Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Sonnythecat · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 10

Hello I'm new to the forum so please be gentle!

Looking for a 60s/70s Cheltenham, Safari or Carlight and just wondering whether the following is a reasonable price to pay or way off:

Early 1970s Carlight Caribbean. Pretty Sound and good original condition inside, though obviously not perfect - £4500.

I appreciate that its difficult to say but wondered if somebody could give me a steer please?

Cheers

christine lowery · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:31 pm Post subject:

hi
the caravans you have mentioned regulaly change hands on ebay, gumtree, preloved, and many other sites for a few pounds to the price you are quoting, for this price the van has to be dry and in tip top condition but may have a few blemish
there are clubs for these vans and pages on facebook, do your homework, are you good at diy, or will you have to pay to get things fixed
there are classics out there for a few hundred pounds up to the skys the limit so its buyer beware,
but most of all welcome and enjoy whatever you buy

christine Very Happy

Sonnythecat · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 10

Christine thank you. Am warily excited!!!

david_rachel · Joined: 26 Nov 2012 Posts: 144 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Carlights are in a league of their own and restoration work is not easy; it's certainly worth paying the money for a caravan that doesn't need too much doing but decent examples are increasingly difficult to come by.

The Owners Club and the Enthusiasts Club are both small and are all about rallying; not service/restoration.

You could have a look at my restoration blog for some general information about Carlight restoration....
http://carlightrestoration.blogspot.co.uk
_________________
David Rachel
1972 Triumph 2.5PI Est Royal Blue
1968 MG 1300 Sal Connaught Green
1978 Carlight Casetta
http://carlightrestoration.blogspot.co.uk
1995 Lada Riva 1.5 Est Red

Sonnythecat · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 10

Well I bought the Carlight for £4000 and I'm over the moon !

She does need some work but I accept that - she's 40 odd years old after all. David_rachel your blog is my bible - thanks for documenting so thoroughly. Will post photos when I collect her.

My husband has just wondered aloud if there's a magazine called ImPractical Caravan as thats what we've got!

christine lowery · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 9:32 pm Post subject:

ImPractical sonnythecat, not if she's been around for 40 years she must be totaly Practical.
light weight, economical, designed for use, and a true classic
so find her quibbbles, and little foybles, and take great pleasure in using your little treasure.
spares are around you will find them in the club and on this and other sites
have fun
christine Very Happy

david_rachel · Joined: 26 Nov 2012 Posts: 144 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Great to hear that you've bought the Carlight and are so happy with it; they are quite simply incredible caravans made by craftsmen to exacting standards.

My restoration was a huge learning curve and the blog was written to try and help others by sharing what I discovered; mainly because there's not much to find in books or on the internet about restoring Carlights.

Any questions just ask and I'll always try and help Smile

_________________
David Rachel
1972 Triumph 2.5PI Est Royal Blue
1968 MG 1300 Sal Connaught Green
1978 Carlight Casetta
http://carlightrestoration.blogspot.co.uk
1995 Lada Riva 1.5 Est Red

Cameron · Joined: 28 Oct 2013 Posts: 44

You got yourself a good deal there. I saw the original advert and she was absolutely stunning! You can expect to do work to any caravan of that age: We bought our 1967 Safari 15/4 as advertised in "show condition" but so far have a list a few pages long of things that need sorting on it! Good luck with it and keep us updated with your progress

Robin · Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 48

IMHO the Caribbean is the best 2 berth caravan ever made. Lucky you! Very Happy

rsjmum · Joined: 09 Sep 2013 Posts: 13

I just love our Caribbean. One of the best vans for size and luxury for few age! Smile

rsjmum · Joined: 09 Sep 2013 Posts: 13

I mean her age!

Sonnythecat · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 10

Rsjmum photos please!

Here's my girl (plenty of work to do though!)

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Cameron · Joined: 28 Oct 2013 Posts: 44

She looks to be in fantastic condition, at least internally. Can't see that much that needs doing really. Perhaps some new curtains, but the upholstery looks original. Could do with some luxury carpet though, it is a Carlight after all... Wink

The outside looks straight (no damage etc...) and paintwork looks good. Lots of ways of improving the paintwork by polishing without the expense of a respray. Have you had the chassis checked? Lots of people here will be able to advise if not.

Certainly a lot less work needed than our 1965/7 Continental which spent 30 years in an orchard and consequently needs a total ground-up rebuild!

Sonnythecat · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 10

Cameron thank you. Her interior is in near perfect condition but sadly she has complete rot in all four corners and around both doors. I'm talking compost! I did know this when I bought her.

Soooo I'm biting the bullet and she's being pulled apart to sort it out. Also resealing windows, awning rails, trims, grab handles, all the usual suspects. Possibly new wheels. Chassis seems quite good. Hitch is functioning! Both doors very skewed. A Very little bit of floor needs replacing

But apart from the above she's immaculate!

We're really hoping that we can manage to do this without affecting her interior too much at all.

I know there are some who think this is a folly and its costing me a lot of money to be sure but I don't give a hoot because I think she's beautiful.

Cameron · Joined: 28 Oct 2013 Posts: 44

Well it's a Carlight, so well worth the investment. And she's an early one too, so even rarer. You'll always get a good return in the end. I'd say an immaculate Caribbean with glass windows is worth around £8000 - £10,0000 restored. But ultimately, if she's your pride and joy, the money isn't an issue so long as you can afford it (and there's always ways of saving costs by doing the repairs yourself) because you'll get your use from the caravan and plenty of holidays. And most vintage/classic caravan rallies are free to attend!

Sorry to hear about the damp, Carlights are sadly quite prone to it because of their complex shape and design. Our Continental is rotten on all four corners, one door was left open and all that's left is the aluminium and the window(!), the kitchen ceiling has collapsed and there's a hole in the roof. But they can be rebuilt, and we've never rebuilt one before, so it'll be a good learning curve - perhaps we can compare/help!

The chassis are always good on Carlights. They used B&B which were the best. All they need is a bit of grease in the hitch unit (remove the aluminium cover from the A-frame and you'll see the grease nipples on top of the hitch unit) and the brakes will need adjustment, which is quite easy.

The interior will have to be partially removed to complete the repairs. My advice is to carefully inspect each element before trying to remove it. Locate all screws and fixing points and they furniture should all come out eventually without damaging it. Never use a hammer or crowbar to remove items as it will cause lasting damage. Carlight built furniture using real oak and wood veneer, so it's all repairable if the worst happens though.