Best caravan make
I am new to caravaning but I haven't bought one yet and have been looking at many sites giving guides and advice on what to look for, but none seem to give me any idea which caravans are the best ones to buy. I am looking for a twin axle 2 or 4 berth from
£7k to £14k with a reasonable amount of room. I don't really need the extra 2 berths but as there is more choice with the 4 berth option I will consider them. My main concern is damp and longevity. Weight is not a problem as I have the necessary licence and
have a Land Rover Defender as a tow vehicle - so 3500kg max. Any input will be gratefully recieved.
Comments
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Why a twin axle particularly? Whilst they have stability advantages, they also come with some downsides when it comes to shuffling them around on a pitch and also fitting wheellocks and the like.
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They all have their problems and it's my belief that there isn't a 'best one'. Look around, pick what suits you best and make sure it's dry. That's about all you can do.
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Why a twin axle particularly? Whilst they have stability advantages, they also come with some downsides when it comes to shuffling them around on a pitch and also fitting wheellocks and the like.
Why indeed if one isn't needed, you can get a good sized single axle with fixed beds, no need for a double axle. The bigger they are the smaller the choice of pitches on some sites, the heavier they are themore chance of getting stuck on soft grass.
we;ve had 7 differant makes of vans and they have all been 'best' ones because that is what we liked at that time.
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Monkeyvan, the weight of caravan is one that when fully laden, the MTPLM, is approximately 85% to 90% of the unladen kerb weight of the Defender, not what the handbook says the Defender will pull. The maximum trailer weights given by all car manufacturers
are VERY misleading.0 -
Monkeyvan If as I read your post, there are only the 2 of you to use the van I would pass on our expereince (only 2 of us also).
We purshased a 2 birth and had to make the bed up every night which when I am an early riser meant I was then sitting in the awning until allowed back into the van.
We changed the van to a 4 birth fixed bed which allows us to sleep as we both wish and the other can use the free end of the van.
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Thanks for all your advice. The reason I was looking at a twin axle was as some of you said - stability. I have pulled a few trailers with heavy loads and a twin axles tends to stick to the road better. That said I am sure with a caravan there are other
consoderations so maybe a single axle might not be so bad after all.0 -
Monkeyvan, the weight of caravan is one that when fully laden, the MTPLM, is approximately 85% to 90% of the unladen kerb weight of the Defender, not what the handbook says the Defender will pull. The maximum trailer weights given by all car manufacturers are VERY misleading.
...So very true the weight for towing given by manufacturers ,and sales people,are very misleading and often wrong
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Monkeyvan, the weight of caravan is one that when fully laden, the MTPLM, is approximately 85% to 90% of the unladen kerb weight of the Defender, not what the handbook says the Defender will pull. The maximum trailer weights given by all car manufacturers are VERY misleading.
...So very true the weight for towing given by manufacturers ,and sales people,are very misleading and often wrong
Agree 100%.
The number of times I have had this conversation with new caravanners. "But my xxxx will tow 3 tons so a 2 ton caravan is no problem"
Then they wonder why they are upside down in a ditch.
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I forgot to add another point re the twin axle preference. A tyre blow-out on a single could create a problem when having to change the tyre in what could be a dangerous position. At least with a twin I could get to a safe place.
Write your comments here... I don't think I would base my choice of caravan on the chance of having a tyre blowout. They are not very common at all, particularly if they are changed every 5 to 6 years, checked regularly and kept at the correct pressure.
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Monkeyvan - the major thing to get right is the layout. i suggest you go to a big dealer with a large number of various vans to look at, with your OH (but leave your wallet at home). Don't look at colours, makes, ages or prices, but get into lots
of vans and concentrate on the layout/space and find the best fit for you. Sit in them for a reasonable time, stand at the kitchen and imagine preparing a meal, sit on the toilet/lie on the bed and find the layout that suits you best. Think about what sort
of trip you think you#ll be doing. If you intend to use CL type sites with sparse facilities, than a large washroom might be important, if you're thinking to going to well equipped sites, you might feel that a smaller washroom with more living space is a
better fit. Once you have found a good layout, then start comparing the makes/models/colours prices to suit. We bought an older, but really well looked after second hand van that we could have literally driven onto a site and used, it came with everything
we needed. If you do buy from a dealer, be aware that their vans are priced such that they can give a very generous sounding trade in, so you should probably look to knock them down a good bit if your not part exchanging.0 -
Monkeyvan, the weight of caravan is one that when fully laden, the MTPLM, is approximately 85% to 90% of the unladen kerb weight of the Defender, not what the handbook says the Defender will pull. The maximum trailer weights given by all car manufacturers
are VERY misleading....So very true the weight for towing given by manufacturers ,and sales people,are very misleading and often wrong
Write your comments here...the 85% rule is only a guide and not a law but the car makers limts are legally binding I think, however it is probably always better to have a van that is lighter than the towcar and enough power in the car to pull said van without
struggle.0 -
Manufacturers publish the weights their vehicles are capable of towing in certain conditions. That doesn't mean it is either legal or sensible to do so. Neither will they have achieved their figures by towing a large white shed on wheels which causes wind
resistance.0 -
Monkeyvan, the weight of caravan is one that when fully laden, the MTPLM, is approximately 85% to 90% of the unladen kerb weight of the Defender, not what the handbook says the Defender will pull. The maximum trailer weights given by all car manufacturers
are VERY misleading....So very true the weight for towing given by manufacturers ,and sales people,are very misleading and often wrong
Write your comments here...the 85% rule is only a guide and not a law but the car makers limts are legally binding I think, however it is probably always better to have a van that is lighter than the towcar and enough power in the car to pull said van without
struggle.Write your comments here...I think you misunderstand ,I was talking about a "salesperson?" who to sell a car will tell the nieve buyer that the tow limit for this car is 2000kg or more depending on manufacturer ( so it will easelly pull the 1800kg c/van)
when buying 1600cc ford focus0 -
I agree with mark flip suggestion, we did similar when buying each of our vans until we got to the layout/spec/price that works. Even if you keep going back to the same dealer repeatedly don't be embarrassed, it's your money and you need to get it right.
