Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

[dixie]

hi guys, i am going to buy a caravan in the next week or two, problem is i know absolutly nothing about caravans, never having owned or even towed one.

i have about 3k to spend and would like a large van, about 21-24ft. is a twin axle better to tow than a single?

i know i can only afford a old caravan for that money, but what could i expect to get and is there any make or model i should avoid?

also where is the best place to get a towbar, i was advised by a mate to get twin electrics, whatever that is .


cheers dixie.......
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better thought a fool.....than speak and remove all doubt.

[Google]

[THE KICK INSIDE]

PHEW...thats like sayin ghow long is a peice of string....

okay twins stay in a straight line easier (so more stable towing) but a are harder to turn (i.e reverse) some sites are getting sniffy about twins as they tend to chew up the grass...and the hardest thing abouttowing IMHO is reversing....


you can forget dealers at that money (you wouldbe buying total tat), what you can expect to get depends on how much effort you put in, we bought at that sort of money 12 months ago and looked at over 100 vans, MOST wer damp, some wer dangerous (totaly delaminated foors etc) ...if you drop on great, but expect to look at a LOT of overpriced dogs AND for people to lie to you (e.g. 'yes its totaly dry' = spend 2 hours driving to see it to find itss damp aas a sponge and rotten as a peach)

We found a nice van, aimed to keep it a year and upgrade if we got on with caravaning , we recently traded it in and pretty much got what we paid for it...(oh it was 18 years old btw...)

I would above all be aware of damp - it kills vans - best damp meter i have found (though i on an electric one) is my wife nose....

there are a couple of caravan books printed by haynes, go and buy them study them...best £0 and  hours you will spend, least you will know what your looking at....

be aware things like fridges/cookers/heaters are relatevly cheap second hang, but in some cases plastic trim can cost more!

models - depends who you talk to one person will tell you all about 'leaky lunars' the next (lunar owner) will tell you they are great...

remember the biggest thing you can leagaly towis 2.3 mtrs wide * 7 mtrs long - so most hobbys etc are out...

twin electrics just means a second socket that powersyour firdge and stuff while towing....

do a asearch on towbars on here for info on them....
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A Delica - ITS LIKE A SWEDISH BRICK...ONLY BIGGER!

[jennysteve]

:D Hi dixie there is a good site to go on its called: www.caravanfinder.co.uk as for towbars most people i know use towequip towbars.straight forward to fit on Deli.hth      
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L400 GREEN OVER GREY 2.8 TD CRYSTALITE ROOF.BORN TO LIVE..BORN TO DRIVE..


MUSTAVIT ! AND JEN

[Lawe]

[skyman]

We have a 4/5 berth Fleetwood hot/cold water and a shower, but i wouldn’t use the shower. It doesn’t take long to get through 40ltr's of water of which only 10ltrs will be hot! Why spend all the time keeping water out to stop damp and then go throwing it all about the washroom, kinda don’t make sense to me

So that’s two trips to the water stand one to refill the water and one to empty the waste. Shower blocks take the strain and only use the loo for a little night watering. My rules as I have to filling and emptying bits.

Just waiting for a dry weekend now, I seem to pick wet ones to go away on so far this year.
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94 Green over Grey SWB Exceed with Crystalite Roof

[ACE DELI]

[SHUG]

HI DIXIE
    Got my towbar fitted by buchans at rutherglen at£350 with twin electrics,but the ones on e-bay are just as easy to fit at a lot less money.
              cheers SHUG.
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www.MDOCUK.co.uk/forums/gallery/40/pic0003.jpg

[Dave]

We've got an on board tank that holds 50 litres and a 40 litre aquaroll outside, if the water runs out mid shower a quick shout or bang on the wall and the other one flicks a switch to change over

[THE KICK INSIDE]

The shower debate will run and run and to be honest i can see both sides, as othere have posted we use two aquarolls (and for the same reason) but we don't use the shower (for the same reasons), IF we didn't have kids i would have bought a end bathroom van with a bigg shower and i guess we probably would use it but as we have 2 small ones and wanted fixed end bunks AND trying to shower a 2 year old in a shower is fun enough without trying to do it in the van.....so anyway we don't use it...but nice to have for a just in case.. side bathrooms with showers = wet feet when enthroned!


Our toilet rules are similar...pee in the van - the other take a walk (I also have to empty it - if anyone Can't be bothered walking well they can try emptying it!)

