To buy or Not to Buy

The-Ry-Man06

Im looking into getting a caravan to take around France surfing for a month this summer and since I'm completely knew to camper/caravan scene I thought people might have a bit of advice on going about this. I originally was looking into converting a van into a makeshift motorhome but the amount of work and expense seems a bit much if I'm planning on leaving in July.

My budget is around the 2000e mark and Im only really looking for a two berth since I only plan on having one friend along. Is this a reasonable budget for a rough and ready 2 berth?

Will my 1.6ltr 1985 Ford Capri even be able to pull or be stable enough to tow a 2 berth? I already checked whattowcar but they dont seem to have stats on the Capri.

Is there any additions to the driving licence I will have to get to tow the caravan. I was informed there is a weight threshold of some sort? How enforced is this threshold? Is this the same in France/Spain?

Is a camper even a good idea to take on a surf trip like this? Any other advice people can give me on touring with a caravan?

spaceHopper

Caravan is a bad idea, you have to tow it, you have to stay on campsites and have to book a head at that time of year.

You'd be better off with a camper van, you can stay on aires for half nothing so save money but you will need to spend a bit more on the van and insurance. Say that you don't need a special licens if it's under 3.5 ton.

And you'd also be about to used a camper here surfing in the winter

With the recession the price of van are way down have a look on donedeal.ie, gumtree.ie and adverts.ie


This would see you change out of two grand depending on work needed

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/campers/2090297

here2surf

I am sure you have considered a tent and ruled it out for a campervan/caravan. If it was me and I wanted to surf my way down the west coast of France in a Capri id be tenting it. Campsites all have good clean facilities so you will only need somewhere to sleep.
You will then have the tent,( maintenance and storage issues free) for ever.
You will save a lot and if you like the lifestyle you can allways revisit at a later stage.
I can see your Capri getting a lot of attention in that part of France.

The-Ry-Man06

Thanks for the reply Lads, Yea the old tent is an option just see it as a bit of an excuse to get a van/caravan for trips to the west coast too which just cant be done here in a tent in winter. I thought we might encounter problems with the caravan alright. Are there very specific regulation in France/Spain on where you can and can't 'park up' with a caravan? I think looking for a cheap camper may be the best option if this is the case. Thanks for the link to the Renault I'll definitely do a bit of follow up on it.

Buford T Justice

To be fair, you'd probably get that van for €1K. Its been listed for a while and no takers....

Queen of Pots

If you can get away with using a van/campervan then I think it would be a great way to travel. It's handier than towing a caravan around and easier to pull in en-route.

We have a caravan because we have children and when we're on site there are times when some of us want to stay on site and others want to travel so the caravan is handy in this respect.

We don't have a car/trailer license as our caravan is under 1 tonne and is a single axle. I have a 1.6ltr car and wouldn't chance pulling the caravan with it.

If you're surfing I'm sure you'll head down to Biarritz! There's a surfing festival takes place there that's a great buzz!

The-Ry-Man06

Yea its looking more likely that ill go down the camper route. There really is a great selection of them for in or around the two thousand mark that look half decent! I just need more information now on going about getting one DOE'd, taxed and insured. I was told that tax for a motor home is only €90? Anyone have any idea of the specific requirements for it to be classed as a motor home?

And yes we'll definitely hit Biarritz we planned to go there last summer but accomodation in June/July was just too expensive for an extended stay. Should be a bit cheaper with a camper this time round!:)

Buford T Justice

The-Ry-Man06 wrote: »

I was told that tax for a motor home is only €90? Anyone have any idea of the specific requirements for it to be classed as a motor home?

Thats only a problem if you are reclassifying a van to a campervan. If its a campervan on the log book you're sorted, it'll be only €88 for the year.