Any Adria owners who moved from a British van
We bought a new Bailey 430-4 nearly 3 years ago, its been a great van and suited the wife and I perfectly, I must admit I always wished Id bought the next model size up (530-4), it was only a few hundred pounds more at the time, but was limited with weight of our tow car at the time. We always said that the next caravan we bought would have longer bench seats, we both like to lie down in the van while watching tv, and being 6ft, my legs would hang off the ends of the seat. Also, some of the build quality was a little underwhelming , certain parts of the van felt very flimsy. I understand the pursuit is an entry level lightweight van, so there is always going to be a compromise with the sturdiness of the components, but it just wasn't put together very well in places. We never had any problems with it, no damp either, but my feeling is, after reading experiences of other British van owners, that maybe we were just lucky in that respect.
Anyway, we were offered a really good price for the pursuit by a private buyer, i hadn't even considered selling it, but an imminent house renovation would mean we'd have little time for caravanning this year, so with a heavy heart we sold it, with the plan to buy a replacement van at the end of the year.
So I've done some extensive research, looking at new vans that offer the layout we want at our price point, there's some British vans which look really nice, but I have a niggling doubt about build quality. I kept going back to the Adria altea dart, we kind of like the contempory European interior, apart from the terrible colour of the upholstery ,however, I discovered adrea had added the option of a more pleasant fabric colour, so that more or less ticks all the boxes for us now, so a deposit has been paid . We've not even set foot in one ,but happy to buy unseen on the strength of online reviews.
So ,my question after rambling, who has moved from a British van to an adrea? is the build quality noticeably better? Do you like it better than a british van?
Comments
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I tend to agree with Deleted User User. The only other consideration is the location of your prospective supplying dealer and your attitude to travel. As stated above, most of the caravans share generic equipment and fittings. At some stage, unless lucky, you will need to return it for warranty work or repairs. If you don't mind or have the time to travel, then no worries. Similarly, although you have consumer law to help in any disputes, it is much better to deal with a good dealership that is going to provide good service and not challenge every claim.
All obvious advice I guess, but sometimes the allure of a particular product can make us temporarily forget about some of the practicalities when the shiny new product is just about to be ordered.
Good luck with your choice and I hope you have many enjoyable holidays.
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We have had an Adria which suited us at the time and no issues with it had it for 6 years. We have had a friend who also had 2 Adria's and bought a brand new Elddis and had nothing but issues where it ended going for a compete new floor, cupboards falling of the walls and so many leaks that he gave up as it was coming to nearly 3 years and has gone back to a 3 yr old Adria and is very happy to have gone back to Adria and said he would not touch a British van again.
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Many "warranty?"problems in our years of having both caravans and motor caravans, we have found is down to how /if any predelivery checks are carried out , which manufacturers pay dealers to do, a good dealer in a local area even if not giving a "fantastic?"sale offer ,is by far much to be thankful for,as we have ,found with our last Two purchases,
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I have had 3 sprites 3 Bailey's and currently own an 2015 S3 unicorn and an Adria Altea of 2009 vintage. The Bailey's had a new axle, new roof strap (leaked) new brakes 3 sets, collapsed bed frame plus many minor irritations. The interior design space wise and decor of the of the bailey are good the engineering and build execution poor. Our previous Bailey's were far better, not lightweight to the threshold of flimsyness
The Adria is basic, robust, no leaks so far and no chassis issues.
I have pencilled in the Adria Dart as a maybe future option as it has a sensible load margin upgrade to 340Kg which indicates the superior design spec. Adria have just announced the AdorabTiber with the same layout but more bells and whistles.
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We have never owned an Adria, but I have looked in a new one in a dealers and was very impressed with the build quality. We have a German built Knaus after having British vans for 30 years. The last one was an Elddis which was the worst one of the lot and finished us for good with UK made vans. Our Knaus is 3 years old and we brought it new, it's built solid and will last a life time. We should have brought one 30 years ago.
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Likewise CGB. We have had our Knaus for two years now and the build quality is in a different league from our previous Bailey Barcelona. Although we've had a few 'niggles' - noticeably with the useless Dometic toilet which has now been changed for a Thetford - nothing has dropped off or broken - damp readings for the last two services have all been 5% or below. As you say, should last a life-time and it's 'timeless elegance' isn't going to date as quickly as some UK vans seem to do.
