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Topic: best foreign make

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billyboggins

03/10/2014 at 8:03pm
Location: norfolk
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what are peoples opinions about German/Dutch built caravans....i am under the general impression that they are more solid and better than built than British made vans...what do you think?

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billyboggins

Ludovine

03/10/2014 at 8:25pm
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Hymer/Eriba are better built than most but they cost more than most so they should be. It depends what make you want & what age you want. If new or nearly new, most continental makes do not have UK distribution/service networks. You can buy abroad at very favourable exchange rate but it might make warranty work difficult. Secondhand dealer prices abroad are high though but buying in north Belguim is convenient for UK & easy enough, the dealers mostly speak English.

If you want something older you will often see German 'vans on UK ebay, 10ys old or whatever are probably a better bet than same age UK make. Hobbys on sale in UK have often been used for residential use so will be well used & as far as damp & rotten floors, older Hobbys are probably little better than UK makes.

So really if you want an older one its down to the individual caravan & all usual checks apply same as UK built 'vans.

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JTQU

03/10/2014 at 8:43pm
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S

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Had Hymers since 2002, buying the second in 2008 and not planning to change anytime soon. At times of purchase we could not find any UK built van that came close to meeting our requirements for build quality, at any price. Earlier van was a bespoke built Castleton, very well built but firm by replacement time, 11 years later, was defunct.

Not looked at the latest UK builds, but apart from possibly Swifts most recent top of the range construction, nothing I read suggest things have materially changed.

trog100

03/10/2014 at 9:10pm
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smaller eriba tourers stand up to age better than any British van.. but a 20 year old one costs around £6000..

part of the price is a dateless "snob" factor the rest is down to how they are made.. aluminium cladding on a steel space frame..

i have managed to convince myself that my 20 year old avaondale with its one piece fibre glass roof and fibre glass front and rear panels is good build quality but the firm dosnt exist any more..

the modern UK priority seems to be cut back on the structure so that more luxury can go inside.. ten years for a caravan with it not being in the makers interest to make one that lasts longer..

trog

alpiner

04/10/2014 at 8:30am
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caravans by their nature are built the same way and suffer the same faults, if you doubt this go on any foreign caravan web site similar to this one and read all the problems they have, and you will find a common trend.
The biggest down site to buying Foreign is availability of dealers, go on the web and see how many there are in the UK (very very few0.
why give your self this problem
The uk now has some of the best construction methods in the industry and to say they will last 10 years is nonsense

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alpiner

JTQU

04/10/2014 at 8:50am
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S

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Quote: Originally posted by alpiner on 04/10/2014

caravans by their nature are built the same way and suffer the same faults, _________________________________The uk now has some of the best construction methods in the industry

Somewhat contradictory assertions? Built the same way, but then stating despite being built the same way somehow UK vans feature some of the best constructions!

A little research would have found they are not all built the same way, or use the same materials; yes there is some common ground but also some critical differences.

Hopefully UK vans now do feature some of the best construction techniques; I am yet to be convinced, but very prepared to study the techniques, material choices and in use results.
One new UK technique already has failed to meet my standards, and only one is a contender for possible consideration.

Being foreign makes no difference, but being constructed differently does.

Ludovine

04/10/2014 at 9:30am
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Construction has changed with all caravans in recent yrs. In particular the joint between front/roof/back & the sides. Modern 'vans of all makes have much better methods of capping that joint.

Up to a few yrs ago, UK built 'vans had awning rail screwed & sealed to side edge only whereas German built 'vans had alloy awning rail moulding that capped over the joint which would tend to be more waterproof long term I think. This difference has existed right back to the 80s.

Not all German built 'vans are better than all UK 'vans though. Damp only wrecks a caravan if that damp is not found & rectified, plenty of old UK built 'vans are damp free & plenty of old German ones are not & obviously not all German'vans are created equal. Hobby for example are not so good whereas Hymer/Eriba are probably the best built.

Also the Dutch/Germans tend to look after their caravans, often storing them undercover in winter & this is one reason their 80s/90s 'van tend to be in good nick which makes any that find their way over to the UK usually a good buy. Servicing is no different to a UK built 'van, they use the same components, Alko etc & any UK caravan workshop can service them.

