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Fancy one but how much so I start saving :-)

Posted: Wed, 07 Oct 2009, 9:31 am
by composimmonite
In the past we've had full sized caravans but most of the time it'd be just me that used it for overnight stays at shows etc. In fact wife takes kids to holidays abroad with sun / sand and I tend to stay at home as I prefer inland UK :roll:
This time my requirements are the priority and a Portafold fits perfectly as I can tow with my Herald convertible or even A35 if I watch the weight.

Besides the actual problem of finding a Portafold there is also limited funds due to forced (ill health) early retirement.
Can anyone give me an idea what sort of money a rough / in need of a lot of work Portafold is going to cost me so I can start saving up pennies ?

Thanks.

Paul H,
Werrington,
Stoke-on-Trent

Tatty Portafolds

Posted: Wed, 07 Oct 2009, 7:23 pm
by txfsealord
Hi Compo, (It's great, I've always wanted to start a message like that!)

We have a tatty Ansfold, the later version of the Portafold without the roof-fins but with a double-skinned roof. It was just about towable to bring home, & cost £70.

It ought to be possible to get something half-decent for around the £250 mark I'd have thought. My personal thinking now, having rebuilt most of mine, would be to buy the best one I could find, almost regardless of its cost! This is because I got completely carried away when repairing mine & spent far more on it than it'll ever be worth - & I've not even started repairing the outside yet!

I did a lot of internal modifications to mine, & one of the things I wanted to do was alter one of the lockers to accept a Porta-Potti. In the end, limitations of space made me decide to use a separate toilet-tent & have a built-in fridge instead. Eventually, I'll have an awning & the bog will be in that, at night anyway.

Be advised that they are quite heavy to erect on your own, Ansfolds more so than Portafolds due to the double roof. When I get a round tuit, I'll use it to make a small winch to raise & lower my roof, as I'm a smallish bloke at 5'8" with a history of back trouble. It's no problem with two people, & on a campsite someone can always be found to help, just on your own it can be a pain.

I'm with you all the way on holiday destinations, UK for ever, & a Minor-towed Ansfold (or Portafold) is a great base for flexible holidays. We recently returned from a splendid time in Shropshire, having camped in the Long Mynd area. Wonderful!

Steve Lord

Posted: Wed, 07 Oct 2009, 7:52 pm
by composimmonite
I originally was going to build a teardrop type mini camper but the Portafold is just so much more to my taste.
At the moment I've too many "toys" (besides the main familly car I've also a '68 Land Rover I'm restoring on new chassis, Herald convertible, Austin A35, Morris Minor, Microcar RJ125 as well as Honda CB400A, Honda CB92 Benly and modern Vespa) so intend having a cull (Minor, Microcar and CB400A) and hopefully create space for storing as well as monies to buy and restore.

Paul H

Posted: Thu, 08 Oct 2009, 11:28 am
by bigbird
Hi there,

I was lucky enough to be pointed in the right direction of a Portafold by Matthew. I paid £200 for it, and the emailed pictures from the seller looked fine, but when I arrived to see it, it was in an awful state, the pictures must have been taken the year before and it had been kept under a tree.... We bought it anyway, and proceeded to clean it up to see exactly what needed doing....
Matthew was completely right, it was a very, very reasonable buy, once we got down to the nitty gritty, it was really only cosmetic stuff, like fibreglassing and interior cushions, painting etc., We only needed to replace three hinges and the furniture outside.

I must admit I overspent on the interior and the paint that I used, and I reckon if I'm really honest I must have spent at least £600 on it, but I think I could have spent less if I had thought it out more.

We love it, and you won't regret buying one, they are fabulous, but like Steve says, they are quite heavy to put up...especially if it's windy. And, by the way THANK YOU MATTHEW, we love her!! :D

Posted: Mon, 12 Oct 2009, 5:39 pm
by Ian
Hi Paul,

I was lucky enough to find mine on a local free-ads website this last Spring and I paid less than it cost me to buy the hinges to repair it, but I must admit I was lucky in that the owner really just wanted it moved from outside his house.

Good hunting!

Ian