Buying a caravan for 1st time and not buying damp
We have been in the club for 8 years but we are new to Club Together. We need advice!
After 8 years of happy motor-homing we have just (2 days ago) sold our motorhome and we are going to buy a caravan as my partner has now retired and we need to cut back on our outgoings. We are looking for a good 2 or 4 berth caravan. We can't afford new, so it'll have to be 2nd hand. But we have been strongly warned by a professional caravan repairer we know, regarding damp! His actual quote was "Stay away from Leaky Lunars, Boggy Bailey's and Soggy Swifts" (BIG apologies to all the happy Lunar, Bailey and Swift owners out there, but that is what he said).
So here's my big question for all you highly experienced caravanners out there - is there a make/model of caravan which is less susceptible to damp?
We've been told that the German made caravans can have less damp problems because of the way that they are made, but there seems to be few of these 2nd hand out there on the market. Maybe because they are so great, people don't sell them on!
We can't afford to make a costly mistake, so armed with our trusty damp meter we are about to start the search. But before we go looking, we'd really like to hear some advice from people "further down the road" than we are. So over to you - Club Together!
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We caravanned for many, many years, had about 6 vans. Including a Lunar and a Bailey, loved both of them, no problems. A brand new Elldis, nightmare! But never any damp. I suppose it can happen in any van. Although ours were always kept undercover in a barn. Suggest you choose a reputable dealer, and, for a fee, would your caravan repairer be prepared to look over the van you choose before you buy.
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Reedit. Not all second hand UK built caravans are damp! I am the owner of a 2009 damp free Bailey. German caravans do have the reputation for better build quality but at a price (owners of these will soon be on here!). Your best protection is to buy from a dealer and have them do a damp test in front of. Buying privately is always a bit of a risk. Go armed with your trusty damp meter by all means but you should also ask to see a recent service report with a damp test. Let you nose be your guide if a caravan smells damp/musty walk away. You can also transfer any outstanding damp warranty to yourself, often for a small fee. A private purchase may also include many goodies 'essential' for your caravan trips which a dealer sale may not include. Why not take your professional repair man with you when you look! Good luck with your search.
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We have a drive, but nothing for actual cover. Our initial thought was "dealer" but then there's the allure of a private buyer who's giving up the caravan life and might be happy to include all the essentials in the sale (aqua roll, waste master, awning etc). Sadly we can't ask our caravan repair friend as he lives in Essex (just too far from Oxfordshire).
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We never experienced damp problems with our three vans, two new, one secondhand. Buying secondhand you need to use your nose and your eyes to really check everything out. Check the exterior and interior very carefully. Some owners take great care with their vans, others don't. As soon as you step in the door you will notice the difference. Ask the dealer to set up a test run, make sure the pipe work is properly connected, the electrics are working etc etc. A good dealership will give you a warranty if the van isn't too old. Paperwork should be available for servicing and repairs. Good luck, enjoy your caravan.
PS A dealer will offer you essential extra goodies too if you ask.
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You certainly seem to be right about the price of German caravans! We were drawn to the idea of the private sale as we hoped to get a few other important things at the same time (like an awning, aqua roll and the SO important motor mover), as you say.
We didn't know you can ask to see a recent service report with damp test. Thanks for that! We've been warned about the practice of "over-boarding" which can mean your nose won't tell you about damp.
Taking the repair man with us is a no-go as he lives too far away. But we were thinking about taking a friend who bought a Go-Pro 2 years ago and so is a bit more caravan savvy than we are.
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How about asking your repair friend in Essex if he is aware of your requirements, whether he knows or can look at something in his area,
One thing you need to remember that at this present time all LVs are very popular so prices are matching that,,we have had several emails from our Local Dealer asking if we would sell our Bailey
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Or get an independent inspection via the club's scheme.
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See Member Offers. Sorry I can't do a link at the moment.
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OK - so everyone seems to be saying Dealer, over Private. Thanks for all the good ideas and insight.
So here's my next question - has anyone come across a really good Caravan Dealership that they would recommend? We've been to 6 different ones and have yet to find anyone working at any of them who is even interested in talking to you, let alone selling to you!
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And as I said earlier; if you buy from a dealer ensure you get the MANUFACTURES DAMP INGRESS guarantee transferred to you. A lot of dealers will include a start up kit with your caravan and often the caravan will include an awning . I would also recommend you buy from a local dealer - just in case; you would hate to have to take your caravan any distance for a guarantee repair. Finally, unless you need to purchase a caravan for this season, it might be prudent to wait until the winter when there is a chance that some unwanted Covid purchases may be on the market. By the way I store mine outside with no problems.
