Please help me find the right caravan
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if you are sticking with your existing towcar then you will probably find a better choice in the older vans as they are significantly lighter.
The issue we had with the Bailey was that the side bunk was too small within a year of buying it but my children were much older and grew quicker than I expected them to
The 510 Bailey had more space than the 470 and more storage. We struggled a bit.
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Funnily enough, I've just shortlisted a couple on Autotrader
BAILEY RANGER 510/4
Funily enough it was an Avante 475 that we just traded for the new Pursuit. To be honest it served the three of us very well As a first van. But despite making good use of it's compact size, we grew out of it quite quickly. In the end it was the washroom
that was the compromise too far for OH, but otherwise it worked very well.The 475 is technically a five birth but goodness that would be a struggle. We removed the 5th bunk to save weight and make the remaining bed bigger. So worked well for the three of us.
Very light, easy and stable tow, yeah.
Not sure there is room to swing a cat though.
And not sure i would pay £6k for one. Ours was the same relative age when we bought it from a dealer, and i only paid £3.5k.
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I'm not sure about this cat-swinging. Is this a rallying activity?
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Peter, You're under an hour away from United British Caravans at Newcastle, Tyneside Leisureworld at Birtley, Kimberley Caravans just off the A1, Catterick Caravans & Ropers at Catterick Bridge & Teesside Caravans at Thornaby. All of which have decent stocks
of used vans. Personally, regardless of recommendations here, I would go take a look - and don't take too much stock of negative reports, there are just as many (if not more ) perfectly satisfied owners out there. Take your time, do a " must have " list &
take it from there. Good luck.0 -
Funnily enough, I've just shortlisted a couple on Autotrader
BAILEY RANGER 510/4
Funily enough it was an Avante 475 that we just traded for the new Pursuit. To be honest it served the three of us very well As a first van. But despite making good use of it's compact size, we grew out of it quite quickly. In the end it was the washroom
that was the compromise too far for OH, but otherwise it worked very well.The 475 is technically a five birth but goodness that would be a struggle. We removed the 5th bunk to save weight and make the remaining bed bigger. So worked well for the three of us.
Very light, easy and stable tow, yeah.
Not sure there is room to swing a cat though.
And not sure i would pay £6k for one. Ours was the same relative age when we bought it from a dealer, and i only paid £3.5k.
We popped in to see it on the way home from completing the sale on our Motorhome (I'm really really going to miss that thing).
It was too small in the main seating area - I'd be surprised if it was even a full double when setup - looked like it might only have been 4' wide - nowhere near big enough for a fat lad like me who tosses and turns through the night
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Peter, You're under an hour away from United British Caravans at Newcastle, Tyneside Leisureworld at Birtley, Kimberley Caravans just off the A1, Catterick Caravans & Ropers at Catterick Bridge & Teesside Caravans at Thornaby. All of which have decent stocks
of used vans. Personally, regardless of recommendations here, I would go take a look - and don't take too much stock of negative reports, there are just as many (if not more ) perfectly satisfied owners out there. Take your time, do a " must have " list &
take it from there. Good luck.Yes, definitely. We've been to them all back when we were looking for a MH.
We've already been into Teeside Caravans and Kimberly (at Burtree). We'll have a few more days out for sure.
We know, pretty much, exactly what we want now.
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So I've been to 2 x Catterick and Teeside Caravans today - one question.
Any idea why the Price&Spec notice on a fair few vans shows a MTPLM weight that doesn't match what's on the metal badge?Is the badge the "official" one? Otherwise, why is it even there? I'm confused!
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In case anyone is still following my thread (and my thanks if you are!). I was surpried with the prices of many used caravans at local dealers (yes, I been on the road these last few days - from Catterick to Birtley)
A caravan that was £11.5k brand new is priced up at around £6.5k today, at 10 years old.
Does that seem right? Any suggestion as to how much I can expect to haggle of the sticker price for a ~10 year old van?
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When the brand new £10.5k caravan gets towed off the forecourt it is immediately worth about £9k so £250 a year depreciation is not bad. Might even have picked up a few extras on the way.
What you can haggle depends a lot on how long it has been in their yard. Also, you will get down to a numerical price they will not go below, but you might still get some extras thrown in.
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Be honest and respectful, but firm. Do your homework on the internet. Print off details of like for like vans that appear better value. Put a respectful value on the convienience and/or service you might recieve by buying from them. That is where you want to be, max.
Put the print offs and your debit card on the salesman's desk, tell them what you are prepared to pay and be prepared to walk away.
On the used van, I walked away, they rang me a few days later and did the deal.
On the new van, it took a little more pursuation, but we got there in the end. Everybody happy.
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Have made an offer on a 2005 Adria Adiva 532LT with a caveat that it has to come with a full AWS inspection report. I've also made a similar request on a 2007 Bailey Ranger 470/4 although I haven't mentioned a price yet.
Thanks for all the help.0
Good