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Subject Topic: Looking for caravan living advice :) Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonHopey8
26/10/2018 at 8:14am
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Hello all

We are a mid thirties recently married couple looking for caravan living advice:

Aiming to get a used caravan for next April to live in for the season, April-November (maybe december), thrn off on our travel adventures the rest of the year!! At the moment we are looking at twin axle, fixed bed options with a maximum budget of 7k, some good optiond out there it seems, At present we are looking mainly on ebay but are going to visit a local dealer at the weekend to check out designs etc. We also have 2 options for seasonal pitches locally which is good :)
In terms of skills i am a plumbing & heating engineer and my partner is a holistic therapist so im sure we could work something out with a campsite to get cheaper rent.

So would be great to hear back from anyone that has done this and any advice that can be shared, any heads up about potential pitfalls etc

We are very excited about a cheaper less rat race way of living :)))))))

Many thanks

Simon & Sami


PersonJoannaLesley
26/10/2018 at 8:41am
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I'm fairly sure that there have been threads on this topic here in the past. Have you done a search to see? I seem to remember that the main issues were around a "permanent" address for things like insurance etc. etc., but no doubt you have already thought of that.

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PersonHopey8
26/10/2018 at 8:53am
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Hi

Yeah i did a couple of searches but didnt get any hits! That was certainly one considerations, our friends have offered to use there address and they live locally. What type of insurance do you need?

Thanks for your reply


PersonHacksaw Bob
26/10/2018 at 10:22am
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You might find some suggestions in these threads?


Personblueexpo97
26/10/2018 at 10:30am
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Or maybe try some of these previous posts.

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XVI yes?

As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.


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PersonHopey8
26/10/2018 at 11:50am
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O wow. Thanks guys ill check those out


Personmarg6
26/10/2018 at 7:07pm
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I think the insurance part was referring to where are you going to give as your address for the likes of car insurance, driving licence banking etc

you also need to check if your driving licence will allow you to tow thw weight of caravan your wanting


Personromany girl
26/10/2018 at 8:34pm
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Whatever you buy get it properly checked out for any water ingress issues commonly referred to as 'Caravan Cancer'.this is where water and damp have got into the main body of the caravan causing potential rotting of the timber frame and delamination of the flooring panels in some cases, making them feel spongy to walk on.

It may be well worth the money to employ an approved workshop to do a full damp, roadworthy and habitation report before you part with any of your hard earned cash. Repairs can be very expensive, and its often cheaper to just walk away and find a more stable Caravan, no matter how much you like tge colours of the soft furnishings, Layout, or the persons sweet talk whos doing the deal.

There are a lot of threads on here regarding advice for first time buyers, well worth a read before you finally decide if this is going to be the right choice for you.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

Julia

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Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife

Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!


Personiank01
27/10/2018 at 9:41am
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Your biggest issue on a twin axle at £7k will be getting one that is damp free. If a caravan has damp there may be mould and mould spores can affect your respiratory system. Buying one from a dealer will get you less for your money however you are then covered by the Consumer Rights Act. Buying privately can be good but a minefield. If buying privately it may be wise to get an AWS technician to do a damp test before handing over £7k.
Also remember that if any issues are found the caravan may need to go into a dealership and then where will you stay? Winter can be quite harsh as you will need to collect water every day hoping that the taps have not frozen up. Car insurance may be an issue but biggest hurdle is getting insurance for the caravan as that is vital. The insurance companies do not like to insure caravans if people are using them permanently!


PersonHopey8
27/10/2018 at 10:30am
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Thank you for your advice julia really apprecite it and your good wishes :)

We will certainly be cery wary of damp, being in the building trade im all too aware of the damage it can do. We wont be buying any caravan without a habitation certificate which checks everything im told! EBay etc has been good for us to get an idea of price and design but if we can get one through a dealer then that would be ideal. For us its all about the life style change, but we realise we have to have sensible heads on too :)

Ian, again thank you for the advice! We plan to be away for at least 4 months of the year doing volunteer projects so the winter months shouldnt be a worry, also im pretty experienced with pipes freezing haha!!
Insurance is a pain no matter what we do but im sure we will find a solution!

Many thanks guys :)


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Personiank01
27/10/2018 at 10:39am
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Quote: Originally posted by Hopey8 on 27/10/2018
Thank you for your advice julia really apprecite it and your good wishes :)

We will certainly be cery wary of damp, being in the building trade im all too aware of the damage it can do. We wont be buying any caravan without a habitation certificate which checks everything im told! EBay etc has been good for us to get an idea of price and design but if we can get one through a dealer then that would be ideal. For us its all about the life style change, but we realise we have to have sensible heads on too :)

Ian, again thank you for the advice! We plan to be away for at least 4 months of the year doing volunteer projects so the winter months shouldnt be a worry, also im pretty experienced with pipes freezing haha!!
Insurance is a pain no matter what we do but im sure we will find a solution!

Many thanks guys :)


We lived permanently in our caravan for 21/2 years so hopefully know all the pitfalls. Having said that it was the best time of our lives and we really enjoyed. Sadly due to ill health we had to move back under tile and mortar.


Personmike1958
25/10/2020 at 12:40pm
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OK just to pitch in here with my 2 cents

I was going to buy a caravan to live in fulltime but after some research I decided that wasnt really viable

Yes they look nice and all but the problems are just to much to deal with and Im not prepared to gamble the 10 grand or so I was willing to pay

The main concern was condensation and mold issues

My original idea was to buy a van and renovate it into a campervan Ive now decided to stick with theat idea at least I can start from scratch and and build it how I want

Not getting a sprinter type vehicle Im after a Luton box van



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