Elddis / Compass / Buccaneer advice please

[Rasti Man]

Hi all, I’m looking to replace our 4 berth Elddis with a larger used 6 berth, and l quite like the layout of the older 576 and 636 models. The reason for this is the side dinette seat base width can be extended to fit 4 people around the table if the weather is lousy.
However having a read on this site (and others) it appears the 2012 models onward are prone to splitting front and rear panels which is putting me off.
The questions I have are;
1. Did Erwin Hymer ever correct this issue during the manufacturing process for later production models?
2. Does the same problem affect the newer 8ft wide models?
3. Even if caps have been fitted, how likely is it the frame is compromised by water ingress?
3. Are there any other manufacturers which have a caravan with a side dinette large enough for 4 and 2 fixed rear bunks? I’m quite happy to make up the front seating as a large double bed.

Any help is very much appreciated!

 

[Mel]

Hi Rasti Man. Welcome to the forum. There are other folks that can give you chapter and verse on panel splits; far better than me. However for Question 3; have a look at Caravanfinder website and you can search by berth and layout.

Find a touring caravan on Caravan Finder Layout selector

www.caravanfinder.co.uk

Good luck
Mel

 

[Rasti Man]

Hi Rasti Man. Welcome to the forum. There are other folks that can give you chapter and verse on panel splits; far better than me. However for Question 3; have a look at Caravanfinder website and you can search by berth and layout.

Find a touring caravan on Caravan Finder Layout selector

www.caravanfinder.co.uk

Good luck
Mel

Hi Mel, thank you for the welcome. I’ve had a look on caravan finder and also spent a fair amount of time on other selling sites, but I’m struggling to find anything that will seat 4 comfortably without going 8ft wide (which is outside my price range of £15K).
I’m hoping the panel issue isn’t as bad as I fear…….