The second hand caravan market dwarfs the new one, and funders are considerably more relaxed about age here than most buyers expect.
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Yes. Second hand tourers make up the bulk of caravan finance written in the UK. Because caravans lose value slowly after the first few years and the used market is enormous, funders are comfortable lending against older vans. A fifteen year old caravan with a clean damp history and a matching CRiS record is a perfectly normal case. What actually matters is the damp report, the condition of the floor and walls, the chassis and running gear, and whether the seller is a dealer or a private individual. Private buyers hold regulated consumer credit agreements.
Used kit: Yes — this is the used market itself, and vans of fifteen to twenty years are funded where damp readings, servicing and CRiS details all check out.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Underwriters judge used caravans on structure rather than age. Water ingress is the one failure mode that turns a caravan from an asset into a liability, so a current damp report carries more weight than the year of manufacture. Funders also look at whether habitation servicing has been kept up, because an unserviced van is an unknown. The CRiS record is checked as a matter of course to confirm identity and flag any outstanding finance, and a mismatch between the registered keeper and the seller will stop the case. Age limits vary between funders rather than being fixed across the market, so a van one lender considers too old may be entirely acceptable elsewhere. Purpose still decides the agreement type: private holiday use is regulated consumer credit, business use is unregulated, and a private sale narrows the choice of funder either way.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Swift Conqueror 580 | Used four berth touring caravan |
| Swift Challenger 565 | Used family touring caravan |
| Bailey Pegasus Grande Palermo | Used British touring caravan |
| Bailey Unicorn Seville | Used four berth caravan |
| Coachman Amara 575 | Used luxury touring caravan |
| Coachman Vision 545 | Used mid range touring caravan |
| Elddis Crusader Storm | Used twin axle touring caravan |
| Sterling Eccles Sport 584 | Used British touring caravan |
| Lunar Quasar 544 | Used lightweight touring caravan |
| Adria Altea 622 DK | Used European touring caravan |
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First time caravanners testing whether the family takes to it before spending heavily, owners upgrading within a brand after a good first season, and grandparents buying something the whole family can use. The trigger is often a dealer’s autumn clearance, when part exchanged stock arrives in volume and prices soften before winter storage begins. Others buy in spring after a fortnight in a hired van convinced them.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
There is no single answer, because funders set their own limits and some look at condition rather than a fixed cut off. Vans well past fifteen years are funded where the evidence is strong. Rather than assuming a van is unfundable, ask — the damp report and service history usually matter far more than the year.
That is for the engineer carrying out the habitation check to interpret, since readings are assessed against where in the structure they are taken. What a funder wants to see is a recent report from a competent inspector showing no significant ingress. If a van has had damp repaired, documented repair invoices are far better than an unexplained history.
Caravans do not have MOTs, but they should have annual habitation and chassis servicing, covering gas, electrics, damp and running gear. A stamped service record is the closest equivalent and funders treat it the same way they would a vehicle service history. Gaps in the record raise questions about what has not been checked.
It is difficult. Auction payment windows are short and many funders cannot complete their checks in time, particularly without a damp report. If you intend to bid, arrange an approval in principle first and confirm the auction terms with us, rather than relying on being able to fund after the hammer falls.
It depends on the severity and the documentation. A professionally repaired side panel with invoices is a different matter from a van with a recorded insurance write off. Funders check history records as a matter of routine, and undisclosed damage found later can cause real problems, so raise it at the outset.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.