Message Forums

Hello

We are upgrading from a tent to a FC this autumn.  We have the chance to buy a 1999 Penine Sterling 510SE for £1500.

It looks to be in very good condition - no mould or rips and comes with an awning.

Does anyone have any tips for FC virgins as we are going a viewing with it all set out in a few days.

Do you recommend us a buying leisure battery? We have an EHU hook up for the tent but think we will also need to buy another hook up for the FC as well.

I think we will have to buy water and waste water carriers and pipes, chocks and gas bottles so there will be a bit of additional expense.

Is this a good start up FC?

Any advice gratefully received

thanks!

Thanks for the advice!

It will take a bit of getting used to the transition from camping to almost caravanning! Appreciate the guidance on the chocks/levellers and the battery.  I got a shock when I saw the price of the water containers so will now have a look around.

The Penine sterling is a fold over system and hoping that all will be revealed when we have the demonstration!

We are really looking forward to trying it out and hope that we can extend our camping season to October if the weather holds - trying to persuade my husband that he really does want to get an electric blanket!

Quote: Originally posted by familycamper21 on 19/9/2011

---

Thanks for the advice!

It will take a bit of getting used to the transition from camping to almost caravanning! Appreciate the guidance on the chocks/levellers and the battery.  I got a shock when I saw the price of the water containers so will now have a look around.

 

The Penine sterling is a fold over system and hoping that all will be revealed when we have the demonstration!

We are really looking forward to trying it out and hope that we can extend our camping season to October if the weather holds - trying to persuade my husband that he really does want to get an electric blanket!

 

---

for a unit of that age,you need to start looking for the dreaded damp,it is not so common in fc's but can happen.the best place to look for this is in the underseat lockers(you will smell damp here)and around anywhere there are cut outs in the body work(you are looking for soft areas)

also you need to check the canvas for mould spots.plus make sure it has not come to the end of it's life.fadeing is normal,but does it still feel supple and strong?compare the main canvas to the awning,do they feel the same?the awnings tend to be used less so maybe a darker colour,which is fine.

as to price,thats hard to say as we are heading to the time of year that they start to go down in price,as people don't want the hassle of storing them over the winter.

Quote: Originally posted by davek0974 on 19/9/2011

---

Hi,
We were first timers this year too, we got a Pullman 535.

We got a battery as I don't see the need to pay for a hookup all the time as the fridge will run for ages on a gas bottle and it's cheaper. The only time I can see us needing EHU is for a fan heater in cooler weather. The battery was plenty good enough for a week away with phone charging etc plus the light at night and it was still full when we left for home.

Yes, get a chock plus a wedge or leveller, we only lift one wheel to level so only one leveller needed, the fiamma yellow ones are good, the chock helps keep it up the leveller as the handbrake didn't like it on it's own.

We have two gas bottles, one on and one full spare, had three weeks away so far and not changed yet. You will need an EHU lead for caravans etc not the socket lead used or camping etc. Our waste bottle is a cheap 20ltr black one with the red cap on the side, the water bottle is a 25ltr Gerry can type plastic one, the roll along ones are quite pricey and take up a lot of storage space.

One thing I can guarantee is, you will love the experience, camping at it's best I think.

They are easy to setup and put down, about 15 minutes each, is it a pull out bed one or fold over bed unit? I'm not sure but I think they are the same in that they must be opened from the rear bed first and closed from the front bed first.

Dave

---

one of the best ways to find cheap water bottles and other bits on ebay is

http://www.bargainchecker.com/local/default.aspx

you put in your postcode and it brings up all the items that are collection only (as they tend to be) within a radius you select. It can also show you everything listed as camping equipment due to finish in the next hour with few or no bids on it. I got my FC hook up for £5 on there, a campingagz 907 cylinder for £7 and lots of other things for less than a tenner.

i have had my 1986 FC for two seasons now, having been through the standard small tent, bigger tent, huge tent, trailer tent now fc route. We won't be going back! We do use ehu, but also have a battery, make sure you also have the correct charger etc for the battery - there are lots on ebay for less than I have seen in any shops.

We are also still on our first gas cylinder (the campingaz is for the cadac - we are still on our first cylinder of that too after 4 seasons!). If there is no service history with your fc showing a recent service, it's a good idea to get someone 'gas safe' to give it a lookover. I pay £86 for a service, little things that he notices need doing get fixed too and I am confident that the unit is safe and roadworthy. Don't forget to factor in the cost of a towbar if you don't have one, i think they can be quite expensive for some cars, also a reg plate.

Finally know all the weights are correct - gross train weight, the match of the weight of your trailer to towcar, nose weight, laden weight of trailer. Sorry if i'm teaching you to suck eggs. If i'm not, to weigh your trailer and car laden, you can go to a local weighbridge. If you google 'weighbridges uk' there's a list of them, I gave the one at a local grain haulier's a ring and they were really helpful, I was stunned that we weren't over our weight limit tbh, the tardis truly lives up to its name!

Reading all that i fear i may have made owning one sound like a major chore! It isn't at all. There are more routine maintenance tasks than with a tent, but these are far outweighed by speed of pitching, comfort levels, less time spent packing and unpacking etc. Properly looked after it should still give you years of great holidays and the freedom to throw some clothes in the car and get away for a weekend when you feel like it. I hope you love it as much as we love ours!

Thank you for all the help and advice.  We have taken the plunge and are now the proud owners of a Pennine Sterling.

We are having it serviced and will pick it up at the weekend and have booked into a site a couple of miles away from home to try it out in the last of the warm weather!

I think we will joing the Pennine Owners club and are already members of the CCC so will be looking forward to lots of nights away next year.

Jo

We have a pennine clubman given this year by some very lovely friends who were upgrading.  I absolutely love it :)