The Ultimate Guide to Buying a Caravan

As the COVID-19 pandemic takes international travel off the list for us Aussies, many of us are looking for other ways to take a break and for many Australians, that means caravanning. However, it is a substantial financial investment. Prices for basic entry-level vans start at around $40,000 up to more than $120,000 for deluxe models fitted with all the comforts of home. Even a decent second-hand van can set you back around $25,000. There’s a bewildering range of sizes, styles, layouts and construction materials on the market, so you need to do your homework. But fear not! I have put together a comprehensive list of questions and answers, as well as a few important points to help guide your decision making on buying a caravan.

Bonus: Read on and below you will find my free checklist on Buying a Caravan!

Table of Contents

New to caravanning? Here’s all you need to know about buying a caravan!

When you are considering buying a caravan, here are 5 important questions you need to ask yourself which can help significantly in deciding which caravan is right for you:

Question 1: How do you intend to use your caravan?

If you’re considering taking time to explore what Australia has to offer, then buying your own caravan is a great option. But when you look at the size and extent of the range, it’s easy to get a bit confused. This is an important one to think about as this will also help you determine whether you need a on-road or off-road caravan too. Don’t just think about the first trip, plan forward a couple of years: will your caravan be mainly used for weekend escapes? Is it for family holidays with the kids? Is the purpose to carry out your lifelong dream – the trip of a lifetime around Australia that may take months or even years to complete? Do you want to be able to drive onto those beautiful picturesque beaches or are you more of a caravan park enthusiast? The purpose will determine your caravan’s size and configuration, its layout and the extent of its fittings. The amount of travel will also determine how important features such as suspension and off-road capability will be to your new caravan.

Question 2: How are you going to tow the caravan?

Unless you are in the position of purchasing the caravan first and the vehicle to suit it, you need check the tow capacity of your current vehicle as this will set a ‘maximum’ weight for your dream van. I will be extending on this point further below.

Question 3: Big or small? (Yes, size matters)

If you want complete independence and you’re comfortable towing a double axle caravan, then a large, luxury caravan with a bedroom, kitchen and separate bathroom are a delight. (And I can vouch for this!) Alternatively, if you prefer the idea of travelling light, the convenience of towing a small caravan is a good, cheaper option. The trade off is simply sharing the facilities at local caravan and holiday parks, plus the full luxuries available when ‘free camping’ in the bush or the beach!

https://www.adventureawaits.com.au/?ref=03ek86k1hl

Question 4: What about Pop-Tops and Camper Trailers?

Pop-ups are ideal if you want to store your caravan under a carport or in your garage when not in use – no need to construct special high roofline carports! The low profile of the pop-top and camper trailer when closed also offers the advantage of less wind resistance and better fuel economy when towing. The alternative choice of a camper trailer, with a wind-up canvas upper section and extendable sleeping accommodation on each side, is a great one for families with children. Older couples may buy a trailer for its easy towing characteristics, but forget that one of the greatest pleasures of a ‘grey nomad’ is the ability to pull up at any time of the day for some lunch or a nap, unless they’re prepared to go through the process of ‘winding up’ their canvas every time. Do some research on the reliability of these types of pop ups and wind up trailers as there has been reports of leaks and tears which can be a costly repair.

Question 5: Buy New or Used?

Put simply, new caravans offer all the benefits, safety features and comforts of recent design advancements, including independent suspension and durable, lightweight construction material. Buying new also gives you the choice to ‘custom-build’ the layout of your caravan to your needs and desires!

You may choose to buy a used caravan due to your budget or as a ‘try out/trial’ to see if caravan life is right for you.

Now that you have the answers to all the important questions above, the below are some more important points on things you will need to think about on your decision with buying a caravan:

Budget

First and foremost you should start with setting yourself a budget for buying a caravan. There is no perfect amount and sticking with what is affordable is so much more preferable than taking on any unnecessary expenses. Some things to think about- how are you going to fund this new purchase? Are you getting a loan or do you have some equity in the house that you could use? (You don’t have to sell everything to do this!)

