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Subject Topic: Quality of new UK caravans
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Personfreeatlast
02/9/2016 at 9:16pm
 Location: Teesside
 Outfit:  Mitsubishi ASX4 View freeatlast's Profile View Profile   Reply to freeatlast Reply   Quote freeatlast Quote  
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Hmmm. Interesting. They are exceptionally light, and some models also would appear to have the Alko "ladder style" chassis rather than the deeper UK style twin girder style. Notice how thin the "A" frame appears on some.

If they are as good as the Silver range they look worth having. They won't be cheap though.


Personbessie500
02/9/2016 at 10:21pm
 Location: Lancashire
 Outfit:  Volvo X60 Coachman View bessie500's Profile View Profile   Reply to bessie500 Reply   Quote bessie500 Quote  
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Barron's caravans used to sell caravalair vans about 11 years ago, I saw them when I was looking to by my 1st van, at the time I knew the sales manager he offered me a new one at a ridiculous low price as they couldn't shift them

To me I thought they looked ok but very plain

Bessie


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PersonCompressorman
03/9/2016 at 12:07am
 Location: Swadlincote
 Outfit: Coachman 545 VIP. 2015. View Compressorman's Profile View Profile   Reply to Compressorman Reply   Quote Compressorman Quote  
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We have had 3 brand new UK vans in the last 10 years including a new Coachman in 2016 which cost us £25k.

All 3 had lots of annoying detail faults but non were a disaster - but very poor when you consider the cost involved.

Providing you have a cordless drill and some DIY skills you should be ok to finish it off yourself.

I sorted all mine out myself as all the dealers I met were useless.

The Coachman is now superb and I love it - but was dissapointed when it was delivered.

Personally I don't like European vans they are cheaper but a bit utilitarian and a bit 3rd world in my opinion.

So you takes your choice and off you go.


Personfreeatlast
03/9/2016 at 12:14pm
 Location: Teesside
 Outfit:  Mitsubishi ASX4 View freeatlast's Profile View Profile   Reply to freeatlast Reply   Quote freeatlast Quote  
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Basically European vans are designed for a different style of caravanning where one parks the van somewhere warm, and generally lives outside. Hence large bed areas but small seating areas and kitchens but a decent fridge, and no carpets.


Personbaddon
04/9/2016 at 7:21pm
 Location: Near Belfast
 Outfit: Ranger & Hymer Nova View baddon's Profile View Profile   Reply to baddon Reply   Quote baddon Quote  
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Another Adria fan.its the way they are constructed and the air circulation cell that gets my vote.

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if your not living life on the edge your taking up tooo much room


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Persondiesel steve
04/9/2016 at 8:45pm
 Location: fife
 Outfit: vw t5 adria isonzo View diesel steve's Profile View Profile   Reply to diesel steve Reply   Quote diesel steve Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 03/9/2016
Basically European vans are designed for a different style of caravanning where one parks the van somewhere warm, and generally lives outside. Hence large bed areas but small seating areas and kitchens but a decent fridge, and no carpets.


what a load of rubbish, fully winterised insulation, large seating area and does have a carpet supplied. my Adria isonzo is built for the UK market.


Personcheckley1973
04/9/2016 at 9:28pm
 Location: Sheffield
 Outfit: Sterling Eccles Sport 636 View checkley1973's Profile View Profile   Reply to checkley1973 Reply   Quote checkley1973 Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by diesel steve on 04/9/2016
Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 03/9/2016
Basically European vans are designed for a different style of caravanning where one parks the van somewhere warm, and generally lives outside. Hence large bed areas but small seating areas and kitchens but a decent fridge, and no carpets.


what a load of rubbish, fully winterised insulation, large seating area and does have a carpet supplied. my Adria isonzo is built for the UK market.


your van isn't a european van, it was designed for the uk market


Persondiesel steve
05/9/2016 at 4:53am
 Location: fife
 Outfit: vw t5 adria isonzo View diesel steve's Profile View Profile   Reply to diesel steve Reply   Quote diesel steve Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by checkley1973 on 04/9/2016
Quote: Originally posted by diesel steve on 04/9/2016
Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 03/9/2016
Basically European vans are designed for a different style of caravanning where one parks the van somewhere warm, and generally lives outside. Hence large bed areas but small seating areas and kitchens but a decent fridge, and no carpets.


what a load of rubbish, fully winterised insulation, large seating area and does have a carpet supplied. my Adria isonzo is built for the UK market.


your van isn't a european van, it was designed for the uk market



is slovenia not part of europe where adria factory is.


Personbrianconwy
05/9/2016 at 6:36am
 Location: north wales
 Outfit: Sprite Quattro FB View brianconwy's Profile View Profile   Reply to brianconwy Reply   Quote brianconwy Quote  
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But can you buy this model of van in Slovenia?


PersonOpensauce
05/9/2016 at 7:44am
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Adria have a large range that are sold into continental European markets. Only a few models are sold in the UK in lefthand door UK spec so they are obviously designed specifically for the UK market. Adria are one of the few continental makes that does make any sort of serious attempt to penetrate the UK market. Other foreign makes have in the past produced lefthand door models for the UK market but not at the present time afaik.

Originally Adria acquired Fleetwood Caravans in Suffolk & I think their main UK base is still there. Adria 'vans were assembled for a time at the now defunct Fleetwood factory & some of the last Fleetwood caravans made were rebadged Adrias. Adria have sold caravans into the UK market since the 1980s.

The well known continental brands are produced in far larger numbers than UK brands which are mostly sold on the UK market only apart from small volume exports to Australia & New Zealand. Swift do produce some models for the Dutch market. Elddis also sell in Holland & have done for decades.

Continental makes have large ranges from super luxury to the more untilitarian. There are plenty of apparently smaller brands with smaller ranges, ie Caravelair, Sterckeman, Corado, Weinsberg etc but these are all owned by larger conglomerates like Trigano & Hymer Group.

The layout of fixed transverse front double bed/small dinette/toilet offered on a basic spec caravan with everything else like heater etc as extra/cost option is not offered by any UK maker I know of & this layout is in fact Ideal for warm weather caravanning as mentioned. Caravelair offer such a caravan but they do offer higher spec versions as well.

I would be suprised if Marquis will be selling Caravelairs built specifically for UK market with lefthand door etc. More likely UK 3pin plug sockets & thats it. They are certainly worth considering though & also Sterckeman which are identical & built in the same Trigano factory in southern France. Sterckeman do have a couple of UK outlets.

Generally speaking though even with worse €/£ exchange rate it is cheaper to buy a new foreign make caravan on the near continent rather than from a UK supplier.


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Person664DaveS
10/9/2016 at 10:57am
 Location: Shropshire
 Outfit: Bailey Phoenix GT 75 View 664DaveS's Profile View Profile   Reply to 664DaveS Reply   Quote 664DaveS Quote  
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We are on holiday in France at the moment, our 2014 Unicorn Vigo has been fairly trouble free but has some examples of poor attention to detail.

It has the transverse bed which telescopes in and out for day/night mode.
Last night we lifted it for access to underbed storage and the steel frame came apart!
After a struggle we got it back together,sustaining a nasty cut finger in the process!
We have used cable ties kindly supplied by a neighbouring motorhome owner, to lash it back together. We will now have to use the front dinette as a bed, or extend the mattress, not the bed frame!( No big deal as its only about 10inches overhang!

Pretty good for a £20K caravan 2 years old! Not!
Our dealer has been called and e-mails sent requesting action on return.
Its the slide mechanism which has broken on one side-ball bearings everywhere!

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DS-There's more to life than football!!!



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