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Topic: Build quality

tilly47

07/4/2013 at 1:33pm
Location: ilkeston
Outfit: None Entered

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Hi all
could i ask for your opinions please.
What make of caravan would be considered the best build.
some seem very poor quality.
would be looking at used and no older than 8 years.
thanks

Opensauce

07/4/2013 at 1:47pm
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I suppose price range determines build quality, the well known UK built names are all mass produced so they can have faults. More important if buying an 8yr old caravan of popular make is to look for full main dealer service history. If caravan has been serviced annually then one would hope that any developing damp problems will have been picked up & rectified. Its damp left unrepaired for yrs that wrecks a caravan.

One could argue that top of the range UK makes such as Vanmaster or Carlight should be better, but very few around & all of these require annual damp check.

The general 'German caravans are better' idea is not really true either. More expensive makes like Hymer are good but cheaper makes like Hobby can certainly get damp & German layouts are not to everybodies taste.

So if you want an 8yr old caravan that is ok, the real answer is full main dealer service history.

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generalhawk

07/4/2013 at 2:14pm
Location: eaton bray beds
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I have always had Swift catavans and found them to be good quality although, as nobody is perfect, there will probably be folk who have had bad experiences

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murano

07/4/2013 at 3:28pm
Location: whitstable kent
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I've had lunar bailey and swift, we are on our 4th swift in succession , we just seem to find them good quality, so our next will also be a swift.
That said as generalhawk stated, you can get good and bad in all makes, really it comes down to personal preference and if you like it and its damp free.

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michael

07/4/2013 at 5:52pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Caravan now Sold

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Pick the one you like and suits you and your needs.ask for a full damp report at a dealer or do one yourself.ie buy a good damp meter.even at 12 month they can leak in.

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LyraTours

07/4/2013 at 6:48pm
Location: Glasgow
Outfit: Sprite Major 6

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Got a Sprite made by Swift and I am very happy with the build Quality so far? One thing i noticed was that the more expensive vans with better fixtures and fittings in most cases were heavier and was a factor for me!

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pamanddoug

07/4/2013 at 10:00pm
Location: plymouth
Outfit: fiat trigano tribute 665

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when I traded in my 10 year old swift it was in very good condition but the dealer did not want the full servicehistory I gave them,when it appeared on their website it came with 12 months warranty by themselves so you may not get a service history from a dealer but you should at least get a warranty with it

doug

Patches

07/4/2013 at 10:23pm
Location: Staffordshire
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I disagree. We have a Hymer and the build quality is far superior to any UK van I have seen/owned. ~The only downside, as has been pointed out, is they tend to be heavy and this could be a major factor for some. Ours is 9 years old and still entirely free from damp and any major faults - it's built like a tank.

Opensauce

08/4/2013 at 7:26am
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What are you disagreeing about?

tilly47

08/4/2013 at 8:44am
Location: ilkeston
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Thank you for the reply's.
I asked as the newer the caravan we buy the easier it is to break.!!!!
or so it seems.
Just wondered if one make stood out from the rest.

bricklayer

13/4/2013 at 11:03pm
Location: thames valley
Outfit: Mercedes E250 & TEC Travel king

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i too would agree- GO GERMAN , we had a swift- its was ok, but showed its age quickly.... we sold it, we bought a german made tec....BEST THING WE EVER DID, we are now onto our second bigger TEC van, the quality of build is fantastic,nothing is chipped, marked or broken and its seriously put to the test with our two kids,it looks like it did the day it rolled out the factory.....
we also looked at Hymer's too, and LMC.... all really really nice and they suited us, we dont have any issues with the door on the wrong side !

hymers are as has already been stated a little heavier but TEC and LMC were lighter....

we did fall in love with a hymer with granite worktops !!! but the TEC won our hearts...and as i say its the best decision we ever made...

sorry to say it but go german you wont be disapointed...

alpiner

14/4/2013 at 7:55am
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A few years back i asked a breakdown recovery driver "what do you think is the most reliable car" going by your call outs to pick up broken down cars.
his answer was the Trabant because he had never picked one up??
and the worst was the Ford Escort?? because he had picked up lots of them, they made ---millions of them.
so if you get one make like swift of bailey owners reporting problems it could be because there are hundreds of thousands more of them compared to the very small amounts of imported vans, so the imported vans will have less reported problems.

Post last edited on 14/04/2013 08:35:55

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alpiner

Opensauce

14/4/2013 at 8:33am
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Try putting 'wohnwagen feuchtigkeitsschaden' into google.de theres as much about damp caravans on German caravan forums as there is on UK forums.

simonpaula

07/5/2014 at 12:08pm
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Hi we found bailey! caravans to be the best so far in build quality. having said that all caravan manufactures have had some problems with there vans with one thing or another.

But bailey now have this new body on the market in new vans, which prevents the problem with damp building up.

look at the forms, and buy a new one if you can, they have the New better STRONGER bodies damp free.

clever

07/5/2014 at 12:18pm
Location: Derbyshire
Outfit: Adria Altea 542DT

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Having had two Baileys and then an Adria, I would say that the Adria has a far higher build quality but that's just my opinion !

john#mel#3kids!

07/5/2014 at 12:25pm
Location: west yorks
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Quote: Originally posted by simonpaula on 07/5/2014
Hi we found bailey! caravans to be the best so far in build quality. having said that all caravan manufactures have had some problems with there vans with one thing or another.

But bailey now have this new body on the market in new vans, which prevents the problem with damp building up.
look at the forms, and buy a new one if you can, they have the New better STRONGER bodies damp free.

I take it you haven't been looking on the other caravan forums about damp trouble?
I think you need a good damp meter and check yourself when buying second hand, you can usually tell if a caravan has been used and abused

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