Sold Caravan - A sad day.
Discussion
Due to lack of use (1 weekend since Feb!) and a holiday apartment purchase we made the decision to sell our 2006 Series 5 Bailey Pageant Provence which we have owned since new.
I advertised her on Friday and she was gone by Sunday afternoon.
It all didn't go to plan.
It has had several damp repairs in the past and we were warned the last time that this particular age of van was prone to leaking and the panels cracking.
A dealer near to us contacted me late Saturday and offered me a decent price subject to an inspection.
He came Sunday afternoon and went about checking for damp...….
he didn't need to look very hard.
Lots at the front bottom corner and rear bottom corner.
He then showed us the reason. Cracks at the edge of the front panel seam and rear panel seam.
Also 2 front windows delaminating.
The water heater had also packed up and the toilet flush.
I thought he would walk away but he still went on checking so I thought he still wants it but obviously not at the price he first suggested.
He came back with an offer a grand under the asking price (more than I thought he would offer) which I accepted.
He said he would export it to Russia so there's obviously a demand over there for damp vans
Anyway we will miss her, we've had some great holidays in her, kids have grown up with her (eldest was 4 when we got her and we took youngest for his first caravan holiday at 3 months old!)
They've learnt to ride bikes, cooked their first meal, had epic fights, laughed together, great card games, family film nights and much more.
Brighton
I advertised her on Friday and she was gone by Sunday afternoon.
It all didn't go to plan.
It has had several damp repairs in the past and we were warned the last time that this particular age of van was prone to leaking and the panels cracking.
A dealer near to us contacted me late Saturday and offered me a decent price subject to an inspection.
He came Sunday afternoon and went about checking for damp...….
he didn't need to look very hard.
Lots at the front bottom corner and rear bottom corner.
He then showed us the reason. Cracks at the edge of the front panel seam and rear panel seam.
Also 2 front windows delaminating.
The water heater had also packed up and the toilet flush.
I thought he would walk away but he still went on checking so I thought he still wants it but obviously not at the price he first suggested.
He came back with an offer a grand under the asking price (more than I thought he would offer) which I accepted.
He said he would export it to Russia so there's obviously a demand over there for damp vans
Anyway we will miss her, we've had some great holidays in her, kids have grown up with her (eldest was 4 when we got her and we took youngest for his first caravan holiday at 3 months old!)
They've learnt to ride bikes, cooked their first meal, had epic fights, laughed together, great card games, family film nights and much more.
Brighton
We've had nearly 5 weeks away in our 'van this year so I think it's paying for itself. But yeah can't see much point in keeping one if you don't use it. Sounds like you got a good deal.
You never know you might return to it one day. For now we enjoy ours and I think it will be our holidays for the next 3-4 years at least. The kids like it.
You never know you might return to it one day. For now we enjoy ours and I think it will be our holidays for the next 3-4 years at least. The kids like it.
We're at that crossroads now too!
We've had five seasons out our van since buying it early in 2015. Its been amazing, we've done Mevagissey to Inverness and just about everywhere in between. If the kids are/were off school we were away. Similar memories have been made along the way.
Its now starting to cost more money though, a leaking front window bar recently, new carpets (ok so we didn't need them as such, but they're ace), new tyres, new friction pads, new gas connector hose, new external BBQ socket etc. You get the idea, the list is growing of things that have failed, at the moment a new jockey hitch handle and threaded insert are on their way.
At the same time, the eldest is now a teenager and the younger one is at double figures age wise too. They have started to really protest about taking the van anywhere, for any length of time, despite the fact they at least appear to still have fun when we're away.
I had thought we'd get a while longer from it but I'm not so sure anymore. I feel your pain though, watching it be dragged away or having to unhitch for the last time knowing we're ending our touring adventure will be a sad sad day.
We've had five seasons out our van since buying it early in 2015. Its been amazing, we've done Mevagissey to Inverness and just about everywhere in between. If the kids are/were off school we were away. Similar memories have been made along the way.
Its now starting to cost more money though, a leaking front window bar recently, new carpets (ok so we didn't need them as such, but they're ace), new tyres, new friction pads, new gas connector hose, new external BBQ socket etc. You get the idea, the list is growing of things that have failed, at the moment a new jockey hitch handle and threaded insert are on their way.
At the same time, the eldest is now a teenager and the younger one is at double figures age wise too. They have started to really protest about taking the van anywhere, for any length of time, despite the fact they at least appear to still have fun when we're away.
I had thought we'd get a while longer from it but I'm not so sure anymore. I feel your pain though, watching it be dragged away or having to unhitch for the last time knowing we're ending our touring adventure will be a sad sad day.
We did get 13 seasons if you don't count the last 2 when we used it very sparingly.
