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Does anyone know anything good or bad about Sprite vans.  I am thinking of buying one but I know nothing about them, build quality etc.

Thanks Vikki

if second hand see.........  and take a damp meter.

Buying Secondhand

Sprite are now made by Swift, from mostly the same parts, and are the 'budget' range, ie lighter weights, less 'fancy' spec - and the build quality will be the same as all Swifts - hopefully OK!!  (But there's always the 'last thing on Friday lemon' with almost everything you buy!)  Our first caravan was a new Sprite (Sterling as then was - but the same)  Europa (in 1994) - and it's still going strong with the person who bought it from us and still owns it.

If you're buying a used one (and there are Sprites still around from the 1970s, because I've seen them - usually brown and orange inside and out) then check for damp (and if necessary have a professional check it out for you) in every corner, under the lockers, around the roof/walls joints, around the door frame, around the grab handles, under the windows - as these are all places where damp penetration can be a problem.  Check the electrics and gas supplies, and ask for the van to be hooked up, and with water connected when you go to see it, just to make sure everything is working.

A new van should come with all the same guarantees as the whole Swift range (six years water ingress, etc) - and your dealer should carry out a full PDI - but again check everything carefully BEFORE you drive away.

They're nice vans, with a modern scandinavian look about them - and they do a range of layouts, which will suit most people.

Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 17/3/2009

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  Our first caravan was a new Sprite (Sterling as then was - but the same)  Europa (in 1994) - and it's still going strong with the person who bought it from us and still owns it.

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On a point of interest if you bought a Sprite Europa in 1994 then it would have been made by Sprite leisure not Sterling. I also bought a Sprite Europa 390/2 Classic van in 1994 and went looking at the 1995 Sprite Europas at the GMex caravan show in 1995 when they were still made by Sprite leisure. IIRR Sprite were bought out by Swift in late 1995 and for the model year 1996 became Stering.

The early 1990's Sprites were very pleasant vans to live in and quite well made. The 1994 Super Sprite Alpine was the Practical Caravan magazines Caravan of the year and the Europa came second,

This was my Europa on it's first ever trip out brand new and I had paid just over £5k for it ( got an extremely good deal )  See here for some reason when I post the picture it is not appearing here

We can go back a bit further than that! We purchase new in 1989 an Esprit Flair which  was the next model up from the Sprite. It had the same distinctive side elevation design as the picture posted by Bill. We kept that van for 9 years before buying a Europa 460 by then made by Swift. Some friends purchased a Sprite at the same time as we did the Flair and they still have it!

David

Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 17/3/2009

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We can go back a bit further than that! We purchase new in 1989 an Esprit Flair which  was the next model up from the Sprite. It had the same distinctive side elevation design as the picture posted by Bill. We kept that van for 9 years before buying a Europa 460 by then made by Swift. Some friends purchased a Sprite at the same time as we did the Flair and they still have it!

David

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Did yours have the threepenny bit shaped top rear corner on the side? They changed that in 1994 to one where the top rear corner was the same as every other van nowadays.

 

Yes it did but it was obscured a bit by a moulded spoiler.

David

Yes, it would have been Sprite in 1994 (then to become Sterling, then to become Swift!!!).  I have some photos of ours, too but they're pre-digital, so I'll copy one and post on my gallery. Ours was the 'Continental' model, with greyish cabinetry, and very modern velour upholstery - it also had an outside shower (ideal for the dog's paws) and an outside electric and gas point, which was very avant-garde in those days.

I enjoyed my Sprite and very easy to tow. You got me thinking again with the "Continental " model it took me a minute or two but IIRR they called it a Europa Contrast. What amazed me was how few we ever saw on the roads, lots of them in the dealers but rarely on the roads. WE saw one last Summer on the Cae Mawr CC site, it looked in really good nick as well.

Yes, that's right - the Contrast.  As I said ours is still going strong fifteen years later - is very well looked after, and to be honest the bodywork is shinier outside than our current Swift.  I can remember we were bowled over when we saw it the first time - and just wanted it straight away.  We got a really good deal on it from Lowe and Rhodes, saving thousands over the normal price.  They were doing a promotion at the time - a bit like the recent one with Europas at Lincoln Caravans where they were selling current 2009 models at over £3,000 off list price.  We sold it in 2000 for very little less than we'd paid for it.  If memory serves me right we bought it for £6,250 when it should have been over £9,000 and sold it for £5,500!

I'm just going to look for some old photographs - brings back memories of lots of holidays with my sons!!!  What made us sell was that they slept in the bunks at the back for only about a year, though, and then wanted to be in pup tents - we'd had enough of wrestling with the front bed and wanted a fixed bed.  We bought another 'strange' model - the Swift Speedbird and love it.  I'd like to buy exactly the same van, but 9 years newer so that it would last us well into retirement, but we can't find a similar spec replacement which is not too heavy for our current car. 

It's wonderful that a few comments about vans can bring back so many happy memories, I have enjoyed all my vans but somehow looking back to the Sprite I bought in 1994 brings a real smile to my face and lots of very happy memories.