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 Topic: Interested in getting a caravan
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04/2/2022 at 11:27pm
Location: Wantage Oxfordshire
Outfit: Nissan X-Trail + 2009 Lunar Zenith EB
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Dear All
I'm resurrecting an account I set up some time ago so would like to introduce myself to the forum.
My name is Chris, I am a 37 year old and single IT worker. In times past I was very much into camping. I was very much a "kitchen sink" camper and used to go camping with a car stuffed to the gunnels with tents, associated equipment including roof box! Things were very different back then. I used to go on holiday with groups of friends and would have some help getting everything unpacked and set up. Lets just say that in recent years, I have gone off camping. All my friends are married off with kids and I have taken to trips on my own (with parent's dog who I steal). The last time I attempted tent camping, I really didn't enjoy it. I had an eight hour journey from Oxford to Devon, then spent about two hours setting up all my kit only to discover half of it wasn't working properly. As I laid there on an uncomfortable air "bed" struggling to sleep, I thought "this isn't a holiday". The next morning I woke up freezing cold, switched my fan heater on, half hour later was sweltering as the rising sun hit my tent. When I finally got up around 8am, I decided I didn't want to spend another night in the tent and frantically got on my phone and started searching and ringing round and eventually found a static caravan which was available and so swiftly abandoned camp! I haven't been camping since, and reluctantly, I am going to sell my tent this year.
I've had many enjoyable static caravan holidays in recent years and have no intention of going back to camping. However I am soon likely to be in the position to purchase a touring caravan. Nothing new or flash, probably up to about 10k tops, ideally bit less. I plan to take full advantage of the new rules for drivers of my age. I have no driveway where I live and am looking to store a caravan on a site, perhaps in the Cotswolds. I like the idea of of having somewhere relatively close by where I can retreat to at weekends, or collect it and go further afield. I drive a 2012 Nissan X-Trail and from the VIN plate on my car, I have established that I can tow a MAM of 1350KG. I intend to take a towing course. I am looking for any caravan at this or below which has a fixed bed. I'm not fussy about make and model, as long as it's in nice nick and weatherproof. One thing I dislike about a lot of the caravans I've seen is the seating layout. Ideally, I'd like something with an L shaped layout like you get in statics. I hate having to turn my head to look at a TV.
Does anyone have any suggestions of makes and models I could look at in this price range which fit the above requirements? Also, is it possible to get a caravan inspected by someone from the Caravan Club or C&CC much like you might have a car RAC inspected? I'm rather new to all this and don't want to end up buying a lemon.
Many thanks.
Post last edited on 04/02/2022 23:31:30
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05/2/2022 at 1:57pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Good advice given above, but a few more points.
Max MAM, more commonly known as MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) on caravans, of only 1350Kg limits your choice quite considerably on newer (and generally heavier) vans. As a novice tower, the 85% 'rule' (it's NOT an enforceable RULE, only guidance, but good advice for a novice) suggest you should be looking at a van of not much more than 1150Kg MTPLM. You can largely ignore the MIRO (Mass in Running Order) weights published for any vans, firstly because no one uses it as the defining weight of what you can or cannot tow with any particular vehicle, and more often than not it seems to be inaccurate on brand new vans and likely to be way out on any older vans that have been modified/repaired in any way.
1150Kg is not a lot for a modern caravan of any size, and I doubt any 4 berth let alone a fixed bed one hits that figure, mine is considered a lightweight 4 berth (no fixed bed) and that's 1310Kg MTPLM! L shaped lounges are also a minority layout, but do exist, as to your relationship to the TV, that depends on the layout of the van and where the TV is placed. Circa £10k is looking a bit 'budget' at today's rapidly increasing new prices nudging towards £30k for quite modest vans, that high new price has a knock on effect of dragging s/h prices up too, my 2016 van is now worth around £1-£1.5k MORE than I paid for it 4 years ago, many others will tell you the same! You certainly can find vans to your budget, but maybe a bit older than you perhaps imagined.
Inspections are a worthwhile investment, there really are so many vans, I'd almost err on saying the majority, that have some issue that the novice could easily overlook, when I was looking at nearly new vans so few had ANY regular proper service/inspections done despite that being a requirement to keep the original manufacturers warranty in effect, as they get older maintenance/inspections tend be even less! Anything with damp, just walk away from, you never know how bad it is until partially stripped and the structure is exposed, and by that point you've already got a big bill, it only gets worse! Appliances like cookers, heaters and fridges are horribly expensive to repair and eye watering to replace, you really don't want to be the one picking up the bill, it'll be many times higher than for an equivalent product in your home! Then of course there is the safety aspect of gas and electrical items, as well as chassis, things like flexible gas hoses and tyres need routinely replacing every 5 years regardless of appearance, it's hidden material degradation that you are dealing with. If buying privately an inspection is essential, as there is no comeback on the vendor once the deal is done, it's 'Buyer Beware' and that's it. With a dealer, at least you have some protection in law and hopefully some additional warranty, but dealers can be totally unscrupulous and will let you find the faults hoping that you don't until their liability has passed! You really need to know all the problems before you buy.
Caravan Club (CAMC - Caravan and Motorhome Club) do inspections, as do many approved caravan engineers, more info here: https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/membership/member-offers/caravan-and-motorhome-inspectors/
As already suggested, Caravan Finder https://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan_search_results.html , is really good place to research your options, use the filters to fine tune what you want/need.
As to storage, there is a general shortage it seems, some areas are far worse than others, really worth sorting before buying van as you may find you have nowhere to keep once you have it. And you need to budget for the cost which can be steep, many hundreds of pounds! Both Clubs have storage yards on many of their sites, there are numerous private yards around including those under the CASSOA secure storage scheme https://www.cassoa.co.uk/ . You may find your caravan insurer gives a worthwhile discount if you use a rated secure storage yard, and/or imposes restrictions if less secure.
It's really worth taking the time to do your research on what you want or don't want, what's out there and how much you need to compromise on you ideal, and how the market lies with regard to budgets. It's quite hard work really, but the rewards are worth it when you get the right van and you can fully enjoy it in a relaxed way.
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via mobile 05/2/2022 at 8:50am