If you’re planning on travelling long-term or indefinitely, you may plan on selling your house or renting it out- it’s definitely a growing trend, but certainly not for everyone. Maybe you’ve got the cash already sitting there, burning a hole in your pocket – lucky you! Another option is to sell a car or something else to buy a caravan or put down a deposit. Some people decide to do a big trip and then sell their van at the end, which can then fund something else or pay out the loan.

If you’re looking at buying a brand new van from a yard, then one word of advice I can give is, don’t just walk in and pay the asking price. Always try and knock those sales people down as far as they will go! They don’t always have a lot of room to move, so get them to throw in as many extras as you can (without blowing your budget). When it comes time to sell your van down the track, those extras are what buyers are looking for.

What will you get for your money? Second-hand vans will be cheaper, but here’s a guide for new models.

Up to $50,000: Expect smaller models with fewer bells and whistles. You’ll get a kitchen, sleeping for up to four, dinette and possibly a shower and toilet, although you’re unlikely to find the last two in an entry-level pop-top.

From $50,000 to $70,000: You’ll find so-called family vans that are longer, with a bigger dinette, lots of bathroom space and better finishes throughout. Standard items may include air-con, TV and bigger water tanks.

From $70,000 to $120,000-plus: This is your luxury apartment on wheels range. Fully tricked-out off-road vans live in this price range, as do on-road models with top-of-the-line suspension, full kitchens with all the appliances, spacious bathrooms with a washing machine and luxury upholstery.

*Don’t forget- Buying a new caravan means you can customise it to your own layout, add (or even takeaway) extras, choose your own colours. Whereas with buying a used caravan means you don’t have the flexibility of these choices.

Find top-rated tours and activities in your destination with the help of GetYourGuide. Find the best activities for your trip with the help of over 2 million trusted reviews. Best price guarantee. Easy cancellation. Easy online booking. Thousands of destinations.

Tow Vehicle & Weights

One of the most confusing things about buying a caravan are the myriad of weights involved. All of these related to towing, and are designed with safety in mind.

This is a bit of a, ‘which comes first, the chicken or the egg’ situation. On the one hand you need a tow vehicle that is load rated to tow your caravan, but to know which vehicles can do that, you need to know which caravan you’re getting. Basically, you need to either choose the caravan first OR the tow vehicle first (if you have a specific preference for one over the other) and go from there. We had a look around and narrowed our caravan choices down to something under the 24 foot range (no longer, because then you start to hit the ‘Big Rig’ category). Then we had a look across the board and realised that we would then need a car that could tow up to 3.5 tonne preferably so make sure you check your chosen vehicle’s maximum towing capacity. We decided on a Landcruiser 200 Series as their towing capacity is up to 3.5T (without a GVM upgrade)

Tow Vehicle Considerations:

Transmission – manual or automatic?
Fuel – petrol or diesel?
Weights – towing capacity specific to that vehicle; how much weight can you add to the vehicle itself? (payload); GVM & GCM of the vehicle (if you don’t understand them, please spend the time researching them as they are extremely important!)
Style – Ute, wagon or truck?
Price – what is your budget, what year models are in your price range?
Have you already got a good tow vehicle? Work out what vans you can tow with what you’ve already got and keep your existing car.

There is no point buying a caravan that can’t house all of your essential stuff or something so big that you have nothing to tow it with. Be very careful that your tare weight allows enough for you to carry everything that you need and want without going over your GVM and GCM (more on this below)

Essentials To Think About

Water
Clothing
Shoes
Personal care products
Bed Linen
Shower and Hand towels
Dinnerware, Cups, Mugs and Wine Cups, Cutlery
Cooking-ware (with detachable handles)
Food
Fuel
BBQ
Chairs
Outdoor table
Firepit
Gas bottles
Bikes
Tools
Hoses
Generator

All of these things add up so incredibly quickly!

Here are the different weight terms that you NEED to know and understand:

VEHICLE WEIGHT TERMS:

TARE WEIGHT – The weight of an empty standard vehicle with all fluids (coolants, oils etc.), plus only 10L of fuel;
KERB WEIGHT – Same as Tare but with a full tank of fuel (without accessories);
GROSS VEHICLE MASS (GVM) – The maximum your vehicle can weigh when fully loaded – GVM = Kerb Weight + Accessories + Payload + Tow Ball Weight;
PAYLOAD – Maximum load your vehicle can carry (including passengers & luggage).

