Buying a caravan

[disney1st timer]

DH is trying to convince me to use this years holiday money on a caravan. He spent most of his childhood travelling the country with their caravan in tow, I spent most my childhood holidaying in Florida every year 😂 quite a difference. I think I’m up for it, the kids are that little bit older (15,12 and 6) and we are definitely over the all inclusive two weeks of boredom now. Any tips for us? We have about £7k to spend and would like one with a suitable awning - or the ability to use one. Other than that I don’t know a lot. We are willing to pay to keep it at a caravan park and we live very close to the river and have multiple options for this nearby. I don’t even know if our drivers licences let us tow a caravan!

[Smilesonfaces]

I would give serious consideration to either hiring or borrowing one first before you invest. People either take to caravanning or they don’t. You will also need to check the towing weight of your car.
We gave ours up when our children were in their teens because they just didn’t enjoy it anymore.

I’m sure all caravans take an awning, there are even inflatable ones now. Our son used to sleep in an inner tent in the awning or his own tent on the pitch. Privacy can be a problem !

Check on DVLA about your driving licence.

If you decide to go for it I do hope you like it. We loved our caravan and I do miss it.

[llamala]

We have a tourer, but have it on a seasonal site about an hours drive away. We feel it gives us options of somewhere to visit but if we want to go further away for a week or two we can.
If you have a friend or relative with a van, have a chat with them and take them with you whilst looking around. With 3 kids you would need a 6 berth most are double axle ( 4 wheels in the middle) or a 4 berth with sleeping arrangements in the awning. Which would be pretty cold apart from the summer.
We found our caravan auto trader, it was a private sale, but we got a newer van for our money. But it was our 2nd one and felt we knew what we were looking at, where as our 1st one with a much smaller budget was bought from a dealer, again we took someone who knew about van to check it over.
We enjoy our time at the van. Our 1st was a 4 berth with a double bed that you made up from the sofa area, the other 2 beds were made by converting the dining table to bunks.
It was ok for 2 and possibly 2 smaller kids.
Our new van is 2 single fixed beds, and the sofa seats are either 2 singles or a big double. We have a shower and toilet.
We also have a full cooker with rings and a fridge with an ice box, bigger vans have a bigger fridge and a small freezer. We also have a Cadac which is a kind of bbq/cooker which we use a lot outside.We have a pizza stone for it, so gets a lot of use.
We also have a drinks fridge in the awning.

[Bartswife]

We had folding campers for over twenty years and had some fabulous holidays in it but as our sons got older they didn’t want to be in it anymore. Eldest pitched in a small pub tent by the side of us to sleep in overnight. It cost a fortune to store and insure each year and we got the the point of not using it once we started going abroad. We sold our last one last year to a lovely young family who will make more memories in it. In one way even though it wasn’t the most comfortable of things I do miss it so we started to try Haven holidays last year to still get the caravan feel (although much more comfy). I will add I hated towing it and was always anxious till on site and they dreading the return journey. You are limited to 60 so if you get stuck behind a lorry on motorways you can’t progress on your journey and heaven forbid you have to park in their area on the service stations which stink of pee. Hated travelling with it, don’t miss that!

[lfc_sarah]

We absolutely LOVE our caravan.

Our family isn't the same as yours so I suspect you would need a slightly larger one than we have.

We bought an old caravan (2004) for 4k and modernised it inside for roughly £600.

Before

After

My main tip if buying an older caravan is DAMP!
Check they have had yearly servicing and damp readings, take one yourself or get it serviced before purchasing! 😊

[Smilesonfaces]

Bartswife- I could have said the same. I always told people if they ask me on a Friday night “do you like caravanning?” The answer would be “no, I hate it, get rid of the thing !” Saturday morning, all set up in a field in the middle of nowhere and it was bliss ! Our favourite holidays and happiest family memories were in that metal can in a field. !
I too was always very nervous travelling and that was as a passenger !

We were probably quite unusual in that we started caravanning pre children and we were usually the only early 20’s couple on the site. We progressed from a little van with no electric to a beautiful new 6 berth. I hanker after another one fairly often but it really is an expensive hobby ! A new van can be £40k these days and you need a big car that
is capable of towing it. I don’t feel quite ready for a static but maybe in the future.

OP- maybe have a look at Practical Caravan magazine for advice. They have magazines and also a website with a forum like this one.
Think about how you will use it. It’s no point in investing all that money for a couple of weeks away a year. We used ours at least once a month all year round and probably 6 full weeks through the year.

I would agree with a previous poster. Take someone with you if possible who knows what they are looking at. If not, buy a damp tester because a van in that price range will be older and may well have some damp in it

Edited to say Lfc Sarah- love your van ! Did you do the work yourselves ?

[disney1st timer]

Originally Posted by lfc_sarah

We absolutely LOVE our caravan.

Our family isn't the same as yours so I suspect you would need a slightly larger one than we have.

We bought an old caravan (2004) for 4k and modernised it inside for roughly £600.

Before

After

My main tip if buying an older caravan is DAMP!
Check they have had yearly servicing and damp readings, take one yourself or get it serviced before purchasing! 😊

See more...

Wow fab job, well done! I am not adverse to buying a cheaper, older one and sprucing it up a bit. As long as it’s functional. We are still aiming for one this size and elder kids to sleep in a tent. We have been on lots of haven holidays which is why we know kids love this kind of thing and after this year we would really like our own freedom and to do something a bit different. Even if we only keep a few years it will still cost us less than a Florida holiday 😂 Thanks for the tips everyone, feel free to hit me with any more.

[lfc_sarah]

Originally Posted by Smilesonfaces

Edited to say Lfc Sarah- love your van ! Did you do the work yourselves ?

See more...

Thank you, yeah we did everything ourselves including me sewing the curtains and cushion covers in the first lockdown x

[disney1st timer]

Originally Posted by lfc_sarah

Thank you, yeah we did everything ourselves including me sewing the curtains and cushion covers in the first lockdown x

See more...

It’s really impressive! The old fashioned decor always puts me off but seeing what you can do with a little imagination is inspiring.

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I can’t imagine how the strain of towing all that extra weight is good for your car

Plus when I go away I love the fact that someone will make my bed while I am out and cook me my breakfast

It just seems more work work , something else to clean

My wife has a static one but I don’t stay