white rose Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Hello all! I spent most of last year researching buying a motorohome and have a notebook full of facts and figures about them ... however, just as we were about to buy, the picture changed somewhat and (with a much reduced budget) we're now looking at buying a cheap caravan. However, the last time I was caravanning, Frankie was telling everyone to Relax and Margaret Thatcher was just getting into her stride! I figure things have moved on a bit since then :-D We'd quite like to get sorted with a van as soon as possible, but I'm a bit dispirited after putting so much effort into chosing the perfect motorhome and it all falling through so would like to do the research bit as quickly as possible. Which is where I'd like your help, please. We'll be towing with an 8 year old Audi A4 1.9 diesel - I know I need to follow the 85% rule, and I guess I need to look at payload in the same way as I did for a motorhome? My budget is miniscule - prob around £3500 :-( There's two adults, an energetic 4 year old and a baby on the way. I'd probably prefer not to have a fixed bed, and I'd like a proper shower, rather than a wet room, if you know what I mean. Other than that. I'm pretty darned clueless! Could you tell me 1) Where are good sources of basic buyer info 2) What are the daft things that I need to know but don't yet know exist 3) whether I can realistically get a good caravan for the budget we have 4) any recommendations for good dealers in Yorkshire/Derbyshire And anything else I need telling :-D Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 It may be worth contacting the Holiday Site Manager at the Bakewell CCC site which is actually at Youllgreave as when we were there 2 weeks ago he had a caravan of his own for sale which I think was near your price range, It looked in very good condition. The HSM's name is Steve. You should be able to get the phone number from the CCC website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Don't want much do you??? OK, more seriously: You have obviously done a lot of homework in looking for a motorhome so much of that will stand you in good stead. However, you will be towing basically an alumnium 'shed' on the back of your ccar and that can be a bit of a concern for some, although if you take it calmly and thoughfully, you should have no problems. The 85% rule is not a rule. It is merely a guidance figure supported by the main Clubs but you can tow up to 100% of your kerbweight if you wish. However, the lighter the van compared to the car, the better for towing. You are towing with an Audi diesel which is a good towcar. Check what is the kerbweight of the vehicle and aim for a van that fully loaded will be around 85% of this number, but again it does not have to be exact. I have doubts however about getting a fixed bed for the budget you are looking at, unless you are lucky. Fixed beds are popular and therefore are kept unless traded in. Also at the sum you mention you are looking at older models and there was less availability of fixed beds in days gone by. You may wish to look at both UK and EU models as the latter often had more fixed beds at the cheaper end of the scale. Try some of the magazines and Autotrader etc for some of the private ads. Also have a look at forecourts as often a trade in may become available. Getting a shower room should be easier although remember you have to supply the water unless on a hook up to the mains. However, I am sure the 4 year old will happily 'escort' you to and from the taps with water and waste. He/she may even pull a water hog, for a short while. Your payload in a caravan will probably be a lot less than you had planned with a motorhome, so you need to be careful about what you take. If you plan an awning remember a fullsize one can easily top 40 kg of weight. If you have concerns about towing then I recommend going on one of the towing Courses offered by both main Clubs. They will guide you through everything and give you a lot of confidence. Joining either of these Clubs will allow you to access their technical libraries and also visitng their sites can allow you to meet and get advice from other caravanners. Also without upsetting anyone here, have a look at the PC Forum http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum as it caters mainly for caravans and you will get a lot of good advice The last piece of advice I would offer is to either buy, or borrow from the library a copy of the Caravan Handbook as it gives a lot of information on the basics and makes excellent bedtime reading. Good luck and enjoy your caravanning. The kids will love it as much, if not more than motorhomiing, and I stand back to be shot at with that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white rose Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thank you Mel Wood - if I can get my head round the caravanning plot in the next couple of days, I'll give them a call! And thank you Dave - and no, of course I wasn't asking for much (lol) Dave225 - 2011-04-20 7:42 PM The 85% rule is not a rule. It is merely a guidance figure supported by the main Clubs but you can tow up to 100% of your kerbweight if you wish. However, the lighter the van compared to the car, the better for towing. You are towing with an Audi diesel which is a good towcar. Check what is the kerbweight of the vehicle and aim for a van that fully loaded will be around 85% of this number, but again it does not have to be exact. Yep, I figure as