Your experience buying your first caravan

Went to Barrons about 25 years ago & said we want a caravan costing £hundreds rather than £thousands. They'd just got in a Robin as part ex that came with everything in it including an awning. All for £385. Had some great times away with the kids despite it only being 10' 6" internal length but quite heavy with its coil spring suspension & glass windows. Sold it years later for more than we'd paid for it.

Our experience is very much the same as MM's. Our first caravan purchase in 1991was a 20yr old Elldis Whirlwind 4 berth with bunk beds across the back (no washroom). It came with an Isabella awning of similar vintage. Cost £450, served us well for two years, then sold it on to a work colleague for £500. Now 26 yrs later we still look back with fond memories of our first caravan, whilst enjoying trips away in our new all singing, all dancing van. Halcyon days.

I don't think we have a single photograph of it  ...... not like the digital world we live in now

As a large proportion of new comers are likely to have restricted licences. It would be good to have real examples of combination that come under 3500kg.   Also real information what is required for a B+E entitlement and the cost. 

Has anyone visited a dealer that allowed you to try out a caravan before you purchased? 

Sadly my memory doesn't go back as far as when we bought the first caravan! 

My ex - in laws owned a van and that is how we got into it and learned all the ins and outs. It Could be incredibly useful if dealers would allow you an overnight in a van as a trial if you were considering buying because if you've never tried it before it can be a big investment that really isn't for you! 

All i can remember about buying our first caravan it was at a (as was in those days)a little dealer? and he had a small building with a plot of land and about six caravans,the second hand van we could afford was a Robin with one gas mantle light no heating (we bought a free standing radiant gas fire) and  i think two gas rings, the water was only cold that was "pumped" into the sink with a foot pump,and the toilet was just a "thunder bucket"but  it was as far as we were concerned the bees knees after tenting in a storm with our then first baby (she is 50 next year the same as our membership with the cc club) 

One bit of advise i would give to anyone buying their first leisure vehicle would be do not be swayed by a "good deal" at one of the shows from a dealer that is many miles from where you live,because sorry to say it will be very rare that it will be "fault free"and will need some warranty work which will entail normally a trip or trips to the supplying dealer 

I went to a dealer, they worked out what size of caravan my car could tow and we looked around their stock which was expensive but a couple of weeks later they had one which was in my budget.

It didn't have a motor mover which I wanted so that was an add on, but I was told you must have this and that and the other and the bill crept up.

It would be useful to know what is absolutely necessary and what you really don't need when someone like me falls into the world of addons.

I just knew I wanted a caravan! I had never towed or been in a tourer before I bought our first one which was in the local rag . I went to see it- an Avondale, Leda Pennine 5/6 and bought it there and then. The seller agreed to tow it to my storage. Since those nerve racking moments we have, as a family, enjoyed the most fantastic holidays with the kids and now, by ourselves. I write this lying on my fixed bed on the Welsh coast and looking out at some stunning scenery. On the purchase of my first van, it ticked all the boxes like hot and cold running water- with four kids- that was a must. 4 burner cooker, sleep accommodation etc. These days, technologies have moved on a pace Ro and it would be negligent of the club not to mention these. Others have mentioned them before me so I won't labour the point but I would feel let down if the club did not point out the alternative lifestyle now accessed by the modern technologies. This is the one way where you can make advice more relevant. We still have people coming on asking about non EHU caravanning and really wanting to know about it.  And please, don't call it 'basic caravanning! ' it isn't!  This of course will be medicine that the club will find difficult to swallow as it has the potential to directly impact on the bottom line of the balance sheet. As far as the other pointers are concerned, getting the van professionally checked for damp ingress would be one of the important ones. Then things like the importance of servicing, tyres overloading and loading correctly , noseweight, levelling, don't change. Thanks for your concern Ro, I hope you and the family are well. 

Rosie. My goodness, that's a 'how long is a piece of string' question if ever there was one. There is a list of basics you need for a caravan. Aquaroll or similar, wastemaster or similar, gas cylinder- refillable preferably if you intend to do offgrid caravanning, a small level, spare bulbs, fuses etc, small tool kit perhaps?   Some would argue that a motor mover is a luxury but it all depends on how old you are !! We wouldn't have considered one at one time,- now we wouldn't consider being without one! It has been a Godsend on several occasions. Levelling planks are another costless item. They can be acquired virtually anywhere. Ramps cost and things like Lock n Level really costs but the convenience is there to justify it. Basically a caravan with a few items mentioned and a towcar is all you need. What you want is something entirely different! 😂😂😂