First time caravan.

[Pistom]

I've never tried caravaning before but I'm doing a house rebuild and thinking of getting one for temporary overnight accommodation for a few months whilst the main house is a building site.

There seem to be a lot of low cost vans, many under £1000. Can a worthwhile caravan be found for that kind of Money? What problems should I look out for and what equipment is worth having?

[Chrisgr31]

Ours cost £400 5 years ago then £500 to have it serviced ut that included 2 new gas bottles, and 2 new tyres. Only now are we contemplating changing it, so yes!

Damp is the big issue, you dont want one that is damp.

[The Tea Boy]

Plenty of good caravans about for £1k ish, we paid £1500 from a dealer but its pretty mint even though its 20 years old. As said above its all about finding one without damp.

Matt

[AreEssTimbo]

I bought a caravan which had water getting in from the front windows and it was fairly easy to repair, the windows simply unscrewed on the top hinge and came away as a complete unit. Then I removed/replaced the window seals and inner lining with 3mm ply (was originally hardboard) and wallpapered the lounge area.

The van had been stored inside a barn (which meant it did not continually get wet). As long as you have basic skills and some time most caravan repairs are very straightforward. However if continued leaking/damp has led onto rotten framework (or rot anywhere for that matter) then I would steer clear.

Another point that people forget to check is the hub/wheel assembly (only important if you intend to tow/tour with it). It is not uncommon for the wheel(s) to fall off when being towed (due to alot of 'cheap' vans being poorly maintained). So make sure you check the wheel nuts and centre nut (plus bearing etc) before you tow it anywhere. Otherwise your new £1k caravan could be scrap before you've had a chance to sleep in it lol.

...And if I spent £1k on a caravan then I would expect something half decent. Not great but definitely usable!

[Pistom]

Many thanks. I appreciate the advice.

[GreatGranny]

Definitely possible to buy a dry clean van for around a grand.

Check for damp. Worth investing in a damp meter.
Springy floor walk away.
Any musty smells walk away.

As with cars its pretty obvious if a van has been looked after.

As long as its got double glazing and a working heater it will be fine when the weather turns colder.
Check all electrics work and fridge/heating/water heater work on both mains and gas.

Should be some baragains around now with people selling after the holiday season or upgrading next year.

[marshal_alan]

having spent probably far too long working on caravans as a hobby I would say that a delaminating floor is not the grade A bandit of a job most folk seem to think, okay you have to replace the carpet and lifting the old one is a pain but apart from that injecting resin etc is easy. a day's work in total. damp isnt the end, if you have decent joinery skills and a resonable toolkit it is fixable, if you happen to have a table saw or bandsaw it makes the job 50 times easier. if you can get the thing under cover ideally with power it isnt too bad, anyone with DIY skills can do it. Chassis shouldnt be a problem, up to mid 90's alko still had wheel bearings that were re-packable and even the most poorly maintained van will still have some grease in the bearings, not a nmassive job to repack them and adjust brakes. a grase gun is a must along with lithium grease. all spares are easy to come by in terms of brake gear plus anything else can be bought from caravan breakers or boshed. all I will say is get the gas system checked by a pro