Celestial problems

[tomo]

Hi, I'm new here and I need some advice in a hurry ! We have been offered an '89 Celeste which is in very good condition apart from evidence of water ingress which seems to be originating around the 'mushroom' fitting on the roof ahead of the skylight. This has rippled the interior ceiling paper and traveled to the front offside top locker.

The seller(dealer) is reluctant to tackle this problem but is prepared to let the van go as a project for £500 otherwise he will break it.

The van is obviously very well made and is very sound and tidy apart from the above problem. Do we take it on, in the hopes of sorting the leak and getting a nice cheap quality van. Or do we run away screaming while we still have the chance ?

We are new to caravanning and on a limited budget. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tomo and Christine.

[Margo]

Honestly – walk away if you are not prepared to do the work yourself. Damp is the killer of all caravans although anything can be repaired if you either have deep pockets or have the time and skills to DIY and ideally somewhere dry to do such work. If water has travelled that far then you can be pretty sure it has travelled down the inside of the wall as well. Leaks at an early stage can be resolved relatively easily, it is once the rot sets in that’s the problem particularly if it gets into the frame. What is a damp meter telling you? £500 isn’t a lot of money for a caravan particularly one that might soon achieve classic status, but a severely damp one is worthless regardless of how clean it is. The only value is in the parts you can salvage. If you can get it for less then take a chance and if beyond repair you should be able to sell the parts to recover your outlay. Personally, I would pay a little more and buy one from a proper owner and not a dealer; just make sure you know what to look for or take someone with you that does

Good luck Mark…

[Administrator]

My view is it hasn't gone to far if its only just showing at the top locker a very easy job to repair if done straight away and easily done by a DIY enthusiast .

A repair I do quite frequently is caught in the early stages its easily sorted but without having the view of photo not 100% committed in my opinion of correction.
Offer the guy £400 and spend £100 on the repair and you will have a good top class van is my view.
Put some piccies up of the damage and I will advise further.

Cheers
Stu
.
Welcome aboard by the way

[tomo]

Thanks for the prompt replies, unfortunately there was also a problem with the water heater which was going to be an easy fix, which the guy said he would do. As it turned out he wasn't able to get it to work and although he did offer the van as was, for £400 we decided to look elsewhere.

If anyone is looking for parts for such a van ring Paul at Kidlington Caravans on 01865 884088