advice on caravan purchase

RobAMerc

hi folks,

Like everyone else in ireland I am considering making a van / camper purchase this year.

With cars I know a good bit and have an idea what a car is worth based on some factors etc and can then inspect to see the condition.

With vans well.... I wouldnt have a scooby do ! I see what looks like the same van advertised at 3k and 13k !

Could someone tell me what to look for when inspecting a van ? I guess year has a lot to do with it but would a garaged 2010 van be worse than a 2015 van stored in the open ( and how would I know ?? )

Thanks
Rob

_Brian

Looking at age is fine.

You need to see plenty of vans and get an idea of what layout you want, what might work for you and your family.

After that I’d say get to understand how to recognise damp, where to look, what signs to look for.

Check out weights and your potential towcar. Will you need a BE licence or not.

www.whattowcar.info is a good site to match vans amd cars and gives a recommendation on how suitable they are.

A van that’s stored indoors is always preferable.

We’ve had our van 8 years. Probably the biggest disadvantage is not being able to stop in just any town along your route and pop onto a shop or cafe.

db

I know a lot of people see it as a cheap holiday but it really isn't. Caravans are priced up to 50% above what they are worth, buying an older one is a minefield if you don't know what you are doing and most of the campsites are booked for July and August by now.

shtpEdthePlum

Could i recommend a nice tent.

I'm serious. I started looking at vans this time last year and ended up buying lovely camping stuff for way less than a van. Also the back of the car is very roomy so when it rained we nestled in there for a while with the gear so we didn't get soaked.

Sorry i can't be of more help on the van!

_Brian

db wrote: »

I know a lot of people see it as a cheap holiday but it really isn't. Caravans are priced up to 50% above what they are worth, buying an older one is a minefield if you don't know what you are doing and most of the campsites are booked for July and August by now.

Have to say our caravan has saved us considerable money over the years.
We would always have been to campsites in France for three weeks a year, caravan alone saved thousands on that.

Add in another week away in Ireland and multiple weekends and the savings add up.

I remember doing the sums before.
We bought our van 8 years ago for €6.5k, it’s a 2005 van, it’s worth €4K now. Savings of a few grand a year add up. Plus it gives the ability to go away much more often because it’s affordable.
And it has to be what you enjoy, if your a close family it’s great crack, we’ve made brilliant memories and travelled near all of ireland and a good chunk of France. Last trip out in France we went down as far as the Alps which was mad fun.

We’ve bought a van to convert into a camper now, but are considering holding onto the caravan too. We would be sad to see it sold. Last year it only got out for one week which was unfortunate. Not sure about this year as eldest is doing LC so we’re stuck for certain dates.

db

_Brian wrote: »

Have to say our caravan has saved us considerable money over the years.
We would always have been to campsites in France for three weeks a year, caravan alone saved thousands on that.

Add in another week away in Ireland and multiple weekends and the savings add up.

I remember doing the sums before.
We bought our van 8 years ago for €6.5k, it’s a 2005 van, it’s worth €4K now. Savings of a few grand a year add up. Plus it gives the ability to go away much more often because it’s affordable.
And it has to be what you enjoy, if your a close family it’s great crack, we’ve made brilliant memories and travelled near all of ireland and a good chunk of France. Last trip out in France we went down as far as the Alps which was mad fun.

We’ve bought a van to convert into a camper now, but are considering holding onto the caravan too. We would be sad to see it sold. Last year it only got out for one week which was unfortunate. Not sure about this year as eldest is doing LC so we’re stuck for certain dates.

I agree with everything you say above but this year is different. Your caravan may be worth €4K now but you would easily get €6K this year and it won't be possible to call a site on a Thursday to book a pitch for the weekend like other years as they are all booked out.

_Brian

db wrote: »

I agree with everything you say above but this year is different. Your caravan may be worth €4K now but you would easily get €6K this year and it won't be possible to call a site on a Thursday to book a pitch for the weekend like other years as they are all booked out.

We’re so restricted for personal reasons we probably won’t bother this year If it was all about money I’d shove on the van now but I’ll hold on and see if I want to use it.

Usually park up caravan for €100-140 for a three night weekend somewhere. That’s for four of us. There’s not much accommodation you’ll get for family of 4 for a weekend for much under €4-500

By next year allot of the holidaymakers will be back on their two weeks in the sun and leave the campsites to the regular folks. We tend to steer away from the busy sites and go for the quieter out of the way sites.