CARAVAN WEIGHT TERMS:

TARE TRAILER WEIGHT – Weight of empty caravan (without water, gas tanks, toilet system);
GROSS TRAILER MASS (GTM) – Maximum axle load your caravan can carry –
GTM = Trailer Tare Weight + Payload (not including Tow Ball Weight);
AGGREGATE TRAILER MASS (ATM) – Gross Trailer Mass + Tow Ball Weight;
GROSS COMBINED MASS (GCM) – The maximum weight allowed for the vehicle and caravan combined.

Must Haves & Deal Breakers

So now that you’ve walked through 500 caravans, you will no doubt have a better idea of what exactly it is that you’re looking for. Now it’s time to sit down with you partner/ family and nut out your ‘Must Haves and Deal Breakers.’ Among the most important tips for buying a caravan is to write your ‘Must Haves and Deal Breakers’ down as a reminder. This list will stop yourself from getting side-tracked with other caravans that really aren’t going to make the cut.

Examples of ‘Must Haves’

Island Bed
Extra bench space
Bike rack
Ensuite bathroom
Washing machine
Off-road capabilities
Solar power and Battery System for extended ‘off grid’ support

Examples of ‘Deal Breakers’

These are the things that you won’t even look at if they are part of the caravan. Some of our ‘Deal Breakers’ were Pop Tops and Expander’s (we didn’t like the idea of ‘setting up’ even when we pull up on the side of the road for lunch) an east-west bed (we wanted an island bed with wardrobes on each side and I also didn’t want to climb over Pete everytime I needed to use the bathroom through the night) and the toilet/ shower combo (we like the shower being separate and not having a wet toilet seat after using the shower).

Pop top/Expander
Shower over toilet
East west bed
On road only capabilities
Small windows

More Tips on Buying a Caravan

Use a Checklist- it can get quite confusing and overwhelming with all the different inclusions/features and extras you can get in a caravan like for Eg: Water tank sizes, Solar panel power, battery systems and so on. When we were shopping to buy a caravan I started to feel overwhelmed and couldn’t remember which caravan had the best solar power, or how many water tanks there were in one and another or which one had the larger battery system and so on. So I ended up making myself a checklist so that I could put all the different features/inclusions of our chosen top 3 caravans and then do a comparison. This also really came in handy when it came to negotiating the price and getting some extras thrown in as I was able to point out the difference with what other companies were offering and in turn getting a better deal with the salesman.

BUYING-A-CARAVAN-CHECKLIST Download

Do lots of Caravan Yard ‘window’ shopping- You can jump in and out to compare one van from the other, see how each layout and model is different from the next. You get to try out the beds and make sure they’re long enough for you, test out if you can squeeze into the shower and scrub yourself with the door closed. Take photos and then spend hours planning where your own stuff will be stored in each cabinet to visualise what’s doable and what’s not.
Visiting Caravan & Camping shows- But beware, make sure you rock up as early as you can and pack plenty of drinks and snacks (or plan to buy lunch). It is a FULL DAY and you will be exhausted! It can be quite overwhelming, but you really do get to see pretty much everything that is on the current market all in one place. You can also pick up some really good deals if you know what accessories and things are on your definite shopping list.
Join Facebook Groups- there is so much support and helpful people out there who are experienced grey nomads and may be able to answer a question or issue you have.
Handover- Take notebook & pen, or record on your mobile. Jot down as many notes as you can during handover, ask as many questions as you can even if they seem silly. Get the salesperson/ previous owner to go through absolutely everything with you. Try out all taps, switches, appliances, cupboards, lights etc. and make sure everything’s working as it should.
Welcome To My New Tiny Home: Living A Minimalist Lifestyle – Check out this post to see all the ins and outs of our 21’9 Lotus Trooper

* This post includes affiliate links and any purchases made through these links will earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps me keep this site going!*

Edit Photos Like Me-

I use Luminar Ai to edit all my photos for social media and my travel blog. Click on the link to receive 40% off the normal price!
Use this link for a FREE TRIAL on the Luminar Ai

Check out my post on The Essential Travel Packing Guide for all your pack tips and there’s also a free downloadable packing list PDF!

Or if you’re wondering what’s in our Camera Bag click here