Welcome Gary. You are in the correct place to ask lots of questions and learn from our mistakes. All caravan prices are on the up at present and to find anything is proving difficult. I've heard of several vans selling within hours.
Dealers do have some stock in, but it sells so quickly you may have a problem having a poke around one to get a feel for what you are after. They also generally know less about the vans than forum members.
Best of luck in narrowing your search down - Colin