Discussion
Hi all,
Looking to buy our first caravan. Saw a nice one at a dealership yesterday that we are tempted by at £17k.
Dealer says there’s no damp and everything is rosy (but he would say that wouldn’t he). It comes with a 6 months warranty and it’s a small family run business so should be well looked after I’d hope.
Details of caravan as follows;
Caravan Specification :-
Fixed Bed, Extractor fan, Microwave, Fridge, Oven, Mains electric, Water heater, Cassette toilet, Shower, Battery Charger, Blinds, Fly screens, Door flyscreen, Loose fit carpets, Onboard water tank, Wet central heating system, Anti theft tracker, TV Directional Aerial, Stereo system, Sun roof, Motor mover, Awning, External gas BBQ point, External 240v, Spare wheel, Alloy wheels, One piece Aluminum side panel, Hitch head stabiliser, Twin axle, 6 month warranty.
Caravan Additional Details :-
This is a stunning van in immaculate condition and it comes with £2500 worth of extra equipment. The spec includes Alde wet central heating, memory foam twin mattresses, huge Thetford fridge freezer, pleated flyscreen/blinds, onboard water tank, electronic braking, cd radio and electric flush loo. On top of this the van also comes with an auto actuation Truma motor mover, Snipe self seeking sat dish, hitchlock/twin Diamond wheel lock pack and a porch awning. The van is damp free, in perfect working order and has no smoke or pet smells.
Is there anything in particular I need to look out for when buying a caravan?
Eg.
- How important is service history? (I’ve read some forums where people say it’s not that important as long as it’s in good condition when you buy.
- Are there any checks I need to do regarding finance owing on it (obviously the dealership will have done their checks but for peace of mind I’d like to do some checks myself).
- Anything else I need to check (no suggestion is too daft - I’m a complete newbie to this).
Thanks in advance.
Rob
Looking to buy our first caravan. Saw a nice one at a dealership yesterday that we are tempted by at £17k.
Dealer says there’s no damp and everything is rosy (but he would say that wouldn’t he). It comes with a 6 months warranty and it’s a small family run business so should be well looked after I’d hope.
Details of caravan as follows;
Caravan Specification :-
Fixed Bed, Extractor fan, Microwave, Fridge, Oven, Mains electric, Water heater, Cassette toilet, Shower, Battery Charger, Blinds, Fly screens, Door flyscreen, Loose fit carpets, Onboard water tank, Wet central heating system, Anti theft tracker, TV Directional Aerial, Stereo system, Sun roof, Motor mover, Awning, External gas BBQ point, External 240v, Spare wheel, Alloy wheels, One piece Aluminum side panel, Hitch head stabiliser, Twin axle, 6 month warranty.
Caravan Additional Details :-
This is a stunning van in immaculate condition and it comes with £2500 worth of extra equipment. The spec includes Alde wet central heating, memory foam twin mattresses, huge Thetford fridge freezer, pleated flyscreen/blinds, onboard water tank, electronic braking, cd radio and electric flush loo. On top of this the van also comes with an auto actuation Truma motor mover, Snipe self seeking sat dish, hitchlock/twin Diamond wheel lock pack and a porch awning. The van is damp free, in perfect working order and has no smoke or pet smells.
Is there anything in particular I need to look out for when buying a caravan?
Eg.
- How important is service history? (I’ve read some forums where people say it’s not that important as long as it’s in good condition when you buy.
- Are there any checks I need to do regarding finance owing on it (obviously the dealership will have done their checks but for peace of mind I’d like to do some checks myself).
- Anything else I need to check (no suggestion is too daft - I’m a complete newbie to this).
Thanks in advance.
Rob
The main purpose of the service history is keeping the warranty valid tbh. Case in point I had my brand new caravan serviced by one of the biggest caravan dealers in the UK and they caused more damage than when it went in. If I were you your biggest enemy will be 'screws', new caravans are built without wood to avoid water ingress, the problem with this is there is nothing for the screws to attach to.
The below photo is my caravan at 1 year old, all the screws are missing in the Habitation area, so take a good look back around and mention all the missing screws. (Apologies photo needs rotating.)
The below photo is my caravan at 1 year old, all the screws are missing in the Habitation area, so take a good look back around and mention all the missing screws. (Apologies photo needs rotating.)
A few tips from a independent caravan engineer.
You don't say how old the caravan is but at £17k its going to be fairly new. Most caravans built for the uk market require a service by a NCC Approved workshop, every year 60 days before or 30 days after the original purchase date to keep the warranty intact, so service history is important. (most warranties are 7 to 10 years for water ingress now). Only 5-10% of caravans under 10 years old have damp issues but it can be costly to repair properly.
Get a Cris check on the caravan its the national register for the ownership of caravans so will tell you if its stolen or a write off.
The alde heating system fitted to the caravan is very very good. There is however some essentials to check with it, if the caravan is over 2 years old has the glycol (antifreeze) been changed in the system, and does it look nice and clean in the header tank? if the header is stained or the glycol is going clear like water or brown then i'd suggest avoiding it. The Internals of the boiler corrode very easily when normal tap water or the wrong grade glycol is used in the system. The Glycol should be g12++ (blue) or g13 spec (pink or purple). Its a engineers job to change it really as the only way to flush and change the glycol in the whole system is with a service pump. If its been changed by an Alde trained engineer if you look on the back of the boiler you will find a service log and this should have been filled in. When delivered from the factory all the uk caravans have the blue 2 year glycol in the system, when it is changed the pink/purple 5 year glycol is normally used.
