New Members

Hi Craig and Jo.  Welcome to Club Together and all the best for getting your ideal caravan.  Feel free to ask any questions in the appropriate section - you have plenty of sections to choose from.  Look forward to reading your posts.

David

Welcome, just ask away 

Welcome. Our first caravan bought some 6 years ago only stayed for one season, as we realised the layout wasn’t right for us. We changed to a fixed transverse bed, end bathroom van (luckily at a peach of a price) and have now stayed with that.

with the first van, we hadn’t realised what a pain making up beds each morning/night was (for us, anyway).

we also wanted the benefits (again for us) of Alde heating.

but it is quite tricky to evaluate these pros and cons without actually experiencing them. The moral - it’s ok to get things wrong, as long as you learn from them. And maybe accept any costs as the price of learning. But as you say, seek input from others. We’ve picked up quite a few tips on this forum.

All I would say is don't dismiss getting an older second hand caravan. It's easy to be dazzled by all the gadgets and gloss inside a shiny new caravan, but be aware that there are some horrendous build and fittings issues with quite frankly too high a percentage of new vans, and if you dont rush, find something you like and perhaps take someone with you that understands a lot about caravans, you have a decent chance of finding a nice, solid  second hand bargain, a bit older, but with none of the back and forth to the dealer doings that way too many new buyers put up with!

For the dealers, the easy bit is luring you in and selling you a new van. They aren't that forthcoming when it comes to putting right faults and defects, and some folks find that their brand new shiny toy is tied up awaiting repairs, sometimes for months on end. You can't repair much yourself because it invalidates the warranty, so its can be a catch 22 situation!

Apologies if this sounds a tad cynical, but all new buyers need to approach with eyes wide open and be aware! 

Welcome, C&J.

Theres a lot to be said for buying a cheaper second hand van to start with to see how you get on. If it’s not right, it won’t be such an expensive mistake - and we all make them.

Layout is purely personal choice and while some swear by fixed beds, others of us swear at them. We've never found it a problem to unroll a couple of sleeping bags and throw some pillows on the beds but everyone's different.

Good luck.

Edit: cross posted with TDA

Hi Craig and Jo,

Welcome to the friendly forum, you need any help just shout

Hi,  Matching caravan & tow-car is something to bear in mind when choosing.  If you haven’t already looked check the drop-down menus at the top of this page ‘Advice & Training’ & Classified ads if buying an older caravan for an indication of prices. You'll always find/get answers to specific questions somewhere on this forum.   Good luck with your search.  

Welcome C&J, we started out with a £150 2 berth and soon found that we liked the lifestyle of touring. Eventually we got to the position of purchasing new and luckily over the years have had no big pitfalls with our vans.

It can be a bit hit and miss when purchasing, so wish you luck in getting a good one.

Good luck CraigandJo, keep looking, visit reputable dealers and you'll gradually find what you want and what you don't want. Some of the secondhand vans are as good as the new ones so take a look inside them too.

Welcome C&J, and as plenty of others have said.. lots of sound advice on here - all built on experience. Happy touring :)