Final caravan?
i wonder if others have similar experiences to ours. Not long ago we bought a 2 berth which we thought would be our last caravan on the grounds of age. Then I got the idea that we really needed a fixed bed so we made the change in the Spring of this year
only to find that it does not work for us so we have re-thought the mattter in depth once again. We realize that after years and years of 2 berth vans the layout works well for us. We also realize that in our mid 70's the day might come when I can no longer
manage the "swing" to engage the mover so an automated mover was next on the list. Then there was the reality that our previous 2 berth - which was meant to be our final caravan - was found to be leaking like a sieve when we traded it in this year. And we
thought "Solid" construction from County Durham was supposed to avoid that. So that led to the final conclusion which is the attempt to opt for quality of construction. I write "attempt" because I have found criticism of every manufacturer apart from Vanmaster
and we don't have the necessary £45,000 to spend on one of those; quite apart fromthe fact that it doesn't appeal to us. This afternoon we paid the deposit on a new Coachman 450. We love the layout, the size is just right and there is plenty of storage.
Furthermore the front bunks make up a decent sized double bed suitable for slender lightweights like us. We expect delivery in April. Will it be our last caravan? We hope so!
Comments
-
Our current van will be the last we buy, having caravaned for 64 years (man & boy) been working in the industry for 50 years i will not invest any more money into the to rubbish that is coming out of all the major builders, whilst the new vans look very
nice and they are comfortable,full of the latest equipment, the build quality is terrible, we are happy with our current van, comfortable, tows well, had to have a rear panel fitted as it split within the first year, but although i,m lucky enough to be able
to service and repair it myself, there will be at some point a problem occur witch will make repair non viable.0 -
We bought a new Elddis in 2009 just before Solid came in from the soon to be defunct Discover leisure. First service at an approved workshop showed extensive damp to front half and third service same to rear. All resealed under warranty but too many other
minor defects to list as well meant we also traded in for a Coachman 15/2 (450) Wanderer in August 2014. No warranty items so far, no damp problems after two services and only minor problems with fridge and combi boiler both solved by advice over the phone.
We think this may be our last caravan because we like it so much. Hope you enjoy yours as much when you get it.0 -
Our "last" caravan is a motorhome. A damp Bailey Unicorn was the final straw.
0 -
After 20 years of owning our caravan, we need something different. So we are doing up our little treasure inside and out! An oldie, but a goodie, much loved!
0 -
I was interested when I saw your post, I have a Swift Challenger 2 berth made in 2004. Bought second hand but with full dealer service history five years ago. I've had various problems burst water pipes, ( in summer) Switch replaced on W.C, badly fitted
window and door seals which caused some damp in the floor, fridge control went u/s too. Itis however a very nice van and I've now sorted all the faults, but I was wondering how long to keep it. I don't feel like spending thousands of pounds on a 'new secondhand
van' after reading that many members have had serious faults, so do I keep it until it becomes a 'Classic' or trade up now? My last three vans have been bought from a respected 'main dealer' and the service and quality of repairs when needed didn't do
much to inspire confidence.0 -
I am afraid that Solid does not mean no leaks just less screws. Basically it relies on the operator getting a continuous length of the glue allong all joints but no manufacturer has yet managed this theoretically simple operation with glue or sealant.
0 -
I suspect our Bailey Pageant Sancerre (2009) will be our last too. It's got everything we want (including the much negotiated/maligned fixed bed) and to now replace like for like is another £10k or so and I find that a bit hard to justify especially as we
like our package hols too! Suspect for our UK breaks we'll find bargains in Travel Zoo and the likes.0 -
I bought our last caravan ten years ago - no leaks and no problems until this summer when the jockey wheel punctured. Cost me £8 to have an inner tube fitted. That's all.
0 -
I have been caravanning on and off for 45 years and bought my 'last' caravan 4 years ago, a 2009 Bailey Ranger Series 6 GT60. Yes, it has the fixed bed which we love (my OH is quite small so she has the cut out side). No real problems just minor maintenace
eg replace fridge control nob - £6, adjust toilet slider mechanism - no cost, reseal the gap in the front window seals (why are these not a continuous seal at this vulnerable part of the caravan?) - no cost, the Hot Water main 'on/off' switch - £3.05, and
repalce the Door 5 seal - this is the hatch to the storage under the double bed which is a seal with no join! - £17. WC seal - £5 (I think), Repalce 'reed switch' in WC - £6. Did all these myself so no labour costs and I suppose they took me about 3 hours
in total - not at the same time! I have my caravan serviced every year and we have towed in excess of 20,000 miles in the 4 years we have had it. No damp, tows like a dream behind my Tiguan and should see us out.0 -
When SoLid came out the promotional video was very convincing and I allowed myself to think that Elddis might have had it cracked- the problem of damp that is but since then I have heard stories like this one and thank God I didn't buy one! Can it be that
difficult to seal a caravan? I shouldn't think so. Why isn't management down on the shop floor if need be on a Friday afternoon checking checking and checking again!!!? Bailey, Swift and Elddis have all bought their version of a ' new construction ' out- I
don't think ant of them stand alone for quality- some vans still have damp issues!!0
