Smallish Dandy. Wanted north Lincs

Hello, I am new to your group, I have enjoyed reading your posts. I apologise if this is not in the correct spot, please move if needed.
I am looking for a smaller size dandy preferably with an awning or suggestion of suitable one. I am not averse to basic DIY and can paint, make curtains, covers etc. some basic woodwork skills, but not into total rebuild......
If anyone can point me. In the direction of a fair set up about the £500.00 marks I would be grateful. Viewing Ebay but a little wary of buying some trouble rather than a holiday adventure. I can cope with quirky, even odd as previous trailer was Conway Tardis, enjoyable but too big now children have grown and left home.
thank you for reading, Joanie.

Hello and good evening(morning). Thought I'd reply seeing you are still online.
It's a bit late for thinking for me but I will post some thoughts by tomorrow, no doubt others will have posted by then as well.

to the forum,a good dandy within your budget is achievable but may take some searching for.ime sure we will all do our best to help you.

mike

thank you for that, I have noticed one on EBay in the Stockton onTees /Middlesborough area, no awning and in need of certain cosmetic work but £300.00 mark. It has been up for a while though and on Preloved, just wondered why it hadn't gone?
thanks for the welcome. I'm not usually a night bird but property sitting tonight while ghost hunt takes place, very quiet at present. Think all the spirits are camping!
Joanie.

One reason may be the interior decor,owners make these changes then have at a later date to find someone else who likes the same as them,not always easy.

Hello Joanie and welcome to the Dandy Campers ....... Have you seen this one, it was bought from Riva at Wigan and is being sold due to an upgrade, sounds as though it comes with a sun canopy rather than an awning though it is right on budget with no bids on it yet. I'm not sure you'd have time to go and check it out though as it goes soon. It's a member of the FB group that we have in conjunction with this forum. It isn't fully insulated either, you could take the chance that it doesn't sell because of the starting price and then contact the seller to see if you can view or take your chances and bid.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hello Joanie and

I hope the ghost hunt went well, and you find your Dandy soon.

Hi Pollyanna, Thank you for the welcome, I have been tired today but hopefully after a good night's sleep I will be back on track to find a Dandy.
Joanie-

Have a look at this one. I think it was on recently but didn't sell probably because most people want to spend a little more. It looks quite tidy.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

thanks, that is the one I had seen on Gumtree, not Preloved. I have been looking all over..... Easy to forget what is where. quite a way away but not too bad up the A1 .

the great thing about these Dandys you can do allot or as little as you want and you can make them more personal to you I have noticed that the reason that some are left for a long time is that allot of people don't do DIY as long as it is structurally sound the rest is up to you
so good luck and we will be waiting for the photo's when you get her

Joanie wrote:Hello, I am new to your group, I have enjoyed reading your posts. I apologise if this is not in the correct spot, please move if needed.
I am looking for a smaller size dandy preferably with an awning or suggestion of suitable one. I am not averse to basic DIY and can paint, make curtains, covers etc. some basic woodwork skills, but not into total rebuild......
If anyone can point me. In the direction of a fair set up about the £500.00 marks I would be grateful. Viewing Ebay but a little wary of buying some trouble rather than a holiday adventure. I can cope with quirky, even odd as previous trailer was Conway Tardis, enjoyable but too big now children have grown and left home.
thank you for reading, Joanie.

Joanie

Hello. I have time for a proper response today. well some time as I'll soon be watching Moto GP qualifying.

I can be a bit of a stuck record but it doesn't stop what I'm saying from being true. Have you: Been inside a Dandy? Put a Dandy up? How many Dandys have you looked at?
I'd love you to buy a Dandy and I'd be overjoyed if you then became an active member on this forum. Now while it's easy to help you do the first I think the second is only likely to be possible if we have tried to see if a Dandy is for you and then we have helped get the most suitable Dandy for you.
So you already camp. That is a big hurdle I think the general drop in Prices this year may have been a result of over supply brought on by people sold the idea of "Staycations" linked with miserable summers.
How aware are you of Dandys: As a concept? You have seen one live? You have looked a couple over seriously? You have put one up? It does get easier to put one up and the awnings are also an experience with the older awnings being easier to erect than the newer type.
What sort of Dandy do you think you want? I know you said smaller but all rear entry (O'er missus) Dandys are smaller than a Conway Tardis. One piece good news about these Dandys is that because of the geometry they are all rock solid when towing. I don't know anyone who has ever had a twitch with the shorter Dandys. Each of the three short dandys has its own charms and foibles. The Dart is the smallest and while it can provide more useful interior space than many caravans it can be intimate. The Delta is an extra 10" wider and the extra width really makes a difference but if you have storage issues because the wheels are outboard it is barely narrower than a Designer/Discovery. the Designer/Discovery is the most capacious but is getting to the edge of what you can erect single handedly, though none are lightweight.

How open are you to what you want, need or might settle for to taste the experience? We have covered size but there are the older ones for those who prefer the vintage look. Probably not an option for £500 or only just an option but there is also insulation and heaters if you fancy 12 month camping. Though the Dandy will be warmer than the Conway anyway.

So go and read [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and look at as many Dandys as you can to both become aware of faults and to become aware of what you want.

The worst trouble in terms of time is the floor being soggy but anything is repairable. However dodgy suspension can easily become £200 plus.


I was unsure why you would be interested in a relatively low price Dandy with no awning when just going to look at it could cost you £60 or more in fuel.

Go look at local Dandys especially if you think you're not going to buy.

