Member Since: 16 Jan 2012
Location: South Yorkshire
Posts: 872
Personally I wouldn't be without a mover and I have been on some sites where it has been so tight that without it I would have spent all holiday getting the van on and off the pitch.
As for make and model I'm not sure any are best - you hear horror stories about them all.
Be prepared to be constantly "adjusting" stuff as there's always something that needs fixing/glueing/screwing no matter how old it is.
If you don't want to do this then it will be forever at the dealers if you buy from them.
I bought my 1st van private which we kept for near 10 years but the last one we bought from a dealer as it was much newer and twice the price so I wanted a warranty in case of any water ingress problems.
My new van is twin axle with fixed double bed and loads of storage space - things which my 1st van didn't have.
There are loads of different layouts so at the very least visit a few dealers and see which layout you prefer.
As others have said check for damp - I bought a damp meter from eBay or Amazon for around £10 to give me a clue.
Some caravans with damp also have a musty smell when you first enter them.
18th Apr 2018 8:32 pm
Mav 90
Member Since: 10 Jul 2014
Location: Essex
Posts: 103
have a look on caravanfinder.co.uk and search by layout. you will soon work out what make and model you prefer after a bit of clicking in and out of the layouts.
i have had two twin axles. i prefer them for space and stability when towing, i also find them easier to reverse/control. a full awning will give you huge extra living space.
the first one was a 2007 abbey vogue 600, paid £8800 privately and sold it 5 years later(privately) for £7250. the current one is a 2011 bailey unicorn barcelona, paid 12k privately 1 year ago and still worth that now. depreciation isn't much of a concern if you look after it and paid the right money in the first place.
i'd buy privately again over a dealer.
the change of vans felt the same as going from a D2 to a D3. the later van is much better with better technology but, just like the D3, there is more to go wrong and its more complicated than the older model. nothing that you couldnt handle though Wiggs.
good luck.1974 S111 SWB 200di conversion, rag top, bronze green. Known as Munch
2004 pre-production D3 V8 HSE Tonga green, gone but buy back option!
2001 D2 4.0 V8 ES premium Epsom green - gone, but only round the corner!
1961 S11 SWB marine blue rag top - gone but not forgotten
2000 D2 4.0 V8 ES premium black - gone but not forgotten
1988 RR classic 3.5 V8 green - gone and nearly forgotten
1976 S111 LWB 2.25 diesel truck cab various shades of bronze green - gone and most definitely forgotten
18th Apr 2018 8:37 pm
JackNorris
Member Since: 06 Jul 2012
Location: Beds/Bucks Border
Posts: 1879
Another caravanner who doesn't use a mover. MY2023 Discovery 5 R-Dynamic 3.0
MY2020 Discovery 5 Landmark 3.0 - SOLD
MY2005 Discovery 3 V8 4.4 HSE - SOLD
MY2019 Discovery 5 SE 3.0 - LR Replaced !
MY2005 Discovery 3 S 2.7 - SOLD
MY2016 Discovery 4 Graphite - SOLD
MY2015 Discovery 4 SE Tech - SOLD
18th Apr 2018 8:39 pm
Martin 01
Member Since: 05 Jan 2010
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 433
Why a twin axle Ade ?
I much prefer our single axle compared to our previous twin axle.
18th Apr 2018 9:53 pm
darrind
Member Since: 04 Jul 2008
Location: In A World of My Own!
Posts: 2908
TinTent
This was mine -
Click image to enlarge
layout worked well for us as the two boys were at the front and the bathroom and shower were between us and them Theory was no need to wake anyone in the night to get to the loo, but the loo and all of the kitchen stuff as well as the heating for the van were never used (ever) so when we sold it it was like brand new, the only thing that you could find fault with was the gas warning sticker was washing away! It even had an outside tap for the barbecue gas to connect the cadac to. Didn't loose on it when we sold it after a few trips, but have to say it actually isn't that cheap for sites and fuel, and many sites took a lot of attempts to get in to as they are heavily booked up in advance. For SWMBO the worry of being spotter as we were parking it up and all of the slog of towing it anywhere made it too stressful for her, so we got rid.
