The 10 checks before you buy
- Water damage: Push on the walls around windows and hatches, walk the whole floor, and smell the van closed up. Soft board or a musty smell means moisture. Water checks
- Chassis: Look hard at the A-frame and spring hangers for flaking rust, pitting or bent members. Light surface rust is common on an older van. Structure checks
- Tyres: Read the four-digit date code on the sidewall. A tyre over about seven years old needs replacing, whatever its tread. Tyre checks
- Bearings and brakes: Ask when they were last serviced and ask for the receipt. Service checks
- Appliances: Test everything with power and gas connected: the fridge on 240V and gas, hot water, air con, the pump, every light and socket. System checks
- Batteries and gas: Ask the age of the batteries. Look for corrosion on the gas lines, and check whether your state needs a gas certificate when a van is sold. Battery and gas checks
- Compliance plate: Match the VIN on the plate to the registration papers, and note the tare and the ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass). Reading the plate
- Your car's ratings: Compare the plate's ATM with your car's tow rating. The towbar and towball can be rated lower, and the lowest limit applies. Can my car tow it?
- Loan and recall: Run a PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) search on the VIN before any money moves, and check the same VIN for an open recall. How to run a PPSR check
- Seller and papers: See the van at the seller's home address. Check that the name on their driver's licence matches the registration papers and the bank account you pay. Safe payment steps
Print the one-page go-and-see-it sheet to take with you.
The Honest Case for Buying Used
A new caravan loses value the day it leaves the yard, and the steepest drop happens in the first couple of years. A well-kept 3-5 year old van typically sells well below its new equivalent - and by then, the teething problems (and there are always teething problems) have been found and fixed.
What you give up: the warranty, the exact layout and options you'd have chosen, and certainty about how it was treated. What you gain: a lower price, no build wait, and often thousands of dollars of accessories - annexes, solar upgrades, weight distribution hitches - thrown in because the seller can't use them.
Before you make an offer, check what the van is likely to fetch. Our guide to working out what a caravan is worth walks through the checks.
Know the New Price Before You Pay Used Money
The single best negotiating tool is knowing what the van costs new. We keep verified "from" prices for 1,210+ Australian ranges - check the new price of the model you're looking at (or its closest current equivalent) before you make an offer.
Check New Prices →One more thing before you fall in love with a listing: make sure the van is inside your car's published ratings. Used vans often carry more gear (and more weight) than their spec sheet suggests. The ATM on the compliance plate is the figure to compare with your car's tow rating.
Dealer, Private, or Auction: Know Your Rights Before You Choose
Where you buy determines what protection you have when something goes wrong. Private sales carry the least.
Licensed Dealer
Australian Consumer Law guarantees apply. The van must be of acceptable quality for its age and price, and match its description. A major fault means you choose a refund or a replacement. A minor fault means the dealer repairs it for free. The dealer can inspect the van first. Faults you were told about before buying are not covered.
Most protection, highest pricePrivate Sale
Consumer guarantees don't apply. If rot shows up the week after you pay, the guarantees won't cover it.
Best prices, zero safety netAuction
Sold as-is, usually with limited or no inspection, plus a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price. Ex-fleet and repossessed stock.
Cheapest, riskiestA quirk worth knowing: unlike used cars, used caravans generally don't come with a state statutory warranty even from a dealer - caravans aren't motor vehicles. The Australian Consumer Law guarantees still apply to dealer sales, and they're genuinely useful, but don't expect a car-style "3 months or 5,000 km" warranty card.
Because a private sale gives you no legal safety net, everything below - the PPSR check, the inspection, the payment rules - matters most when you're buying privately. Private sales also carry the best prices, which is why these checks matter.
Check the Government Register for a Loan or Other Claim on the Van
Run a PPSR search before any money moves. It costs two dollars on the official register and tells you whether a loan or other claim is recorded against the van. Our guide on how to run a PPSR check on a caravan covers what the search shows and what it does not. It also covers which number you search and the parts that only apply to caravans. Check the same VIN for an open safety recall too, using our caravan recall check.
The Inspection: Water Is the Killer
Engines announce their problems. Caravans hide theirs inside the walls. Water damage is the number one thing that turns a used bargain into a write-off, especially in timber-framed vans.
Water damage - check every one of these
- Push on the walls around every window, hatch and the front boot. Soft, spongy or bubbling wall board means the frame behind it is wet or rotten.
- Walk the entire floor including inside cupboards and around the shower. Soft spots = rotten ply.
- Smell it closed up. Ask for the van to be shut for a few hours before you arrive. Musty = moisture, no matter what the seller says.
- Staining on ceilings, around the air-conditioner surround, window corners and under bed bases.
- Fresh sealant lines around roof fittings and windows. Sometimes it's maintenance; sometimes it's concealment. Ask when and why.
Running gear and structure
- Chassis: surface rust is normal on older vans; flaking, pitting or bent members are not. Look hard at the A-frame and spring hangers.
- Tyres: check the 4-digit date code as well as the tread. Caravan tyres age out before they wear out - anything over ~7 years old needs replacing regardless of tread.
- Bearings and brakes: ask when they were last serviced and expect a receipt. No proof = budget $300-$500 immediately.
- Compliance plate: confirm the VIN matches the rego papers and the PPSR certificate, and note the Tare and ATM. If the seller has added toolboxes, a second battery bank and 200L of water capacity, the payload left inside the ratings may be smaller than you think.
Systems
- Test everything with power and gas connected: fridge on both 240V and gas, hot water, air-con, pump, every light and socket. "It worked last trip" is not a test.
- Batteries and solar: ask the age of the batteries. Lithium and AGM banks are expensive; a 6-year-old battery bank is a replacement cost waiting for you.
