Help I'm middle aged..

[puddlesurfer]

4. Get a 3.0 litre.
This will decrease the chances of you spending your holiday on the hard shoulder.

Good advice but I can't afford a 3.0L - we can always have a picnic on the hard shoulder

[POPEYE]

Good advice! I'm with the AA

He said "decent" breakdown cover! dont want to know about caravans, at my time of life i dont even want to think about small box type things

[puddlesurfer]

He said "decent" breakdown cover! dont want to know about caravans, at my time of life i dont even want to think about small box type things

Some of them are really nice - they have velvet linings and every thing - Caravans are nice too!

[Predictable Bob]

Good advice but I can't afford a 3.0L - we can always have a picnic on the hard shoulder

1. Speak to Dr Anglegrinder about fitting a separate ATF cooler and taking the existing one out of the circuit completely.

2. Do a search for the Lockup mod

3. DON'T buy a heavy van - I'd suggest you go as light as possible and avoid anything over 1300kg MTPLM

4. There are NO official towing figures for Surfs

If you want more info on being a sad git PM me your email address and I'll send you a shedload of info on caravanning basics etc

And as for those that think you ain't middle aged ...

The average life expectancy for a bloke in the UK is just under 80 so halfway is 40 BUT middle age is a range so if we assume there are three ages then:

0-27 = Youth
27-54 = Middle age
54-80 = Old age

Personally I'm not too keen on this one as I'm nearly 55 so let's look at five ages:

0-16 = Childhood
16-32 = Youth
32-48 = Middle age
48-64 = Maturity
64-80 = Old age

This one makes me feel a bit better but I reckon it'll p!ss some of you off rather a lot !

[Chillitt]

Good advice but I can't afford a 3.0L - we can always have a picnic on the hard shoulder

If you cant afford a 3 litre, then you cant afford a caravan. Next!

[Dixie.t]

jotto keeps talking about selling his 3lt you should have a chat with him

[Matt.n.p]

A decent 3 litre went for just over £1100 on e bay last week. Look at surfs for sale. It was the Dora 4x4 truck.

[Wolfracer]

Middle aged?

MIDDLE AGED!

oh dear

I'm 2 months younger than you then, and I'M NOT going to be middle aged in may.
NO WAY!

As for the Van thing....just rent one for a fortnight a year... its cheaper and a lot more pleasant to drive to your holiday destination!

[Diezel Weazel]

1. Speak to Dr Anglegrinder about fitting a separate ATF cooler and taking the existing one out of the circuit completely.

2. Do a search for the Lockup mod

3. DON'T buy a heavy van - I'd suggest you go as light as possible and avoid anything over 1300kg MTPLM

4. There are NO official towing figures for Surfs

If you want more info on being a sad git PM me your email address and I'll send you a shedload of info on caravanning basics etc

And as for those that think you ain't middle aged ...

The average life expectancy for a bloke in the UK is just under 80 so halfway is 40 BUT middle age is a range so if we assume there are three ages then:

0-27 = Youth
27-54 = Middle age
54-80 = Old age

Personally I'm not too keen on this one as I'm nearly 55 so let's look at five ages:

0-16 = Childhood
16-32 = Youth
32-48 = Middle age
48-64 = Maturity
64-80 = Old age

This one makes me feel a bit better but I reckon it'll p!ss some of you off rather a lot !

Like fine wine, I'm just "Mature"

Jess
nearly 10 years of Surfs
"Cos short cuts can cost more in the long run"

[Tallyman]

OK, getting back to your original question:

1) Towing limit will be about 1650Kgs (using the 85% "rule")
2) Noseweight limit is around 100-110kgs, which is more than the limit imposed by most caravan manufacturers (usually around 7% of MTPLM) but never seen anything official for the Surf.
3) With a 2.4L you are probably better off sticking to a caravan with an all up weight of about 1300-1350Kgs.
4) ATF cooler is almost a must to stop the engine overheating, especially towing uphill.
5) Before you splash out, try hiring a caravan for a week or weekend to see if it's for you. Either that or buy a cheap one (around £1500-£2000) as if you don't like it you won't loose too much if you decide to sell it but suggest you buy from a dealer to make sure you don't buy a load of trouble. If you look in one and it smells musty, walk away quick!!

From a upper end Mature caravanner (I still think I'm middle aged, despite having a bus pass now).

[puddlesurfer]

Thanks Tallyman,

That was the kind of info I was after
Im just thinking of buying a cheap early 90's one - Less that a grand!
I'm only after a small one the one I'm looking at is about 850 kgs unladen.

I'm used to camping - but it would be nice to be able to roll up (at Avalanche etc) and not have to mess about setting up too much - plus a few luxurys like heating if is cold and wet.

I'm not expecting a mobile palace just a place to kip!

[Tallyman]

If you're looking at early 90's then you should be able to pick up something quite reasonable. Our first one was an 92/93 Eccles Diamond two berth. It had decent seats/bed, cooker, fridge, bench loo, hot & cold water, washroom sink and basic shower (although we didn't use the onboard shower as site facilities are better) and 240V & 12V power & lighting.

At that year, you do really need to make sure that there is no major water ingress, so my comment about the damp smell is really important, as if there is any major water leaking in you'll end up chucking your money away.

Once you have bought, you'll also need fresh and waste water containers (Aquarolls are easy to use), electric hookup cable (see if you can get a dealer to chuck one in as part of the deal), leveling blocks, a wheel clamp (you don't want some lowlife running off with it even if it is only a grands worth) and a step (again, may get one with it or see if you can get an accessory deal from the dealer). I would expect that a water pump will be included but if not then you'll also need one. Just check you get the right sort for the water inlet system on the van.

If you need any other advice, PM me.

Mike

[puddlesurfer]

cheers Mike will do