German Caravans
Hi Everyone, we are new to caravanning and are looking to buy either a Hobby or LMC caravan, however we are slightly put off as some sites will not have these vans on them , I know the club sites allow them but we really wanted to use a seasonal pitch on the Gower near Swansea ( my home town ) and there are no sites. Has anyone got any comment to make about these vans , negative or positive, we would appreciate any feedback before we spend a fortune ! Thanks
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Make sure the van you contemplate is insurable as those big German vans are prime targets for thieves.
Remember to tell the insurer it will be left on a seasonal pitch.
Good luck.
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And, unless you will never tow it anywhere, make sure the caravan body length is within what is allowed to be towed in UK by a car or 4x4.
The caravan body length must not be more than 7m externally.
This does not include the drawbar.
Many larger German vans exceed this length.
Which models are you considering? If twin axle, they are very likely over the 7m limit. Places selling these larger vans are unlikely to draw the 7m limit to your attention.
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Prior to becoming MH ers we owned two Burstner caravans in succession.They were excellent vans in every respect and both towed well,An issue arose in regard to"new for old" cover when Burstner ceased importing their caravans into the UK- shortly after we had purchased our second Burstner,We had to nominate a UK sourced van as a value equivalent for insurance purposes,Obtaining spare parts for a repair of accidental damage was also a consideration which the insurers raised with us.
This was with the CMC insurance brokerage,Something to be aware of when considering the insurance of your potential German caravan.
We now own a UK made MH -an Autosleeper with which we are content.
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Pity the internal equipment has let you down though, twice now I believe? But that can happen on any make.
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Really David there is no need to be so rude, I posted quite civilly and it was you that brought those problems to everyone's attention in the first place.
The OP wanted positive and negative reports and your caravan has sadly had some equipment issues.
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Well I can't help what you take it as DT. Only I know how it was meant, getting OT now.
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There's no doubting the build quality of the vans you mention and yes, some of the larger models, normally twin-axle versions, are used by the travelling community (but not exclusively)
I purchased an Adria (six years ago) which had similar dimensions to a twin axle, was 8' wide and towed superbly. They're on a different chassis to UK built vans and proved utterly reliable and well built. It would have been perfect on a seasonal pitch too and maybe another option for you to consider?
That said, I'm going to the Caravan Salon, Dusseldorf next week to view the latest offerings.
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"If twin axle, they are very likely over the 7m limit. Places selling these larger vans are unlikely to draw the 7m limit to your attention."
I don't know where you get that from Kj. Our Knaus Starclass 695 (twin axle) has a shipping length of 8.1m but the body length is 6.3m - so well within the UK limit. The build quality is in a totally different league from most UK vans and being just over 8' wide has loads of room inside. What I have found is that whilst the method and quality of construction is far superior to UK vans, it has been let down by third party equipment - notably the useless Dometic toilet which I had to have changed for a Thetford because of constant problems with it during the first five months of ownership. The only issue with the bodywork was in relation to a badly distorted battery locker door which had to be rectified and was it more than coincidence that this was the only part of the body manufactured in the UK!
Whilst the MIRO is actually 10kg lower than out previous Barcelona, it has a realistic payload of 365 kg and all of the fittings - hinges, door hardware, woodwork generally, are all totally - and very satisfyingly, over-engineered.
Being of full UK spec - and, with the exception of an included solar panel - has more 'extras' than the Barcelona - we have never, so far, experienced any comments from site owners other than "what a stunning van".
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Many years of observing vans being used in other countries, plus there have been a few threads on here, one not so long ago, about new caravanners who have purchased continental vans that cannot be towed legally in UK with a vehicle under 3500kg, the last one was about an LMC van, so it is good to give a warning.
I would expect that manufacturers like Knaus who make for the UK market would be safe, but Hobby and LMC are more difficult.
Continental makes are also often longer in the body before they move to twin axles, as has often been pointed out by Lutz.
A van ideal for a seasonal pitch, I would think, might often be on the larger side, certainly the case in many countries, so would be attractive if that is the reason for the purchase. If you are not aware of the UK restrictions, it would be very easy to make an expensive mistake.
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There was a time some years back when Hobby and LMC were popular with “travellers” and this impacted the retail value. In fact our dealer at the time said that he wouldn’t take a Hobby as part exchange. The other problem was poor basic equipment - no battery, oven etc. I believe this has all changed in recent years as they are sold for the UK market. Hobby in particular are very popular with the Dutch and we see many of them when touring France (in better times!). Dutch people we have met rate the Knaus as superior to Hobby.
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