Buying first caravan

Welcome.

Take you time and view as many different makes and models as you can.

List the features that you consider to be important if you haven't already done so, and be prepared to add and delete items as you look. 

You will need to purchase many items to equip your van for touring, remember to leave enough in the budget pot for these. 

 

Pretty obvious point but do you hold the appropriate driving licence?

Consider investing in a damp meter and don't be afraid to use it in front of seller.

Open up all the cupboards/drawers/lockers and check/smell inside.

Don't part with any money up front.

Pay a percentage with a credit card.

Do a check to ensure it's not stolen.

 

AS JWJ says your nose is a good starting point. If it smells of damp, cigarettes, dogs or even air freshener I would give it a miss.

Damp is your biggest enemy and there’s good advice above.

The club offers a lot of advice on all aspects of buying and owning a caravan.

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/guide-to-buying-hiring-vehicles/Buying-a-car-caravan-or-motorhome/buying-a-caravan/

You can arrange for independent inspections at a slight discount as a club member.

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/advice-for-beginners/caravan-and-motorhome-inspectors/

 

 

Some caravans have an inherent unladen noseweight that can only be described as impractical with some vehicles, so raise the steady's and check out the weight on the hitch. Also ask what its payload is and decide if what you expect to put into the caravan will fall into that figure.

Also a lot of modern day caravan's are not built as reliable as modern day car's,  so do lot's of home work on the make's that you think may be right for you.  I don't want to put you off a great hobby,  but lot's of vans in that price range have been sold for a reason,  so if your paying that amount of money go to a dealer with good reviews and get some guarantee,  if only a sort time in writing before you part with any cash.

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You don't mention what berth you require but if it's 2 (or even a small 4 berth) you should consider buying new. 

We went to look at 4 berth caravans with the same budget as you and almost bought a 4 year old caravan for £13,000, then we noticed we could get a brand new one if we stretched our budget another £3000 (we agreed that we wouldn't have holidays abroad for a few years until the caravan had "paid for itself") We also managed to get a £500 price reduction by bargaining with the salesman!  At least we knew we were getting  a 10 year water ingress warranty and all the little niggles we found after the  purchase were sorted at no extra cost to us.

Our friends bought the same model as us for £13,500 as it was an ex showroom model, so that's something to consider too.

We've never bought a brand new car (usually 2 or 3 yearold) so our caravan was a massive luxury buy but I have no regrets.

However, if you do buy used JillwithaJay offers some very good advice-especially the bit about using a credit card😊

Good luck!

Most caravans these days are too heavy to manhandle, so a motor mover is almost essential. Thery are both a significant expense and quite heavy so will eat intro your payload, as will a leisure battery. Allow abut 25Kg for each when calculating any spare payload. Don't be dazzled by an exceptionally large double axle job. Palatial though they may seem, they come with a manoeuvrability downside.

As for nose weights it depends on what year your Sportage is, as it can range from 70 kg to 100kg  weight on the towbar

As others have posted take your time in choosing your c/van it is not often that it will be completely to your liking first time,

If you are buying new or used from a dealer they will normally give "newbies" a starter pack to get you on the road ,do not ask strait away as it might affect what they will be willing to negotiate when buying ,they will normally have wriggle room, and be prepared to walk away if they will not give anything