I am interested in buying a caravan to travel around in over the NZ Autumn/Winter and I am just after a bit of advice in regard to this.
Can anyone provide me with information along the lines of what to look for? Are British or NZ made more reliable/mechanically sound? What things that are 'must-haves' while travelling in a caravan? etc.
Any info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Cora.
monaro17,
Mar 6, 8:03am
Have a search in the box to the top left of the page. This topic has been done many times :).
I have been caravanning for decades. I for one would not touch a second hand English caravan. Although they have more bits and bobs they are structurally inadequate for our conditions. NZ manufacturers build theirs to last 40-50years, English manufacturers say them selves their ones are designed to last 15-20 years tops.
As a used caravan dealer told me recently, English caravans are "very easy to buy, but a god damn pain in the backside to sell"
ratzos,
Mar 6, 8:06am
Water damage is the biggie, but make sure you bring somebody who knows the signs. Rust Awning/ Annexe condition Hail damage/ past repair evidence Then the normal brakes/bearings/tyres etc And finally how well it's looked after.
What's your tow limit and budget? It really depends on what your after. I work for a dealership with vans ranging from $10k-$110k+ so there is HUGE variety.
matarautrader,
Mar 6, 8:31am
If you buy a NZ new caravan make sure you have a vehicle large enough to tow it legally.
tamarillo,
Mar 6, 8:48am
As said already english ones look good, have all the gear, but very hard to repair if damaged I was told by repairer. Not built to last. You'll need modern one with great insulation. Jayco maybe? Sounds great fun, always liked idea of leaving it parked and using the tow car for day trips and going to town rather than lugging the whole motor caravan around. I've seen caravans with same self contained Cert which opens up a lot of parking areas. What will you tow it with?
bigfatmat1,
Mar 6, 9:05am
Australian caravans limited insulation English not so strong but lots of insulation and quite often central heating
ml6989,
Mar 6, 9:12am
Can you point me in the direction of your information regarding their limited life span and why they are structurally inadequate for NZ conditions? Thanks.
tanyash,
Mar 6, 9:19am
Is a TRAILITE made here or Australia not sure but I've heard these are the best
frank1,
Mar 6, 9:48am
Trailite are NZ made--good caravans-I would not touch a pomme one,regardless of year--they are too compact inside(double bed usually has cut off edge to walk around)--ok for 1 short person I guess-and look at foot distance between wrap around lounge--,and a lot of them do not have full chassis,only late model ones from what I am told and seen
franc123,
Mar 6, 9:57am
I will, crouch down and look underneath one, does two hunks of galv channel that's had the guts bored out of it only spanned by an axle or two and a thin chip floor that looks like it belongs in a flat pack furniture box from the Warehouse answer your question? There's no question these vans are well spec'd but what weight all the goodies have added has been taken out of the rest of it, they're made for smoother roads than ours. If you're parked up for long periods of time then fine but doing constant touring with them would have to take its toll.
franc123,
Mar 6, 10:03am
Yes, Pukekohe I think.
mack77,
Mar 6, 11:24am
In my opinion one of the most important things that you need in a caravan is insulation, and plenty of it, and not too many windows which reduce the overall thermal resistance of the walls. Unfortunately NZ caravans have too much window area and little or no insulation. Therefore the only way to get a suitable caravan is to build one yourself or modify a ready made one. Of course, the other way is to instal a small woodburner.
ml6989,
Mar 6, 6:42pm
I believe that the UK chassis are built to do the job intended. NZ chassis, in my view, are "over engineered". Why tow all the unnecessary extra weight around the country? I think you are stuck in the 1970's and we may have to agree to disagree.
franc123,
Mar 6, 6:46pm
Lol the job intended WHEN USED IN THE UK when its junked after 10 years if its not given to the TopGear crew to destroy prior. If these build methods are so good why are they not used outside of Europe?
bigfatmat1,
Mar 6, 7:33pm
In my experience of working underneath a lot of UK caravans it's the structural frame of the caravan not the trailer chassis 20×20 box section around the outside base over 20 ft of caravan with very little in between sitting on a sturdy 2 bits of galv angled towards a tow hich compared to caravans from Australia or nz this is very little structural support. I am by far a engineer but when you see the flooring span as well as hear the stories from owners one does wonder
corpses,
Mar 6, 8:17pm
Thank you for that information. Are there certain years of NZ caravans which are best to buy?
corpses,
Mar 6, 8:35pm
Thank you for that list - what parts are more prone to damage I.e. Rust etc? We have a 1999 Nissan Terrano 3.0 Diesel with a tow capacity of around 5000 lbs. That's definitely a large variety, I have been looking at vans $10k and under.
monaro17,
Mar 6, 8:44pm
Yes that will tow most medium to large(ish) vans fine.
For better insulation look for a mid to late 1980s van onwards. Nothing wrong with earlier ones at all but the insulation is old now
tony9,
Mar 6, 8:49pm
We had a large UK caravan for 3 years, then a USA caravan for 2 years. We dragged them all over the place. The UK caravan started deteriorating after one year and took a lot of maintenance to keep it together.
The USA caravan remained solid and maintenance free. But was a lot heavier. However the UK caravan did have better insulation, with double plastic glazed windows.
horses7,
Mar 6, 10:36pm
Trailite build motorhomes not caravans,Leisureline of Hamilton build a very nice van but if you are looking at spending 10,000 you would be looking at a much older van,whether NZ or English you would need to buy carefully
ml6989,
Mar 7, 12:37am
Did I mention about being stuck in the 1970's?
kam04,
Mar 7, 1:31am
Yes, they do build caravans. I've looked at a some. There's a few for sale on here. Good caravans.
cattleshed,
Mar 7, 2:57am
It isn't satisfactory to build a strawman. If the construction is too lightweight with the english ones there is a problem. Safety is paramount and that includes the safety of your investment.
juli55,
Mar 7, 3:18am
If you go to the snow get a 'snow rating' for the roof and insulation for the walls and a fan heater for warmth.
survivalkiwi,
Mar 7, 4:47am
We hired a five year old british caravan when we built our house. It was as new. The night we got it I said to to my wife we should buy this. After three weeks I would not touch it with a ten foot pole. It had some great features but they fell apart. The blinds were those pull up for blackout and pull down for fly screen. Two of these broke while we had it. One of the roof fly screens fell apart and two of the window stays broke. We are normaly very carefull people so I put it down to cheap fittings.
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