Privately or from a dealer
A dealer sale comes with consumer guarantees, and a private sale usually comes with a lower price.
See the van in person, run a PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) search and get an independent inspection, whichever way you buy.
Updated . 10 min read • Buying Guide
A dealer sale carries consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law, and a private sale generally does not.
The price usually reflects that difference. The checks that protect you are the same either way: see the van in person, run a PPSR search, and get an independent inspection.
- Dealer sale - consumer guarantees apply (sold in trade or commerce under the Australian Consumer Law, and the price carries the yard's overheads)
- Private sale - generally no guarantees (a one-off sale between two individuals)
What you get, and what you take on
Each column below lists the same two things: the parts of the arrangement you get, and the parts you handle yourself.
Buying privately
A sale between two individuals. The price reflects that there is no business behind it, and so does everything else.
What you get
- The seller is usually the person who towed it, so you can ask how it was used, where it was stored and what has been fixed.
- You can take as long as you need over the inspection, and bring whoever you like to it.
- There is no yard overhead in the price, and the negotiation is with the person who owns the van.
- The van's own history is often still in the house: receipts, manuals, the service book and the original paperwork.
What you take on
- Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law generally do not apply to a one-off sale between individuals, so the van is bought as it stands.
- Checking for money owing on the van is your job, and a PPSR search is how you do it.
- You arrange the inspection, the payment method and the registration transfer yourself.
- There is no trade-in, so an existing van has to be sold separately.
Buying from a licensed dealer
A sale by a business in trade or commerce. That changes what the law requires of the seller, and the price carries the cost of it.
What you get
- Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law apply, including that the van is of acceptable quality, matches its description and is fit for a purpose you made known.
- State motor-dealer laws can add further protections on top, and some states provide a cooling-off period on a dealer sale.
- Clear title is the dealer's responsibility, and any money owing is cleared as part of the deal.
- A trade-in, a handover with the van prepared, and someone to call afterwards are all part of the arrangement.
What you take on
- The price carries the yard's overheads and the cost of the obligations above.
- The van has usually been detailed and presented, which makes a careful inspection more important rather than less.
- The person selling it did not tow it, so the van's history comes from the paperwork rather than from experience.
- Anything promised in conversation is worth having written into the contract before you sign it.
If you are still deciding where to look, our guide to where to buy a used caravan compares the channels. Our guide to used caravan prices shows how to work out what a given van is worth before you talk to anybody.
What the law gives you, and where it stops
This is the main legal difference between the two, so understand it before you choose on price alone.
Consumer guarantees apply to a business sale, not to a private one
The Australian Consumer Law gives a buyer automatic guarantees when goods are supplied by a business in trade or commerce. They cover acceptable quality, matching the description, being fit for a purpose you made known, and clear title. A one-off sale between two individuals is generally outside that, which is the single biggest legal difference between the two ways to buy.
Acceptable quality is judged against the van in front of you
For a used van, what counts as acceptable quality takes its age, its price and what was said about it into account. It is not a promise that a second-hand caravan will be as good as a new one. It does not cover a fault you were told about, or one that was obvious when you looked.
States add their own rules, and they are not the same everywhere
Each state and territory also runs its own motor-dealer licensing scheme. Some add a statutory warranty or a cooling-off period on a dealer sale. What is covered, for how long, and whether a caravan falls inside it differ by state. Check your own state or territory consumer affairs or fair trading body for what applies to your purchase.
Check clear title in either kind of sale
A van can be sold while a lender still has security registered against it, and that security follows the van rather than the seller. A PPSR search settles it. In a dealer sale the dealer must clear it. In a private sale it is yours to check, before any money moves.
Put every agreement in writing
Whatever is agreed, get it in the contract or the receipt: what is included, what has been promised, and what condition the van is being sold in. This matters most where the protections are thinnest.
Whether the balance of a factory warranty follows the van to you is a separate question again, covered in what voids a caravan warranty.
General information, not legal advice
Consumer law is national, but the motor-dealer rules layered on top of it are set state by state and change from time to time. For what applies to your purchase, check your own state or territory consumer affairs or fair trading body. Get advice if real money turns on the answer.
How each sale runs
The order is different, the paperwork is different, and the point at which you can still walk away is different. Both lists end in the same place: a van you have inspected, paid for traceably and had transferred into your name.
A private sale
1. See the van, and see it where it lives
A van at the seller's home tells you how it has been stored. Go in daylight, take your time, and never agree to anything on a van you have only seen in photographs.
2. Check the plate and the papers against each other
The compliance plate, the VIN and the registration papers should agree with each other and with the person selling it. Anything that does not line up is a reason to stop.
3. Run a PPSR search before any money moves
Search on the VIN, keep the certificate, and do it before a deposit rather than after. It is the cheapest step in the whole transaction and the one that prevents the worst outcome. How to run it and read the result is in the PPSR check guide.
4. Get an independent inspection on anything you cannot verify
Water ingress, chassis condition, brakes and the gas and electrical work are the things worth paying somebody to look at. A costed list of what needs doing is also the most credible thing you can bring to a negotiation.
5. Agree the price, then put it in writing
A simple written receipt with both names, the date, the VIN, the price and what is included protects both sides. Sellers are generally glad to sign one.
6. Pay in a way that leaves a record, and transfer the registration
Pay in a traceable way, at handover, once you are standing with the van. Then lodge the transfer with your state's transport authority inside the time it allows.
A dealer sale
1. Get the price itemised before you get attached
Ask for a drive-away figure with the government charges, delivery and any options listed separately. A single number is hard to compare and hard to negotiate.
2. Inspect it as carefully as you would a private van
A prepared, detailed van is easier to like and no easier to assess. The same water, chassis, brake and gas checks apply, and an independent inspection is still worth its cost.
3. Read what you are signing, including the trade-in
The contract is where the deal lives. If a trade-in is part of it, get its figure stated separately so you can see both halves of the transaction.
4. Do a proper pre-delivery inspection at handover
Handover is the last moment when a problem is clearly the yard's to fix. Work through it methodically rather than in the excitement of collection day.
5. Get every promise onto the paperwork
Work agreed to be done, extras included and dates committed to. A note in the contract still counts if the salesperson changes.
The checks that do not care how you are buying
Whichever column you are in, the van still has to be one your car is rated to tow. The compliance plate is where that check starts. Our tow calculator checks a van against your car's published limits, and the compliance plate guide shows where to find the figures you are checking against.
Private and dealer questions, answered
Is it better to buy a caravan privately or from a dealer?
Neither, because they trade price against protection. A dealer sale carries consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law and the yard's overheads in its price, and a private sale carries neither.
Do I get a warranty when I buy a caravan privately?
Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law generally do not apply to a one-off sale between two individuals, so a private van is bought as it stands. Ask the manufacturer directly whether any remaining manufacturer warranty transfers to you.
What protections do I get buying a caravan from a dealer?
A dealer sells in trade or commerce, so the Australian Consumer Law guarantees apply, including acceptable quality and clear title. Some states add a statutory warranty or a cooling-off period, so check your state or territory consumer body.
Who checks whether money is owing on a used caravan?
In a dealer sale, clearing any security registered against the van is the dealer's responsibility. In a private sale it is yours, so run a PPSR search on the VIN before you pay a deposit.
Is a private caravan sale riskier?
The risks are different, and most can be checked before you pay. See the van in person, check the plate and papers, run a PPSR search, get an independent inspection and pay traceably at handover.
Decided how you are buying?
The next job is the same either way. Work out what the van in front of you is worth, and inspect it properly before you agree on anything.