Buying a caravan or motorhome can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. To ensure that you make your decision safely, we’ve put together a few simple steps which you can follow to protect yourself online and in person through each stage of the caravan buying process.
Step 1: Searching for caravan's
- Keep an eye out for significantly undervalued caravan's – if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- If you see an ad that does not look quite right whether the photos don’t match the description or the details of the vehicle seem to be a bit suspicious, you can report it to our team for investigation.
Step 2: Contacting the seller
- Use the caravancampingsales member messaging function to keep all your communication in the one place. This system will not pass on your phone number or email address.
- Prepare some questions about the caravan to ask the seller to help verify that they are genuine and that the caravan is as described.
- Do not provide the seller with your personal identification details like a copy of your license or banking information prior to seeing the vehicle in person.
Step 3: Inspecting the caravan
- Arrange to meet at a neutral location like a police station car park or service station forecourt and try to take someone with you.
- Before you test drive the caravan, make sure the seller’s insurance covers you for test drives.
- Be wary of sellers asking for a deposit at this stage. If you do choose to put a deposit down, make sure you get a receipt stamped with the date and time.
Step 4: Making an offer
- Before making an offer, make sure you know your limits when negotiating. What are you willing to pay?
- Do your research and know the value of the caravan before making a deal.
- Find out the legal status of the caravan before making an offer. Purchasing a PPSR report will give you peace-of-mind as you can quickly determine if the car has ever been recorded as stolen, written off, has any finance owing on it.
- Check that the seller has the appropriate roadworthy certification for the vehicle (if applicable in your state or territory).
Step 5: Paying the seller
- Use a method of payment that provides you with proof of purchase like a receipt or email confirmation directly from the provider.
- Ask for a signed receipt with the date and time to confirm payment.
- Never send cash in the mail.
- Check our security updates regularly for important information.
Step 6: Get the caravan insured
- Make sure you have your new caravan insured from when you pick it up so you are covered for the drive home.
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