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Just chipping in some thoughts. I would look at private sellers very seriously, but only if they can show you full service records for the caravan. We get our 2009 Lunar serviced every year, there is always some damp, but the guys do all sorts of things to make sure it never exceeds acceptable levels. Your nose will tell you if damp levels are too high!
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As we have a limited budget, we are having to look at only used caravans, not new. Would you be offered a Manufactures Damp Ingress by the dealer for a used caravan - or only for a new one?
I think your advice about waiting to buy is good. I have a feeling that we're going to see the caravan equivalent of the lockdown dog swamping the market, once people who bought in haste are bored with having them. That may even bring the prices down a bit.
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If I were to sell my caravan, which I'm not, I could and would quite happily provide a prospective purchaser with complete service records, from new, and including an annual damp test. They could also see any invoices for any other jobs done outside of the service such as new tyres and when I had the water heater and Omnivent repaired. I could also show them the fairly exact number of trips out and total mileage covered from new. I bet most dealers wouldn't or couldn't provide that information. The prospective buyer could, I believe, base his purchasing decision with a bit more certainty.
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Reedit. The Ingress guarantee is given by the manufacturer not the dealer and is often for 10 yrs. Strict conditions have to be met such as an annual service by an authorised engineer including a damp test and with and no break in the service record. A dealer should offer a guarantee for the other things for 6 months, or more if you are lucky. If you buy privately you may be able to transfer the manufacturers ingress guarantee provided the conditions are met; you will of course have no other guarantee. If you look at any of the major manufacturers web pages you should be able to find details. Go and have a chat to a dealer; explain your budget and what you are looking for, they will explain the ingress guarantee to you. My old(ish) van is out of all guarantees; I bought it from a dealer and have had no major problems with it (had to replace the battery charger this spring and a seal around one of the exterior locker doors - a diy job - but that is it). I got mine second hand in 2012 when it was 3 years old and we have had used it for multiple trips all over Europe and UK. My suggestion is to decide on the layout you want, narrow it down to certain caravans and then hit the dealers. When it comes to buying make sure your car is ok to tow the caravan, use the caravan/car matching service in the Advice and Training section above.
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Thank you - some really solid advice in there. Much appreciated. After lots of great advice we've already decided to go dealer (unless our perfect van comes up privately!) and we know that we want a 2 berth with a back bathroom. We've ruled out Bailey cause of so many manufacturing problems, and also ruled out Lunar and Swift as just too many cases of water ingress. We're thinking Coachman or one of the German vans - so heavier. We've recently bought a car which we know will tow these. My partner is the heart and I'm the head, so between us, plus armed with all the great advice I've had from Club Together, I hope we'll make a good choice.
I've even found a firm close to us which specialises in servicing and repairs and has a great rep - never would have thought about that without the help of everyone who has answered my post on this thread!
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One of our problems was that we were booked to go away with family (who have their own Go-Pro) in September and looking forward to it, so thought we needed to buy a caravan urgently.
I've now decided to HIRE a caravan for this short break in September and I've got one booked from nearby. That will give us the opportunity to try out our first caravan trip/holiday and then, as we have no more bookings after that at all, we'll have the whole winter to look around and hopefully find our dream caravan with no rush and no pressure.
Of course, we've never done this before but we're viewing it as not dissimilar to the many years we've had of owing and running a motorhome. I will let you know!..........
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Reedit wrote:
I've even found a firm close to us which specialises in servicing and repairs and has a great rep - never would have thought about that without the help of everyone who has answered my post on this thread!
Don't dismiss NCC Approved mobile engineers. They are, more often than not, sole traders who rely on their reputation for future business. Dealerships primarily want sales of caravans, new or second-hand, but their servicing department is just and add-on to their business. They probably don't lose much sleep if someone complains about a shoddy repair job.
The engineer that I use has a mobile workshop. I wish my workshop was so well equipped as his with a place for everything and everything in its place. He is definitely less expensive than dealer based workshops. My service this year including a full damp test was £170.00.
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Four out of our five caravans had damp. One was written off, another went back to the factory twice then after we sold it we heard it had damp again and the dealer warranty was only for £1000 against a bill of £5k. So, we thought a motorhome would solve the damp problem. Wrong! Our five year old Autosleeper has extensive damp so we have traded it in (6 year damp warranty).
I don’t know what the solution is but I have learned a few things - if a van/ motorhome has had damp it is likely to reoccur at some point so get rid of it. Always maintain any damp warranty by meeting the service requirements. Try and get the manufacturers warranty transferred if you are buying secondhand.
Good luck!
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So here's my big question for all you highly experienced caravanners out there - is there a make/model of caravan which is less susceptible to damp?
Yes, Adria.
However, due the very nature of how these "tin cans" are manufactured, there's a 40% chance of damp occuring somewhere. FACT.
