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We are thinking about getting out first caravan and wondered if we could have any advice as we don't know anyone with a caravan so we aren't sure where to start!

We will be towing with a 1.8 Citroen Picasso (petrol) and will need at least a 3 berth caravan, ideally more.  We have between £2500 and £3000 to spend and I wanted to know if this is possible?

Please give me as much advice for starting out as possible!!!

Thanks, Sam

 sam hi!!

 first thing to do is check the weights of your picasso,max towing weight and permitted weight!!

 usually found in manual (haynes etc.)

 you need to divide this weight to get the reccomended max towing weight (85% )

 so if your vehicle is 1700kgs,divide by 100,then mutiply by 85 = 1445kgs,this the max weight loaded weight of a van which is safe to tow by your car.

 this weight includes all equipment and clothes etc. which are needed.

 the caravan club site etc.does have a section to tell you what each items weight.

 gas bottles,awning,water bottles etc,which is the start of equipment.req.

 rest is general,cutlery ,pots ,pans all other useful items.(inc.other half)

 look for a van,that the max gross does not go above this limt,many 3/4 berths on sale.look around and check out layouts inside.

 anyone on this site will help you,if you need it,just holler out and we will help,only glad to.

 and before i forget,welcome aboard to you and yours,you will find us all a really friendly bunch,you will be hooked.!!!!

Have a look here to find out the weights.

The MTPLM (max loaded weight allowed) of the caravan must not be greater than the towing limit, and should not be more than the 85% of kerbweight figure.

Have a look here for tips on buying a secondhand caravan.

Take your time, look at plenty to get a feel of different layouts and prices.

 ok to buy either way,but remember buying private,you have not as much legal rights if something goes wrong.

 buying from a dealer does give you some safeguards,especially if you have a warranty even with asecondhand van.

 take your time and have a good look round,bearing in mind your budget and what you are looking for in interior layouts.

 you will know when you have found the right one ,it ticks all the boxes and feels right.

 there is an aweful lot of vans out there and many makes and quality.

 let us know what area you are in and we may be able to point you in the right direction with some reccommendations. 

Thanks for the advice.  I'm from sunny south Devon!  Any recommendations would be a great help, we will also need to store our van as we don't have enough room to park it, so if you also know of any storage places that would be a huge help.

Thanks again for being so helpful.

Re: buying privately or through a dealer.  I have just had a fantastic experience of buying privately and thought I'd share some of the tips:

1.  I would only buy from a family or caravan enthusiast.  That way you know the caravan has been looked after, hasn't been used as a full time home (during the recent floods) and also hasn't been lived in full time for any other purpose.

2.  Has the seller got all of the original instruction booklets.  Again, it's another way to tell how "much" the caravan has been looked after.

3.  Check the sink and the cooker, this is a sure fire way to see how well the caravan has been cared for.

4.  It's not a question of whether there IS damp, just a question of how much with the money you are planning to spend.  Our budget was £3000 and I just assumed that there was damp until a professional told me otherwise!

5.  The caravan we have just purchased (and picked up over the weekend) lived in the family driveway of the family we bought it from.  So I paid a deposit and then arranged for a mobile caravan technician to do a complete service on it while it was still in there driveway.  He gave a full detailed report on the gas, electrics and the damp situation.  Damp was found and a figure of £300-£400 was quoted to rectify the problem, so we agreed to complete the deal as was and then split the difference of the damp repairs.  So the caravan goes into a local dealer tomorrow for a second quote/opinion and they will then do the work on the van for me.

6.  I've just taken my wife over to look at it now and the seller has even placed a "good luck, happy times" card in there for us!  Absolutely fantastic people and the entire purchase from beginning to end has been a dream.

We are now looking forward to our first weekend away next week.  I went to quite a few dealers and realised that for £3000 they don't have very much on offer that appealed to me.  We were looking for a 5 birth, single axle van as our first.  Some of the junk I've seen at some sites beggers belief! 

Top tips:

1. Check the weight match many times between the caravan and the towcar!

2.  I am thinking of booking myself on one of the caravan club courses for towing (they look quite good for beginners).

3.  Go and see the caravan in situ - we drove over 160 miles to see this one, so be prepared to spend many a night on the internet and then taking day trips to check out the vans!

4.  Get a mobile technician to check the caravan out for you.  Ours did a full annual service all for the price of £90 inclusive of travel and costs.  A great price for peace of mind.

5.  Do a CRIS / HPI check to check for outstanding finance and any other hidden problems.

6.  Check the CRIS document number is the same as the number etched on the windows (make sure it is the same across all windows too).

Enjoy and post any other questions you have on here...we both cannot wait to get out next weekend, hope the weather stays like this!

Hi there, try ringing Marion at Holmans Wood, Chudleigh on    Tel: 01626 853785

as they have a storage compound.  You can have them tow it onto a pitch if you want a weekend on site or arrange collection if you want to take it off site etc.  Not cheap, £400 odd a year but massive trees on 3 sides and barriers on the other.

We are now seasonal on this site and love it.

Ali

Thanks for all the replies, you have been great.  I can't wait to get the van now!!!  Thanks again.

Sam