Touring Caravan

Buying a used touring caravan

Buying any vehicle or caravan used can become a daunting task – choosing the right one at the right price and making sure that you get a good buy for your money and that you simply don’t get ripped off! Here we have a guide to help you choose a tourer that isn’t a rotting shed on wheels. Although your budget will be the main deciding factor on the condition of tourer you choose, even the later models on the used forecourt will need some closer examination. Try and get some background on your choice, such as service history and any repair work carried out, this will give you some indication on how the caravan has been used and looked after over it’s lifetime. Don’t forget to check your car’s towing and kerb weight limits, try and stick to below an 85% ratio. You can do a free tow car and caravan check here: https://towcar.info/ If you have found it useful please make a small donation to help them to maintain the service.

You will also need to check that your driving licence permits you to tow the weight of caravan that you are looking at and that the total weight of your car and caravan are within the limits of what your licence allows. Details can be found here: Caravans and Trailers Driver Licensing. If you passed your test after 1st January 1997, it is particularly important that you check that your licence permits you to tow your caravan. The standard UK driving licence, if you passed your test after 1st January 1997, allows you to drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM. You can tow a trailer over 750kg provided that the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg. If you want to tow something bigger or have a bigger total MAM, you will need to take an additional driving test to allow you to do that. https://www.gov.uk/car-trailer-driving-test

If you do your homework and read our “What to look for” sections, then your chances of avoiding the pitfalls are for the better. Damp, missing road lights and scratched sinks will tell you a lot. So check out what’s on offer in used tourers.

If you’re not sure about being confident to buy private, and funds are limited, then it’s the dealer’s forecourt for you. Private buys can prove a good move but can be a bad one too. Take along someone who knows what to look for and also don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding servicing and any repairs that may have been carried out. Also ask the seller for proof of ownership. Don’t forget, older tourers will have more possible problems to look out for and with a private buy you don’t have the comeback associated with a dealer.

A dealer will make sure the van is safe for towing and the gas/electrics will also be checked for safety, but it’s down to keeping your eyes peeled for badly stained carpets, missing taps and delaminating floors. On cheaper tourers dealers will have a notice in the window telling the would-be buyer that the van will need work carried out to make it fully useable. On newer tourers, dealers will give a limited warranty. In some cases the manufacturer’s warranty will be valid, but private sales on newer models may also still have a maker’s warranty but check that it’s transferable and that the servicing schedule has been kept up by the owner.

There is so much to look out for when it comes to buying a used tourer, but as mentioned earlier, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task and if you’re taking care in doing checks, you will get yourself a good pre-owned tourer that will give you years of touring pleasure. Let our expert guide you in getting that perfect model. One word of warning though, damp testers are a good tool, but like anything, if miss-used, false readings (such as condensation being read) may see you reject a van that’s perfectly dry! So take your time and we’re sure you will get a cracking buy!