Lots of hardly used ones around at good prices, as they are often bought by the "Grey Pound" brigade and hardly ever used - I bought one through a member of our family and paid half what he paid for it new. He had a new one last year (start of 2017) has bought an air inflatable awning for it, a motor mover and all sorts of bis and is now talking about changing again (will again loose half of what he paid) as he now fancies an airstreamMust stop buying shiny toys....
18th Apr 2018 10:47 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8243
That agrees exactly with what I wrote in my previous post about the down side of big 'vans, particularly for short stays, a van half the size is far more practical and will get used much more regularly than a large van, awning on the side with a bedroom in it for the children will double the size of the outfit at half the cost, they will fit on most pitches, easy to manoeuvre, awnings very easy to erect and all part of the holiday with children, don’t know you are towing them, big twin axles are great if you are pitching for a long period, know the pitches are large enough for you to manoeuvre and you’ve got somewhere to store when not in use.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
19th Apr 2018 6:16 am
Russell
Member Since: 23 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
Think it is horses for courses
We have a large twin axle and there is only two of us who really use it, in the main summer holiday of the kids come they go in tents
However we use the van all year around and go all over, far from home 5/6 hours drive or 10 minutes down the road even at Christmas
Thing to remeber is it is a big investment and to get the return yu have to use it, if you are not going to use it regularly then it may be worth just sticking to a small van
As for twin or single axle. The twin is more stable to tow than a single, however is is harder to manouver if not impossible by hand, so you have to be good at reversing or consider a mover, A twin can also take more to level and set up ut again is more stable when all set up
There is one other thought, buy a cheap one to start with for a season to see if you and the wife like it and will use it, if you do then next year sell and buy a more expensive one that suits you better. If you dont like it or dont use it then you may not have lost as muchMY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
19th Apr 2018 6:51 am
Mogwyth
Member Since: 03 Oct 2014
Location: Pwllheli
Posts: 3976
Just the two of us and we have a TA, we use it minimum once a month, time is the only thing that restricts our usage not unit size can't see what that has to do with it.
Motor mover we don't have one, however we use mostly Cl and CS sites and have found that on some it would be essential if the other pitches were occupied,it would be nice if site owners warned you.
Layout after various ones we eventually ended up with a a Swift Charisma 620,, island end bed, in the middle bathroom on the right, kitchen on the left and lounge at the front. Means if we have guests bathroom can be accessed with minimum of disturbance.
When we brought our last one we looked at loads in s/h dealers locally all mostly over priced and in not very good condition, someone suggested the nicer static parks they often take well cared for tourers that have been pitched in p/ex and thats where we found ours a 2009 that been pitched for most of its life, sensible price and they arranged for it to be fully serviced before we took it only extra was a set of tyres.==================================
05 D3 HSE V8 4.4
04 MG TF 135
03 MG TF 115 Cool Blue Edition
02 MG TF 160
00 Hymer B564 Lionheart
1971 Series III 109
19th Apr 2018 7:04 am
wiggs
Member Since: 03 Sep 2006
Location: Manchester
Posts: 14372
Thanks for all the advice chaps .. it’s all very helpful 👍
I wouldn’t rule out a single axel .. just finding double gets you a bit of extra room .. and with 3 dogs that would be helpfulG4 Gone ...but not forgotten
19th Apr 2018 9:05 am
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10360
My old Bailey Olympus 620/6 is for sale at preston caravans for 12k
Ignore their description, worst bit of info I have seen when advertising something (it hasnt got fixed bunks!!) If it was of interest I'd happily tell you everything about it.
AlVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
Gone - MY18 D5 HSE - Corris on 22's with Black Pack
Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
19th Apr 2018 9:23 am
Russell
Member Since: 23 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
wiggs wrote:
Thanks for all the advice chaps .. it’s all very helpful 👍
I wouldn’t rule out a single axel .. just finding double gets you a bit of extra room .. and with 3 dogs that would be helpful
Adrian
The awning is ideal for the dogs, if you get one of the inflatable ones they can be put up quickly and single handed.MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
19th Apr 2018 10:05 am
Dexter
Member Since: 21 Sep 2007
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 1394
Everyone has their own needs and priorities, as another TA owner for 10+ years, with no mover and I've never missed one as I learnt to reverse a trailer confidently many years ago. The kids are older so less of us go away together now, sometimes just three of us, but we would miss the space if we downsized to a SA. We don't have a fixed bed either as they are quite small to sleep on (we are both over 6 feet tall), the big double at the front is luxurious and takes no time at all to make up and put away. We feel that the fixed bed takes up half the van 'living' space during the day.