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trog100

04/10/2014 at 10:35am
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my old avondale van has a good roof.. i think they stopped using the system around the year 2000...

the roof is a one piece wrap around fibre glass lid in essence.. it sits on top of the other panels with a nice overlap and is a good way of fixing on a roof..

its not a simple butt joint which is not a good way of fixing on a roof.. why did the now none existent firm stop using the method.. i could hazard a few guesses.. the one piece drop on roof [lid) was expensive.. it was also heavy..

i would use this as an example of things not improving with time.. the weight of a new van is important to the buyer and so is the cost.. avondale finally went bust in 2008..

and my 20 year old mayfly has not suffered from water ingress at any of the panel joints..

window rubber seals are another matter.. they are also leaks waiting to happen.. yards and yards of them.. but the buyers love all those windows.. :)

business survival plays a part in all this.. the ten year as yet unproven warranty goes a long way to convincing a buyer he is buying a long lasting well made van.. it will also go a long way as regards bankrupting the people that have to honour it..

a modern caravan is "cheap" in every respect except for the "luxury" that goes inside.. UK buyers demand the flash luxury they also demand a low price.. to give them what they want corners have to be cut elsewhere.. or so my simple way of thinking tells me..

trog

Post last edited on 04/10/2014 10:46:38

kojack

04/10/2014 at 11:13am
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I think Alpiner spot on and with his comments, and JTQU is just trying to split hairs as they say.
Caravans wherever there build will share the same problems and i agree the UK builders now have some of the best construction methods.

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Kojack

JTQU

04/10/2014 at 11:48am
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S

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Quote: Originally posted by kojack on 04/10/2014
I think Alpiner spot on and with his comments, and JTQU is just trying to split hairs as they say.

Other "as they say" would very correctly quote, "the devil is in the detail"

Ludovine

04/10/2014 at 12:20pm
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I think the op was asking for advice not an argument between posters as to the merits of each.

If the op would care to post back stating the age & price range of caravan he is interested in then he could receive more specific advice.

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Patches

04/10/2014 at 9:54pm
Location: Staffordshire
Outfit: Freelander 2 2.2GS

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Another vote for Hymer. Ours is a 2004 Nova with fixed single beds, have no problem having it serviced with our local independent chap, parts are easy to come by and most importantly, we have had no sign of damp anywhere in the van. The bloke who services it is always so impressed on this score.

Hymers are expensive to buy new but you can pick them up second hand for a reasonable price - only thing to watch is they are heavy, so you will usually need a largish tow car.

BTW no problems insuring it either. We do ours through the C&CC and it is no more expensive than a UK built van.

When it comes to replacing our Nova, we will definitely be looking for another Hymer - the build quality is extremely good and the interior design is more to my taste.

naturlist123

05/10/2014 at 6:21pm
Location: Southport
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There are plenty of forgien vans on the Uk market some are specially built for the Uk market

Knaus Geist LMC just a few you will be lucky to find a Hobby built for Uk market , But I dont rate them anyway most are just empty boxes no ovens etc only micro wave and electric only (Some one will post to say this a load of rubbish) but all the hobbies I have seen for Quality of build ETC are of poor quality.

Most German vans have the same water heaters cookers toilets etc as British vans so spares are not a problem.

Adria from Solvenia build about 15 different models for the Uk Market and are a good quality build. I have had two German vans from new from Uk dealers and had no trouble with them, one new Riech tap one new thermostat for hot water heater. My Uk vans more leaks than a colander rubbish electrics . I will always by Foriegn vans after the probs I had with UK builds. Adria Adora Danube

bnmuk

06/10/2014 at 8:43am
Location: n.yorks
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There are several Hobby dealers in the uk, we bought ours new in 2010, it certainly isnt a empty box, it has everything a uk van has except the door is on the right, it thas a huge fridge freezer not one of those useless tiny things uk vans have that are full with a bag of peas, the build quality is far better than uk vans, ask any of the many people that when on site have asked to look inside, Hobby are the worlds largest caravan manufactor in the world making 100 vans a day, to say they are emty boxes is just silly, why post when you dont know what you are talking about

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alan

sunshinetours

06/10/2014 at 9:08am
Location: sunny south east!
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Indeed not just German as mentioned, Adria are Slovenian and well built from most "forum evidence" you read (and our own) - they are also full UK spec

As mentioned any van can leak wherever built but its the overall quality control that has seemed to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer at different periods.

Find a van that meets your needs and assess that I would say rather than generalise too much

Ludovine

06/10/2014 at 9:59am
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I wonder if the op did really want advice or whether he just wanted to start the usual argument? Unless he posts back being more specific about the type & age of caravan he seeks we will have to assume it wasn't really a serious question.

Anyway, I digress..The suggestion that German makes are poorly specced? Generally most makes offer several ranges, from basic to high spec. Many older 'vans are very basic but in recent yrs German makes have tended to offer more highly specced options. Also rather than providing fittings as standard they will have a much longer list of options that can be added to basic price.

German 'vans that have been imported by official importers often include standard fitting expected by UK buyers that in other markets would be extra cost option & some have been built with UK side door. 'Grey' imports of sames makes might be of much lower spec.

If one is considering an older caravan 15yrs old then low spec could be a good idea, perhaps you don't want water heaters & full central heating systems that go wrong & so on, so a basic German 'van of this age is definitely worth considering.

But really the op question is too general to be of use to him unless he posts back being more specific.

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Freeman on the land.

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