Caravan

[Avnt]

Bit of a thread hijack here, sorry Avnt.
We're considering a Caravan (need to work out where to store it as well) and I've no idea what we should be looking for re size, weight, berth ect. Anyone got any tips on what I should be looking at and where a good place for advise is? Just thinking we have a number of large caravan places around us (Brownhills, leisure world), are they a good place to speak to people in the know?

Hi jack away it gives more info for myself


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[V6Matty]

Good lad

How many of you are there? That will determine berths ie 1 each!!

Do you want a fixed bed for 2 of you? Or make up beds each night from the seating?

We have a fixed French Bed in our Sterling Continental 570 https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/caravan/31792-sterling-continental-570 which gives us separate washing, sleeping and living areas. The lounge area can be 2 single beds, ideal for kids, or a massive double bed. There is an end washroom with loo, wash basin and shower cubicle that means we are self sufficient and don't need to use sites with facilities.

The current trend is for mid van loo/shower that we don't like as the kitchen is next to the loo/shower.

Will you use it year round? We do and ours is winterised with full wet central heating. You can get blown air heating that makes the air dryer.

If you want a big van, twin axle are available, but are heavy and need a big SUV type tug due to their kerb weight. There is an advisory 85% limit of caravan to tug ie the caravan mass in running order shouldn't be more than 85% of the kerb weight of the car. Twin axles are the target of the travelling community for being nicked.

The payload is something else to consider. Generally not much payload. When you subtract the leisure battery, motor mover, water and waste containers, hook up cable there is little left for personal items.

Spend days going to a dealer to look at layouts to see what suits, perhaps hire a caravan for a trip.

Generally quality is mixed. A well looked after second hand is a safer bet than new. Damp is the biggest thing to check out. Our caravan has non timber construction, so shouldn't be susceptible to damp. It has its 3rd service later this week where a damp test is done.

Warranties are transferable at some point. But not everything is warranteed.

In respect of storage we have ours on the drive at home. Kind of obvious if its been nicked.

Are you looking at long term use? We intend to run ours into the ground. Mostly due to the poor quality of new caravans. We've had issues, all resolved, but wouldn't buy another new caravan again.

Then there are the accessories. We have an inflatable awning, not full length. Also a sun canopy. We tend to use the awning for 4 nights or more. Outdoor chairs. The indoor table is used outside to remove another item from the payload.

A motor mover is almost a given as manoeuvring becomes so easy.

There are other vanners on here who will contribute, Craig, EmilysDad, grayb.

We have tented, then motorhome for 9 years and now the caravan, since we had our daughter arrived. It gives us lots of breaks away. I also use it for working away as I hate hotels.

Thanks for a very descriptive post Keyfisher, that certainly gives me quite a lot to think about. It's just the two if us at the moment but as we may hav a family in the future (probably an additional 2 wee ones) so I'm guessing 4/5 berth and like you like the idea of a fixed bed.
I think your right with going and seeing a few, we have so many caravan/leaguer sales places around us due to the large travelling community in Newark I suspect. It may get used all year round but we've not decided that yet, good Ti know you can get them winterised these days, it must be 25 years since I last stayed in a caravan so suspect quite a few things have changed.
It will be a second hand van, one I can't afford a New one but two I think most problems manifest in the first 2-3 years which either get rectified of they get scrapped not too long after that, vans that are kept for awhile by owners asks tend to be care for.
Righty I think I'll go spend a bit of time going around the places and see what we feel like inside different lay outs. Never though about hiring one, that's a good shout, once we've thought what we might like it's an option.

 

[EmilysDad]

Bit of a thread hijack here, sorry Avnt.
We're considering a Caravan ......

All of the above and be aware of weight restrictions on newer licences from 97 or 98 that restrict you to a train weight of 3500kg.