Awnings do offer more space but can be a pain in windy weather and a hassle to dry if you have to pack up in the rain, we use a full awning if we're anywhere for more than a week, otherwise it's a small porch one for bikes, shoes and jackets (we have no dogs).
We had a look in January at some new layouts etc but decided to keep our 2012 6 berth Sterling Eccles 636 as it does all we need it to.
Good luck, it;s a great way to see the countryside and relax. No doubt about that.
Dex
19th Apr 2018 11:57 am
BorisBarKeep
Member Since: 13 Dec 2012
Location: Northants
Posts: 93
Also have a TA - with three teenagers the inside space is useful. PArticularly when we are away in winter and it's a bit chilly to sit in awning. Also means we can (just) all sleep inside for overnight travelling stops.
For us the mover is essential - only way we can get van on drive at home so is sideways (across a short double drive). No way could you reverse this on as essentially we need to get van in middle and then twist - the hitch ends up against a wall.
While generally ok without on sites, have been on a few in Italy which were very tight to manoeuvre and realistically it was easier to unhitch and use the mover than do a million point turn.
We had an Avondale Argente twin axel when the kids were young and once towed it with this before i did an off road event in Dalby forest. NEVER AGAIN It was the most difficult tow I have ever done. Stuck with my 3.2 Shogun after that.We got some strange looks when we turned up at the site near Filey ! Good luck Ade its a great thing but not for me anymore. I like tenting now
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the best of everything they have.
19th Apr 2018 2:44 pm
John C
Member Since: 28 Aug 2007
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 3292
Hi,
Not an experienced caravanner, but bought one last year, and used it loads. Toured around Northern France and Brittany for a couple of weeks last summer, and been to the Lakes & North Yorkshire. Ours is a Bailey Ranger 550/6 single Axle which works well for the kids as it has a bunk in the back.
I like proper camping (up the side of mountains etc), but we were interested in camping as a family holiday. I tend to over-engineer things, so a 2 week family camping holiday would undoubtably have ended up needing a trailer... and you end up spending a lot on accessories... and my kids are young, so putting up a big tent on my own didn't sound fun... and that's how I started looking at caravans. Also, we live in a nice cottage in the country, so weekends away paying to be in someone else's cottage lost its appeal a few years back - but we wanted to see a bit more of this country.
Thanks to the advice on here, I knew I wanted bunks, am very relaxed about towing things (used to towing large boats and trailers), and just wanted something dry and clean (or cleanable with a bit of hard work).
Maybe I was lucky, but I don't think they're desperately complicated things and if you read up and do your homework you'll end up knowing what you're looking at and looking for.
Looked at a lot of dealers, but many will sell you a damp van, in not great condition, and with big markup.
I went cheap on eBay (paid under £3K for ours) thinking that they're not that robust, my kids are clumsy, and I don't want to be worrying about it... and if we didn't like it, we could afford to walk away. It worked really well for us.
As it is, we love it. We've a bunch of Really Useful Boxes that we load up, drop in the van, and quick weekend getaways are dead easy.
My work life is pretty full-on and this is great - slows us down and means we're away from all the business that stops us spending time with each other.
Best holidays we've ever had in it (bar skiing - but I'm a mega skiing fan!).
Good luck looking!
John2020 SDV6 D5 HSE, Carpathian Grey +
2022 Tesla Model Y LR... almost Carpathian Grey
Previously : 2005 TDV6 SE Auto, Cairns Blue (288K) - ours for 16 years
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It was the most difficult tow I have ever done. Stuck with my 3.2 Shogun after that.We got some strange looks when we turned up at the site near Filey ! Good luck Ade its a great thing but not for me anymore. I like tenting now 
