A range o f caravans o n s ale at a caravan dealer

Lo o k fo r the caravan weigh t p latewhen match ing to a to wcar

B uying a used caravan Mos t o f us w ould l ike to be ab le to buy s ome th ing brand new , but o ften our budge t fo r a ma jo r

purchase such a s a ca ravan w il l no t s t re tch tha t fa r. Some t imes it make s good s ense to buy a

used un it – you avo id the la rge depre cia t ion in the e a rly yea rs and if you ’re new to ca ravanning it

make s s ense to t ry it out f irs t a t a re a sonab ly low a cos t . But don ’t buy too cheap a ca ravan if

you can avo id it a s an unre l ia b le out -o f-da te one cou ld g ive a poo r e xpe rie nce and put you o ff

ca ravanning fo r good.

Bene fit from expe rt advice , re ta i l d is counts and money o ff p it ch n ight s tays w hen you jo in the

C lub .

Do your home w ork

Be fo re you e ven s ta rt looking a t us ed ca ravans you need to

have a good idea o f w ha t you w ha t you ’re looking fo r. I f you

a re new to ca ravanning the C lub ’s Da ta Shee t 1 – Choos ing a

Ca ravan is a good p la ce to s ta rt . Th is w i l l he lp you a s s e s s

the s iz e and la yout o f ca ravan be s t s u ite d to your camping

s tyle .

The capab i l i ty o f your tow ca r is o fte n the ma jo r fa cto r in

re s t rict ing your cho ice o f ca ravan by w e ight and the re fo re

s iz e , s o it is e s s ent ia l to obta in good advice . Aga in the C lub ha s a Da ta Shee t , 20 – Ma tch ing

Ca r and Ca ravan, to he lp , and if you a re s t i l l unce rta in the C lub ’s Te chn ica l he lp l ine is a va i la b le

w hose s ta ff can ta lk you through the de ta i ls . O nce you have an idea o f w ha t s tyle and w e ight o f

ca ravan you requ ire , you can s ta rt looking a round to s e e w ha t ca ravans a re on o ffe r and w ha t

D ATA SH EET#6 C h o o sing a u sed carav an#6 C h o o sing a u sed carav an #6

C aravan tyres are s us cep t ib le to ageingand may need rep lacing even tho ugh the

tread is fine

so rt o f p rice s you can e xpe ct to pay.

W hat price to payCa ravan dea le rs a re a good p la ce to s ta rt looking a t po tent ia l ca ravans , a s you w il l be ab le to

view a good s e le ct ion. Y ou w il l a ls o ga in an idea o f the price s be ing a s ked fo r ca ravans ba sed

on cond it ion, age , s iz e and s pe cif ica t ion le ve l to he lp you de cide on a budge t . P riva te s e l le rs ’

p rice s tend to be a l i t t le h it and m is s w ith s ome s e l le rs having an in f la ted op in ion o f w ha t

the ir p ride and joy is w o rth, but dea le rs have been know n to ove rprice the ir un it s to g ive room

fo r nego t ia t ion, w hich is w hy you need to look a round f irs t .

The re s hou ld be s ome so rt o f p rice un ifo rm ity a t dea le rs be cause they a l l us e the s ame book

to va lue a s e condhand ca ravan a cco rd ing to make , mode l and mode l yea r o f ca ravan.

How eve r, th is is on ly a gu ide and the price s a s sume the ca ravan is in good cond it ion, s o i f i t ’s

in poo r s hape you can e xpe ct p rice s be low the gu ide price . Equa l ly, a ba re ly-used ca ravan w il l

fe tch a prem ium . U nfo rtuna te ly the pricing book is on ly fo r the t rade but a le s s comprehens ive

gu ide is fre e ly ava i la b le to the consume r on the w ebs ite ca ravanpricegu ide .com w ith

ind ica t ions o f p riva te s a le price s . Ca ravan magaz ine s , s uch a s Ca ravan Mo to rhome and

Camping Ma rt , usua l ly ca rry cla s s if ie d ads and re view s o f s e condhand ca ravans s o they can be

a use fu l s ource o f in fo rma t ion.

