Fleetwood Heritage, Buccaneer caravans

[hymer]

I am thinking of changing my 2003 Hymer Nova 545 for a UK caravan, mainly because my wife and I find the lounge in the Hymer somewhat uncomfortable if sitting inside on a rainy day for long periods. The main criteria for purchase are (a) build quality (b) L-shaped lounge (c) fixed bed (d) decent washroom (e) single axle.

The only UK vans that, in my estimation, might meet these criteria are the Fleetwood Heritage 560-4 and the Buccaneer Argosy. If there are any readers out there who own one of these and could share their experiences of the build quality and reliability of the vans with me, I would be very grateful.

Mike.

 

[Pelyma1]

I have just got my Fleetwood today a 640 ES , the build quality appears to be excellent. It has been towed to Sussex from Manchester (that's another story) and there are no missing screws or the like that we got with our Abbey. Time will tell how it will fair, but on first impressions it looks great.

 

[hymer]

Thanks for the info Paul, that's good to know. Best wishes for trouble-free caravanning in your new Fleetwood.

Regards,

Mike.

 

[Diane_5128159]

Hi Mike we have just bought a 2004 Fleetwood Heritage 640 ES.

The flat roof above the rear bedroom the rainwater does not drain away subsequently the water is seeping into the bedroom via the sealant in the roof light.On the side of the van there are airvents one on the washroom side the other on the shower side in strong winds rainwater is driven upwards into these vents ans subsequently the water is seeping into the walls,we have filled these vents with rags.This morning on opening the front locker we had 2 pvc boxes which were full of rainwater thus being a leak around the weather channel.The water pump is extremely noisy and sounds like a road drill.The dealer told us to slacken off the fixing screws to the floor this has not helped.This van is 20 months old and we are so dissapointed that we have decided to call it a day and change the van.

Some time ago we owned a Buccaneer Avanti Gold this was one of the hand built models and we cant praise it highly enough.Regards DI & Gerry

 

[hymer]

Hi Di & Gerry,

Thanks for your response and commiserations on the problems you've had with the Fleetwood. I went and had a second look at the Fleetwood Heritage 560-4 (2006 model) and came away with my enthusiasm dented...trim peeling off the rear panel, limited access to storage space under the beds, flimsly front locker construction, drawers that slide out (all the way, no end stop) on tacky plastic runners. I was much more impressed with the build quality of an Adria caravan on the same forecourt at