- Gas: look for corrosion on lines and regulator age. Some states require a gas compliance certificate when a van is sold - check your state's rules and factor an inspection in if there's any doubt.
Take a sheet with you
One A4 page for the visit itself: what to ask before you drive out, what to check at the van, and what to settle before you leave a deposit. If it is a dealer van and you get as far as collecting it, the pre-delivery inspection checklist is the long one for handover day.
Get it inspected before you pay
A mobile caravan inspector comes to the van and checks it for you before any money changes hands. A good inspection gives you:
- Moisture meter readings around every window, hatch and roof fitting, not just a push on the walls.
- Chassis, A-frame, springs, bearings and brakes looked at from underneath.
- Gas and 240V checked. Where your state wants a gas certificate at sale, that needs a licensed gas fitter.
- A written report with photos that you keep, and can show the seller when you talk price.
Choose an inspector who works for you. Before you book, ask whether they bring a moisture meter and send a written report. Any seller who refuses an inspection is telling you something.
Scams: How Buyers Actually Get Robbed
Caravan classifieds are one of the most scammed categories in Australia. The good news: nearly every scam relies on you paying before you've stood next to the van, and that's entirely within your control.
Red flags - any one of these, walk away
- Priced well under market. Scam listings are cheap on purpose. If it's 30% under every comparable van, it isn't a bargain, it's bait.
- The seller can't meet you. Working in the mines, posted overseas, moved interstate, recently widowed and "just wants it gone" - and conveniently, a "transport company" can deliver it once you pay.
- A deposit to "hold" a van you haven't seen. No legitimate private seller needs a deposit from a stranger before an inspection.
- Third-party "escrow" or "buyer protection" services the seller nominates. These are fake sites built for the scam.
- Photos that look like a brochure or appear in other listings. Scammers clone real ads - reverse image search the photos.
- Pressure and urgency. "Three other buyers coming this afternoon" is a sales tactic from humans and a script from scammers.
The rules that make you unscammable
- See the van in person, at the seller's home address, and check the address matches the rego papers. A van in a random carpark with a seller who "just sold the house" deserves extra scrutiny.
- Sight the seller's driver's licence and make sure the name matches the registration papers and the bank account you're paying.
- PPSR + rego check before money moves. Two dollars and ten minutes.
- Pay on pickup, by bank transfer to the account matching the seller's ID - never Western Union, gift cards, crypto, or an "agent's" account. For large amounts, do the transfer together at the handover and get a signed receipt with both parties' details, the VIN, and "sold with clear title" written on it.
After the Handshake
- Transfer the registration within your state's window (typically 14 days). Both parties usually have paperwork to lodge - don't rely on the seller doing their half.
- Duty: several states exempt caravans and camper trailers from transfer duty, others don't - check your state transport site rather than budgeting blind.
- Insurance active before you tow it anywhere, including the trip home.
- First service: unless you have fresh receipts, book bearings and brakes before the first big trip. It's the cheapest peace of mind in caravanning.
Ready to start hunting? We've broken down every major place Australians buy used vans - who each marketplace suits, what it costs, and what protection you get.
Common questions
Is it safe to buy a caravan privately?
It can be, but you carry the risk yourself. Australian Consumer Law guarantees apply when you buy from a licensed dealer. If the van has a major fault, you can choose a refund or a replacement, or keep it and be compensated for the drop in value. If the fault is minor, the dealer must repair it for free. The dealer can inspect the van first. Faults you were told about before buying are not covered. In a private sale those guarantees do not apply, so the protection has to come from the work you do first: a PPSR search before any money moves, an inspection in person, and matching the seller's identity to the registration papers.
How do I check whether a used caravan still has a loan against it?
Search the government's Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) for two dollars. Use the van's vehicle identification number (VIN), or the chassis number on a van built before 1989. Do it on the day you buy or the day before. The search shows whether a loan or other claim is recorded against the van. It does not show how much is owed. Our guide on how to run a PPSR check on a caravan covers the rest.
How do I check a used caravan for water damage?
Push on the walls around every window, hatch and the front boot, because soft or bubbling wall board means the frame behind it is wet. Walk the whole floor including inside cupboards and around the shower, feeling for soft spots. Ask for the van to be shut up for a few hours before you arrive and smell it closed: musty means moisture. Then look for staining on ceilings and window corners, and for fresh sealant around roof fittings, which is sometimes maintenance and sometimes concealment.
How old is too old for caravan tyres?
Check the four-digit date code on the sidewall rather than the tread depth. Caravan tyres age out before they wear out, because they spend most of their life parked, so anything beyond roughly seven years old needs replacing regardless of how much tread is left.
What should I check on a used caravan's compliance plate?
Confirm the VIN matches the registration papers and the PPSR certificate, then note the Tare and the ATM. Those two figures decide what the van can legally carry and what your car has to be rated to tow. If a previous owner has added toolboxes, a second battery bank or extra water capacity, the payload arithmetic may no longer work even though the plate has not changed.
What should I check when buying a caravan privately?
Check for water damage first: push on the walls, walk the floor and smell the van closed up. Look at the chassis, the tyre date codes and the receipts for bearings and brakes. Test every appliance with power and gas connected. Match the compliance plate VIN to the registration papers, and the seller's licence to the papers and the bank account you pay. Search the government register for a loan on the van before any money moves. Consumer guarantees do not apply to a private sale, so do these checks before you pay.
Is there a checklist for buying a caravan?
Yes. This guide opens with ten checks: water damage, chassis, tyres, bearings and brakes, appliances, batteries and gas, the compliance plate, your car's ratings, a loan and recall search, and the seller's papers. Our one-page go-and-see-it sheet is a printable checklist for the visit itself.