In gene ra l ca ravan price s a re l inked to yea r o f manufa cture – a s w ith ca rs – s o it is impo rtant

to be ab le to ident ify th is da te to ensure the ca ravan re a l ly is , fo r e xample , a 2001 ca ravan

and no t an ove rpriced 2000 mode l. See the CR iS pane l (page 4) fo r furthe r in fo rma t ion.

W ith a l im ite d budge t it is e ven more important to cons ide r any e xt ra e xpend iture . I f you a re

new to ca ravanning the re may be a w ho le hos t o f e s s ent ia ls to buy such a s ga s cyl inde rs ,

le is ure ba t te ry, fre sh and w as te w a te r ca rrie rs , p lus s e curity lo cks – un le s s they come bund led

in w ith your new purchase .

Le s s obvious is the cos t o f h idden e xt ra s . U n le s s

the s e l le r can confirm the ca ravan ha s had a re cent

s e rvice , it w ou ld be w is e to budge t fo r a s e rvice

be fo re ta king the fam ily out on the road w ith your

new ca ravan. A ls o , cons ide r w he the r you need new

tyre s , e ven if they have more than the le ga l

m in im um o f t re ad. Tyre s de te rio ra te w ith age and

la ck o f us e (s ee image above right ) and the

re comm enda t ion is to re p la ce ca ravan tyre s a fte r

s even yea rs from manufa cture , furthe r de ta i ls a re

ava i la b le in the Tyre and Tyre Ca re Da ta Shee t (15).

O nce you have an idea o f w ha t you need to pay fo r your ca ravan you can cons ide r the opt ions o f

buying from a dea le r o r a priva te s e l le r. Bo th have the ir p ros and cons .

C hecking ou t the caravanY ou need to che ck tha t the ca ravan is funct ion ing co rre ct ly and is o f a s tanda rd you e xpe ct

be fo re buying , pa rt icu la rly i f i t is a priva te s a le a s the re w il l be no go ing ba ck la te r. Go through

a l l the mot ions o f us ing the ca ravan to s e e i f i t s u it s you and it w o rks .

Ins pect and t ry o u t as much o f theequ ipment as po s s ib le, s uch as thes e bed

s lats .

R emed ial wo rk fo r damp can be anex pens ive bus ines s

Ins pect all the equ ipment, no t fo rgett ingthe to ilet

Sit and bounce on the lounge s ea ts – do they g ive

enough suppo rt o r have they lo s t the ir re s i l ie nce ?

Sea t ing upho ls te ry can be rep la ced but it can be

expens ive . Do the cupboa rd and doo r ca tche s w o rk?

Pu l l out bed-making s la ts and che ck the funct ion ing o f

any re t ra ctab le bunk beds . A re the re any a rea s o f the

floo r tha t s e em to be s pongy? Such g ive in the f loo r

cou ld ind ica te de lam ina t ion o f the f loo r cons t ruct ion,

w hich o ften occurs in o lde r ca ravans e spe cia l ly in the

doo rw ay and by the kit chen. It can be repa ired , but it ’s

a job be s t le ft to a ca ravan w orkshop.

Ask fo r the w a te r s ys tem to be demons t ra ted to s how the pumping s ys tem and taps w o rk.

Sim ila rly a s k to s e e the ga s app l iance s w o rking . And don ’t fo rge t the sma lle s t room – cra cked

show e r t rays a re no t uncommon and can be a prob lem to rep la ce .

Exte rna l ly, che ck the grab hand le s a re s e cure , look fo r s igns o f damage . Is the aw ning ra i l

de fo rmed? A re the re any cra cks in the GRP o r ABS end pane ls o f the ca ravan? End pane ls a re

sus cept ib le to cra cking and can be e spe cia l ly e xpens ive to rep la ce .

The pre sence o f e xte rna l dents and s crape s on the

bodyw ork can be e xpe cted to reduce the va lue o f the

ca ravan depend ing on the ir e xtent , but th is s hou ld no t

ne ce s sa ri ly de te r you un le s s the damage is s o s e ve re

a s to cause a s p l it in the body she l l o r e nough dam age

to have caused s t ructura l damage . W he rea s i f you f ind

sma ll p in-prick ho le s in the a lum in ium bodyw ork o r

a rea s o f crumbly w hite pow de r then th is cou ld be a

s ign o f a lum in ium co rros ion and w il l have a l im ite d l i fe .