If your at all not sure about it or want professional advice on your purchase go to the approved workshops website and search for your nearest mobile engineer who should be able to provide you with an independent pre-purchase inspection for around £120
Hope that helps and enjoy whatever caravan you buy!
You don't say how old the caravan is but at £17k its going to be fairly new. Most caravans built for the uk market require a service by a NCC Approved workshop, every year 60 days before or 30 days after the original purchase date to keep the warranty intact, so service history is important. (most warranties are 7 to 10 years for water ingress now). Only 5-10% of caravans under 10 years old have damp issues but it can be costly to repair properly.
Get a Cris check on the caravan its the national register for the ownership of caravans so will tell you if its stolen or a write off.
The alde heating system fitted to the caravan is very very good. There is however some essentials to check with it, if the caravan is over 2 years old has the glycol (antifreeze) been changed in the system, and does it look nice and clean in the header tank? if the header is stained or the glycol is going clear like water or brown then i'd suggest avoiding it. The Internals of the boiler corrode very easily when normal tap water or the wrong grade glycol is used in the system. The Glycol should be g12++ (blue) or g13 spec (pink or purple). Its a engineers job to change it really as the only way to flush and change the glycol in the whole system is with a service pump. If its been changed by an Alde trained engineer if you look on the back of the boiler you will find a service log and this should have been filled in. When delivered from the factory all the uk caravans have the blue 2 year glycol in the system, when it is changed the pink/purple 5 year glycol is normally used.
If your at all not sure about it or want professional advice on your purchase go to the approved workshops website and search for your nearest mobile engineer who should be able to provide you with an independent pre-purchase inspection for around £120
Hope that helps and enjoy whatever caravan you buy!
DirtyHands said:
A few tips from a independent caravan engineer.
You don't say how old the caravan is but at £17k its going to be fairly new. Most caravans built for the uk market require a service by a NCC Approved workshop, every year 60 days before or 30 days after the original purchase date to keep the warranty intact, so service history is important. (most warranties are 7 to 10 years for water ingress now). Only 5-10% of caravans under 10 years old have damp issues but it can be costly to repair properly.
Get a Cris check on the caravan its the national register for the ownership of caravans so will tell you if its stolen or a write off.
The alde heating system fitted to the caravan is very very good. There is however some essentials to check with it, if the caravan is over 2 years old has the glycol (antifreeze) been changed in the system, and does it look nice and clean in the header tank? if the header is stained or the glycol is going clear like water or brown then i'd suggest avoiding it. The Internals of the boiler corrode very easily when normal tap water or the wrong grade glycol is used in the system. The Glycol should be g12++ (blue) or g13 spec (pink or purple). Its a engineers job to change it really as the only way to flush and change the glycol in the whole system is with a service pump. If its been changed by an Alde trained engineer if you look on the back of the boiler you will find a service log and this should have been filled in. When delivered from the factory all the uk caravans have the blue 2 year glycol in the system, when it is changed the pink/purple 5 year glycol is normally used.
If your at all not sure about it or want professional advice on your purchase go to the approved workshops website and search for your nearest mobile engineer who should be able to provide you with an independent pre-purchase inspection for around £120
Hope that helps and enjoy whatever caravan you buy!
Thanks. Both very helpful replies. You don't say how old the caravan is but at £17k its going to be fairly new. Most caravans built for the uk market require a service by a NCC Approved workshop, every year 60 days before or 30 days after the original purchase date to keep the warranty intact, so service history is important. (most warranties are 7 to 10 years for water ingress now). Only 5-10% of caravans under 10 years old have damp issues but it can be costly to repair properly.
Get a Cris check on the caravan its the national register for the ownership of caravans so will tell you if its stolen or a write off.
The alde heating system fitted to the caravan is very very good. There is however some essentials to check with it, if the caravan is over 2 years old has the glycol (antifreeze) been changed in the system, and does it look nice and clean in the header tank? if the header is stained or the glycol is going clear like water or brown then i'd suggest avoiding it. The Internals of the boiler corrode very easily when normal tap water or the wrong grade glycol is used in the system. The Glycol should be g12++ (blue) or g13 spec (pink or purple). Its a engineers job to change it really as the only way to flush and change the glycol in the whole system is with a service pump. If its been changed by an Alde trained engineer if you look on the back of the boiler you will find a service log and this should have been filled in. When delivered from the factory all the uk caravans have the blue 2 year glycol in the system, when it is changed the pink/purple 5 year glycol is normally used.
If your at all not sure about it or want professional advice on your purchase go to the approved workshops website and search for your nearest mobile engineer who should be able to provide you with an independent pre-purchase inspection for around £120
Hope that helps and enjoy whatever caravan you buy!
DirtyHands - it’s a 2014 model Elddis, so assuming the warranty for water ingress is as you say, 7-10 years, I need something that has been mainted in order to keep the warranty.
The dealer told me he was CRIS registered so presumably he will have done all the checks regarding write-offs and finance. Is there a need for me to duplicate this?
I’ll check the glycol when we go view it again. I’ve just looked on the approved workshops website and will definitely get an inspection done. It’s our first caravan and I’m currently clueless so this will give me piece of mind.
Are you new to caravanning?
£17k seems a lot to spend when potentially you may find it's not for you.
If you're ok with that then fair enough but maybe buy an older van for £5-8k and run it for a season.
If you like it then upgrade. It won't cost a huge amount. Vans hold their prices pretty well.
£17k seems a lot to spend when potentially you may find it's not for you.
If you're ok with that then fair enough but maybe buy an older van for £5-8k and run it for a season.
If you like it then upgrade. It won't cost a huge amount. Vans hold their prices pretty well.
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