Buying first caravan

"However, if you do buy used JillwithaJay offers some very good advice-especially the bit about using a credit card😊"

That advice holds good whether the van is used or new.👍🏻

Goulceby may I ask if you’re located in Lincolnshire? If so, Coupland Caravans in Louth are worth a visit. They are a family run business who sell new and used vans. Very friendly and helpful. 

When you find a caravan that you think will tick all the box's,  go on the Clubs   ''Match your car and caravan'' page and that will tell you if it's a good match or not,   a lot of caravan's are towed around 100% of the car's weight,  which sounds great on paper until they go down hill and catch a side wind, and go out of control. We tow a 1700kg van with a 2.400kg  Shogun   which is more than we need,  but because we used to have a twin axle  1900kg van and we like the Shogun that we have had for 13 years we stop as we are.

Hi all

Firstly, thanks for making me feel welcome 😊

To answer a couple of questions. 

I have been driving for over 35 years so my licence will be fine nevertheless my wife and I intend on attending and caravan towing course.

Good point about the damp meter - has anyone got any recommendations re: make etc

When I buy from a dealer I will ask whether a history check has been undertaken (stolen etc), would the dealer usually do this or should I expect to pay?

How do I check the nose weight?

Yes, I am in Lincolnshire - good detective work ADD46, we don’t live in Goulceby now but it's our spiritual home!

Thanks again all

You have been given some very good advice.  Treat your purchase like a problem solving exercise.  List the essential criteria eg budget, number of berths, weight, guarantee etc.  Then desirable criteria, eg fixed bed, loading capacity, goodies etc.  Really up to you to decide these. Your purchase must meet all the essential and as many desirable as possible.  The reason that paying some of the cost with a Credit Card was given is the added protection given by Consumer Law which has been mentioned many times on this forum. 

To answer your specific questions above:

If buying from  a dealer get him to do a damp check in front of you. If buying privately best to do your own and buy a meter I suppose any inexpensive one will do.

The dealer, or private seller, should have the CRIS document for the caravan which although not 100% is a good indication that the caravan has not been stolen.

Nose weight should be checked with caravan loaded ready for the off. The caravan will have an ex work nose weight which will be affected by how you load the caravan.  To check the nose weight you can purchase a gauge, get an expensive jockey wheel with a built in gauge or simply use bathroom scales by placing a hammer or suitable piece of would under the hitch and onto the scales!  The max nose weight and tow bar weight for my outfit is 100kgs so I try to get it as near tis as possible circa 90kgs allowing for error on my gauge (yes, I have one a Milenco).  I only check it at the beginning of each trip as I load up in a similar way all the time.

Your name gave it away 😉. I seem to remember a good pub in Goulceby. Good luck with finding a caravan to suit. It’s an exciting time. Enjoy it.

Goulceby,  if you are considering a fixed bed make sure you are happy with the dimensions as many tend to be on the smallish side. Even the latest Elddis 860 (  twin axle 8ft wide van) has a fixed bed which measures a paltry 4 ft 3 inches between facing caravan walls.

Much valuable advice above already.
As already suggested, visiting an NEC show was very helpful for us too. We went with firm intention of looking, buying nothing, though  reckoned we knew what we were looking for. After spending time in lots of shiny boxes on wheels, and moving about and sitting in each one long enough to ask, "Do I want to spend several weeks in this? Would it feel like a holiday? Is it practical for things we want?" we changed our minds on what we were after, and went home happy, having only spent out on getting to the NEC and ticket entry!
Then we spent time finding a second hand caravan with far more information to help us.
Having found the make we wanted, talking to others in the owners' club was invaluable too.
Good luck!

Oh yes, and when viewing caravans on show, check on the  lighting the exhibitors have used. One or two were lit more like little stage sets, on close inspection, to artificially enhance their atmosphere.

Be wary when pulling out a damp meter.

From personal experience, the mood of some private sellers can change when asking to check for damp. 

More so if you find any!

Happened to me on 5 separate occasions, i wouldn't entertain buying outside of a dealer network now.

I agree, my wife was like a bloodhound when we bought our first used caravan, and the one she chose we had no problems with, alas it all went down hill when we started buying new ones