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In our time we’ve bought a total of 8 UK caravans from new. In the early days (1970 - mid 1980s) we found the design and build quality was fine. From the mid 1980s both the design and build qualities started to deteriorate in my opinion. We continued to buy British into the new millennium (despite the disappointing quality) but in 2009 we bought a new Fendt. We still have that caravan and apart from a few minor problems with the installed appliances we’ve had no problems with the build quality whatsoever. We’ve bought 2 Adria motorhomes from new and in both cases had zero problems with them. It is, I’m afraid, a sad fact that the UK manufacturers appear to have lost their way when it comes to both the design and build quality of their caravans.
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I totally agree with you. Probably the best van we had was an ABI Jubilee Diplomat many years ago, that van had non of today's extras but we had a fridge and oven fitted after we brought it, and for us it was 5 star. Todays UK vans come with these extras factory fitted, but also a load of problems. Stick with your Fendt.
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I purchased a brand new Adria Isonzo some 5 years ago. After 40 years of caravanning and owning many different brands of UK built vans. I thought it was normal to have "things to fix" or leaks to repair, cupboards falling off or warping, screws just falling out for no reason, windows leaking, electrics failing etc etc. So I spent two years researching caravans. Finally, after talking to many owners, caravan engineers and reading an article in the Clubs' 'Design Awards' I purchased my Adria. (I was further convinced, when, with cheque book in hand, I went to view a new and exciting new 'award winning' British van and pieces of trim literally came away in my hand!) Did I make the right decision? After 5 years and thousands of miles covered, I have to say a big 'Yes'. I would agree that British caravans are beautifully designed, but until they're constructed better, quality control taken seriously and dealership warranty issues handled professionally, you'll never tempt me back.
There are obviously many who are delighted with their purchases and never have problems, but for me, it was all about minimising the risk of something going wrong. The customer satisfaction reports bear that out. Adria are well built, but they're not infallible. However, the risks are much lower. The modern designs are not everyone's cup of tea, but I just love the space and build quality and it tows better than twin axles I've previously owned, which again, is down to a different chassis from AL-KO and longer A frame.
Enjoy your new purchase, when you get the chance and don't be too surprised when you're on site and folks ask if there's any chance of 'taking a peek inside!'
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We changed from a string of British vans (Bailey, Sterling, Swift) to a new Adria Adora Isonzo last year. Whilst usage has been a little limited due to lockdowns, I would say what we prefer with the Adria is:
1. build quality does seem better - not so many annoying little loose handles, hinges etc
2. the style feels more modern
3. the 8' width (not unique to Adria I know) makes a huge difference to the feeling of space, and also allows the transverse bed to be full out, and not need a mattress insert
4. longer A-frame allows for cycle rack mounting
5. overall layout, similar to what he had previously (transverse bed, end bathroom) but just prefer how its arranged (more kitchen space)
What we miss, or don't prefer, to a degree is:
1. no alarm fitted as standard, which has insurance implications
2. downside of the longer A-frame is the extra length for the same size body, become over 8 metres, which some sites don't take
3. no built-in electric plate in kitchen (so we purchased a plug-in induction plate, which we now actually prefer for speed and control)
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Mikeouk
Yes we have for the very reasons you are concerned about.
The British vans we've had from the Swift and latterly Elddis stable were beset with persistent faults & excessive damp.
The Elddis locker door coming off in my hand was the final straw.
Our caravan engineer was canvassed as to the brand's he worked on but repaired the least. He advised Adria.
We bought a 2020 Adria Adora Thames. Not one thing has fallen off or failed to work and it's the first time that whilst in storage that the dehumidifier/water traps have not needed changing.
It isn't a year old yet, first service in July and in fairness we've only managed a total of 5 week away in it due to Covid. We're hoping for our first ever service whereupon no damp is recorded.
I've a feeling we don't even need to cross our fingers.
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After 45+ years of touring our first van Bailey Pageant deville. Proper British van when Bailey built them right. Burstner S Class Superb in every respect only changed as it became too big for two of us. Replaced with a Coachman. 10 years fault free service. Then the horror story Bailey Alutech problems too numerous to mention . Full refund after 6 months at war with dealer and Bailey. Then ADRIA.. lovely van no issues in 5 years. Now new Burstner moho. Just superb. Pipped the new ADRIA for features and seating layout. We looked at every British maker of mohos. Baileys still consistently poor build quality perhaps only surpassed by Eldiss. I'm afraid the continentals were always and stil are head shoulders above the Brits imho.
Tj
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