however if you are new to towing I recommend you invest in a towing course. There are good courses run by the CC and C & CC plus private training places.0 -
If towing with a Defender (we did the same last year) make sure your Alko stabliser has got a shorter handle on it, or unboly the existing one so it doesn't come into contact with the spare wheel on the rear door.
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Practical Caravan Magazine have done an owners survey for the last three years. Consistantly top for owner satisfaction were Adria and Sprite although the placing varied. The rest were l8cked together but Eldiss were consistantly at the botyom.
This year they confirmed the proportion of fault free caravans with Adria a clear leader and the others followed in bunch together all except Eldiss who were a clear bottom.
On damp only Swift and Coachman had less than 10% with problems though. The others were not ranked.
No clear best but there are clear leaders and losers.
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Practical Caravan Magazine have done an owners survey for the last three years. Consistantly top for owner satisfaction were Adria and Sprite although the placing varied. The rest were l8cked together but Eldiss were consistantly at the botyom.
This year they confirmed the proportion of fault free caravans with Adria a clear leader and the others followed in bunch together all except Eldiss who were a clear bottom.
On damp only Swift and Coachman had less than 10% with problems though. The others were not ranked.
No clear best but there are clear leaders and losers.
where you drinking when you typed this or was the spell checker turned of lol
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What spell checker?
Rather like needing a 'using the wrong word checker', isn't it?
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Practical Caravan Magazine have done an owners survey for the last three years. Consistantly top for owner satisfaction were Adria and Sprite although the placing varied. The rest were locked together but Eldiss were consistantly at the bottom.
This year they confirmed the proportion of fault free caravans with Adria a clear leader and the others followed in bunch together all except Eldiss who were a clear bottom.
On damp only Swift and Coachman had less than 10% with problems though. The others were not ranked.
Not clear who is best but there are clear leaders and losers.
Because of low numbers Hobby did not get included.
Re-typed, not sure if spell checker works on this site as at one time it just threw you out if you tried it.
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I never trust owner surveys. There is a strange psychology that people often emphasise the good points of the items they have purchased, particularly if foreign or a niche product. Subconsciously they are defending their choice.
The other point to note is that the most faults are from the largest suppliers - there are more caravans sold by Bailey, Swift etc. so more complaints.
Find something that looks sound and suits your layout requirements irrespective of make. After travelling around Europe and talking to owners for 30 years there is no doubt that many quite old vans are built more robustly than new ones.
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I never trust owner surveys. There is a strange psychology that people often emphasise the good points of the items they have purchased, particularly if foreign or a niche product. Subconsciously they are defending their choice.
The other point to note is that the most faults are from the largest suppliers - there are more caravans sold by Bailey, Swift etc. so more complaints.
Find something that looks sound and suits your layout requirements irrespective of make. After travelling around Europe and talking to owners for 30 years there is no doubt that many quite old vans are built more robustly than new ones.
My feeling is that it is the ones with an axe to grind who are most likely to fill in these surveys so the fault rate tends to be higher than in real life. There was a perception at one time that owners of foreign products might justify their choice that way but we are far less prone to that these days so I doubt it affected the scores.
The size of the company is not relevant as the answers are in percentages rather than actual numbers so are comparable.
It may not be perfect but it is the only evidence we have.
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I really appreciate all the responses I have had to my questions. From these I have deduced that most caravans can have their problems so it's really a matter of luck in the end. I still think I will stick to the twin axle 4 berth even though some have highlighted
downsides re twins, but for me stability is a big plus. The airstream will be a bit too expensive and classy for me though so I'll probably go with a run of the mill model as spares will be more common.I'll let you know how I get on as I'm going to browse tomorrow and see what suits us. Thanks again.
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We've purchased from new about a dozen caravans in the last 50 years. Our Fendt, the most recent one, is by far the best quality with zero faults and very well built. If you visit the top sites in Europe you'll see that the Fendt 'vans out number all others. No contest really.
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Here in theUSA my Jayco Ive hadi for 5yrs it 2007 it had no falts no leacks it made like a Foden truck its that good only if Foden made caravans life can be blis try Vanmasters see if you can find a good 2ndhand one it may save you mony in the longrun
J&I0 -
Here in theUSA my Jayco Ive hadi for 5yrs it 2007 it had no falts no leacks it made like a Foden truck its that good only if Foden made caravans life can be blis try Vanmasters see if you can find a good 2ndhand one it may save you mony in the longrun
J&I..I take it you're expat if you've heard of a Foden
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