Caravan?

[AndrewSchofield]

Hi guys,

Not really a 'car' issue, but thought this was probably the best forum for this query. A friend down the road is selling a caravan and we're interested in buying it. We've never owned a caravan and so while it looks like its in good nick - we don't really know what to look for. Can anyone advise the things we should check before agreeing to buy?

Cheers.

 

[Stivino]

Make sure there are no signs or smells of dampness inside. If you're not too sure yourself, it would be a good idea to have it serviced by your local caravan place. They'll check the brakes, electrics and any gas appliances it has.

 

[Peter.N.]

If there is no serious rust underneath, which is unlikely unless its very old, you can see prctically everything else by looking round inside. Check that all the road lights work. Otherwise, as Stivino says.

Peter

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks guys, i'm more confident about looking around inside, checking the lights and for signs of damp etc... it was underneath that worried me more. I can do the laying on my back underneath thing for effect, but wouldn't have a clue what i'm looking at or for! I don't want it dropping to bits or a wheel falling off the first time we set off on holiday!

On the face of it, it looks like its in good condition and has been looked after, but we've yet to have a good look around, we've only seen photos so just wanted to know what to look for when we go and see it.

So underneath, so long as its not dropping to bits with rust, it should be ok?

 

[Stivino]

What make is it? Some of the older Adria brand and German vans had the door on the wrong side. i.e. it opened on the traffic side instead of the pavement side, something to think about if you have kids.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Its an Abbey van, and the door is on the 'correct' side!

What counts as 'old' in caravan terms then? I think he said its a 1996 model?

 

[Stivino]

It is getting on a bit now but as long as it's dry, anything else is simpler to repair. If you get it at the right price and have some fun with it, then great.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Its a four berth and he wants £900 for it. He's going to put it on ebay with a starting price of £1400 if we don't have it, letting us have it cheap because he knows us, and because it'll be a a quicker and easier sale (ie. because we live three doors away).

Price sounds good to me (although I have no experience on which to base my assessment of value) - like you say, if its free of signs of damp and leaks, I think it should be ok!?! The carpet inside looks in good nick so its either been replaced, or hasn't had too much foot traffic over the years which I'd guess is an indication of how its been used and looked after...

 

[Burnerman]

For reasons really unbeknown to me, I believe that caravan tyres have to be replaced according to age, rather than wear.
Its worth checking for evidence of grease around the torsion bar suspension mounts.
Brake parts and wheel bearings etc are easy to get a hold of, too. The brakes especially need to be adjusted by someone who is clued up.
Enjoy your van if you go for it!
John

 

[RedHerring2]

When we bought our caravan, second hand, a few years ago, we had a service carried out on it before using it.
One of the jobs needing doing was the replacement of the shock absorber on the tow bar, that operates the brakes. It was much quieter and more comfortable to tow afterwards.
As burnerman suggested, the tyres needed replacement.
Also the peace of mind that the gas appliances/detectors had been tested was worth it.
It was a few hundred pounds for the service.

 

[Stivino]

I don't think it's a must that caravan tyres are changed with age. Rather, it's a recommendation by the tyre companies (who else) that the tyres are changed at five years old. I'm sure the same wear criteria apply to caravans, as they do to cars. But, I'm sure that caravan tyres should have a "C" rating to indicate commercial use, due to the heavy load being spread normally over only two tyres.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

For reasons really unbeknown to me, I believe that caravan tyres have to be replaced according to age, rather than wear.
Its worth checking for evidence of grease around the torsion bar suspension mounts.
Brake parts and wheel bearings etc are easy to get a hold of, too. The brakes especially need to be adjusted by someone who is clued up.
Enjoy your van if you go for it!
John

Thanks John, The tyres thing makes sense to me, as they'll spend a lot of time sat doing nothing and possibly degrading and compared to a car, will do very few miles so I assume the rubber will be past its best well before the tread wears off them?

torsion bar suspension mounts - a translation into English would be nice (this is why i'm cautious about buying it without knowing what to look for!)

The father-in-law is the guy i need who knows a bit about these things, he's had caravan's all his life and is handy with regard to maintenance - problem is he's in his caravan, in Devon for the next 4 weeks, and this guys wants rid of the cravan so I can't wait for him to get home!! But if we do buy it, he'll be able to do the general on-going maintenance for us.

 

[Burnerman]

I can't speak for all designs, obviously but I look after a couple of 4 wheel vans (one is a LMC and the other a Hobby). Both have torsion bar suspension, which means that the wheel is fixed to a pivoting arm, so it can go up and down with the bumps in the road. The centre of this pivot is fixed to a round (torsion) bar that is clamped to the underside of the van. This bar is in fact spring steel, hence its ability to twist and then return. This torsion bar runs in two bushes which have a grease nipple on each, and these need regular attention with the grease gun.
Both of these vans have adjustable taper roller wheel bearings which also need to be checked from time to time, and the sliding tow hitch needs regular grease.
I really don't know if these arrangements are typical or not.
Regarding the tyres, I'd be looking for sidewall cracks as well as tread wear as like you say, they can spend ages just sitting doing nothing. I imagine a caravan blow out wouldn't be pretty! I'm not qualified to comment further on that one.
I think this van sounds ok, personally.
John

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Well we went and had a good look at it last night. The first issue is that its a lot older than we were originally told - its a 1988 model so its 23 years old now - is that old for a caravan? Seems 'old' to me.

That said, it looked ok. No sign or smell of damp inside (an no flowery air freshners to mask such a smell). Its got a few bumps and scapes as you'd imagine for something that's been around for more then 2decades. Underneath it has a galvanised chasis which looked ok to my untrained eye and the floor looked dry and solid enough - didn't feel any bounce in it when inside? Tyres looked ok... He's also including two gas bottles, an awning, elec hook-up cables, water barrel, toilet.

Seems ok but the age does worry me somewhat - am I worrying unduly?

 

[Stivino]

Have you done some internet research to check the price? £900 might well be a fair price for a 23yr old van. If so you just need to decide if it you're going to get your money's worth out of it or, if it's just going to lie in your drive most of the time.
It is getting on a bit but if it's been looked after, everything works and the plywood isn't coming to pieces etc, it could turn out to be a great buy.