Top Tips for Buying a Caravan

When it comes to investing in a caravan, you will need to decide whether you want to buy a new van or a used one. You can choose between a wide range of makes and models and they will all offer something slightly different in terms of how much space they have, the on-board facilities they boast and how easy they are to transport. How many people will regularly need to use the caravan will always be important to take into consideration and don’t forget that you can set up additional outdoor areas when you set up your caravan if you have a large family group and you need more space.

On-board Amenities

When you buy a caravan, you will need to look into what facilities and amenities it has. For example, some vans will have fully fitted kitchens and bathrooms, while others might use an outdoor stove and a portable toilet and to some degree - your budget will likely affect which van you buy. You can look online to find good quality caravans for sale at an affordable price and here are a few of the most important factors to consider before you buy:

The weight of the van
What vehicle you will use to tow the van
How many people can sleep inside 
The payload
The ball weight

It is also important to take the width and the length of the van into consideration before you buy it, so that you can make sure that you have spare space to store it somewhere.

Some vans will even have amenities like a washing machine and you will need to decide which home comforts you really want to have on your van and what you can do without, as they will not only be costly to add to the van but they will also add to the weight and therefore increase your fuel consumption.

Buying a Van

When you buy a caravan, below are the three most common types of vehicles that are available:

New
Used
Ex-demo

If you choose to invest in a used or ex-demo van, make sure you give the van a thorough inspection before you buy it and look into everything from how many kilometres it has already done to its service history.

Added extras like a bike rack and a rollout awning can help to make any caravan more enjoyable to use and you can have lots of features added to a van after you buy it if you can’t find one that has everything you need already.

Online Research

It is important to ensure that the caravan is structurally sound and you should look for a vehicle that has a good reputation for being hard wearing and durable by doing some online research and reading reviews from other owners. This will help you to understand which makes and models are highly recommended and which ones you should avoid investing your money in.