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Topic: Glad I own an older caravan

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VangoMan02

24/7/2014 at 9:40am
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We also looked at new caravans when I retired and in a position to buy new if we wanted.

After doing the showroom rounds and seeing what you get for your money and reading the issues a lot of folks have with new vans, we decided not to bother.

Our present caravan has all the things new vans have as Colin21 has said.

Its not always a case of newer is better and that is not to critisise those who buy new.

I just didn't want to spend money on something that didn't give me anything better than what I already have.

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JTQU

24/7/2014 at 10:08am
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S

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A benefit of buying an old caravan is that its damp ridden siblings will have fallen by the wayside with only the sounder ones surviving; not quite a foolproof situations but a sick one ought to be self evident to an interested buyer.
We buy the best technically built new vans we can find, sadly now German rather than UK, and keep them long term; so far another wise strategy.

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trog100

24/7/2014 at 10:41am
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older can be "better" than new.. given say a budget £10,000 to spend and choice of what to spend it on.. thinking small touring caravans what could i buy..

i could buy a brand new freedom caravan or i could buy a used eriba..

i actually own a 20 old avandale mayfly.. it has a solid one piece fibre glass roof.. fibre glass front and rear ends.. it cost me £940 a few months back.. chuck in a few bits like a motor mover and such and it probably stands me maybe closer to £2000 than the £940 i originally paid for it.. i wont add in the cost of my own titivating time partly because i have found it pleasurable.. but is my end result a good one.. i would say yes.. is it good value for money again i would say yes but some folks would tell me i have spent far too much dosh on a twenty year old caravan..

would i swap my old caravan for a new 10 grand freedom caravan.. yes but it would not be as nice a caravan.. would i swap it for a used eriba.. yes because even old eribas are a bit "posh"..

i like owning nice things.. to do so i have to make what money i do have to spare go as far as it can.. for some people "old" can never be nice for me it means the difference between owning nice things and not owning nice things..

that dosnt mean to say that if i had more money to spare i would not buy newer things.. or maybe even more not new nice things.. more things would need a bigger house so to change by way of living it would need a lot more money.. he he

i never really like selling things which means i accumulate things but where expensive items are concerned i cant afford to buy new and never have been able to.. :)

i live in a poorer area and the neighbours think i am loaded as it is.. i aint i just make what money i have go a long way.. he he..

when i was young sprog i arrived at two choices.. work harder and earn more money or make what money i have stretch as far as it can.. i think i made a choice a long time ago.. never buy new stuff if it can be avoided.. i cant avoid spending what spare money i have so i end up with loads of older stuff.. one problem i have now is i am running out of space to keep it all in.. he he..

trog

Rob Johns

24/7/2014 at 12:00pm
Location: Portsmouth
Outfit: 1991 Elddis Vogue SL

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There is another issue that is often overlooked and that is the MPTLM (Maximum Permissable Technical Load Mass) of newer caravans. Many new and upcoming vanners passed their driving test post 1997 and are therefore limited to 3500Kg combined maximum mass (car and van). So many newer vans are on the heavier side compared to older ones. My 1991 Elddis for instance is four berth with an MPTLM of only 975 Kg! There are very few new caravans with that kind of figure. It also means less restrictions on car mass (all keeping to the 3500Kg maximum limit).

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trog100

24/7/2014 at 2:24pm
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look at the license restrictions and basically anyone under the age of 35 or so and this situation grows worse year by year has towing problems.. my son forked out £700 quid for the towing license and he still cant tow or drive as much as i can..

come back in five years time and it will be anyone under 40 years of age.. soon after that only the middle aged will not be restricted.. this situation must affect UK caravan buying and usage..

i am not sure about the newer being heavier thing.. if it is its going the wrong way..

my (small) 20 year old two birth has a max loaded weight of 1100 kg.. it may be on the heavy side for what it is..

trog

lion123

24/7/2014 at 3:52pm
Location: pyle bridgend s. wales
Outfit: swift alpine sport

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Hi all, I would like to add that we are on our 4th van, all have been 2nd hand and closely inspected before purchasing, last week we had our caravan fitter out to do a few jobs and is comment on seeing the van was they dont make the new vans as good as these, and one of the reasons they went out of business is that the quality and finish of the end product was extremely good, the van he was talking about was a avondale riealto, also two of my friends bought new 18.000 pound vans and both have been back and foe the dealers for repair work to be carried out, so I suppose you pay your monie and take your choice.

