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 Topic: Friendly buying advice
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21/10/2017 at 3:53pm
Location: North Wales
Outfit: Vango Tigris 800XL
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I'm just beginning to realise how much of a minefield the "cheap end" second hand caravan market really is.
I have now viewed 11 vans priced between £450-£800 and each have been massively overpriced or just scrap, despite being sold as "solid, sound and damp free". Now, without wanting to sound big headed, I am a man of the world and have the sense to know what I'm looking for, and the confidence to walk away if something doesn't "sit right", but it occurs to me that people must be being duped, otherwise there wouldn't be so many "dodgy" vans out there! Let me tell you about last nights experience.....
My six year old daughter and I went to see a van last night about 40 miles from where we live. Traffic was good so we actually got to the address about fifteen minutes before we had arranged, rang the bell and the fella I spoke at the door didn't know anything about a caravan for sale - he said they didn't even own one!! ????
As my daughter and I were leaving a little "puzzled" - 5 burly Gentlemen pulled up outside the house in a van towing an overpriced wreck!
Shall we say things got "heated" when I asked the "boss" why he had arranged to meet where we did as he clearly didn't live there? I also told him straight away I wasn't interested, as the van was not as good condition as I was told it was. I'm sorry to say the language that flew at us when I said "no" was coarse and intimidating - (I pulled my daughter behind me at one point) - I'm really not happy she was exposed to it, (she asked in the car on the way home why the men were so angry) but glad when we got home with our cash. If we hadn't have got there early - the van would have been parked up outside the house, the blue van would have been parked round the corner, and any "come back" would have been directed at the poor sod in the house who knew nothing about any of it!
I hope noone else is currently having the bad experiences I am, but can I please offer some friendly advice and urge people to look out for tell tale sign's
1) If the van is local, drive past BEFORE you have arranged to view it - is it even there?
2) When you arrive check for damp (buy a damp meter)
3) Check underneath the van with a torch
4) Check the tyre side walls - are they old and perished - will they even get you home safely???
5) keep an eye out for signs of "fresh silicone" or a
vinegary smell (you see tubes of it in the
background of caravan pictures on ebay all the time! 
6)Watch for sellers "standing in the way" while you
look around a van - often they are hiding what they
don't want you to see!
7) Open closed curtains - they are probably closed for
a reason!
8)(Sorry to say) Don't believe a word you are told -
check for your self to be sure
9) (Thanks to Tidburyboy for this one) When you
phone up about a caravan say something like "Im
just enquiring about the caravan" if they ask
"which one?" you know they are dealers!
10) If something doesn't "feel right" don't be afraid to walk away - tell them you are looking at another van later that day and you will be back in touch - run for the hills! 
Sorry if I have offended any genuine sellers, but I'm 11 vans down so far and I still haven't managed to meet any of you yet! 
Post last edited on 21/10/2017 16:08:49
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22/10/2017 at 12:44pm
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Sterckeman Alize Concept CP480
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Not a dissimilar experience ...
Having seen a brand new version of a caravan, in France, and fallen for it ... nothing else we saw came close to the spec and look ...
When we returned home I spent weeks chasing up just about every notice of that model, or the previous year's ...
Eventually, found one in Germany ... six months old, in nearlv perfect condition ... but, crucially for us, £5K cheaper than a new model.
Having pored over photos and many e-mails, we decided to go over to have a look ... but, could not find a 'window' to do that until late November (it was October) ... and ... reasonably, the selling company (caravan hire and sales agency) would not guarantee that the van would not be sold ...
Taking the gamble, we booked an Easyjet flight to Hamburg and bus to Hannover. One week before flying it was still unsold and the vendor agreed to hold it for the week.
We saw the van ... it was in superb condition ... transpired that they bought new vans ... hired them for the summer hol period (4 months), then sold them as used.
What a bargain! We couldn't collect it till April ... they agreed to store it free till then, and do a couple of alterations (we wanted a Fiamma 45S awning and a fly-net door fitted, and movers) ... we paid a small deposit and the balance on collection.
And, we got to see a couple of Christmas Markets (Hannover and Hamburg) whilst we made our initial inspection.
In April we ferried over via Stranraer, Newcastle, Amsterdam ... had a two week trial hol ... finding a fault with the drawer fridge unit ... which a local Sterckeman Agency in France (15 miles from where we store the van) replaced under warranty.
Altogether a brilliant buy, which we are very happy with ... last year, two months in France, Spain and Portugal gave it a very sound testing, which it passed with flying colours ... this year two months in France, again a great experience ...
We have not regretted the change from the pre-loved Pennine Pullman 535.
However, like Opensauce ... the moral of the story is to set your budget and then keep searching till you find what fits ... be bloody minded! Worth it in the end.
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22/10/2017 at 6:29pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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I wonder if it has anything to do with area? When we bought our previous van I think it was about the 6th we viewed. It wasn't perfect, but at £500 we never thought it would be, but it did us well for 4 years, and we sold it last July for £550. The one we have now cost us £1100, and apart from the obvious styling differences with newer vans, you would think it was only a couple of years old! We have had one holiday with it so far at Kessingland, and we are very pleased. Can't find any damp, and everything works exactly as it should, even the motor-movers.
Good older vans are out there, and some dealers will do them as "trade sales" if you ask them, which is how we got our current one. They rarely put them on display though, so you do have to ask if they have any in. This dealer had nothing on display at under £7,000!
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Best Regards,
Colin
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