complete beginners, it's probably well worth us sticking to the 85% - there's no sense in adding the risk of overloading to our novice ineptitude! Actually, It's only really today that I've cottoned on to the fact that I will have to check every van against our car to work out whether it fits that 85% before I know if it's worth going to view or not. I was optimistically hoping that there was some central listing of caravans categorised by weight and I could just look at the ones in the right category! Dave225 - 2011-04-20 7:42 PM I have doubts however about getting a fixed bed for the budget you are looking at, unless you are lucky. It's Ok - I'm the other way round and would def prefer not to have a fixed bed :-D Ha! at last I've managed to do something to make the process easier!! And yes, the payload issue looks like quite a big difference from the motorhome - working on around 200 kg for the three/four of us means that I think we'll have to be a bit more careful with our packing ... I found practical caravan earlier via their classifieds so will mither them too with my random questions. Will put the Caravan Handbook on my library request list. Thanks again for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Sorry about the comment on fixed beds, misread your Post. Actually, I can speak from experience in that once people have tried a fixed bed, they rarely look back. However, not wanting one will increase your options significantly. Just make sure any van you are interested in has had a damp check because any damp will degrade the value drastically. If necessary get your own done. I have not checked the makers kerb weights for the A4 but guess it is around the 15-1600 kg mark. Therefore any van up to 1400 kg MTPLM would be a good match, and there are a lot available in this weight range. If you want a 3rd party advice then have a look at http://www.whattowcar.com/ It gives a reasonable comparison, although do check the specs as it often uses EU specs and weights are different. As you have mentioned payload is always an issue and children often absorb as much as adults with all their toys etc. Try not to take too much gas, often 1 cylinder is enough even although there is space for 2. Anyway, good luck with everything and hopefully you will be 'cluttering' up our roads with your 'shed' very soon. I am off with mine tomnorrow and I definitely picked the wrong day to travel, but what the heck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Hi White Rose, Another point not mentioned yet which hopefully you are aware of (but probably one that won't apply judging by the weights Dave225 has posted above) is that of driving licence categories. Do you have Category B+E or only B on your licence? If you passed your test after 1st January 1997 then you will only have Category B which will restrict you to trailers with a MAM of 750 kg OR a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM. This info is taken directly from the Direct.Gov website where all the supporting info can be found. My apologies if you already knew this (you may have come across similar with Category C1 in your MH research) but please bear it in mind if you didn't. Keith. PS And we have a fixed bed in our MH and wouldn't be without it. Who wants the hassle of clearing the table and juggling cushions to make a bed at night, not me :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white rose Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thanks both :-) Yes, fortunately we both have pre-1997 licences so that's one less think to think about. I can definitely see the attraction of a fixed bed, but I figure it would take up a fair bit of child playing space on a wet day, and leaves us without anywhere to sit if we put them to bed in the dinette (unless we got a 6 berth, I guess - or those not so frequent balmy nights where sitting out in the awning til midnight is an option). Bet I'll have changed my mind after the first couple of outings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Dave225 - 2011-04-20 7:42 PM And yes, the payload issue looks like quite a big difference from the motorhome - working on around 200 kg for the three/four of us means that I think we'll have to be a bit more careful with our packing ... But it's not a bad as it first appears. When considering a Motorhome, the payload has to accomodate the passengers, but not so with a Caravan. So a Caravan with 200kg payload, is roughly similar to a Motorhome with a 400 to 450kg payload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Twin axle caravans are by far the more stable to tow. The 85% rule is of less importance than the "nose weight" that your car will accept, see the manufacturers handbook for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Hi Whiterose We have gone from a caravan to a motorhome recently and although there was only the two of us, when we towed we always put as much stuff in the car as was safely possible i.e. awning, water container, waste container and groundsheet. That way, if it was raining on site when we arrived we could get into the caravan without tripping over everything. I also used to carry a flask of hot water so that I could make us a drink before venturing out in the rain to get set up. When your on holiday the rain never seems to last long :-D Good Luck with your venture and I hope you enjoy the lifestyle as much as we do - your kids definitely will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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