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Quote: Originally posted by Dave+Mave on 09/4/2010

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Shaz,the best thing you can do is buy from a good dealer.Ive just partex my 2004 Bailey which had got damp and they done a great job repairing it under warranty and sold it very quickly.Salop leisure in Shrewsbury can't fault ther service.

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Salop Leisure have been known to sell on damp vans

although after a year we are now happy vanners and will return to them

"So now we're back on the hunt and with a small budget something tells me its not gonna be easy!!"

Don't get downhearted....there will be a van out there just right for you. Just Enjoy the fun of looking

Phil

Hi Shaz , it's a shame you couldn't get the caravan cheap , but to think you might have paid £1500 for it , i think you had a lucky escape at that price .
Remember you don't always smell damp in a caravan , and sellers could have been airing it just before you turned up or sprayed some air freshener around .
Use a damp meter with probes that are needle sharp and remember that the probes have to penetrate the wallboard covering to read any damp in the wood beneath .
Pressing on wall board to feel if it's soft is another check , but some area's that haven't been damp for long will still feel firm .
One other tip , i always look at the sealant around the awning rails etc , see if it looks old / cracked , if it does you'll probably need to do a reseal at least . 
Good luck with your caravan search , and if buying off ebay go thro the caravan with a fine tooth comb , there are some good ones on there , but there is also a lot of rubbish .
Ask the seller what service history they have , when did they last change the tyres , you'll be surprised some never have their caravans serviced or their tyres changed . When was it last damp checked ? and do they have proof .

atb

Wizard

Thanks wizard would have been a good project for you!!! Looks very similar to the one on your website.

spent all day trawling every classified site and dealer in a 50 mile radius!! Would you reccomend a dealer or private buy for that amount of money?

You would probably get more for your money private , just check it carefully .

atb

Wizard

If you haven't parted with any money avoid it, but you now have some usefull knowledge of what to look for next time.

Good luck

Hi Mrshorsy

have a look at this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170468732367&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

nothing to do with me but we bought our rapide last year its identical and we love ours, now looking at the price vans are defo going for a higher price this year as we paid £820.00 for ours so buy now dont wait any longer, we looked at dealers and nearly every old model around the 1K plus mark had damp and were in real bad cont so i would go private

good luck in what you find

garry