Thread: help needed in my purchase of a caravan

Thats a Windsor, not cheap, but you get what you pay for. They hold thier value too.We finished a 12 week long service trip last year. Ended up buying a Paramount single axle new- now sold. We looked at the Windsors, they have the patent on the solid lift up roof. Jayco have a similar model called the Expanda, which we also nearly bought. Good thing we did'nt as we met 3 owners who all had problems.
Looking back on the whole experience, my best advice is to buy a good secondhand unit and travel a bit, you will soon come up with a "wish list" and then buy a new one with those features. That way you don't lose too much like you do with all new purchases. We were fairly lucky and only dropped 2 grand after 18 months.
My kids just couldnt get on - I suppose 12 weeks was too big- at least for them
Good luck and start surfing the web..

I'lll back Deejay, buy (or hire) the cheapest van you can and take it on a week long (or 2 weekends if you cant take a single week) and you'll come up with a wish list of things you like and dont. then go buy one with all of that.

Some places do hire outs of caravans but IME most long term vanners with decent rigs are happy to let you have a sticky and ask them about their setup if you catch them around beer oclock on a lazy sunday which fortunately up here in queensland is on most sundays starts about 5 minutes before the sun fully crests the horizon.

Looks nice. You won't be able to take that one far off road though.
Maybe try talking her into one of the hard floor flip tops?

Steer clear of Jayco's. Although very popular, they are built to a price. You have been warned. My father in law has run outback trips for caravanners for many years and has far more trouble with Jayco's than any other brand. Golf's are another one. Poor quality control-think electrical fire in a brand new van....I'm sure some people have good ones that haven't caused them problems, but certainly you should think twice.

Cheers Chris.

My stepdad used to build stuff for Jayco, build quality is ordinary for the price. They just want to pump them out the door (600 a month).

Will towing 1000kg caravan mean that I cant do a 3.5 inch lift or that serious off road suspension mods are no good to tow a caravan

You see I want a camper trailer but because my little one is only 2 and a bit the wife wants a caravan in case of an emergency (its what you get when your hitched to a Oc health and safety manager)

her argument is that you can tow the caravan to a caravan park and un hitch it and then go off road and that it has a microwave TV etc

its not that she is soft and a hotel dwelling creature she traveled from NSW to WA camping all the way how ever our little one wasn’t born as yet she was still a twinkle

So no Jayco, its funny that because it the most common caravan you see Just like blue haven pool like the one in my back yard every one gets a blue haven pool, then complaines for ever more

We have a 2 year old and another on the way, and we have a camper trailer!
If i came home with a caravan, the missus would tell to take it back