Please help me find the right caravan
Hi All,
I've just taken a deposit on my motorhome - I'm really going to miss it, it took us 6 months to find "the right one". But that was 4 years ago, and we need different things now.
There are the 2 of us plus our 1 year old - and 2 cats.
We have a car that is limited to pulling 1400kg - so that's a hard limit and cannot be changed (no, I won't consider changing cars - I bought it from new and I plan to keep it forever!)
We don't want a fixed bed - we want as much usable space as possible so our daughter can play inside on those typical english summer days!
So we are looking for:
1 - a big double bed - I prefer the ones that don't have the drawer units fixed at the front, as they take up a chunk of the bed space. The foldaway shelf ones look good to me.
I'm over 6ft and a big lad - so space is a premium for me.
2 - seats and table to sit around for family eating and for me to work from (I can occasionally work from a site if they have decent wifi)
3 - A reasonable amount of kitchen space to prepare food
4 - Would prefer a fixed single bed for our daughter
The Xplore 526 was just about perfect for us. But I've been readnig a huge number of negative stories on here about panels cracking and damp problems.
So I'm hoping to get some feedback on good quality, reliable vans.
I've got £15,000 to spend if its a brand new 'van, but if possible, I'd rather spend £10,000 on a second hand one.
I really appreciate your help on this.
Cheers,
Peter
Comments
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Peter. This is a very difficult question to answer and maybe your best plan would be to google 'caravan layouts' from there you can see the numerous options. Get youself a short list and then come back to us. Spending a weekend at dealers looking at caravans can be great fun - unless you want to watch the rugby on Saturday!
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The problem is that we all have different tastes so you are probably looking at what layout is best for you.
If you are over six foot then your best layout is one with a lounge converting to a double so you sleep accross the full width of the caravan.The Xplor seems a bit over the top for one child but would work. There appears to be nothing else with this layout within your weight range.
My feeling would be the double at the front with a single dinette at the side would work although this is not a fixed bunk. We had this on our last caravan and it worked for us but only the Quasar 524 looks to fit this,
You might also take one with two singles at the back if you want your daughter right at the rear. The Venus550/4 would do this but apart from these two I am stuck. There might be some discontinued ones so checking websites might be needed to see what you can find.
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So you aren't a 'motorhomer' after all?
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Peter, I know exactly where you are coming from.
We only have the one child, but she needs her own space, so after a trial in an compact old van, looked for something bigger. Hopefully without the need to change the car for a big SUV to tug it arround.
The Xplore 526 is a fantastic layout for it's length, but something has to give, (putting build quality to one side for a moment) the compromise being the compact washroom.
So we looked at the Xplore 586 with it's end wash room. Big but light, perfect.
Only the warranty, percieved build quality and use of ABS front and rear panels put me off (another topic).
A shame as Elddis are your local manufacturer.The Lunar Venus range is lovely inside, but not convinced by the traditional build.
Swift are local to me. The Sprite and Sprite Freedoms have good layouts, but the Sprite is getting heavier and the Freedom was just too spartan, and didn't do it for us either.
In the end we dropped the bunks in favour of the twin fixed beds, and went for a Bailey Pursuit 550-4. Long but with a standard MTPLM of 1374kg.
Suprisingly well built, looks smart, and with the upholstery upgrade it feels great inside.
Put a blackout curtain round little girls bed and she has her own private little den.
Loads of room for the three of us, my normal estate car pulls it just great, and the length doesn't seem to be a problem either.Does it for me.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
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Peter, i have benn caravanning for over 40 years and i am still searching for the "right" van. When you find it, please let me know
Admiral
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Peter. This is a very difficult question to answer and maybe your best plan would be to google 'caravan layouts' from there you can see the numerous options. Get youself a short list and then come back to us. Spending a weekend at dealers looking at caravans can
be great fun - unless you want to watch the rugby on Saturday!Being truthful, the sheer number of options is overwhealming, and then once you do go through them, I expect swathes to be "ruled out" by the knowledgable people on these forums for various reasons - mainly poor construction though.
I will of course be doing this anyway, but a 2-pronged attack never hurts
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Have a look at the Sprite Freedom 6, its a 6 berth but has a large front lounge (bed) a side dinnett for you to work and then 2 bunks at the rear so your daughter can choose which one to sleep in or take a friend?
Kev
Just googled it, and its one I have looked at before actually. I'll look again.
