Thanks for your additional comments. I'm sure I'll have loads of questions but I do know how helpful this site is and also people on camp sites. It might seem odd buying at end of season, but benefit of caravan over tent is the longer season (though was in tent at Easter this year and had 5 inches of snow!) and I want to get some experience as I do intend to go over to france next year (probably just southern brittany). Have towed a trailer for last few years (nightmare to reverse it though) and driven in France before. As for winter caravaninng, I assume if you go on a site with facilities, it's easy to manage without all the water connections so don't have to worry about them freezing.
Current questions: should I pay for alloy wheels so that an alko secure lock can be fitted? Should I have a motor mover fitted? Which of these is more important? Should i go for expensive Indoor or less expensive outdoor storage facility?
I wouldn't bother with alloy wheels personally. A mover is very handy but not exactly cheap.
Our storage is outside on a farm (cassoa gold), quite a few use a breathable cover for winter storage which you can pick up for about £100.
Mine over last winter was uncovered with no problems but with changing the van I'm thinking of getting a cover for extra protection.
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
Quote: Current questions: should I pay for alloy wheels so that an alko secure lock can be fitted? Should I have a motor mover fitted?
I wouldn't bother paying extra for alloys unless you really want them for cosmetic reasons- there are plenty of wheel clamps available for normal wheels. A mover is useful but not essential - it does make it a lot easier to manoeuvre onto your pitch, especially with a large van.
We bought a much newer van with lots of gizmos just before Christmas last year. When we had the instruction chat with the dealer before taking over we took a video of what he showed us. It was invaluable the first time we used the water, heating, cooker etc. Made us much more confident using it for the first time on our own 5 months later!