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 Topic: Complete newbie - advice please!
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19/4/2011 at 9:26pm
Location: North Staffordshire
Outfit: Award Sunstar Nissan Terrano
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Hi Twinkly. I think you should be able to get a reasonable, but older, caravan with the sort of budget you're thinking of. But I would start from the other end. I'm sure there will be someone along soon with thoughts on your car and its suitability for towing. But, if you do want a permanent pitch, is that a major problem. You could always hire a big car or even a van with a towbar for the weekend to haul it to the site.
Personally, in your situation, I would start off by looking for sites using the search facility above. You'll probably need to look at their website to see if the do all-year or seasonal pitches (Many sites can only accept caravans for a limited length of time according to their licence. Some will store them for you over winter, others will expect you to move them.) Then there is the problem of vacancies. We considered a seasonal pitch on our favourite site and were told there was a waiting list of 12 people before us. So, unless you drop lucky, finding a seasonal site may be tricky. What you really need to know is the cost, which I have seen as high as £1,000 a season on popular sites. So that makes quite a dent in your budget before you even start. Then if you do want to tow it with your car, you will need a towbar fitting. Usually not hard to do yourself if you are handy at that sort of thing. Have a scan on the Towequipe website and you will get an idea of the cost. You should also be able to have a look at the fitting instructions which should help you decide if DIY is practical. See HERE I don't know if this is your vehicle, so please check. The bar appears to cost in the region of £120 to 130.
Once you've done your sums, then have a think about your van. There are plenty around and you should be able to find a good 'un
Pete
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Have you hugged a greyhound today?
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19/4/2011 at 9:38pm
Location: Lanarkshire
Outfit: Compass Lynx 340 2
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Hi Twinkly, First thing you should do, is go look at as many vans as you can, 4 or 5 berth, See the layouts that would best suit you needs,make a list of the vans that do, (make/model/year) size of beds for children (they grow fast) here is a van i looked at 4 , 5berth ABI Marauder1984 £1950, 7th pic down under window is a bunk bed, mabe this type of van would suit you, that was from small dealer. hope this helps you in your search.
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If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
John
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19/4/2011 at 11:43pm
Location: Lanarkshire
Outfit: Compass Lynx 340 2
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Hi Twinkly, First,your car, 1,You will need to look the hand book and find its kerbside weight,and the max weight it can tow,EG: 1400kg, 2,Now the van you get for your weight of car should only weigh 85% of the weight of car, 3, Your car should have auidable relay fitted(when you indicate it will sound, legal requirment),If only one socket on car you need a 12S ffitted to charge van battery and run fridge while towing. 4, IF the van has got AL-CO tow hitch fitted, then you need an AL-CO tow ball fitted to car,( has longer neck to allow hitch to turn unabstructed), 5,Cassette toiled featured( look at the pics i posted 2nd row down L/hand pic, some vans only have a toilet area,with no toilet (you would need a porta loo if you required a toilet), 6,Yes Double/single axle, weight and length,
The Max weight of caravan can be found on a plate next to the van door, At the top of this site there is a feature and tips button,that will give you all kinds of information, from buying a used van to your final checks before towing, and all the legal stuff as well. I hope this has helped.
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If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
John
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20/4/2011 at 9:03am
Location: Keswick
Outfit: Bailey
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Sounds like your starting point is to convince your OH. Best to take him round quite a few showrooms, with the kids, and before long he will feel obliged by both you and the kids to take the lead. Let him......
Xsara Picasso 2.0 diesel SX Hdi has a kerb weight of 1375Kg (according to one site I have looked at on the net) so that a good match would be a van with an MTPLM of 1168Kg. With two kids I would think that you may struggle to find the right kind of van at that weight. So, you may have to look for a more suitable tow car as well.
Buying a caravan is about compromise. They are small, not as robustly built as houses, have many differing designs etc. When you look around you will soon realise that there are some things about vans you don't like, but are happy to live with, and other things you just can't live with. Decide on the kind of layout that would suit you and your family best and, as someone has already mentioned, remember that kids grow.
Are you happy to use site facilities e.g showers, or would you prefer to use your own. If the latter you probably need an end washroom with separate shower and sink.
Do you want to make all the beds up on a night and need to tidy them away before breakfast? If not then maybe a fixed bed for the grown ups and separate bunks or benches for the kids.
Would a dinette style van suit for meal times? Dinettes often convert to bunks
Do you and hubby want a separate room? If so, then a van with a divider between front and back
Will the kids want to take bikes on holiday? If so then maybe a van with a huge payload (i.e the gear you put in it when travelling) That's definately a bigger car.
They all have cassette toilets...someone will have to empty that every day...maybe twice or more often a day!!! My wife says thats a mans job.
Anyway, once you have decided on the layout that would suit your family, then you need to look around at the different manufacturers to see who has the lightest MTPLM, for your car. That is on plate near the door.
It's at that stage that you may then realise that you need a bigger car. Then you need to consider the cost.
Then you will also need a whole raft of gear and just as an indicator of that potential cost here is a list of probable must haves.
| Caravan Storage |
£300.00 |
| Caravan Insurance |
£463.00 |
| Full Awning (new) |
£579.00 |
| Battery Charger (Halfords) |
£37.99 |
| Fire Blanket |
£22.99 |
| Fire Extinguisher |
£14.15 |
| Torque Wrench (Halfords) |
£49.99 |
| Extension Bar for torque wrench |
£8.29 |
| Socket for Torque wrench |
£16.39 |
| Chocks |
£2.59 |
| Kettle |
£11.95 |
| Toilet chemicals |
£14.99 |
| Y Tube for waste water outlet |
£3.56 |
| Whale Watermaster pump |
£45.95 |
| Bathroom Cleaner |
£5.89 |
| Big Foot steadies |
£9.99 |
| Driving Mirrors(Milenco) |
£43.51 |
| Levellers |
£19.65 |
| Tyre Inflator (Michelin) |
£44.99 |
| Noseweight guage (Milenco) |
£34.80 |
| Rock Pegs |
£23.00 |
| Corner steady support blocks |
£11.98 |
| Aquaroll |
£40.00 |
| Waste Hog |
£40.00 |
| 25m Extension cable (hook up) |
£25.00 |
| Calor gas x 2 |
£96.00 |
| Wheel lock |
£79.99 |
| Hitch lock |
£79.99 |
| 110amp battery |
£73.00 |
| Motor Mover |
£1,050 |
| Caravan Club |
£37.00 |
| Bucket |
£2.00 |
| Watering Can |
£3.98 |
| Table and two chairs |
£120.89 |
| Green Flag |
£62.00 |
| Annual caravan service |
£186.52 |
| TOTAL |
£3,661.02 |
Buy second hand and you can drop lucky and find someone who is selling up and most of the above could be included in the price.
Don't go into this determined to have a van at all costs. Keep your eyes and mind wide open. Its just an exercise to see if its feasible and keep the thought that it may not be. Enjoy the investigating experience.
Phil
Post last edited on 20/04/2011 09:19:16
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If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
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, as in pjh10 post, good luck.