Our eldest is 19 and at Uni but she seemed to like coming with us the most, then the 17 year old who basically refused to go from aged 14 so she stayed with her Granny when we went for weekends away (literally dragged along for week long trips) and 12 year who is happy as long as there's wifi and a basketball hoop
It was just the 3 of us plus the dog on our last trip to The Peaks in Feb when the weather was fantastic.
Doubt we'll go back as we'll be using the flat in Cromer when it's not rented out or Airbnb it if we want to go anywhere else.
I do a little camping in the summer so I can get my fix with that.
We had 2 damp repairs in the last 4 years at £1000 each time as well as other bits and bobs which added up and it was leaking again this time as a result of cracked front and rear panels hence why he planned to export it to Russia and not sell it himself.
Our eldest is 19 and at Uni but she seemed to like coming with us the most, then the 17 year old who basically refused to go from aged 14 so she stayed with her Granny when we went for weekends away (literally dragged along for week long trips) and 12 year who is happy as long as there's wifi and a basketball hoop
It was just the 3 of us plus the dog on our last trip to The Peaks in Feb when the weather was fantastic.
Doubt we'll go back as we'll be using the flat in Cromer when it's not rented out or Airbnb it if we want to go anywhere else.
I do a little camping in the summer so I can get my fix with that.
We had 2 damp repairs in the last 4 years at £1000 each time as well as other bits and bobs which added up and it was leaking again this time as a result of cracked front and rear panels hence why he planned to export it to Russia and not sell it himself.
Sorry to hear this - sounds like a sad day. However, it does sounds like you got your money's worth out of her and at least got a half decent price in view of the work required. When I was half way through I thought you would write that it had to be scrapped!
It's a day I really fear for my motorhome. Although I've only had her a couple of years (even being intensive years of fulltiming), I can foresee a situation where not because of a lack of interest but more a lack of time, that we will have to let Carrie go. However, I am fairly certain if that were to happen, then we'll be jumping into another (new & big one) once the kids are older and the mortgage is at a manageable level.
At least you can look back fondly on all the lovely memories your van brought you.
It's a day I really fear for my motorhome. Although I've only had her a couple of years (even being intensive years of fulltiming), I can foresee a situation where not because of a lack of interest but more a lack of time, that we will have to let Carrie go. However, I am fairly certain if that were to happen, then we'll be jumping into another (new & big one) once the kids are older and the mortgage is at a manageable level.
At least you can look back fondly on all the lovely memories your van brought you.
Thanks Spuffington, we've had some great times and hopefully the kids will look back fondly like I did when my parents took us away in their caravan.
We paid nearly £12k for her including a £1000 awning, hitch lock, water carriers and leisure battery in December 2005.
Apart from the damp we haven't had any big bills, just the usual service items.
Up to 3 years ago we would go away maybe 8-10 weekends a year plus a week in the summer.
She's been used as a spare room when we've had big family get togethers and we've effectively lived in her on the driveway a few times when various houses were being renovated.
With the damage we got £2500 for her which doesn't sound a lot but it was effectively a right off with the damage.
Looking forward to spending time in our holiday flat in Cromer when the sale goes through.
We paid nearly £12k for her including a £1000 awning, hitch lock, water carriers and leisure battery in December 2005.
Apart from the damp we haven't had any big bills, just the usual service items.
Up to 3 years ago we would go away maybe 8-10 weekends a year plus a week in the summer.
She's been used as a spare room when we've had big family get togethers and we've effectively lived in her on the driveway a few times when various houses were being renovated.
With the damage we got £2500 for her which doesn't sound a lot but it was effectively a right off with the damage.
Looking forward to spending time in our holiday flat in Cromer when the sale goes through.
GreatGranny said:
Thanks Spuffington, we've had some great times and hopefully the kids will look back fondly like I did when my parents took us away in their caravan.
We paid nearly £12k for her including a £1000 awning, hitch lock, water carriers and leisure battery in December 2005.
Apart from the damp we haven't had any big bills, just the usual service items.
Up to 3 years ago we would go away maybe 8-10 weekends a year plus a week in the summer.
She's been used as a spare room when we've had big family get togethers and we've effectively lived in her on the driveway a few times when various houses were being renovated.
With the damage we got £2500 for her which doesn't sound a lot but it was effectively a right off with the damage.
Looking forward to spending time in our holiday flat in Cromer when the sale goes through.
Cromer is where I spent the first 30 years of my life and our van is stored in East Runton.We paid nearly £12k for her including a £1000 awning, hitch lock, water carriers and leisure battery in December 2005.
Apart from the damp we haven't had any big bills, just the usual service items.
Up to 3 years ago we would go away maybe 8-10 weekends a year plus a week in the summer.
