Thread: Buying a caravan Tips

Any caravan is a compromise between liveability and towability. Only you can decide where you fit on that scale.
What I would suggest is to spend as much time as you can looking at caravans, both new and second hand and ask as many questions as you can. The tow vehicles you mention will tow anything within reason.
My experience is fairly limited, and what suited me would not suit you necessarily - and anyway, I'm out of date.
John

I like the pop top campers like the Jaycos as they fold down to a more compact size and you can still get up the beach with relative ease while keeping a fair size interior. It will come down to what your wife likes at the end of the day

If you can running the same rims as your defender means you jave extra spares if things go pear shaped (This might not be possible with a full camper, I don't know).

Complete honesty?

Ok, my 300TDi Auto was a PIA for towing. You need lots of patience up long slow winding hills. Turn on the aircon and its even worse. I spent most of the time in 3rd. We towed a Jayco full height van to Darwin, head winds just killed it.
The van was 1400kgs loaded, a good load in the car also, guessing about 300 kgs. So bad I had a larger turbo fitted in Darwin for the return trip ($3500.00). So you can see I was disappointed. Get a Pop Top, stay under 1500kgs, and get a manual gearbox. (That should invoke the wrath of the gods!).

Having said that, the TD5 Fender tows our 16ft 1500 kg Olympic Pop Top effortlessly. (That was pre chipping), since then even better.
We had an "off road" Coromal at one time, towing it with a V8 3.5L Disco. It towed well. But it was heavy. 1600kgs, with Disco steel wheels fitted and the track made to match the car. Too heavy to go off road. The workshop manuals limit offroad towing weights to 1000kgs. Most "off road" in all honesty is on formed dirt roads. Try dragging something that heavy over the Canning or Strezleckie tracks. It just ain't going to happen.

Opinion:
With rising fuel costs, get a low profile caravan, (16ft to 17' 6") is a good touring size, keep to around 1500 kgs max, use a treg hitch or similar for good articulation and less noise. (tow ball clunking is a pain). Off road? your choice, most vans only need the axles repositioned to the underslung configuration to get some height, (matches the towing cars height better also), and if towed sensibly will go most places. I would not buy an off road caravan again. (extra weight, extra $$$, and under used). A camper trailer is the go for real off road travel, but my wife says no way! So we are black top, wet grass only travellers.

We have had 3 Disco's, (all auto's), 1 Fender, 3 caravans and towed close to 80,000 klms all up over 18 years. The Fender TD5 manual is by far the best tow car I have ever owned.

Only you can make the best choice for your travel aspirations. We have enjoyed every minute of caravaning.

Trev.

Firstly i hate caravans, but my Stepfather has designed and is building his own (to sell them), basically its quite airodynamic, double bed, shower, toilet, lcd tv, a/c, all stainless appliances, alko suspension, full width and height but only 13feet long (not including draw bar), i think its one of the best designs i've seen, particually for its size. The main reason i hate vans is i don't fit in them to well (6'4") but this is pretty good, head doesn't hit the roof except for up the front but thats where the bed is.
I wish i had some pics but its still being developed. Its directed for the retiree, or a couple and is designed to be towed buy most cars due to its light weight.
Hopefully he finishes it soon and gets them out there onj the market.
Damien

To be honest, I don't think I'd even consider one. My wife and I just spent 6 days away in a Britz/Maui very long wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter campervan and that wasn't really big enough - or wasn't well set out enough - for two people. (A bloody great vehicle to drive, though. It was very, very comfortable).

This was the first time in 36 years of marriage that we'd ever been away together in a camper. We've never been away in a caravan and probably never will.

You have a budget of $35,000. That, plus the interest you could have earned on that money or the interest you will pay on that sort of loan, plus the depreciation on the van, will buy a lot of accommodation - even if you were going 4 star. Add to that the fact that your expenditure is spread over many years.

Our travels together (both as a couple and with our 2 kids when they were younger) have always involved staying in hotels (from country pubs to 5-star) or motels (we don't take our pets with us, they get kennelled - I couldn't imagine much worse than taking a dog on holidays).

I'm thinking of designing a storage system for the Rangie which will suit our sort of touring thus allowing quick transfer of clothes, etc. to the motel room - a modified version of a storage system used when one goes camping/4WDing.

What suits us won't suit all of you but as my wife never goes camping or 4WDing this arrangement suits us.

Oh, if I was interested in buying a van, I'd hire one first to see just how inconvenient they really are.

Ron

Thanks Ron on the hiring tip ..good advice as usual...
The SWMBO really wants one to replicate the fun family times she had as a kid and I can't blame her as Thats why I drive a Landrover.
There would be no interest accrued or loans, Brickie Ron, I don't lend anything but a mortgage as for depriciation I don't give a hoot if we all have a good time in using it . In saying that though I personally do see your point.
I wouldn't have much of a marriage if it was only my dreams pursued, would I? So we will be getting a caravan to explore this great state of ours and others.

Dawg, we found that the interior layout of the camper looked really good for us. However, in practice it wasn't.



If I was designing my own, I'd make a number of changes. For example, we couldn't open some of the floor level cupboard doors right back and found getting access quite difficult. Also the fridge was at floor level. Getting stuff from the bottom shelf at the back was near impossible. (I'm 100kg and 58 yo so I don't bend like a 20 year old).


Ron