Advice Please
Hello All
I'm Daniel and my partner is Michelle, we have 1 child (15) and another that tags along (15) and two small dogs.
We are very new to this and would like some advice. I have given us a budget of £10k to find a caravan and tow car is this possible? We are ideally looking for a 4 berth caravan although 2 + awning has been discussed... and the tow car needs to be at least
2010 as Michelle doesn't want to trade in the old car for a older one.
Any advice would be greatly recieved, we look forward to meeting any of you on the campsites 
Thanks for reading
Comments
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"...... and the tow car needs to be at least 2010 as Michelle doesn't want to trade in the old car for a older one."
....does this mean you have another car?
if so, can it be used as a towcar?....again if so, this might also give you the weight of van to be looking at..
..would give you more cash for the (better, nicer) caravan?
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Welcome to CT and your new hobby. I did it on that sort of budget for years it can be done with care. You will get great Advice on here soon I am sure. I would say take great care with your choicesfrom a
damp and safety point of view. Good luck!0 -
Definitely do-able especially as we are in autumn and dealers will be pretty desperate to clear older stock ready for the new season. You ought to be able to drive some pretty hard bargains.
As for cars - I posted a few days ago a 10 reg Mondeo is up at an Arnold Clark dealer for £4988 (60000 miles, 125bhp tdci diesel engine) Lots of life left. Good hunting.
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If you are intending to take two teenagers along, or even one, then I would definitely go for a four berth, if you can afford it. Firstly it does give you a bit more space and, possibly more importantly, quite often, even in summer, the awning can get a
bit flooded. We have experienced this quite often, it may only be a couple of inches but if you need it for sleeping that would be a problem. We have experienced this at Beechwood Grange, New Forest and especially Moreton in Marsh, all of them CC sites.0 -
Probably better to get the car first, then you'll have a better idea of what it can tow. Most 4 berth caravans are going to come in between 1200-1400Kg MTPLM(that's the max weight including stuff you put in it). Sticking to the 85% guideline recommended
for beginners, you need to be looking at a towcar around the 1600Kg weight. Don't get carried away by the size of the caravans. A more modest sized one will give you greater flexibility in the choice of car which should probably be a 2L diesel from an engine
power point of view. Don't go buying a VW Toureg or Jeep Grand Cherokee just so you can get a twin axle mobile palace.0 -
Hi Sher3et
Welcome aboard! There is so much information to consider. I know because even though I work here, my family and I have just bought our first caravan and there is A LOT to take in! Your £10k budget will be fine, as long as you are savvy and search out good
second hand buys.Regarding your choice of car and caravan, cyberyacht above always offers great and accurate technical advice (as above) Once you have an idea of car (or caravan) please be sure to do an "outfit matching" test to confirm compatibility:
http://bit.ly/2cGO17x.For more help on choosing a suitable vehicle and all you need to know about where and how to buy click here:
http://bit.ly/2bnbkBEAnd then to search for caravans for sale to gain an idea of what you can get second hand head to:
http://bit.ly/2cocd0rGood luck!!!
Helen
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Welcome.
In my experience it's quite hard to find a caravan that will accommodate 2 adults and two teenagers. Bunks are pretty small and mine were too big for them at 13. Fixed bed options generally don't give you long enough seat's to use as beds so test bed length
carefully. We considered fixed singles but ended up with a two berth plus awning which was a good call because at 16 the kids stopped coming with us.Good luck. Spend as much time as you can looking inside vans. My usual advice is to check out Adria vans as they are far more aware of the needs of families than most manufacturers.
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If you have two teenagers the length of their beds might be crucial. A bit difficult to find as they were built in low numbers is models with a single dinette accross the back which converts into a lower bed and bunk over at night. I take it they bare both the same sex so bunks are not a problem.
You can also find the same layout with a double at the back and a bunk over if need be. The layout means the toilet, wardrobe and kitchen are all in the middle giving some separation at night.
Whatever you buy a damp check is essential to make sure the caravan is sound.
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...please be sure to do an "outfit matching" test to confirm compatibility:
http://bit.ly/2cGO17x.For more help on choosing a suitable vehicle and all you need to know about where and how to buy click here:
http://bit.ly/2bnbkBEAnd then to search for caravans for sale to gain an idea of what you can get second hand head to:
http://bit.ly/2cocd0rGood luck!!!
Helen
Helen
Thanks Helen, yeah all I seem to be doing is bookmarking cars/caravans and using the clubs outfitting page...lots of X's or ! lol.
What we need to do is actually find somewhere we can look inside caravans
Thanks for all the help.
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Car or Caravan a bit like chicken and egg, personally I would look at caravan first, you don’t want to buy a car and find it is 50 or 100Kg more than you can safely tow.
Give yourself a brake on weights after 20 years of towing I am happy to push the limit on weights to the limit but as a new caravaners stick to the club guidelines or better.
As advised before at 15 a few trips out might be fun but that will soon pass and late teens will have a vastly different idea of what a good holiday is compared to the two of you
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Look at buying privately as if you can get a caravan from someone who has given up caravanning you can normally get all the kit with it. The cost of gas bottles, water and waste carriers, hookup cable and step can mount up unless you get them as part of
a deal. If you are looking at a private sale you can get a mobile engineer to check it out for you. The cost of a check, including a damp check is well worth budgeting for. Google the Mobile Caravan Engineers Association (MCEA) central office who will give
you an engineer in your area.Good luck and enjoy your caravanning.
