My advice - Buy a German Caravan!
We purchased our first caravan, a new Elddis Cursader Typhoon in May 2004. Soon after taking delivery we lifted the carpets and to our horror found that the 'wood effect' vinyl floor had some unsightly scratches in it. I reported it to the supplier, Colins Leasureworld, near Reading. They arranged for Explorer to inspect the damage. The Explorer rep's words to me were "not again" and off the record he agreed that the marks were almost certanly caused by the boots of the assembly workers. Two weeks later I received a letter from Explorer saying "they were not prepared to do anything obout the scratches, and said that they beleived they the scratches would take away any of the enjoyment of owning an Elddis caravan"!!!!
Since then the caravan has suffered with poor bathroom door alignment (a square door that would not fit a pis**d door opening), leaking shower, water ingress into bathroom ceiling, water ingress into front parcel shelf, tv booster fault, broken draw front, faulty toilet flush, vineer peeling, broken vanity door, faulty kitchen sink gasket, and more.
In December 2004 I lost my temper with the suppliers when spare parts were still not in to rectify faults reported 5 months earlier. In frustration I told them that I might as well sell the van!. In March 2005 when I enquired again about the parts they told me that the orders had been cancelled because I was selling! I won't repeat my reply. The problems have now all be solved.
To say that our first experience of caravan owning, dealers & manufactures has been frought would be an under statement.
There will be a very cheap 18 month old Elddis up for sale soon and it is guaranteed that the next van we purchase will not have been be thrown together by casual labour in the UK.
Be warned!!!!
Jerry & Lesley Hodge