Picked up your new van yet ?

[Dave_5040181]

Anybody picked up a new van recently ? We picked up our first ever brand new Lunar 4 years ago and the thrill was fantastic.However, the number of problems we had was incredible.Lots of stupid niggly ones at first, bigger problems to follow.We still have the van and despite everything still love it to bits. However, as the CC reliability surveys have demonstrated over the past few years , manufacturers are not taking too much notice as demand is high and continue to produce a poor finished product in many cases.

I know that many caravanners advocate continental manufacturers for their reliability and build finish but personaly I find them a bit too austere,maybe suitable for hotter climates and messy children ?

 

[LadyMaureen]

Dave,We pick up our new van in 10 days.( Bailey Pageant Burgundy )....fixed bed,so no scrambling around every night...yippee!!!

Our friends also got their new one last week ( Senator Oklahoma ) and we are all taking off to the Lake District as soon as we have filled the 'van.

I suppose you could say we are like kids at Xmas waiting for Santa .

 

[Lisa_5041267]

We picked up our first ever caravan this time last year. I am just as excited this year as I was last year thinking of all them great holidays away with the kids.

 

[helen_5040310]

We collected our second new van last saturday and are going away again this weekend. Its a fleetwood sonata melody this is our second fleetwood but this one is more continental and definatley built better so far so good.

 

[AndrewWimborne]

Picked up our new Bessacarr just before Xmas 2006 model. Just been to Hunters Moon Wareham for a couple of days. Everything was fine apart from the on board water pump which sounded like we were being shot at with a machine gun. Rung the dealers on Sat and they tried to help and said that the pump was a bit noisier than a normal one, it is a Posiflo pump, but should not sound like this. It appeared to me that half of the noise was from the pump but the machine gun noise was coming from nearer the hot water tank, possibly in the piping. Otherwise everything was very good with the van. Any help on the pump issue would be appreciated.

 

[AlanD_5039797]

Not actually picked it up as yet, but it's been ordered, hoping it'll be arriving in this country late next month or early April. Yes, this time we've made the decision to buy German! After an assortment of ABI's, Abbeys, Compasses and Eldiss' over the years, we've had enough. What have we ordered? A Fendt Topas 550 TG, heavy and expensive, but built like a caravan ought to be built.

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

Picked up our new Bessacarr just before Xmas 2006 model. Just been to Hunters Moon Wareham for a couple of days. Everything was fine apart from the on board water pump which sounded like we were being shot at with a machine gun. Rung the dealers on Sat and they tried to help and said that the pump was a bit noisier than a normal one, it is a Posiflo pump, but should not sound like this. It appeared to me that half of the noise was from the pump but the machine gun noise was coming from nearer the hot water tank, possibly in the piping. Otherwise everything was very good with the van. Any help on the pump issue would be appreciated.

Hi Andrew,

We picked up our 06 Besscarr 625GL two weeks ago, used it for the first time this weekend. No problems with the pump, we hardly noticed it was on. I hope you are as pleased with your van as we are :O)

 

[ccannon]

Hello all,

We have not picked ours up yet but we have just ordered a Sterling Europa 540 (Windward Dealer special) which we have a delivery date of April. We have been looking at buying a caravan for 2 years and have finally run out of reasons for not buying one!!!

We can't wait to take delivery of it and have already booked 2 outings in May (just in case delivery is delayed).

Unfortunatley we had already booked our main holiday in France so this year we will be using it for long weekends and once we are more confident we will hopefully be going to France with it next year.

I keep telling my wife and the 2 kids that April is not far off but they are not convinced - anyway buying everything to go in the van at the moment so our house and garage are filling up nicely and that's been fun.

Roll on April!

 

[mary.ross]

Picking our new van up end of next week - changing our Lunar clubman for a Dethleffs Camper 470DL, which is, as you say, German, although made specifically for the British market. door on the 'right side', full size oven, etc. and just looks much beeter made. Also , the fully laden weight is the same as our Lunar clubman i.e. 1300kg, although the payload is not as good. Still there's only 2 of us, and lots of room in the back of the Passat estate. Hope to take it out just for 1 night as soon as we get it, then the whole weekend the following week.

Can't wait!

 

[Viking1]

I would like to but got to get a big tow car to pull the new caravan.

We like the Sterling but because it come in at 1436 when load do not thick the C -Max will pull it well.

Mark

 

[BeatBeat]

Just sold my 1994 Bailey Beachcomber, a very sad time as this was our very first van and we loved it. But we've got 4 years of lovey memories to take with us to our new van. Which we pick up at the beginning of March. It's an Abbey Freestyle (Lowdham Leisure Special, heating, oven and a lovely bathroom. We've booked a weekend away at Easter to try it out. Really looking forward to it.

Off to NEC in a few weeks to check out new awnings and other 'essentials'. ;-)

Trisha

 

[diana_5096137]

we have ordered a sterling eccles amethyst 2006 model due off the line on the 20th march, hope to collect it the same week.

have a 1999 swift conqueror 640L at the moment a fab size van we have owned for a year in april,

but it as a lot of little items needing repair like the draw frout has came off. door panals have been repaired, the shower floor was craked and we never noticed. the wooden slats under the beds are not that good,

this van has had a lot of wear and tear by the last owners. we could have things done under the warenty but decided to go for new one, so have put it back in with the same dealer as we had it from for the best price we could get . you learn as you go!

 

[Rachel3]

HI EVERYONE WE HAVENT PICKED OURS UP YET BUT WE HAVE ORDERED IT, ITS A STERLING ECCLES AMETHYST WE THINK IT IS FAB AND SHOULD BE GETTING DELIVERY END OF NEXT MONTH SO WE ALL CANT WAIT. WE HAVE WANTED A CARAVAN FOR YEARS SO THOUGHT WE WOULD GO FOR IT THIS YEAR BUT WE HAD ALREADY BOOKED OUR MAIN HOLIDAY TO DISNEY WORLD FLORIDA, SO THIS YEAR WE WILL BE JUST GOING LOCAL ON WEEKENDS. WE ALSO HAD TO CHANGE THE CAR AS WELL SO WE HAVE BOUGHT MONDEO ESTATE TDCI SO ITS BEEN AN EXPENSIVE YEAR FOR US.

 

[Bazz1]

Hi everone just a sad note to agree with one or two of you.

Once upon a time my Wife and I bought a NEW caravan, for our 30Th anniversary in August 2003. we have just had some outstanding warranty work completed on it and we possibly now have the van we thought we where buying back in 2003.

Right from the ofset, it has been a catologue of rubish repairs and build quality.

The PDI was never in-a-month-of-Sundays done, on our first outing I listed about 24+ fualts most should have been done on the PDI,the others where MFI's. Most of these I put right my self to enable us to use the van on the Holiday we had just set out on.

It has taken the dealer all this time to come up with a some what untested repair to the sliding door arrangement which closes of the rear of the van.

Yes I am of the opinion that post 9/11 the manufacterors have had a gay old time selling sub standard tat for good money.

My advice would be to check every thing works and then check it again, whilst still on the dealers site, go to the extreme and even act up dumb. Sorry about the rant but my Wife and I will not be going Exploring ever again. Bazz.