Which caravan now
@robert-glanville
19 Mar 2016 12:15:01PM
83 posts
I have a Sprite Alpine 2 2008 .I have had tp pay for new front window and over £2K of work to cure damp.I have been caravaning for years and never had so much trouble in one caravan.What caravan should I buy in future to avoid these problems? Has anone done
a survey to find the least faulty caravans available ? ( Also posted on Swiftalk) Bob
Comments
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Adria
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We have a Coachman VIP 545/4 when it was 3 years old we spotted some damp so had a test that said 5 of the windows were leaking.So at 3 years old you would think any manufacturer proud of it's products would want to put it right.No not Coachman.So do not
buy one they are no better than any other.I would recommend Adria.0 -
Harley, At least you made the right bike choice.
Write your comments here.Thankyou,also made the right caravan choice too
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Not sure Adria are any better as if they had got under the 10% mark it would have been noted in the survey. It would help if the club published the figures from there survey as given the numbers of us that replied they should have very good statistics.
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No caravan is Watertight, just buy the layout that suits you, take a deep breath and hope for the best
Admiral
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Agree,if you were to read all horror stories caravan related you'd never buy one.We chose ours because we lked the layout at the time,not so many horror stories on Adrias but not many sold so less owners to upset
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Harley, At least you made the right bike choice.
Write your comments here.Thankyou,also made the right caravan choice too
Write your comments here...Pleased you are satisfied with your choice.
Hardly Rideable.........
Noisy, straight line, feet in the wrong place
Get a proper bike...
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Harley, At least you made the right bike choice.
Write your comments here.Thankyou,also made the right caravan choice too
Write your comments here...Pleased you are satisfied with your choice.
Hardly Rideable.........
Noisy, straight line, feet in the wrong place
Get a proper bike...
Write your comments here..." Ride on Man "
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Ride my Harley as it suits me,unable to ride a "proper" bike due to left leg/foot problems.Done the Fireblade etc. thing and not for me now.I do understand the attitude some folk have towards HD riders and the brand but you have to own one to appreciate them.I don't wear the "outfit" or call people "man/dude"etc. I just enjoy riding it ,and doesn't a proper bike have pedals
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Hi
Sadley it seems to be a matter of luck. It should not be this way and manufacturers should take more responsiblity. It is a pitty they do not follow the way cars have gone with dealers generally working in a very professional manor. Oh dear have I just opened
a can of worms!!0 -
Avoid Elddis like the plague!
I would have been better off going to B&Q and buying a shed and putting it on a chassis.
14 months old both front & rear panels cracked skylight crazed & shower cubicle replaced
our 2014 Elddis purchased brand new has a damaged axle/chassis - the chassis makers are stating that it is due to us hitting a pot-hole and insurers stating no impact damage we are at stalemate with no one accepting responsibility to repair the van - noisy
floor highlighed to dealer as early as July 2014 fobbed off with loose furniture when it was a major fault, it has been at the dealers since september 2015 awaiting a repair - I will NOT be buying another Elddis - Elddis have not answered any emails.0 -
Avoid Elddis like the plague!
I would have been better off going to B&Q and buying a shed and putting it on a chassis.
14 months old both front & rear panels cracked skylight crazed & shower cubicle replaced
our 2014 Elddis purchased brand new has a damaged axle/chassis - the chassis makers are stating that it is due to us hitting a pot-hole and insurers stating no impact damage we are at stalemate with no one accepting responsibility to repair the van - noisy
floor highlighed to dealer as early as July 2014 fobbed off with loose furniture when it was a major fault, it has been at the dealers since september 2015 awaiting a repair - I will NOT be buying another Elddis - Elddis have not answered any emails.Get an estimate for the work and issue a small claims summons against both. Hitting a potho,e assuming you did is something tbat happens on modern roads and caravans should be built to withstand this. If Eldiss win which looks unlikely then you win against
the insurer because the court accepts it is impact damage.Your contract is with the dealer so sue them as well. Assuming the caravan was bought before October 2015 quote The Sale of Goods Act.
The action with three defendants will cost them a fortune so I would assume you will get a quick resolution. Basically you stand to lose a small amount they stand to lose thousands.
If you are a member speak to the legal helpline, they should beexperts on this by now.
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Apologies for the errors in the above but had to break off so replied without reading it.
Have to agree about Eldiss, I was at Beechwood Grange and a couple of weeks away and a man I was talking to there had 26 faults on one he bought. The Practical Caravan survey this year put them in their usual position for customer satisfaction over 5% behind
anyone else and a few points behind the rest for caravans without fault. A pity really as we did buy one some thirteen years ago and really liked it but have to admit it was the worst built of our seven caravans.0 -
Hi Bob
From all the horror stories told I think buying new is a bit of bit of pot luck. We've always had second hand vans where you can go through them with a fine tooth comb and sniff out any damp. Also previous service reports are likely to be available. Our
old Bessacarr is 16 years old and dry as a bone. Our daughter has a 2008 Swift Challenger again, dry as a bone. Dry caravans are out there and not as rare as some would have us believe! Most reputable dealers will do a service before delivery which would throw
up any damp issues. Hope you find your dry van soon :-)
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I've taken quite a lot of anecdotal evidence from people on sites ( being retired we spend quite a bit of time away and have time to natter), and it would seem the advice on here is pretty well spot on - there are good 'uns and bad 'uns from every brand.
However, from personal experience I have found Swift's response to sorting out problems to be pretty good, no quibbles about replacing cracked panel, repairing damp around front windows etc. I'd rather not have had the problems, but I can't fault the way
they have been dealt with.0