Don't dismiss looking at private buyers - there are still some of us who are actually honest, trustworthy and careful with our outfits. Mine was sold recently with a full service history and comprehensive up-to-date habitation reports, as well as brand new tyres, a full service and professional valet.
When you come across a caravan you like, get a local mobile service engineer to check it out for you, or buy yourself a damp meter. If the seller raises any objections, just walk away. Caravan dealers have never had it so good with buyers queing up to spend their Covid savings (and prices reflect this) - which is why the lazy sales people can't be bothered to get off their backsides to talk to you. Bear in mind they're currently putting £3-4k margins across their stock (sometimes more) and whilst every business needs to make a profit, some are just plain greedy and there's always room for negotiation. If you dont ask - you wont get. If you can hang on till the holiday season is over, you'll probably find a greater selection will become available as people trade their caravans in for newer models, or the "staycationers" decide it's not for them.
Good luck
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Hi ExTugger. Many thanks for that. I always prefer candid and straightforward advice and you've given it in spades. Yes to getting a mobile service engineer -definitely and then I think we'd feel more confident to also be dealing with private sellers.
We're going to wait until after September to start looking and we'll have until next March to find one, plus after the sale of our motorhome we are cash buyers (albeit on a relatively small budget), so we're hoping to use all the good advice we've had here and get a good van.
We both like Adrias and personally I'd be very happy to buy an Adria.
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Hadn't thought of a mobile engineer before, but actually that's a great idea. Particularly if you can find a good one fairly local to you and build up a good relationship with them over years, including a yearly service and full damp test. Many thanks.
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Well hitchglitch, I always say I prefer candid advice and you've certainly given it! But what you say about damp is definite food for thought. What I'm thinking now on the back of your advice is DON'T BUY DAMP! Don't buy a van with even a bit of damp because it will come back, and come back (and come back in different places) I can tell you from experience that motorhomes also can have bad problems with damp and even though it seems to be something that people associate more with caravans, I can absolutely assure you that motorhomes are prone to the same problems with damp as caravans are.
We'll be looking for a damp warranty if possible and if not, to buy as dry as possible and keep it as dry as possible by having regular services and damp checks. Spend a little, save a lot in the long run!
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I have had that many caravan since I began caravanning, I could not begin to count them. All of them did suffer ingress eventually, to a greater or lesser degree. It used to be that it was fairly easy to spot, but due to modern vinyl wall board linings it has become much more difficult.
I don't rate damp meters that highly, because you have to deeply pierce the wall material to get a true reading. The finger and nose test is probably as good as any - you probe around with your finger, feeling for any soft spots in the lining and also see if you can smell any damp. Having said that, if you do find any likely it will be much worse than it at first appears.
For example, my Pageant developed a drip under a front window, a couple of years ago in wet weather. There was no obvious cause and no obvious damage at that stage, so I made a guess (correct) at the hinge rail for the front windows and resealed it.
Once water is in, it tends to stay in and the following year it became obvious that the wall board was softened under the vinyl. It wasn't too bad, so I left it until this year to actually tackle repairs - I have done such repairs before.
In July, I had a few weeks when it wasn't planned to use it and the weather (repair in my back garden) was supposed to be good, so I got stuck in. I removed the front cupboard, the entire section of wall board, windows, window rubbers and back to the timber frame, which just crumbled - a one piece plastic composite front. I had to source the matching wall board and get 40 foot of timber specially cut to size, to match the original dimensions. I then rebuilt the full width of the front, from waist height up to almost the ceiling. The most difficult part was cutting and fitting the full width of the front wall board. My repair is invisible and I am quite proud of how well the wall board fit. That part could have so easily gone very wrong.
It took me a leisurely 5 days, start to finish. 20 years ago, I had to reframe and reline the entire roof of the caravan I had back then - a roof light had leaked.
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Very impressive work and interesting to know it can be done yourself if you have the skills!
I've never been in a Pageant and I'm not familiar with them. We hired an Elddis to try it out two weeks ago and it was the best decision. Having now gone away in a caravan we know exactly what we want and what we don't want and what's important to us.
We were impressed with the Elddis build quality and layout and are now looking for an Elddis with fixed single beds and an end bathroom. We probably won't go away now until next Spring (though with the current nice weather we're having, if we had a van, we'd be away in it right now) so we have plenty of time to look around.
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Many of the manufacturers had issues with cracking front and rear composite panels, including Bailey. The issue I mentioned above in my own Pageant, is a common one, but more usually the result of the holes in the composite panel for the window hinge screws, being drilled too small. That results in the panels splitting, though that wasn't to blame in my case. It was the sealant which had failed for the hinge rail.
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