InsaneJournal

Picking Up A Good Used Caravan
One of the greatest holidays you can have is in a caravan, you can just go whenever you feel like it and don't have to worry about hotels or apartments. You can almost go anywhere you want and there are some wonderful, peaceful nature locations where you can safely set up your caravan for a few days.

To take a caravan holiday is very cheap, but to actually buy one isn't quite so cheap. If you are going to get your own caravan then you might want to consider second hand as its going to save you a lot of money, there are however many things that you should take into consideration.

First and foremost should of course be…how does it look? If it looks tatty and neglected then the chances are it's not just the paintwork that's suffering. You want to find something that looks ok, a bit of paint peeling of here and there is ok, that can easily be fixed. In fact you might want to repaint your caravan anyway to your personal taste.

There are lots of newspapers, magazines and web sites where you can search for used caravans for sale that folks are marketing, so make an effort to investigate and once you've identified some which are interesting, make a time to go and look at them. The interior should be in a relatively ok condition and not too tatty, so make sure you make this one of your first priorities to check out. Often the seats are worn in second hand caravans although this need not be a major concern as it won't be too expensive to have the fabric replaced, or even replace the seats from a caravan that is being scrapped.

All of the electrical systems in the caravan should be in good working order and you must check this out. Hiring an electrician to sort out any problems there may be can be expensive and time consuming. Check all the other appliances as well like water and drainage. Also check the condition of any fitted cupboards and beds.

Once that's done move outside for a closer inspection of the caravans exterior. During your inspection pay close attention to any exposed bare metal and see if it has corroded, if so how bad? More serious rust can definitely be a problem and a reason not to purchase. Small areas of bad metal can easily be remedied. The walls of the caravan should also be properly sealed, so as to keep out water, it's possible to repair bad sealing but preferably you want to avoid this if possible.

If the exterior checks out then next look underneath the caravan, it's worth taking the time to properly examine the parts that can't normally be seen, take a torch along with you as you'll probably need it. It would be well worth an inspection of wheels and tyres. The most important thing is that the metal frame underneath is structurally sound otherwise you could be looking at some expensive repairs.

Check the tow hook as well, make sure it's in good working order and free from corrosion.

So make sure you take your time in choosing the perfect caravan for you, there are many to choose from and if you look hard enough and you will find the perfect one for you.