I think the biggest thing is the van is sound if your buying at £2k, if it doesn't have electric heating - well small fan heaters are cheap, if it doesn't haveas many lights as you wouldlike they are £10 each and easy to fit....no oven - small microwave from asda sir?...the point being all these are things yuo can add easily and cheaply yourself. I would also budget on resealing the van. Essentially this involves unscrewing the awning/trip strips, removing the sealeant (scrape/sponge off with turps) adding new sealent and refittin the strips (using stainless screws) - its nto difficulut but it IS messy and time consuming. Most people don't realise caravan arnt ridgid boxes they are designed to flex and the sealent is designed to stay flexible, as it ages it looses the ability and cracks...then you get damp...so resealing is neccesary. foir this reason look at joins on the roof - are they easy to get to to reseal?

Our last van had a 'step' - level change - in the roof i would avoid this for 2 reasons (having had one!) firstly it makes the use of some awnings impossible (we bought a porch awning that wouldn't work but thankfully does on the new van that has a one level one peice roof) secondly the step chanels water, and at the very point where the seals are the weakest...if you talk to dealers they will tell you Award nighstars - check for damp on the step...) don't get me wrong it was a good van and when younger fine design but SOME designs don't age well from a a functional perspective - think how many volvo 240's you see and how many jags of the same age...not many jags!



unless the van has it already i would get an annual service done (apart from anything else this checks gas safety) IF you don't get this done (i would!) then buy a carbon monoxide alarm (£30 from argos) - if the gas leaks you will probably smel it, but a gas burner producing carbon monoxide you won't, partly because it WILL kill you....to be honest i have one anyway even on a newer van - £30 v my familys life...well its no brainer...

walk every inch of the floor looking for any 'bounce' there should be NONE, check all the corners of the 'box' for damp, staining, touch, fur...if it has ANY walk away....check all the frames of the windows for bubling/softness either indicates damp (I saw a van for £6k at dealer that ny wife could smell 'something' in in the end i found it - about 30 minutes later - it was a NICE van -front window frame so rotten i put my fingers into it up to the knuckles!)

Towbars can be self fitted on a Deli which has basic electronics (don't try a canbus car at home though!) and the mechanicals are easy, £150 should buy you a decent bar and electrics.

When buying your first van second hand i WOULD buy private party on cost but also on what you want with it...lets assume ou buy with (and at £2-£3k budget this is more than feasable) an awning, breathable floor for the awning, awnign skirt, a couple of water containers, water container filler pipe, a waste container, electric lead, step, raising blocks & ramps, fire extinguiser & blanket, stereo - we DID buy at this price and got all the above, in fact we got 2 awnings!. New that lot will set you back £600-£1000. Hey if you upgrade you keep it all!

it is possible to buy at £2-£3k AND buy well but be prepaired to look at a lot of dog poo!
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A Delica - ITS LIKE A SWEDISH BRICK...ONLY BIGGER!

[Dave]

Blimey kick, are your fingers sore after that marathon mate  I forgot to add, we rally a lot in fields or school car parks, village halls etc, so have no shower or toilet facilities. We have to shower in the van including the kids, or we would be very smelly and no one would sit with us

[THE KICK INSIDE]

like i said each to their own we don't rally - or  hang around playing fields or school car parks (sounds good doesn't it!), if we did our priorities would be different!

That said off to somerset then cornwall then brize norton for two and bit weeks soon, £230 for accomodation for the lot for 4, not half bad! (well it would be less but we opted for the carvan club sites for 9 days of it!) the other site is costing us £11 a night for 4 inc hookup awning, showers etc.

At £11 a night given we dual fuel the heating/cooking/water so little gas use its barely more than a CL would cost us....

fingers now are sore....
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A Delica - ITS LIKE A SWEDISH BRICK...ONLY BIGGER!

[Jackdaw]

Hi Dixie.
Having nosed into Ace's van at MITM , and at a few other meets with dodgy weather last year. After twelve years of being under canvas,
We bought our first van in September last year.

The local dealers said we should expect to find an old van , with damp with our budget of up to £3500  :?  :?

We must have been to 5 or 6 dealers and seen loads of rubbish, some of which I thought was in dangerous condition .Walls that are like paper, with no strength at all    

I felt totally disappointed in the lack of decent vans available :?  :?