It ’s w o rth open ing cupboa rds and bed lo cke rs to ge t a

good look fo r anyth ing untow a rd . Evidence o f re gu la r

s e rvicing w il l g ive you s ome confidence fo r ant icipa t ing

l it t le o r no w a te r ingre s s damage , having a ca ravan f it fo r the road and w ith the hab ita t ion

equipment (includ ing ga s and e le ct rica l e qu ipment) be ing s a fe to us e . I f a ca ravan is s uffe ring

from w a te r ingre s s and th is ha s no t been p icked up the re su lt ing damage may cos t a grea t dea l

o f money to put right .

Remembe r, you can ’t a lw ays sme ll damp, o ften on ly

the mos t s e ve re and neg le cted ca se s tend to s how up

w ith sme lls and b la ck pa tche s . W ith ve ry o ld ca ravans

you can a lmos t e xpe ct the re to be a prob lem o f f loo r

de lam ina t ion o r w a te r ingre s s . Th is doe sn ’t ne ce s sa ri ly

mean it is no t f it fo r purpose , it can s t i l l be road

w orthy and useab le , but it w i l l have a l im ite d l i fe .

I f the re a re no s e rvice re co rds go e ls ew he re o r ge t it

che cked out by a qua l i f ie d ca ravan te chn ician. But

remembe r i f the dea l s e ems too good to be t rue it

p robab ly is .

A s k to s ee the hab itat io n equ ipmentwo rking s uch as heat ing and kitchen items

like tap s and gas ho b

D ealer or private seller?P riva te s a le s adve rt is ements can be found in lo ca l new spape rs , s pe cia l is t magaz ine s (includ ing

Camping & Ca ravanning , the C lub ’s month ly magaz ine ) and the inte rne t , includ ing C lub C la s s if ie d

on the C lub ’s w ebs ite and on l ine auct ion s ite s s uch a s eBay. Y ou have to be vig i la nt about the

se l le r be cause the re ’s a lw ays a fa ir numbe r o f s to le n ca ravans be ing o ffe red fo r s a le . Be

e spe cia l ly w a ry o f ca ravans s o ld on the inte rne t and neve r comm it to a ca ravan you have no t

s een.

Reputab le dea le rs o ffe r w a rrant ie s , can ca rry la rge s to ck le ve ls , p rovide ga s and o the r s a fe ty

che cks be fo re s e l l ing and need to pay the ove rheads o f s ta ff and prem is e s . No w onde r the re is

s cope fo r a pos s ib le ba rga in w ith a priva te s a le . U nfo rtuna te ly it doe sn ’t a lw ays w o rk out l ike

tha t .

In consume r law w ith a priva te s a le a l l the goods have s imp ly to be “a s de s cribed” s o you have

ve ry l i t t le com e back i f th ings go w rong. The le ga l p rincip le o f cavea t empto r o r “buye r bew a re ”

ope ra te s . So e xt ra ca re needs to be taken to make sure the ca ravan is o f the qua l ity you requ ire .

A purchase through a dea le r w i l l o ffe r g re a te r p ro te ct ion through consume r le g is la t ion, s ince you

have a right to the goods to be o f a “s a t is fa cto ry qua l ity”, “f it fo r the purpose ” and “a s

de s cribed”. How eve r, w hen you buy used goods the law s ays you mus t cons ide r the price pa id

and be prepa red to low e r your e xpe cta t ions about the pe rfo rmance . And don ’t fo rge t tha t

a lthough you have much consume r le g is la t ion to ba ck you up in a d is pute , mos t buye rs don ’t

w ant the ha s s le o f re s o rt ing to law to ge t remed ia l w o rk unde rtaken o r the ir money ba ck i f

the re ’s a s e rious prob lem .