She's been used as a spare room when we've had big family get togethers and we've effectively lived in her on the driveway a few times when various houses were being renovated.
With the damage we got £2500 for her which doesn't sound a lot but it was effectively a right off with the damage.
Looking forward to spending time in our holiday flat in Cromer when the sale goes through.
We now live a 8 miles up the road towards Norwich but I still spend a fair amount of time that way and do lots of running along the cliffs there.
If you need any tips/hints/ tradesman etc, more than happy to provide them on request.
Enjoy the move.
Damp really isn't the issue it's made out to be in the UK. Damp Motorhomes and caravans are in absolutely huge demand here in Poland.
Our 93 hymer had every inch of damp eradicated last year costing less than £1500.
Sadly ours is up for sale too now. It simply doesn't get the usage it deserves. 4 cats, a dog, a business, A second business starting up and a house renovation mean it's become a 3 tonne paperweight on the driveway
Would love to find a damp project for the winter though....
Our 93 hymer had every inch of damp eradicated last year costing less than £1500.
Sadly ours is up for sale too now. It simply doesn't get the usage it deserves. 4 cats, a dog, a business, A second business starting up and a house renovation mean it's become a 3 tonne paperweight on the driveway
Would love to find a damp project for the winter though....
MattS5 said:
Cromer is where I spent the first 30 years of my life and our van is stored in East Runton.
We now live a 8 miles up the road towards Norwich but I still spend a fair amount of time that way and do lots of running along the cliffs there.
If you need any tips/hints/ tradesman etc, more than happy to provide them on request.
Enjoy the move.
Thanks MattS5, I'll let you know if we ned anything.We now live a 8 miles up the road towards Norwich but I still spend a fair amount of time that way and do lots of running along the cliffs there.
If you need any tips/hints/ tradesman etc, more than happy to provide them on request.
Enjoy the move.
mikal83 said:
Sold our PAGEANT BORDEAUX earlier this year for a grand under the already low asking price but we decided that we'd had enough towing and are strongly thinking of going down the "stealth" campervan route now.
I've got a 'stealth' campervan, after one hot season (2018) and one very wet season (2019) we decided there just wasn't enough room, even with a large drive-away awning and this year got very fed up with being stuck under wet canvas for hours on end.So we took delivery of a new caravan a few weeks back and although the weather has stayed true to form and absolutely persisted down, especially this last weekend, we've stayed warm and dry.
I can't see us going back to using the van for camping unless it's the odd one nighter here and there.
Caravan all the way, or at least until the kids are old enough to bugger off and then we'd look at a proper motorhome and travel around Europe.
Coin Slot. said:
mikal83 said:
Sold our PAGEANT BORDEAUX earlier this year for a grand under the already low asking price but we decided that we'd had enough towing and are strongly thinking of going down the "stealth" campervan route now.
I've got a 'stealth' campervan, after one hot season (2018) and one very wet season (2019) we decided there just wasn't enough room, even with a large drive-away awning and this year got very fed up with being stuck under wet canvas for hours on end.So we took delivery of a new caravan a few weeks back and although the weather has stayed true to form and absolutely persisted down, especially this last weekend, we've stayed warm and dry.
I can't see us going back to using the van for camping unless it's the odd one nighter here and there.
Caravan all the way, or at least until the kids are old enough to bugger off and then we'd look at a proper motorhome and travel around Europe.
mikal83 said:
Your post is very confusing. How do you get wet "under canvas" if your inside the van? You sit outside when its raining. Not big enough, the Citroen Relay is quite a big van. far far bigger than the campervan we had in NZ and OZ.
Sorry, probably not making myself clear,2 adults and 2 kids squashed into a VW T6 is no fun, we were sat in the awning on our camping chairs praying for a break in the rain, 12 hours later it was still hammering down and the awning was being blown about with drops of rain getting in through the ventilation mesh.
Coin Slot. said:
mikal83 said:
Your post is very confusing. How do you get wet "under canvas" if your inside the van? You sit outside when its raining. Not big enough, the Citroen Relay is quite a big van. far far bigger than the campervan we had in NZ and OZ.
Sorry, probably not making myself clear,2 adults and 2 kids squashed into a VW T6 is no fun, we were sat in the awning on our camping chairs praying for a break in the rain, 12 hours later it was still hammering down and the awning was being blown about with drops of rain getting in through the ventilation mesh.
mikal83 said:
Ah kids. Didnt do them! WE intend buying a relay/boxer for its size. Inside loo/shower. Hopefully underneath tanks etc. No sitting outside when its pishing down I can assure you.
Yup, kids and dogs ruined our travelling plans. A T5/6 even a lwb like mine is only good for one or two nights I believe.
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