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its easy enough to be pleasant when the world rolls along like a song.but a man is worth while if he can smile when every thing goes f------ wrong.

speedy29

24/7/2014 at 6:48pm
Location: Lancashire
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I'd love a newer caravan, but then look at cost Vs what I'll get, and it puts me off ATM. I have a 1995 Lunar Clubman 520/4 .... 1200kg fully laden, has blown air heating, rear washroom, sprung seating, etc etc, has one piece roof, front and rear panels and is dry as a bone. It stands me at about £1500 (Which isnt cheap for the year, but condition is so good) and to get any worthwhile 'upgrade' I need to spend 5000 upwards....so until it starts leaking in, or I come into money I reckon it will stay a bit longer! Saying that, I may be starting a job at a caravan dealers soon, so will be tempted daily :)

alan29

24/7/2014 at 7:33pm
Location: Wirral
Outfit: Swift Freestyle 520 on seasonal pitch

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We could have bought a new one too. But we wanted a side dinette, not a fixed bed, and we REALLY didn't want brown/beige upholstery with big patterns all over it matched to dark wood.
So we saved ourselves thousands and got the caravan layout and design that we actually wanted to spend our money on. More dosh for touring!
Win, win.

brianconwy

25/7/2014 at 11:10am
Location: north wales
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We have a dog so bought seat covers for our seating. Hundreds of styles to chose from and washes in the machine, coming outl like new. £300 well spent.

trog100

25/7/2014 at 11:47am
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not passing judgement in any way just reading the thread..

but the main defence for buying new ones seems to be i bought a new one and havnt had problems with it..

not much of a defence when people who have bought old ones can say the same thing.. ;)

new ones dont offer much that old ones dont offer.. i think in the end it comes down to money.. if you have it you spend it if you dont you cant.. if most of us had it most of us would spend it.. he he

if people do stop buying new vans the industry will suffer and the price of old ones will go up..

i have been looking at eriba tourers recently.. a twenty year old one in reasonable condition seems to command a price of close to £5000.. i like them but would not pay that much for one.. some people will though.. one has to wonder what makes an eriba special..

a small niche market product.. but who is the market.. me maybe if i had more money but i recon i am a niche market person who dosnt have enough money.. :)

trog

Post last edited on 25/07/2014 11:56:36

Post last edited on 25/07/2014 11:58:19

Colin21

25/7/2014 at 2:14pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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Just as a matter of interest, apart from their shiny newness, what do new caravans have that older ones don't? I'm thinking in terms of equipment and facilities, rather than financial advantages or disadvantages, depreciation, or the likelihood of problems. With regard to the latter, it seems just as many new-van owners have problems as older-van owners, just different ones.

There is a world of difference between my 1988 Elddis and my previous 1966 Musketeer that I had in the 70s, but there seems little difference between my 1988 Elddis and a new one. Am I missing something?

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Colin

freeatlast

25/7/2014 at 2:39pm
Location: Teesside
Outfit: Mitsubishi ASX4

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What do newer vans have?

Much better heater/water heater systems that can be left on all night as they are silent, and have modern programmable thermostat controls.

ATC

10 year water ingress warranty

Timber free construction.

Better quality wheels and tyres

Larger fridges

Better TV aerial

Microchipped in case of being stolen

Better internal layout, indeed one that was not available until recently.

Reasonable weight (1280kg fully loaded) and good hitch weight (58kg)

Gas locker placed close to wheels.

Our first new van was beset by damp problems from new. - A Stirling Europa. It lasted just 4 years before being scrapped. After the service and support we had I would never touch a Swift caravan again.

Since then we have had two Baileys and a Trigano caravan. Neither gave the slightest problem, indeed we kept the Trigano 5 years and not so much as a door hinge came loose.