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I have to disagree with Roy&Bev. If you buy the caravan first you are then likely to have some time constraint in finding a suitable car which could result in a) not buying the optimum car for you, b) paying over the odds or c) buying a pig in a poke just
because it will do the job. If you get a 'suitable' towcar (ie. 2L diesel, kerbweight +- 1600Kg) you can then find a caravan at your leisure.0 -
Based on your profile age, another thing that you "MAY" have to be concious off is total train weight not exceeding 3.5t (unless you have done a B+E test!) - this it the combination of the maximum mass of both the car and the caravan.
I'm personally limited to a caravan with MTPLM of 1305kg because of the MAM of my car.
From the suggestions, a 1600kg (kerb weight) car and 1400kg (MTPLM) caravan can be putting you close to (or over!) the limit when the payload of the car is factored in (often up to 500kg)
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if you are anywhere near Somerset Highbridge Caravans always have hundreds of vans open for inspection - worth making a journey for
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Thanks for the helpful answers. Also whats best to get first the tow car or the caravan?
...well unless you have a suitable towcar first - then how would you be able to take home any caravan that you buy ?
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Thanks for the helpful answers. Also whats best to get first the tow car or the caravan?
...well unless you have a suitable towcar first - then how would you be able to take home any caravan that you buy ?
Personally I would look at caravans first to see what I would likely wish to tow. No need to buy a 'van first of course,
I did actually by a caravan without having a tow car when I returned to caravaning after almost 3 years without. The caravan was a demonstrator with a good discount and the dealer was happy to store for a few months. I actually picked up the caravan around
a month later although I had any of three neighbours who would have picked it up for me.0 -
Thanks for the helpful answers. Also whats best to get first the tow car or the caravan?
...well unless you have a suitable towcar first - then how would you be able to take home any caravan that you buy ?
Personally I would look at caravans first to see what I would likely wish to tow. No need to buy a 'van first of course,
I did actually by a caravan without having a tow car when I returned to caravaning after almost 3 years without. The caravan was a demonstrator with a good discount and the dealer was happy to store for a few months. I actually picked up the caravan around
a month later although I had any of three neighbours who would have picked it up for me.Write your comments here...
The dealer was more than happy to keep it for me and as you have said many of us have a friend or relative that can tow a van if needed, I have done that myself for someone I worked with I got everything sorted in 2 weeks from finding just the right van
for us.I also had a friend that sold his van private and towed the van to the new owners to help the deal along for the cost of his fuel.
It is the chicken and egg but the match has to be right everything we do is some sort of compromise and have to decide what is most important to you.
Is it the van or car the van will be used a lot less but needs to do what you need it to do on the other hand the car is probably going to be used every day, decide what is most important and the other is the compromise.
Just my thoughts and of course could be wrong
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MMMM somehow managed to leave the first bit of from my last post in reply to Easy T here are my full thoughts LOL
That has been my experience as well Easy T my last caravan would weigh in at 1850KG fully loaded (fixed bed and big enough for 4 adults if needed) my old tow car would have been right on its outer limit and even with years of towing experience didn’t want
the tail wagging the dog so got the van then looked for a car.The dealer was more than happy to keep it for me and as you have said many of us have a friend or relative that can tow a van if needed, I have done that myself for someone I worked with I got everything sorted in 2 weeks from finding just the right van
for us.I also had a friend that sold his van private and towed the van to the new owners to help the deal along for the cost of his fuel.
It is the chicken and egg but the match has to be right everything we do is some sort of compromise and have to decide what is most important to you.
Is it the van or car the van will be used a lot less but needs to do what you need it to do on the other hand the car is probably going to be used every day, decide what is most important and the other is the compromise.
Just my thoughts and of course could be wrong
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...please be sure to do an "outfit matching" test to confirm compatibility: http://bit.ly/2cGO17x.
For more help on choosing a suitable vehicle and all you need to know about where and how to buy click here: http://bit.ly/2bnbkBE
And then to search for caravans for sale to gain an idea of what you can get second hand head to: http://bit.ly/2cocd0r
Good luck!!!
Helen
Helen
Thanks Helen, yeah all I seem to be doing is bookmarking cars/caravans and using the clubs outfitting page...lots of X's or ! lol.
What we need to do is actually find somewhere we can look inside caravans
Thanks for all the help.
Hi Dan , there are 2 local caravan sales in the area .. 1st Stowford caravans near Tonyrefail. .2nd Newport Caravans . Either place will have a range of budget vans for sale . Have a look at these to get an idea of what you want that suits your needs. Don't worry about buying straight away , there will always be another with as good a deal at any time during the autumn/winter months . Once you know what the weight details are you can look for a suitable car that either of you would be happy to drive .
I live in Pontypridd , so can help if you don't have anyone else for advice or even a tow if necessary
Ken
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Dont forget , use your nose when looking at older vans . If it smells damp , then it probably is damp . If it smells of dogs then there have been dogs in it a lot, which is a smell that can be difficult to remove . Beware of vans that are displayed with
open doors & roof vents ! If you have a damp meter , use it all over the van top & bottom corners & around all windows & doors0