The one in Wigan sounds a better bet it hasn't sold on eBay even on a last minute snipe. Unlikely to be a mess if it was sold by Riva last year. As it's not too far away I'd be happy to have a look at this for you. Do be aware I can make mistakes though and nearly made one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

My normal advice is to take your time though I'm aware that incessant browsing has its costs too.

Hi,
I hope you had a good afternoon / evening and enjoyed the racing.
Thank you for your comprehensive reply regarding impulsive purchasing of a Dandy camper.
You are quite correct in your assumption that I have not tried to put up or take down a Dandy camper although I have seen a couple of them up and running on camps in the last year or so.
Our families camping holidays began over 25 years ago when I bough a 12' Ace Globetrotter caravan, very basic, gas lights and manual foot pump for water were the refinements. We were given an awning and after some considerable 'tarting up' we had some very pleasant holidays in her. Progressed through 2 more caravans until house move meant no storage space and commitments to elderly parents meant no time either.
Eventually got itchy feet again but didn't really fancy sleeping on the ground, I had seen (or heard) plenty of canvas campers pumping up airbeds at silly o'clock in the night and sitting hopefully around a primus stove in the day to know that I am not an intrepid Ranulph Fiennes type. I also have a husband who yearns for the finer things in life, (he is not convinced that camping is quite as much fun as I think it is - some sort of conspiricy, I plot against him, maybe....?)
So we arrived at the Conway Tardis. This was great fun and always was a source of entertainment at camp - a bit like opening Mary Poppins carpet bag and getting out the hat stand. Unfortunately the Tardis was really heavy to push around manually both at home in the garden and at camp - especially grass field type camps where not everything is level. We have also lost the extra muscle that our children provided and really don't need all the space now, even though it was fabulous when we were actually camped. It also is a large trailer to store and once again very heavy to move when we need access to the 'back passage??' A smaller trailer would be a great benefit here.
So been thinking about what to get instead -
Smaller and lighter than the Tardis, easy to tow, easy to move when at home and on site.
Hob and sink built in if possible
Possibility of electric hook up and 12 volt for greenfild sites
Fairly easy to errect - we are used to working to a plan when errecting the Tardis, nice to stop for a cup of tea before tackling the awning..... Have watched the Youtube videos and don't think this would be a problem.
Don't think that hubby would jump at the chance to camp in December, had some pretty cold August Bank holidays in the Conway, but did do bonfire nights in the caravan...
Awning would be nice, but we do have a 6 berth igloo type tent that we could use as a day tent.... also a gazebo which could double as sun lounge.
I have viewed Camplet and Jamet trailer tents - pram hood types, interiors very basic, camp cooker had to be lugged off back of trailer, seating arrangement not very cosy or friendly, also canvas was under strain on folds and needed re-proofing against wet.
They are nice and light to manouvre, but did take up a fair amount of floor space because of design.
I am impressed with the Dandy groups, your loyalty to the Dandy brand, the fact that it is British and the feeling that you each have a unique bit of history with your campers.
I do think the Delta could be the one for us, Designer looked very nice, maybe something to work up to in time, when I have won hubby over?
We have had major work done on the house recently so don't have a deal on money to spend on frivoulous things like tents, but could sneak in cushions etc.
I will be at work on the Bank Holidays and we still have Mum to take care of in a rota with other family members so I don't need a Dandy 'yesterday' and will continue to look around.
Daughter is at Sunderland Uni and I can do the trip up north fairly easily now, so Middlesburgh trip would not be too daunting.
Thank you once again for all you help and the link to what to look for in a trailer tent. I will sleep on it before going much further......
Best wishes, and hope it's not too much of a ramble....
Joanie

Having read and corrected my last piece I was obviously in a hurry to watch the qualifying. Having retryped it's closer to English now.
I wasn't trying to be patronising when I was saying that you had camped. Actually it's more than that you have camped and towed. There are a number of people who ask about a Dandy who have done neither and it comes to pass that they are unsuited to camping, towing or both.
I'm really peeved our planned camp for May in Trentfield has died a death as it would have given you an opportunity to look at a number of Dandys.

Ah why not try speaking to these people [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Their website has seemed all but dead for years but I've just seen that they have revamped the website. It would be a journey out but they have a camp on the 16th to 20th May in Stourport-on-Severn. You should be able to see all types of Dandy and depending on your day of arrival could get involved in erecting or collapsing (if the erecting is strenuous) and a bit of maneuvering so you can see how easy or otherwise Dandys are to push.

Hopefully you should see just what you want and reintroduce your beloved into the misery of camping.

Keep us informed on how you go on or pop in to ask any more specific questions.

If you're the type who use a campsite with EHU the heater doesn't matter but an insulated and heated dandy is a real 365 Day option and I'm a cold blooded softy.

The awnings are always worthwhile as an option and adding zips makes them much more manageable.

Hi,
I now have a Dandy. It,s the one from James (On facebook) He was very helpful at pick up, Dandy towed well over the Pennines and is now in the garden. Rain at moment so can' t go out to play.
thanks for all your help and supportive comments.
Joanie

Congratulations Joanie is it the one with the lovely flowers inside ?



Lots of fun ahead

Joanie

Remember after you have put it up. We love photos.

Joanie and as Mr Itch said we love Pics.

Hi,
Yes it's the one with the flowers. Hailstones and rain today so have not opened it up yet. I will try when no wind and helpers are here.
Thanks
Joanie

I love the flowers on the inside, really cheers things up inside

and power

Joanie.

Hope you have many happy trips with your new Dandy.