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Subject Topic: What to buy?? Post Reply Post New Topic
10/9/2014 at 5:57pm
 Location: Leicester
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Hi currently we own a 72 campervan and have been using this to get us about. But now there isn't just myself and my partner. Our family has grew with having two children.

We will never part with our loved campervan but are now going to invest into a caravan that gives us a lot more room.

We are looking for a 2 birth caravan with a budget of just over a £1000. Now we love the 2 birth lunar clubmans but these don't come up for grabs very often.

As we are new to the caravaning scene could anyone give me any other recommendations that are to the standard of the lunars (we've found that the interior isn't as dated as others, and isn't ugly looking and isn't big) ideally a nice 2 birth would be ideal as our children are a young age atm.

Thanks!


10/9/2014 at 6:44pm
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If you are spending £1000 it will be the caravan in best condition regarding dry structure & so on, not a specific make. There is no best make of caravan in that price range, just the caravan you find that suits you that is in best condition. Your best bet for value would be a private sale off ebay or wherever rather than a dealer.

Whatever you buy budget for service on brakes & running gear & probably new tyres if those fitted are much over 5yrs old.

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Freeman on the land.


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11/9/2014 at 10:46am
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View trog100's Profile View Profile   Reply to trog100 Reply   Quote trog100 Quote  
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the bottom line is £1000 dosnt buy much of a caravan.. with some luck and experience you can find a good one in that price range but as has been said its not the make its the condition that matters..

an eriba tourer van is more likely to be in good condition whatever its age but you wont find one of those even vaguely close to your £1000 budget.. a twenty year old eriba will cost £6000 not £1000..

at a £1000 budget you have to search around or be very lucky to get good one.. forget the make its the condition that matters..

£600 buys a project maybe one that can be used but still needs work.. £1000 buys the same thing but in average condition probably still needing work.. £1500 will buy the same thing but a good example.. people that do own good old vans tend to want a little more money for them..

trog

Post last edited on 11/09/2014 10:56:13


11/9/2014 at 10:46am
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Hi Natalie, just been doing my daily look at caravans on gumtree and seen a lunar clubman newly listed in ripely for £600ish if that helps x


11/9/2014 at 12:02pm
 Location: Leicester
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Thanks bblondemoment. We have enquired about this but some people are viewing today and possibly sold. There are plenty of good vans with no damp out there for our budget.


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11/9/2014 at 2:26pm
 Location: sunny south east!
 Outfit: Coachman
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Are you sure you want a 2 berth with 4 of you?

Think it will be waiting game for right van as suggested, it will be one that is structurally sound with little or no damp rather than specific models.

Ebay, Preloved, Gumtree, free ads on sites like this, local shop adverts , local papers etc


11/9/2014 at 3:41pm
 Location: Coventry
 Outfit: ELDDIS WHIRLWIND CARAVAN
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i managed to get my Ellddis 2 berth for 900, but it still required new tyres, heating sorted and a few minor fixings, but was well worth it.  As for having two small children not sure where you would put them, think a 4 berth would be better for you as we are couple with 2 berth and it can be al little tight sometimes

enjoy looking - it took me 9 months to find the right buy



-------------
Live life to the full - you only live once!

Easter - Bournemouth-
May Hereford, Trippinkennet farm
May - phoenix nights, -
June -Santa Pod Raceway
July- unsure-
August - Sunshine Festival and somewhere nice for the week
Sept - blackpool
October - shell Island with tent


20/9/2014 at 7:49pm
 Location: Leicester
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Just thought id update you all... we managed to get a lunar clubman the one that was on gumtree that was mentioned by bblondemoment. We managed to get it at a great bargain of £500 with it only having one owner from new. We've since been away in it and it's perfect! plenty of room for us and our little family.

Can't wait to find great places to go away too.

She's being put into indoor storage for the winter. But will be coming out lots next year! =)

You obviously can bag a great bargain when you look!


20/9/2014 at 9:51pm
 Location: Teesside
 Outfit:  Mitsubishi ASX4
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How did the damp check go?


21/9/2014 at 8:24pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Don't worry about the £1,000 budget, we got our 4 berth Elddis for £500 off ebay. We have probably spent another £300 on it to make it our own, but it was money well spent, as we now have a nice little van that suits us just fine. Ok, so it's old, but we have had three holidays in it this year so far. We have not found any damp so far, but there are some signs that it may have had water ingress in one front corner at one time, but everything seems fine now.

Best time of year to buy is at the end of the season, just before Christmas. That's when we got ours.