The Approved Dea le rsh ip Scheme

(w w w .approveddea le rsh ips .co .uk) is a re la t ive ly new

in it ia t ive run by the Na t iona l Ca ravan Counci l (NCC)

ra is e s the s tanda rds the consume r s hou ld e xpe ct by

se t t ing a code o f p ra ct is e tha t s cheme subs crib ing

dea le rs have to adhe re to . T ry to s peak to o the r

ca ravanne rs to f ind out the fa ir and reputab le dea le rs

in your lo ca l ity and remembe r the low es t p rice s don ’t

a lw ays w o rk out the cheape s t in the long te rm . Y ou

can look furthe r a f ie ld fo r a dea le r but w ith a us ed

ca ravan the chance s a re s ome th ing w il l go w rong – the

o lde r the ca ravan the grea te r chance s ome th ing is

nea ring the end o f it s us e fu l l i fe . I f you need to re turn the ca ravan to the dea le r fo r remed ia l

w o rk it ’s no fun driving a 100-m ile round t rip . The re is no ob l iga t ion fo r the dea le r to have the

w ork unde rtaken by your lo ca l w o rkshop a t h is e xpense .

Dea le rs a re o ften w il l ing to nego t ia te , but it depends on the circums tance s . In a buoyant ma rke t

and w he re you a re e xpe ct ing a good t rade -in price fo r ano the r ca ravan no t much is go ing to g ive .

If you a re a f irs t t ime buye r the re is a good chance the dea le r w i l l be w il l ing to nego t ia te – i f no t

by o ffe ring a be t te r p rice he may be w il l ing to throw in e xt ra s s uch a s a le is ure ba t te ry, w as te

and fre sh w a te r conta ine rs o r e ven an aw ning.

The 10 th character o f the C R iS markerind icates the mo del year o f the caravan

Dea le rs w i l l nea rly a lw ays be w il l ing to o ffe r s ome w a rranty (s ee w a rranty s e ct ion on page 4)

except on the o lde s t o f ca ravans . Y ou shou ld a ls o e xpe ct a dea le r to g ive the ca ravan a fu l l

s a fe ty che ck be fo re it le ave s the prem is e s a s the law requ ire s the ca ravan to be roadw orthy,

un le s s the buye r is made aw a re o f it no t be ing s o .

So it ’s no t jus t the bo t tom l ine price you need to cons ide r but the w o rth o f the w ho le pa ckage –

includ ing dea le r s uppo rt – be fo re comm it t ing yours e lf.

C R iSEve ry U K-manufa ctured ca ravan s ince 1992 ha s

been re co rded on the CR iS (Cent ra l Reg is t ra t ion

and Ident if ica t ion Scheme) da tabase by it s un ique

17-cha ra cte r Veh icle Ident if ica t ion Numbe r (V IN ).

U n l ike w ith ca rs , re g is t ra t ion is no t compuls o ry s o

a fte r be ing s o ld new it is pos s ib le tha t

subsequent ow ne rs have no t re -reg is te red the

ca ravan in the ir names . How eve r, CR iS w o rks

clo s e ly w ith the po l ice and any ca ravan repo rted s to le n o r invo lved in a ma jo r a ccident is

re co rded by CR iS.

The CR iS num be r is e tched on to the ca ravan w indow s and on the ca ravan chas s is . The 10th

cha ra cte r (count ing from le ft ) ind ica te s the ca ravan mode l yea r, w ith a mode l yea r runn ing

from the pre vious Septembe r.

A 2010 mode l yea r, the re fo re , runs from 1s t Septembe r 2009 to 31s t Augus t 2010. Fo r 1992

mode l yea r the tenth cha ra cte r is N , P= 1993 and s o on (O , Q & U e xcluded) up to Y = 2000.

Mode l yea rs 2001 to 2009 a re repre sented by a 1 to 9 re spe ct ive ly and mode l yea r. 2010

and 2011 a re repre sented by A and B and s o on.

To f ind out more about CR iS vis it : w w w .cris .co .uk o r ca l l 0203 282 1000.

Make s u re yo u as k to s ee s ervice reco rd s ,s uch as an App ro ved W o rks ho p S chemes ervice s heet

W arrantiesW arrant ie s w il l va ry from pe rhaps thre e months

fo r o lde r un it s up to a yea r fo r younge r ca ravans ,

but do che ck the sma ll p rint to f ind out w ha t a

spe cif ic w a rranty cove rs . Some w a rrant ie s a re

o ffe red through an insurance company w a rranty

s cheme so the re may be a lo t o f sma ll p rint .

Neve rthe le s s , you shou ld e xpe ct a dea le r to g ive

the ca ravan a fu l l s a fe ty che ck be fo re it le ave s the

prem is e s and a s k fo r a fu l l s e rvice i f i t is due .