Our new Bailey is fine. The only thing I could find wrong was a slightly loose catch that holds the main door open. Took 10 minutes to fix.

Depreciation? Our Trigano cost us about £1000 a year in depreciation.

trog100

25/7/2014 at 2:45pm
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the shiny newness and up to date styling is the main difference.. anything a new van might have that an old one hasnt can easily be fitted for not that much money..

apart from the "i have the money and fancied a new one" it would be very hard to justify buying new.. so far this thread hasnt managed it.. :)

having to pay for servicing and being worried about someone nicking them is also a downside.. i cant see many upsides.. expect whatever it is that owning nice new shiny things gives..

trog

ps.. i have just read the plus side list.. its not a very good one i could knock holes in it very easily..

my old van heating is very good and near silent.. it could certainly be left on all night..

ATC i am thinking of having fitted to my old van.. not all new vans have it its an extra in my book..

i could go on but wont..

issym

25/7/2014 at 2:46pm
Location: Cambridgeshire
Outfit: Outfitless!!!Vauxhal

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When we were younger with young children and money was tight we always bought second hand, which is all we could afford. We shopped at value supermarkets and clothed ourselves from charity shops. My husband worked long hours but was salaried so for extra money, on top of my day, job I worked evenings and week-ends. We never got ourselves in debt and it paid off. We can now afford a new caravan, and yes it's shiney, but why not? We also bought a new car to go with it.
We could choose our layout, colour scheme, extras. I didn't do it to show off, I did because I've worked d...d hard all my life and always made do!
We hope to get 20 years out of it, and we use it all year round. If I'd bought 2nd hand I'm guessing I would have to buy another to get me through the 20 years so together would have probably ended up paying more.
By the way, I now buy new clothes as well.

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Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.

trog100

25/7/2014 at 3:04pm
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"ATC"

its an extra can can be fitted to most older vans..

"10 year water ingress warranty"

that may cost more than its worth.. come back in ten years..

"Timber free construction."

timber is useful stuff.. maybe timber isnt such a bad thing.. my twenty year old timbers are okay.. and it holds my house roof up

"Better quality wheels and tyres"

i do not think that is true.. prettier maybe..

"Larger fridges"

who needs a larger fridge.. it means more weight and less space for other things..

"Better TV aerial"

errr i wont bother with that one..

"Microchipped in case of being stolen"

old ones dont get stolen.. they dont need the added complications of microchips.. when they fail you will wish you never had them..

"Better internal layout, indeed one that was not available until recently."

maybe but i dont see any real worthwhile changes..

"Reasonable weight (1280kg fully loaded) and good hitch weight (58kg)"

the general consensus seem to be the things are getting heavier.. ATC may make the 58 kg possible i think it does.. make the van less stable and add ATC to make up for it.. but it costs less than a motor mover and can be fitted to older vans

"Gas locker placed close to wheels."

good bad.. one or the other.. i like mine and the spare wheel i can get at in the front.. but it does fit in with the 58 kg hitch weight..

i could list the pros for owning an old one but i dont think i need to..

trog

VangoMan02

25/7/2014 at 4:15pm
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Quote: Originally posted by issym on 25/7/2014
When we were younger with young children and money was tight we always bought second hand, which is all we could afford. We shopped at value supermarkets and clothed ourselves from charity shops. My husband worked long hours but was salaried so for extra money, on top of my day, job I worked evenings and week-ends. We never got ourselves in debt and it paid off. We can now afford a new caravan, and yes it's shiney, but why not? We also bought a new car to go with it.
We could choose our layout, colour scheme, extras. I didn't do it to show off, I did because I've worked d...d hard all my life and always made do!
We hope to get 20 years out of it, and we use it all year round. If I'd bought 2nd hand I'm guessing I would have to buy another to get me through the 20 years so together would have probably ended up paying more.
By the way, I now buy new clothes as well.

So when its 15-20 years old you will be no doubt be agreeing with those who have had their van for that amount of time having bought new 15-20 years ago

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It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.

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