We lined up 5 private viewings in one day through trade it.
I Thought we were very lucky as , of the five vans we saw , two of them were good and dry.
One of them was a really basic 4 birth, built in '89 . The guy was t cutting the roof when we arrived   . It was a bit of a time warp, in mint condition. The guy wanted £1300.
The second was a dry Fleetwood Garland ,4 birth, built in '93, a bit more cosy than the other, with hot water , cassette toilet , oven , fridge etc. with a full awning+annexe. The guy accepted £ 2350.
Its just what we needed  
We looked at twin axle vans, but decided it would be harder to move them without a mover, and that would add another £1000 to the price.
There are good vans out there, check out the private sales. :D  :D  :D

Happy Hunting

Dave
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pka Tortus

[scattman]

As everyone seems to be saying --stay away from dealers

My budget for a van this year was 4k ,dealers would have taken me as well as my cash
Private sales for this kind of money is the only way
Damp is definately the no-no,i would sooner have one with a few dents and scratches than the dreaded wet stuff (you'll get the dents anyway)

After looking at "LOADS" we settled for a elddis jetsrteam.-4 berth with end kitchen and separate toilet (cassette) and shower

End kitchen is okay if the van is loaded properly for towing and the shower is handy when we go moto,x racing (no lecky/showers etc on site)
deffo don't use the shower if site has them
(although the van has blown air heating with one of the vents going into the shower room so it can be dried out whenever we need to)

Keep looking mate --the van for you is out there

  SCATT

[dixie]

thanks for the replys guys, i have been to see 2 vans today. first one had a patch of new ply on the underside of the van which had just been undersealed, it was still wet.the owner had no knowlege of any work being done to the van in his last 3 years of ownership, and round the front windows was all blistered inside. time to walk away.

tonight i went to see a 23foot twin axle award superstar 1997. there was the sticky residew from gaffer tape all round the outside of the front windows, the floor underneath was dry but it was watermarked down the nearside. the middle of all the doors has been replaced with 1/4 ply and then wood grain fablon stuck to it, i could not smell any damp, and it hasaa full awning still in the box never been used. carver blow air heating and air con, and is alarmed, gas bottle, 240v cable,and a few other extras i Can't remember.

there is a number of dents over the van.

question is does this sound like a reasonable buy or should i walk away.
asking price £4000, i got him down to £3250. i have to let him know soon, so any advice would be apreciated.

cheers dixie....
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better thought a fool.....than speak and remove all doubt.

[THE KICK INSIDE]

WALK...

we paid £2300 for a nightstar in imaculate condition which had been professionally re-upholstered....

with 2 awnings, all the bottles, carriers etc....

a year later we traded it in (wihtout the awnings bottles etc and got £1500) - well chuffed!

if aint spot on walk...whatever you saw you also missed something....
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A Delica - ITS LIKE A SWEDISH BRICK...ONLY BIGGER!

[scattman]

Sounds to me like youv'e already decided not to go for it (your doubting it)
I don't like the sound of the gaffer tape thing
the water marking could be from outside only ,but i doubt it (bet it's same side as kitchen)

When you and your partner /wife walk into a caravan and look at each other ,and say "yep"--then you've found the one  



  SCATT

[dixie]

thanks kick, i kinda thought that. and yes it was under the kitchen about 12-18 inches in from the side of the van and about 10 feet long.

i don't think i could look at 50 or so vans, that was a 120 mile round trip to look at 2 vans, the owners assured me there was no damp   .

if i don't get one soon i am likley to give up on the idea. i thought i had nothing other than to pick up a paper, pick a caravan near me, give him money and take it away ..

does any one know a website with private caravan sales.
jennysteve, i went on to that website but could not work out how to get to the vans for sale bit .not to good with computers.

oh! i sent for the towequipe twin electrics off ebay. stage 1 has begun.


cheers dixie.....
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better thought a fool.....than speak and remove all doubt.

[Lawe]

All very interesting reading people and some great tips as well (finger plasters are on the way, Kick!)

The reason why I want a shower and of course hot 'n' cold water is the "just in case" bit. I have 2 boys, one who's 4 and loves a shower and the other who is nearly 8 months old.
Of course we would use the shower blocks where we can, but I feel that would always be a time when the shower would be used. But as we all say, each to there own.

I know that the toilet routine will be "no solids!" or your off to empty it yourself    

I have to agree though on the private sellers part, I went to a dealer in Poole a couple of weeks ago and there was some real dogs, unless you had £12,000 + to spend  
Seen a couple on fleabay and which have gone really quickly, but I'm not one to jump blind.
So the race continues...

[dixie]

well my towbar arrived today, looks complicated, but i have bought a van . it is a elddis golden crown 1998. the van is immaculate with no damp anywhere, its not as big as i wanted but sleeps 5 hot and cold water, electric and gas heating,air conditioning (carver), cassette toilet, shower. it is 21feet overall and 17 1/2 feet internal. the fact it is very tidy and the dreaded damp free, if i need a awning i can pick one up later.
i don't get the caravan to Friday as the guy has to get it gas tested.

cheers dixie...
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better thought a fool.....than speak and remove all doubt.

[Lawe]

Well done dixie!