A la te mode l ca ravan may have s ome o f the

o rig ina l manufa cture r’s w a rranty outs tand ing , but

s eek proo f tha t th is w a rranty is s t i l l va l id (w hich

no rma lly means it s s e rvicing s chedule s hou ld be

up-to -da te ) and if i t is t rans fe rab le to a new

ow ne r. Some t imes a t rans fe rab le manufa cture r’s

w a rranty requ ire s no t if ica t ion to the manufa cture r

and payment o f a fe e to autho ris e the t rans fe r.

D ocum ents and proof o f ow nersh ipThe phys ica l cond it ion and price o f the ca ravan may be right , but how do you know if the pe rs on

se l l ing it is the right fu l ow ne r? In a priva te s a le you shou ld neve r buy a ca ravan tha t is

pre sented to you o the r than a t the s e l le r’s home o r bona f ide s to rage p la ce . Ask fo r ID from the

se l le r and proo f o f ow ne rsh ip .

Y our be s t p ro te ct ion aga ins t buying a s to le n ca ravan, an insurance w rite o ff o r one w ith an

outs tand ing f inance agreement is to che ck w ith CR iS – the Cent ra l Reg is t ra t ion and Ident if ica t ion

Scheme (s ee pane l, le ft ). Fo r a sma ll fe e you can ring up CR iS and g ive it the ca ravan ’s CR iS

numbe r to ca rry out a s ea rch fo r you.

Fina l ly, che ck i f a handbook is a va i la b le , it may no t be e s s ent ia l fo r e xpe rie nced ca ravanne rs but

fo r the beg inne r it is ra the r bew ilde ring to s ta rt ca ravanning w ithout one .

T est it sooner than laterO nce purchased, t ry out your ca ravan a s s oon a s pos s ib le a t a lo ca l camps ite a s it ’s be s t to f ind

any fau lt s s oone r ra the r than s po i l your ho l iday la te r and de fin ite ly t ry it be fo re any dea le r

w a rranty runs out . It ’s cla imed s ome uns crupu lous dea le rs have been know n to s e l l damp and

fau lty ca ravans w ith ve ry s ho rt w a rranty pe riods on the ba s is tha t a good numbe r o f the ir

cus tom e rs w il l no t f ind the prob lems be fo re the w a rranty e xp ire s .

C oncluding the dealCa ravan s a le smen may encourage you to us e a pa rt icu la r o rgan is a t ion to f inance your purchase ,

but proceed caut ious ly a s w hile it may be the be s t dea l fo r the s a le sman, be t te r te rms may be

ava i la b le from your bank o r ano the r cred it p rovide r. U s ing s ome fo rm o f cred it can be bene ficia l

and provide e xt ra pro te ct ion i f p rob lems and d is pute s la te r a ris e conce rn ing the ca ravan.

Be caut ious be fo re comm it t ing yours e lf w ith a depos it , make sure a w rit te n cont ra ct is a va i la b le

w ith any e xt ra s o r o ffe rs cle a rly s ta ted . I f you s ign a cont ra ct and provide a depos it you a re

l ike ly to lo s e the depos it i f you subsequent ly change your m ind about the purchase .

Be fo re co l le ct ing and taking aw ay your ca ravan, a s k fo r a handove r from the dea le r o r p re vious

ow ne r to e xp la in the w o rkings o f the va rious items o f e qu ipment . And don ’t fo rge t to a rrange

insurance and a s u itab le s to rage s ite .

The C lub can o ffe r insurance through C lub Ca re and s ome C lub s ite s have s to rage fa ci l i t ie s .

A lte rna t ive ly conta ct the Ca ravan Sto rage Site As socia t ion (CaSSO A). It s membe rs o ffe r a range

o f s ite s graded in te rms o f the le ve l o f s e curity they o ffe r.

I f you have fe edback on our new fo rma t Da ta shee t , p le a se le t us know , us ing our s ho rt Feedback

Fo rm .

W eb :W eb : The Camping and Ca ravanning C lub

Greenf ie lds House , W estw ood W ay Covent ry , CV4 8JH

Tel:Te l: 024 7647 5442

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