serviced via a dealer is worth something given we are clueless, and it comes with the usual starter kit.

So on the topic of us being clueless, I would appreciate the wisdom of the forum on this caravan. Obviously you cannot see it, but I can tell you it looks like new inside and there is apparently no damp. They man had his damp tester out to demonstrate this. We realise that our home will be its last home, but we don't want to/can't spend much now

Thank you in advance :-)

Thank you black fox. I need to double check the car and be exact about it. I think it is only filled weight of 1100kg or perhaps a bit less, and thus under the recommended towing weight of the car. It really is quite small (the caravan), but just has a nice layout which is one of the reasons it tempts us. We will have to be very careful about not loading it up too much and putting heavier things in the car. I have been using the internet mainly. Is this how you would do a towing match?

Out of interest have you tried using the manual option on your car? We haven't. It looks complicated! But I wondered if it might help on a big hill for example.

With regard to price I have been in touch and said I think it is too much to see what they can do. Though I have found old adverts for the same caravan at similar prices, but some also a lot cheaper. But it is hard to compare because it is like new inside. Where did you buy yours? I am nervous of private sales, ebay etc due to not having the knowledge. And also have not found anything with this layout for this weight. All the small cheap caravans I have found are 2 birth. There are not any of this model for sale at the moment.

Thanks for the advice. Appreciate it :-)

Thank you Colin and Fredted. Colin it is in beautiful condition inside. It really looks like they didn't use it. You can tell the fittings are original due to their style so it has not been tarted up for sale. I do really like it, mainly due to the layout and condition.

We just need to sort out the Towing Match as this is a little touch and go. I am using the website you suggested fredted which is excellent. Just struggling to match because this old caravan is not listed so trying to find out the specifications.