Buying a used touring caravan
Hello, with the hope of brighter times ahead we are viewing in hope to purchase a an avondale 556 6 berth caravan, having never done this before we would apprecite sensible advise with getting it checked for Damp, we have a meter we can read with but feel because its a lot of money we would like more, the Caravan is in storeage miles away from our home , I have been a ssured its been loved and looked after but feel we need more not wanting to loose our savings!, how can we book a service when it belongs to someone else and is in storeage?.
My second question is they need it moved the day before lockdown ends , will i get into trouble for taking it home due to lockdown.
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The owners should not have any objection to you arranging an inspection through the club. LINK Unless of course they have anything to hide. You would have to co-ordinate with them so they could arrange access.
If they need to sell it before the 29th March, which is when the stay at home is scheduled to end, it should at least put you in a good negotiating position.
As to will you get into trouble. Nobody can answer that. There are several threads that discuss the subject, with no firm conclusions.
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Have you actually viewed this caravan and are you sure it's what you want? Avondale went out of business many years ago so this van has some age to it and won't be perfect.
You can get it inspected and the club has a link with a company as per Steve's post. If the current owner objects to such an inspection, alarm bells should ring and it's time to walk away.
I get the impression you're being put under some pressure to buy the van and take it away - don't be pressurised. It's not your concern that the current owner needs to get it off the storage site. It's his problem and one he'll have to overcome if you don't buy it.
Will you get in trouble towing it during lockdown? Who knows whether the police will pull you over - it's anyone's guess.
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If this van is in storage, when was it last used? where we have ours some have not moved for years ,but if being sold have been noted on the washdown area to make them look "respectable?"
As posted Avondale have not been in production for some years ,there was a quite big problem with faulty front and rear panels ,which caused the company ,to go bust,
I would definitely have it looked at before you commit to spending your money.,a reliable mobile service engineer may do a check for you
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You don't say how you happened on this particular van? Was it advertised or on ebay? Agree with TW you seem to be under a degree of pressure to meet particular deadlines do you know why this is the case? Avondale seems to have gone out of business in 2008. By all means go and have a look and see what you think but don't commit until you are happy and don't be pressurised. A local mobile service agent could do you a report on it's condition.
David
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I would be very wary, things don’t sound right to me. It could be a good van, we have experience of second hand caravans and have had two very old lovely ones. But we gave both a really good going over, viewed inside and out, poked around inside every cupboard, underneath to view chassis, every thing you could think of testing. And we haggled over both. You need to see and find out what might need doing to make it good value for money, and a sound buy. Agree with others, don’t be pressured into buying, that must go before date sounds very dodgy. An honest seller will be happy for you to view, take someone who knows vans with you, or organise an expert to go with you. Caveat Emptor, van sales are notorious.
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All perfect advice given above. How do you know the seller actually owns the caravan? Unless they can produce a CRIS document, with their name and address on it, I wouldn't touch it. \I would want an independent survey done on it too, plus evidence of any service history.
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I'm guessing that Avondales are CRIS registered but it is not a given that all makes are.
If not wouldn't an original order/receipt suffice, along with proof of insurance.
Colin
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We had the same model and while we had many happy holidays years in it sadly it was the worst caravan we had for damp and other problems.
They were very prone to stress cracks at the top of the rear panels, ours were replaced twice and while this done under warranty it meant that it was out of action for a week each time. I did hear this was one of the reasons they went out of business.
The 12V electrics went twice, once when the wires just come out of the transformer unit and the second time the transformer unit had to be replaced.
The seals around two different windows failed letting in water and damp.
But worst of all was the damp, from the second year each time it went for it's service they found enough damp that required a lot of attention. This was all covered till after the fifth year but then we got a repair estimate of about £600. We quickly sold it, to a buyer who was fully aware of the problem I might add - the owner of our storage. He sold it on (repaired?) and it is still there being used by someone after 10 years.
I do see a number of Avondales being used so perhaps this caravan is still there due to survival of the fittest? My tale is not to put your off but to advise you of the possible problems. As other have said get it checked out thoroughly.
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I'm a newbie (just signed up to this site today,28.3.21) and not knowing what will suit me. I'm looking for a four birth fixed bed caravan. I don't mind if it's an Island bed or two single. But I'm not fancying a van that I have to make a bed up every night. My first criteria is internal head height and bed length. I'm 6ft 2" and don't like the thought of bowing my head when walking up and down the caravan, or my feet dangling two feet over the end of the bed. Can all you experienced caravanners put me in the right direction? Much appreciated. Kevin
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Kevin, the choices are numerous and the likes and dislikes of caravan features are very personal which makes it extremely difficult for anyone to advise you.
I suggest that, when permitted, you get yourself to some dealers and look at what's available on the forecourts. When you've got a shortlist, I’m sure there will be people here happy to advise on specific points.
Btw, if you visit My Profile at the head of the page, you'll be able to allocate a username of your choice.
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Leave that Avondale where it is and get in some practice for going round dealers' yards by looking on the Internet. Get some idea of what you want. Many caravans do have beds over six feet long but I've not seen one that didn't double as seats duing day use.
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I'm not new to the club but I am new to Club Together. I wanted to start my own discussion but can't work out how to do that - so I'm coming in on this one as we're not a million miles away from the same problem.
After 8 years of happy motor-homing we have sold our motorhome as we intend to move onto a caravan (partner retired, need to cut back on outgoings). We are looking for a good 2 berth, 2nd hand caravan but have been strongly warned by a professional caravan repairer regarding damp. So here's my big question for all you long time, in the know, 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 be better because of the way that they are made, but there seems to be few of them 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..........but before we go looking, we'd really like to hear some advice from people "further down the road" than we are
Moderator Edit:
It looks like you've sorted how to start your own discussion as it's now in the Caravans Section so if anybody wishes to respond to your post, it would be better done in your own separate thread.
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