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Hey everyone, i guess this has been posted somewhere before but i would greatly appreciate anyones advice if possible.

Im looking to upgrade from a trailer tent to a caravan, i have approx £10k to spend max. Needs to be under 1300 kg to tow behind a Vauxhall Vectra estate 1.8 sri. Would like 5 berth, although 4 berth is possible (Bunk beds not really an option.)

My biggest problem so far is that there is so much out on the market, so many ages, makes, models and their price tags being so varible.

I've no idea which to look towards and what to stay well clear from, private or dealer?

Any responses are greatly appreciated,

Many thanks Jerds84

http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravans.html

and ebay is great for seeing the photo's of layouts to help narrow down the choice.

I found ebay really helpful in deciding what layout i wanted and then narrowing down the choice to ones which would work for us.

But do be warned buying a caravan is a very expensive habit to acquire lol.  We started off in a very cheap 30yo 2 berth to see if we liked caravanning then got a 17 year old 'van and this year bought a brand new 'van and almost new car...

Let us know how you get on

I would buy the newest you can, go straight for the comfort a modern van can offer, You could get a new Bailey Ranger 4 berth fixed bed under 1300kg mtplm or if youcould stretch a little bit more a five berth still under 1300kg.

You may even be able to get an ex demo for less, especially as they will want to clear out ready for the new Pegasus.

You would have 6 year warranty against water ingress too so you have peace of mind. Of course it would have to be serviced yearly but then if you bought a used van it ought to be.

Take a look here 

If you go to a caravan show chances are you will probably be carried away and end up spending far more than you intended (those shiny lights they put in the vans have a funny effect on people lol).

Also remember that if you buy from a dealer a long way from home and there are some teething problems which there are almost bound to be, you will need to take it back to them and it could mean a long trip ....or two, .....or three.

Good luck.