Is it a trustworthy brand? No major issues (like with the eldis xlpore range etc)
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Peter, I know exactly where you are coming from.
only have the one child, but she needs her own space, so after a trial in an compact old van, looked for something bigger. Hopefully without the need to change the car for a big SUV to tug it arround.
The Xplore 526 is a fantastic layout for it's length, but something has to give, (putting build quality to one side for a moment) the compromise being the compact washroom.
So we looked at the Xplore 586 with it's end wash room. Big but light, perfect.
Only the warranty, percieved build quality and use of ABS front and rear panels put me off (another topic).
A shame as Elddis are your local manufacturer.The Lunar Venus range is lovely inside, but not convinced by the traditional build.
Swift are local to me. The Sprite and Sprite Freedoms have good layouts, but the Sprite is getting heavier and the Freedom was just too spartan, and didn't do it for us either.
In the end we dropped the bunks in favour of the twin fixed beds, and went for a Bailey Pursuit 550-4. Long but with a standard MTPLM of 1374kg.
Suprisingly well built, looks smart, and with the upholstery upgrade it feels great inside.
Put a blackout curtain round little girls bed and she has her own private little den.
Loads of room for the three of us, my normal estate car pulls it just great, and the length doesn't seem to be a problem either.Does it for me.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Completely accept that compromised need to be made with my requirements and restrictions - The washroom is the ideal place to lose for us, as we rarely used the shower in the motorhome - so as long as we can brush our teeth and have a wee, we're fine! No need for a large walk in shower etc.
Its the combination of expecting her to bring a friend over the next few years (or heaven forbid a second baby!). Plus having that space to eat and for me to work from (which is quite important).
And yes, Eldis is just up the road from me, and I'd love to "buy local", but the comments on these forums are frightening!
That bailey looks nice, but again its the lack of a dinette that puts me off.
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There is the Pursuit 540-5 with the bunks and side dinette, but at 1394kg is going right to your limit. What is the likely ratio at your cars kerbweight?
The Xplore 526 is probably the ideal choice, and I don't think there is an equivalent at that length and weight from the other manufacturers.
However the payload at the quoted MTPLM of 1312kg is limited, and if you take the plate upgrade to 1350kg it is only 44kg lighter than the Bailey 540-5
Just comes down to whether your prepared to take the chance on the Elddis build quality.
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Swift are one of the best, yes they have their issues but they also deal with them, they have their own forum swift talk as well where you can communicate with one of the directors and other swift staff
they now have grp front rear and roof with no wood in the walls or roof and a grp underskin on the floor.
for the money i think you will struggle to find a better brand or product.
I currently have a lunar so not biased, i would have a swift again but alas they dont do the layout i require
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There is the Pursuit 540-5 with the bunks and side dinette, but at 1394kg is going right to your limit. What is the likely ratio at your cars kerbweight?
The Xplore 526 is probably the ideal choice, and I don't think there is an equivalent at that length and weight from the other manufacturers.
However the payload at the quoted MTPLM of 1312kg is limited, and if you take the plate upgrade to 1350kg it is only 44kg lighter than the Bailey 540-5
Just comes down to whether your prepared to take the chance on the Elddis build quality.
The 1400gk limit is actually on the V5c. I calculated the ratios the other day and it would usually be over that limit. So I can go right up to the limit.
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Thanks or the replied so far - really appreciate it and hope to hear more comments too please.
I've got a free week coming up, and there are loads of dealers within an hour's drive - so I can have a really good look around.
Although, I should probably be looking for a job!
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So you aren't a 'motorhomer' after all?
In the pocess of being sold - I'm delivering it to its new owner on Monday.
Going to miss it, but its time to try something new.
What;'s the trigger for that then? It seems that most go the other way.
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So you aren't a 'motorhomer' after all?
In the pocess of being sold - I'm delivering it to its new owner on Monday.
Going to miss it, but its time to try something new.
What;'s the trigger for that then? It seems that most go the other way.
Space, basically.
When we look at our MH, there's no room for our little one to play. And with the 2 cats as well, its far too small for my liking. The awning helps a bit, but it was too much bother to create a "cat tight" awning that we could have reasonably let them play
in too.And for the money, we can sell a 12 year old MH and buy a brand new caravan, whilst saving on tax, and possibly a little on insurance. Plus, my car is a nicer place to sit when I'm travelling - assuming towing a caravan isn't too much of a pain compared
to driving a van that I had to duck slightly the entire time to be able to see.Plus, we can go places without relying on buses. We never once used our MH to explore - once you're all set up, who needs that fuss? And towing a small car on a MH never made any sense to me - why not do it the other way around.