-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


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22/9/2014 at 10:05am
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i think you need a bit of luck on your side to get a good van for £500 quid or months spent looking for one..

my own 20 year old two birth van cost £995 early this summer.. i have spent around another thousand on it so it now stands me closer to £2000 and much fiddle time..

motor mover.. new hitch damper.. alko shocks.. jacking points onboard water..all blinds fixed and working plus many other things to make it "mine".. i would never get my money back which means i am stuck with it now like it or not.. he he

i just started off wanting a cheap van i could use.. the rest just came naturally..

trog


22/9/2014 at 2:42pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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I don't think it's quite so much about luck, it's more likely time of year. Buy in the early summer, when everyone is looking, and you will pay a lot more for exactly the same thing, than if you had bought just before Christmas, when very few are looking. It's at the end of the season when there are bargains to be had. When it comes to things like caravans, motor-bikes and boats, it's a case of buy in the winter but sell in the spring.

I'm not sure that you ever get your money back with either caravans or boats. It's all about the pleasure you get from them while you have them. However, having said that, I think those who buy older cheap vans have a greater chance of getting most of their money back than those who buy new or up to 5 years old. You very rarely see caravans advertised at much less then £500, so if it's good enough to sell, it will likely sell at £500+, but if it's not good enough to sell then it will go for scrap value.

I too just wanted a cheap van I could use, and that's what I got. The most expensive thing I had to buy was new tyres. The markings on them seemed to suggest that they were the original 1988 ones!

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


23/9/2014 at 10:58am
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"had to buy is the key".. in my case it was a new hitch damper which the seller handed me back £60 quid for when i didnt fall for his "you have to brake gently" line.. he he

but then again to get my new purchase in and out of my garden without needing six helpers i "had" to buy a motor mover which technically could have cost me the same as what i paid for the van..

but unless desperate for space or cash i cant see much of a reason why anybody would sell a good condition caravan for £500 quid.. my thinking is simple.. a good condition caravan is worth more than £500 quid.. why sell something for less than what its worth..

this of course begs the question what is a good condition caravan really worth.. i recon more than £500 quid.. in todays world £500 quid dosnt buy much.. i just spent close to that that on a new set tyres for my tow truck..

trog



23/9/2014 at 7:01pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Trog, the thing is that something is only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for it. A lot of people wouldn't touch a caravan as old as ours, at any price. As far as we are concerned our caravan is just fine. I quite agree that £500 is not a lot of money, but then just before Christmas there aren't many caravan buyers about, and if someone wants to get rid quickly, they will sell for what they can get.

We were told that the reason our caravan was for sale was because it had been stored on the husband's employer's land, and he was changing his job. They had nowhere at home to store it, and couldn't afford storage charges. Now that may or may not have been true, but who cares? We got what we wanted, at a price we were prepared to pay, and the sellers got most of what they were asking. (£600)

Is it worth more than £500, or less? Why should we worry, it suits us. I am under no illusions, it is not perfect, but it is perfectly usable. If we get two or three years use of it then have to scrap it, it will still have been worth it. We have already had more than £500 worth of holidays with it, so now we can't lose.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


24/9/2014 at 9:28am
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one holiday could cost way more than £500 quid thats for sure..

but i think £600 quid vans in general are more rubbish than good.. to find a good one needs some knowledge some skill some time looking and some luck..

i buy "old" because i think i have the skill to find and fix problems some folks dont.. such folks are better off buying a van less than ten years old..

i ask my son how much a small caravan would cost me.. he said £600 at the bottom end but £1500 quid should buy you quite a nice one.. having done the searching and the buying i think his advice was good advice..

but from reading this place even spending £10,000 on a used van dosnt guaranty a damp free good one.. he he..

one joy with the £500 quid one as you say is that you havnt much to lose and its easy to get your monies worth out of it.. :)

my twenty year old van is now better than some much newer ones and i am now committed to keeping it or taking a financial (and time) loss if i tried to sell it.. its for sure nobody would pay me what i now think its worth..

having said that holiday wise i have already done about nearly 4000 miles worth of touring with it.. next year should be free.. he he

and i have at least stopped lusting after an eriba tourer so i recon chucking money at my current van is saving me money really.. a good twenty year old eriba would set me back at least £6000 he he..

trog

ps.. what i could and might spend next year.. maybe.. another £1000 to get rid of the good but "dated" curtains and upholstery and fit a complete new axle and brakes.. 600 for the upholstery and 400 for the axle.. he he.. would i be daft for doing this.. probably but maybe i am daft..








Post last edited on 24/09/2014 09:45:18


24/9/2014 at 2:08pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Nothing daft about it Trog. If you like the van and want to get the best out of it, why not spend money on it? I shudder to think what I spent on our old boat! I know I will never get back what I spent, and it hasn't increased the value of the boat one bit, but it made it much better for us while we were using it, so who cares?

With caravans, I am inclined to think that spending thousands on a 5-10 year old van is only worth it if you have plenty of money to spare. Either buy a new one with a good warranty, if you can afford it (we certainly can't) or buy a cheapie. From what I have read on here alone, I have learnt that some people who have spent thousands have ended up with a van far less usable than mine. Even if it is much newer than mine. Therefore my £500 van is actually "worth" much more than a £10,000 van with serious damp problems. At least I can use mine.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin



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