Hiya All,

It's been great reading all the posts (well not all of them still have a lot more to read!!), the posts I have read so far have been really informative and has given me a lot to ponder over.

I plan to start "living the dream" and hit the road in 2011 for 12 months. 

I have set a modest budget to buy a caravan and a 4wd.

I'm hoping to buy a small van (probably between 12`-15`.

My question is..........what should I buy first? .......the car or the van.  I thought it would be best to buy the van first........and then do the research on the 4wd (I think from the posts I have read..........the car is the tug?).

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Keep Smiling
Cee

Welcome Cee, in my opinion it doesn't really matter as long as you end up with a tug that has a bit more power than you think you need. This is important to handle any unforseen circumstances or emergencies. If you look on some of the for sale sites you may find already matched rigs. Also need to think carefully about size of van, try hiring one first or do lots of research, trading up to one a bit bigger can be expensive if you decide yours is to small and towing one that is bigger than you need is a bit more expensive but more importantly in my view is the fact that the size of the van dictates a lot of places it can be taken. This is very important to us as we almost always freecamp and we can take our 16' lowline coromal to a lot of beautiful campsites that bigger rigs can not access. Look forward to happy hour with you by a river somewhere, sometime.

I would be inclined to get the van first. If you wish to stretch your budget a little further you can easily tow your intended van with a sedan. This will be a little cheaper than a 4WD. Another way to stretch your budget is to get a ute rather than a station wagon style 4WD. It is better to carry bulky outdoor furniture and fuel in a ute.

Since we already had a tug, we went looking for a caravan within its towing weight range, and found that caravan salesmen seemed to all want us to buy a heavier van than we had decided on. So my advice is, do your research first about towing capacities and weights of vans, you cant always trust salesmen!

It can take many months to find just the right set-up.
Best of luck in your search

Hi Cee, your question regarding what comes first is quite relevant as in different states it is possible for your setup to be illegal. ie, a car/caravan setup in Victoria crossing into NSW may not meet NSW RTA rules, this may have changed) I would suggest you contact your state road traffic authority or local police station or motoring organization to get an upto date response to your question.
You should be seeking info regarding the vehicles towing capacity and from there it may help you in the selection of a suitable towing vehicle.
I personally recommend you enrol in a caravan towing course......you will learn so much and it may just save your life one day!
Ozi

I agree with PeterD.  We did the car (Magna). We did the 4x4 (x-trail). We now have a Ford Ranger 4x4 ute with a canopy and it's so much easier than trying to put all your outdoor stuff in the boot or the back of the 4x4. 

Hi everyone
We're hitting the road soon and have bought a fifth wheeler GVW 4000 kls.  I've been told that a Landrover defender 130 will pull it with ease as would a new landcruiser V8 although the cruiser would use a lot more fuel.  I could buy a GMC 3500 but again more fuel.  Any suggestions

Stan landrover defender 131 has a towing capacity of 3500kg., land cruiser V8 towing capacity of 3500 kg. , Silerado GMC towing capacity 4700kg.

thanks Brickies, they should all pull it well but i've been told that a defender would be more reliable and better by far on fuel.  We intend to be on the road for a few years so fuel expense would be an important issue, also anyone had any experience of the Hyundai genny, its a bit of a minefield out there, who to believe, more sharks than in the ocean
stan

I own a 4.2 turbo diesel 100 series cruiser wonderful vehicle good fuel consumption and the new v8 diesel is supposed to better on fuel

Thats the way I'm thinking of going.  A bit expensive new but the services are capped at $300 for three years or 100,000 ks and if you push a little you can get 5 years and 175,000 kls warrenty.  A lot of peace of mind.