But hey, I'm sure I'll have my views updated by being a caravannist for a few years
You have to resist the temptation to avoid change.0 -
When I read the title I thought it was another thread about flags and banners on sites!
My contribution is to suggest that you buy an oldish secondhand van that looks something like what would suit your requirement and use it for one season to see how it goes. You then have better idea of priorities for the big decision - you might even find
you dont like it, or towing, or reversing. The choice of a caravan is made for me in the "I fancy fish and chips tonight" scenario!Prices are noticibly lower in the autumn, and you will have a 'van to trade in when you go looking for the keeper.
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Here's a curveball for you.
Take a look at the Knaus Sport and Fun. It has an enormous double bed which is fixed but tucked away and height adjustable and a single hammock bunk above it for when your daughter is older. Until then the dinette would make a great bed or there's room for a camp bed or cot
Acres of living space and masses of storage for all those essentials that kids need. It has a perfectly usable washroom with a really clever shower design. There's a wide rear door for toy tugging and a payload to take them (if you are able to upgrade the max weight within your tow car limit) Best of all it's quirky and unusual and because it's German it's well insulated and has a good reputation for staying dry. It may not have the kitchen spec most look for but there's ways around that
My OH is well over 6ft and he looked at ease in it.
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Please keep the suggestions coming - I'm thinking the idea of getting a £5,000 used might actually be a good idea - gives me a chance to see how we get on with caravanning, and we won't lose much money if we sell it 2 years later, either to stop, or upgrade.
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You'll probably find a good secondhand van that suits, some of the Bailey Rangers and Swift Sprites had lighter weights and flexible designs. I like the layouts with seats and beds at the back and front. The back seats make good beds, day time play areas and the top back bunk, if used, could be for toy storage etc. I miss the flexibility of some caravan designs and you certainly will enjoy the space in some vans with a little one and the cats!
edit.... look out for the ones with bunks which fold leaving room for storage, pet baskets or whatever.
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You'll definitely get a good second hand van for that money.
Look round as many as you can because the layout you think you need may not be the right one. We set out looking for a double dinette and soon changed our minds in favour of side.
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Peter the real problem for you is that this subject is primarily subjective. I like my van a lot but you and others may have a completely different view. You will know the van for you when you walk into it. As someone said earlier get out there and search
the vans on the dealer forecourts0 -
Peter the real problem for you is that this subject is primarily subjective. I like my van a lot but you and others may have a completely different view. You will know the van for you when you walk into it. As someone said earlier get out there and search
the vans on the dealer forecourtsOf course. I'll definitely be going to local dealers - infact I already have. One of the issues is the repeated "how about this one - Nope, too heavy" discussions. Which gets a bit boring after a while.
Subjective of what's "best" is true - that's why I asking for lots of opinions.
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You'll probably find a good secondhand van that suits, some of the Bailey Rangers and Swift Sprites had lighter weights and flexible designs. I like the layouts with seats and beds at the back and front. The back seats make good beds, day time play areas
and the top back bunk, if used, could be for toy storage etc. I miss the flexibility of some caravan designs and you certainly will enjoy the space in some vans with a little one and the cats!edit.... look out for the ones with bunks which fold leaving room for storage, pet baskets or whatever.
Funnily enough, I've just shortlisted a couple on Autotrader
BAILEY RANGER 510/4
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A further though on my suggestion of getting a secondhand van for a season or two is that you will be able to look at 'vans on sites, not just what ends up on dealer forecourts. I've not met yet a caravaner who does not want to show off his 'van, and as
you say you will know the one you want when you get into it.Don't close your mind to changing your towcar if that is what is needed to get the 'van you want.
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A further though on my suggestion of getting a secondhand van for a season or two is that you will be able to look at 'vans on sites, not just what ends up on dealer forecourts. I've not met yet a caravaner who does not want to show off his 'van, and as
you say you will know the one you want when you get into it.Don't close your mind to changing your towcar if that is what is needed to get the 'van you want.
Alas from Monday we won't have an outfit with which to go to sites!
And there's zero chance of changing the tow car. None at all.
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