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magicaly

A long way for you to travel but if you were after something small like a 2004 2 berth Freedom, no frills but with all the fridge,cooker,hob,heater,toilet compartment etc, MRO 650kg, we just did a p/x with Forest of Dean Caravans and they have it on sale for £5,495ish and would probably give you some discount for non p/x, they did with us when we originally bought it.  We only had it a short while as I wanted just a bit larger,an Ariva, and as far as I am aware there was no damp in it as it is made of fibreglass.  Gave us discount on items we bought for the caravan as well.  Good luck in your search

Carol

We had a lucky escape a few weeks ago. I went to view an Avondale about an hours drive away which was advertised on E-bay as 100% damp free. Gave it a good going over and all seemed well. Handed over a deposit and returned the next night to collect. I got it home and decided to give it a further inspection. It was then I found a small damp patch above the door. Not a huge problem I thought, resigned myself to getting it repaired. However on checking behind the oven (difficult to get to) it was more so rotten than damp. I thought I had just wasted £3200 of our hard earned cash and was totally gutted.

So just as a last resort I phoned the seller to see if he would give me some cash back for the repair, I suggested £400 (a figure plucked from the air). He phoned me back about half an hour later and asked me to bring the van back and he would give me all my cash back, which I obviously did. I consider us to be very lucky not to be stuck with a worthless piece of rot and no cash. I think the fact that the buyer did not want negative feedback left for him on ebay is the reason we got our cash back. If it had been on autotrader or classifieds ad I would have not got a penny back.

We have now found a van which is great. So just be patient is my advice. Dont rush into a decision you may regret. And dont travel too far for a caravan. The thought of a wasted journey and day if not as expected could very well jade your judgement and lead to a bad decision. And always use a damp meter in every nook and cranny.

Can't see a problem, Karim? The man knew we had kids with us and how far we were travelling. I didn't even tell him I was also visiting my brother so as far as he was concerned I was just going for the van. I didn't bid. I asked how much he had it advertised for as it was advertised privately as well and he took it off ebay. I have seen 91 vans without damp too so it may be old to you but it was in our price range and when I ask someone if it has damp - I expect to be told the truth! We were paying a reasonable price, I'd understand if we were getting it dirt cheap.

He knew it had damp - no not damp - rot! It had been taped recently. It was also more abused than expected. Knobs missing off the fridge, gas rings not working, doors falling off. Oh, and don't get me started on the algae in the aquaroll and he was the one asking if I was going to stay in it that night. How the heck was we expected to drink out of it. I'd have expected dings and the odd scrape from use - par for the course but not what we ended up with. Sorry to have faith in human nature Karim, but I would say that he was totally prepared to "rip us off." and we may have been looking for a "cheap OLD van" but not all of us would expect to be told a pack of lies.

Yes, 'cos it looks lovely in the pics. I just hope someone views it first......

 lets all bid on it,then if anyone of us win, refuse to buy it as not as described

 that should sort him out,he will have to go thro e-bay dispute process and that can take weeks to sort out.

We found an awning the weekend on Ebay listed as SLIGHTLY faded......Should be red was BROWN....we did not buy!!!

We are considering going a bit higher in price now but we still may end up viewing a lemon.

Anyone in that neck of the woods, go and view it! Have a look on the right hand side by the window from top to bottom, behind the cushions and curtain. See what he's got to say for himself. Oh, and if anyone does go, have a look if he's put hinges on the cooker door or got the carver working. See if he is going to include the bits and bobs that he says he is. I'd love someone who really knows what they're doin to put him through his paces.

I will be very wary of people now, Karim. Next time we view a caravan, I think the poor people will be sick of us going over it.  It's a lot of money to part with so it will be thoroughly checked over. I don't mind the obvious marks from use but as long as we are getting what we pay for.  The trusty damp meter will be getting a working out......

Anyone know about any websites by the way??

Quote: Originally posted by Carolbay on 14/4/2009

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magicaly

A long way for you to travel but if you were after something small like a 2004 2 berth Freedom, no frills but with all the fridge,cooker,hob,heater,toilet compartment etc, MRO 650kg, we just did a p/x with Forest of Dean Caravans and they have it on sale for £5,495ish and would probably give you some discount for non p/x, they did with us when we originally bought it.  We only had it a short while as I wanted just a bit larger,an Ariva, and as far as I am aware there was no damp in it as it is made of fibreglass.  Gave us discount on items we bought for the caravan as well.  Good luck in your search

Carol

 

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Thanks for the info but I think we want something a bit larger. The Ariva is also top of my shopping list but finding them is like looking for the holy grail. There is one at Glossop Caravans thats in our budget but comments about them on this forum has made me nervous about buying from them.

Carol

Quote: Originally posted by Karim on 14/4/2009

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You will be lucky to find a '91 uk built 'van that aint a complete wreck, most of that age have gone to the scrappies.

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If a caravan is checked regularly for damp and looked after it will last many years. My own last caravan  was a 91 Swift Challenger and was free from damp and sold within a week.it was then 15 years old. An annual water ingress test is worth its weight in gold IMHO

Quote: Originally posted by Karim on 14/4/2009

No. There are many vans out there of this age and older which are not damp. If a van is well cared for and has an annual damp check, and any necessary repairs, re-sealing etc carried out when needed, there's no reason why they shouldn't last longer than that.