Best ever van?
Having visited the NEC last year her-indoors and I won't be returning for a while. Nothing to do with the show, we just couldn't find a van anywhere near as nice as our 2005 Coachman VIP. I wonder how many feel the same way about "modern" vans with their shiny plastics and no style or character? Which is/was your favorite caravan ever?
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Our Shire Royalty, without a doubt. They don't make em like that any more!
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Seriously ??
OK then From Spring 1987 :-- my favourite motorvan { and I'd seriously consider buying new again if they still made them } was / is an AUTOHOMES BAMBI !!
970 c.c. of sheer petrol power & oodles of character !! but whilst lacking a shower-room I'd still seriously be calculating but alas Bambi followed his mother, and Autohomes went shortly after.
I'd consider the Eldiss Nipper but only as a very close blood relative
Brian
P.S. I believe the Bambi Club & it's mag "Bambi Tales" is still going
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When we were eventually able afford to buy new caravans we had four over a period of 24 years so we must have been pretty pleased with them. The shortest ownership was the last one which was about three years and we only changed that because we changed to a motorhome. We have now had our Bailey motorhome for five years and we are thinking about changing that but only because we want something a bit smaller. We had a look at the Swift motorhomes and those in our price range seemed a bit blingy for my taste but everyone is different. Fortunately there are other makes which are more to my tastes.
David
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Quite definately the caravan I have at present even though it is a 2006 build.
I just hope when the time comes to replace it these ghastly interiors will have given way to nice pleasant fabrics and finishes a few years beforehand, so that there is a selection in the second hand market. The daft ape tape on the outside can be removed with patience and a hair dryer but there is no hope for the insides.
Was it Grenville who said that The Caravan Club did not know what the new generation of traveller explorers would be like, but it looks as if manufacturers think they know they will have bad taste.
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We've liked pretty much every caravan we've owned except for a dreadful Swift Challenger. All of them had something about them that appealed at the time but times change and our lifestyle and needs changed. We upsized and then downsized and have just recently upsized slightly again after having had 6 lovely years with a small Lunar Ariva, yet didn't like the interiors of the new one we've bought when we saw it at the show 2 years ago. However the latest model has got rid of the awful material used on the squabs and the lighting is a bit more diffused. This now suits us.
I agree, though, that you do enter into the buying of a new outfit with some trepidation and keep everything crossed.
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We are on our 5th caravan (and about our 100th awning - just joking - it just feels like 100 awnings!! 😁)
Each of our vans have positives an negatives, but despite having to have several small things put right, I reckon our current van is our favourite. (Bailey Unicorn Valencia 3)
David
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I must agree with you JVB66 all our 13 caravans over the last 43 years were fit for purpose and damp free except the Elddis we bought new in 2009. Over 5 years this needed 3 major damp repairs to about 90% of the body as well as numerous other defects needing attention.
When we got it damp free in 2014 we quickly traded it and bought a Coachman Wanderer which we think is one of the best together with a Lunar 2000 which we kept for 10 years and a used Compass Rally which we kept for 7 years all three generally trouble free, no water ingress and very comfortable.
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Since '89 new Muscateer, Trophy, 2 Bailey, Eccles purchased at '95 NEC definitely the best UK 'van, 5 T.E.C. Geist, Hymer, Coachman VIP definitely the worst, Hymer Nova 541 and now a Hymer Nova 580 definitely the best 'van overall ( but could still be improved I'd suggest 4 " off the length of the bed and add this to the toilet/shower room )
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I have caravanned for only 35 out of the last 37 years. In the first 23 years I had two caravans both around 7 years old when bought. In the last 12 years two. The first two were in my view the best, The first was real ply interior units with a nice wood veneer. Eccles Topaz 5 berth. The second was also a nice van. Better built than my last two vans in my opinion.
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My 2007 Abbey Vogue 470 did all I wanted of it. I almost felt disloyal selling it to buy the MH.
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The 7 yr old Bailey Unicorn Madrid that we have at the present is the best van we've ever had. We've had new vans for a long as I can remember and fortunately we've not had any that suffered from damp.
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We've only had 4 vans, our second van an Elddis Firestorm based on the Avante was the best, kept it 9 years, and had no problems. Changed it when the boys stopped coming with us, and we wanted a fixed bed.
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We feel exactly the same about our 2000 Swift Speedbird - one of the first fixed beds sold in the UK. We absolutely love it, and haven't seen anything which has tempted us to replace it. We have fallen for some others, but they've been too heavy, or the bed too short, or the kitchen area not spacious enough.
It has pale wood, so looks modern, it has everything we need, where we need it, and nothing we don't need. We love it still, and it's still damp free - and trouble free. It's still regularly serviced (well every two years now, but my OH does all the routine stuff each time we use it), and each time everything is still working!
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We've had 7 caravans in the last 30 years. Each our favourite at the time. Mainly Swift or Abbey with one Eldiss. Presently have a Swift Elegance 580 which meets all our present requirements. Yes we have had some problems but all have been sorted promptly by either dealer or Swift themselves. We caravan most times of the year and appreciate the modern comforts of radiator heating, on board tank, good lighting and versatile cooking ie gas/electric cooker, microwave and outside BBQ point. We choose Swift as apart from liking them generally, our most local dealer is a Swift dealer so it makes sense. Can't see the point of having to travel long distances to original dealer when things go wrong.
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My most comfortable van was a Lunar Clubman bought second hand in 1985. I bought an ABI Northstar 3 months before ABI went out of business but, fortunately, never needed a warranty claim.
Moved to motorhomes in 2000 apart from 1 year when I bought a second hand Ace Jubilee which, a year later, I realised had major damp issues. But I blame Knowepark Caravans more than the van as they must surely have known about the issues when they sold it to me. Went back to new MHs after that.
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We started way back in 1982 and have lost track of the vans we have owned and loved. Can't really remember any real problems with any of them but possibly/probably now on our last which is a 2009 Bailey Pageant Sancerre bought new with a fixed bed and end washroom. We love this layout and wouldn't change a fixed bed for anything! We've had the extractor fan and a locker door changed under warranty and last year the shower cubicle wall split (apparently due to the flexing of the van during transit?). Apart from that it has been great and travelled thousands of miles around the continent. It's rumoured Carcassonne next year!
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