Cheap caravan's

2qk4u

Ive seen some caravans for sale starting from around €600/700. Would they be any good ? are older caravans damp and dirty with leaks ? I would consider a cheap caravan as a starter but dont want to be put off by the wrong one. It would be my first time to buy one so any tips/advice would be great thanks.

Buford T Justice

For that kind of money, it could well be a heap.

I bought a Elddis Shamal (I think) as a donor for my camper conversion. I paid €750 for it, and it looked good, but the rot had set into the timbers on the sides of the wagon. I didn't care, cos I won't be keeping it but just to be aware.

2qk4u

Fingers McGee wrote: »

For that kind of money, it could well be a heap.

I bought a Elddis Shamal (I think) as a donor for my camper conversion. I paid €750 for it, and it looked good, but the rot had set into the timbers on the sides of the wagon. I didn't care, cos I won't be keeping it but just to be aware.

Thats what id be worried about, the things I cant see..

Betsy Og

There are less hidden bits or things to go wrong in a caravan Vs, say, a car or campervan. i.e. no engine.

You more or less get what you see, so by having a good look through it you'll know what you're dealing with. You can get a damp meter (small electronic instument - a bit like a Voltmeter for a car battery/alternator) that'll assess the moisture level.

As regards money, we paid €3,300 on Done Deal 2 years ago- a steal, especially considering all the gear that came with it thats quite expensive to buy. Unless you're very very lucky there'll only be complete rubbish at €700. Be sure to check the UK, a lot more bang for your buck, plus no registration, VRT etc. etc. Just check its not robbed - should be CRIS number/papers etc.

In Irish terms I'd say think at least €4k for something you wouldnt be ashamed of.

Mr.Boots

Where in the Uk would you recomend me looking?
Any sites ive seen seem to be more expencive than here.
Also seem to be a good few advertised on donedeal here that have uk plates on the back of them....so they must be coming from somewhere.

Buford T Justice

Done Deal would be the job, but stay well clear of anything under €1500 to be safe...... less chance of getting a heap that way.

Betsy Og

As regards looking in the UK, we just did web searches, saw good deals on the UK equivalents of Donedeal - cant remember the sites but google will sort you out.

Considering there are about 1 million caravan owners in UK (or is that members of the caravan club), the place is relatively awash with caravans and given the typical better value going there (exchange difference excluded) I'd be amazed if you cant find cheaper stuff over there than here. The obvious snag is you have to travel over to view/collect, so you'd want to be fairly sure. Going with a larger dealer should give some assurance but will cost a bit more.

Wonder if there's a caravan equivalent of the RAC inspection?? (for £150 you can get a report done on a car to make sure (to some extent anyway) its ok). Maybe the Caravan Club could put you in touch with some professional to inspect, if you were very serious about buying a particular unit).

Buford T Justice

afaik there is some sort of check available in the UK regarding caravans to see if they were stolen etc... but that's all I know about it....

urtooky

I too am interested in buying a caravan. I see some dealers offering caravans for around the 1k mark.
What's the story with these?


if the dealer guarantees it, would you be ok?