Buying Advice
What to Check Before Buying a Used Caravan
7 min read
A simple walk-round checklist for anyone viewing a used touring caravan.
Before you travel
Ask for the make, model, year, layout, CRiS number, damp report details and a set of photos, and ask directly whether the caravan has ever had damp or water ingress. Confirm the towing weight against your car's limits and your licence category. Ten minutes of questions can save a wasted two-hour drive.
Start outside
Walk each side slowly and sight along the panels for ripples or bulges, which can indicate delamination or previous impact. Check every window and door seal, look at the sealant along the awning rail and roof joints, and inspect the roof where you can do so safely. Check the tyres — including the date codes, since caravan tyres age out long before they wear out — and look at the corner steadies, hitch, breakaway cable and any signs of rust underneath.
Then inside, damp first
Damp is what you are really there to find. Press gently around the bottom of walls, in corners, around windows, under bunks and inside lockers, feeling for softness. Look for staining, wrinkled wallpaper or a musty smell. Walk the whole floor listening and feeling for flex or a spongy patch, particularly near the door and washroom. If the seller has a recent damp report, read the actual readings rather than accepting a summary.
Test everything that switches on
Ask for the caravan to be on hook-up so you can run the heating, water heater, fridge on all applicable modes, hob, oven, extractor, lights, water pump, taps, shower and toilet flush. Check the 12V sockets, the mains sockets and, if fitted, the motor mover from both handsets. Open and close every blind, flyscreen, roof light and locker catch.
Check the paperwork and identity
Confirm the CRiS number on the chassis and windows matches the paperwork, and consider a CRiS check for theft and finance history. Ask for service records, damp reports, gas and electrical certificates and the owner's manuals. Check who is selling and that they have the right to sell it.
Weights, layout and living with it
Check the MTPLM against your car's towing capability and the noseweight limit, and think about payload once your gear and awning are aboard. Then sit in it as though you were using it: get into the bed, sit at the table, stand in the washroom, and imagine making a meal. Layout is what you will live with long after the excitement of buying has worn off.
Buying from us
Every caravan we sell is inspected and prepared, and we will tell you what we found and what we did. Viewings are by arrangement, questions are welcome, and there is nothing to pay online — no deposits, no reservations, no checkout. When you are ready, payment and handover happen in person once you are happy with the caravan.
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