 

[grayb]

Light ish but we do like our comforts

We went small as we didn't want a mobile home, but with some fixed points: we had to have a usable shower (we discounted an Eriba for that reason, even though we love the style of them) and we don't like fixed beds particularly (vans so equipped usually have smaller lounge areas and we like to recline while catching up with car magazines on rainy afternoons). Having said that we are finding our 3.56m classic Avondale is a bit tight for floor space - sleeping dogs take up all the floor space, nearly. A 4.00 or 4.20m would be more like it for our next. We didn't think we would need a motor-mover, but our Avondale had one fitted. We wouldn't be without it now. If buying secondhand, beware the stingy dealers who say that the motor-mover isn't included in the price.
Our van is about 1050kg and the E350CDI doesn't really know its there. Consequently, fuel consumption is fair and we never hold up traffic. We've driven all day on the French Autoroute with absolute ease.
Our van is a 1994 model that had been a one-owner, cherished thing before we bought it for £2250. Everything works and it looks great, but it is like looking after a classic car - always some jobs to do.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Bit of a thread hijack here, sorry Avnt.
We're considering a Caravan (need to work out where to store it as well) and I've no idea what we should be looking for re size, weight, berth ect. Anyone got any tips on what I should be looking at and where a good place for advise is? Just thinking we have a number of large caravan places around us (Brownhills, leisure world), are they a good place to speak to people in the know?

Get a German van. They never leak!

The best place near you for sales is Lowdhams Leisure. Excellent people.

 

[Avnt]

Our detachable tow bar is a Tow-Trust - no cutting required, and it has been very easy to use (better than the Witter on the previous car). The car has a 13-pin socket and we use an adaptor as our van is an old one with two 7-pin plugs.

Does you car have the amg style sport rear bumper?


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[grayb]

Does you car have the amg style sport rear bumper?


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No, it doesn't. Check the Tow-Trust website - it will tell you whether it needs a bumper cut or not. https://www.tow-trust.co.uk/towbars...-class-est-s204-inc-amg-style-kit/2008+-+2014 It says a cut is needed but it's not visible.

A note of caution though. A friend of ours had a S204 C250CDI Sport and used it to tow a large 570 Buccaneer van and found it very unstable. When we saw it hitched up, the back end of the car looked very low. It was so bad that he sold the car and bought an XC60 which was perfectly untroubled towing the same van. I wondered if the lowered suspension wasn't really suitable for such a large van, though I don't know if he checked the nose weight.

 

[V6Matty]

The AMG body kit won't need cutting to add a retractable towbar, mines fitted with one from the factory as well as the body kit and no issues at all. Not tested it as yet as I've nothing to tow but it's all there ready for when I want to

 

[Avnt]

The AMG body kit won't need cutting to add a retractable towbar, mines fitted with one from the factory as well as the body kit and no issues at all. Not tested it as yet as I've nothing to tow but it's all there ready for when I want to

Is yours an s204 as well?


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[V6Matty]

Pre facelift S212 but the principle should be the same I'd have though

 

[grayb]

Pre facelift S212 but the principle should be the same I'd have though

I would think that it depends on the make/design of the tow bar - they aren't all the same, surely? Tow-Trust definitely say that theirs requires a non-visible cut on the W204, whereas our S212 didn't need a cut at all.

 

[V6Matty]

I would think that it depends on the make/design of the tow bar - they aren't all the same, surely? Tow-Trust definitely say that theirs requires a non-visible cut on the W204, whereas our S212 didn't need a cut at all.

Yeah agree with you there, my post wasn’t that clear but looking at a few sites it would make me think a folding one won’t require a cut on the 204

 

[Craiglxviii]

I have a Towsure removable swan neck bar. It’s excellent, no cuts required.

 

[ajlsl600]

Its trying to find a reliable answer of the towbar companies some say yes some say no



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE

]i found that some instructions say a bumper cut is required ,when in fact it is not. i fitted both of mine, dont know why but my clk and A class both have bars and niether has a bumper cut ,tho it is close on both... ,cant explain why , check the car parks for bars on same model and bar make, mine are brink .