Rileylogan Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Hi I'm new to caravan I'm not sure what we want but were a family of four and a dog and have an audi a4 170bhp and 350nb 258lb-ft tourque could people kindly advise of caravans suitable and I'm not willing to buy a bigger car as this will be partners first car thanks in advance lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 You can use whattowcar. com for rough matches but please bear in mind that caravan matching it goes mostly by vehicle kirbweight and towing weight, not so much power. Also when did you take your licenses? Can you legally drive a large caravan? Does your license have B+E entitlement? Lots of usefull guides on this and other sites for choosing a van, I would make sure your first one is cheap and dry. . And finally welcome to the site Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perksm Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Welcome Second hand van, say 4k to start off with, nothing too large or unwieldy. It might put you off ! Go mooch around a few dealers, see what suits you. Stay away from the NEC next week-it's full of shiny new vans and Salesmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rileylogan Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 I've looked on internet I need lamenes terms I looked at my log book it says 1600kg braked and 750 unbraked I'm just not sure what sort of vans to look at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I've looked on internet I need lamenes terms I looked at my log book it says 1600kg braked and 750 unbraked I'm just not sure what sort of vans to look at Up to 1600kg max tow capacity of the cars but you probably do not want to tow more than the kirbweight of the car and a rough guideline for beginners is to stay below 85% of the kerbweight as a recommendation. Does your license give you both B+E though? Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rileylogan Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 Unfortunately not only been driving since 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Unfortunately not only been driving since 2006 Then you will only be able to drive a very small van anyway by law. .. Your cars max loaded weight, including the MTPLM of the caravan needs to be below 3500kg. .. What is the gross weight of your car? See ---> https://www. gov. uk/towing-with-car Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 From what I can find, the Gross weight of your car is around 2090kg. If this is the case then this would limit you to a caravan gross weight (MTPLM) of 1410kg to keep the total weight below 3500kg limit on your licence. You need to check the actual weight of your car on the weight plate. This is usually inside one of the front dooors or under the bonnet. There are four weights on it - front and rear axle loads, Gross weight and train weight. In any case, with your car weight you would need to keep the caravan weight to the low 1300's to keep close to the recommendation of 85% of the car kerb weight. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfaEuropa Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Similar figures to our first outfit. We kept below the 3500 kg limit without meaning to but still had a decent sized estate car and four berth fixed double bed caravan. Still got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondchaser Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 You should be able to get a 16FT 4 berth caravan at between 1160 and 1300kg without any bother. My ancient Elddis Cyclone is 15FT internal floor length, very spacious and is plated ay 1160Kg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggy67 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I was exactly the same as you at the start of the year, bamboozled by MTPLM's, MIRO's etc. I hadn't been driving that long either so had to stick under 3500kg also. However, I still managed to get a 6 berth Bailey Olympus 546 and a Skoda Superb estate that tows it no problem and I am comfortably within the guidelines. Go for it, my kids absolutely love it and I tested car to the limit in the summer by accidently towing it up 'Sutton Bank' in Yorkshire (one of the steepest trunk roads in Britain - caravans are prohibited but I managed to follow satnav and miss about a dozen signs!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macafee2 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 you also need to know what weight can go onto the tow bar, not only the weight of the trailer. A caravan may be light enough over all but to heavy on it's nose weight for your car. macafee2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Many of the "bigger older" Lunar caravans i. e. 2004 - 2007 have an MTPLM of below 1400kg and are 4 berth. Have a look on caravan finder for lay outs and MTPLM. Ideally you are looking for one with berths in the rear so kids can go to sleep while you carry on watching Tv etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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