Close call….Motorhome Purchase advice for others.

[Pudsey Bear]

We had a similar experience with our 2nd van.

 

[Rec]

The hiccough with the original van probably did you a favour if you ended up with a better van than you would have ( even if the original had no problems). Have a great trip.

 

[Devadave]

 

[Devadave]

And here we are testing it out at a local campsite...
Now the Tow bar has been fitted, the Gasit system and Eurotunnel booked 17th August return 16th November...
Just need to move the rear camera to a higher position and off we will go

 

[Devadave]

I moved the reversing camera higher up and we left Wirral August 13th Saturday, had to go to a funeral darn South, picked up AHC for GD Candy from Abbeywell vets then we travelled on the Eurotunnel Wednesday 17th.
Travelled down east France to visit family in Le Plan du La Tour, turned right and now in Peniscola, Spain. Loving it again, glad to be back in a motorhome but pulling trailer with Super Scooter on it....
🏍

Next stop mountains for some cool air...

 

[marchie]

I moved the reversing camera higher up and we left Wirral August 13th Saturday, had to go to a funeral darn South, picked up AHC for GD Candy from Abbeywell vets then we travelled on the Eurotunnel Wednesday 17th.
Travelled down east France to visit family in Le Plan du La Tour, turned right and now in Peniscola, Spain. Loving it again, glad to be back in a motorhome but pulling trailer with Super Scooter on it....
🏍

Next stop mountains for some cool air...

Fond memories of Camping Alegria at Benicarlo. It's where I had my heart attack ... Which was a surprise, because when I worked in a Bank, lots of customer told me I was totally heartless ... Well, if that's the case, I paid a medical plumber for 3 pipe connectors [aka stents] for a job that didn't need doing ...

Steve

 

[Devadave]

Fond memories of Camping Alegria at Benicarlo. It's where I had my heart attack ... Which was a surprise, because when I worked in a Bank, lots of customer told me I was totally heartless ... Well, if that's the case, I paid a medical plumber for 3 pipe connectors [aka stents] for a job that didn't need doing ...

Steve

We are on Camp Eden, for us it ticks the boxes... I understand its not for everyone but at €20 a night with EHU and a dam good restaurant doing menu del dia for €15 makes for a weeks holiday rather than "traveling"
Move on Monday after the Moor/Christian celebrations this weekend...mountains then drop into Castell del Ferro

 

[Devadave]

We are on Camp Eden, for us it ticks the boxes... I understand its not for everyone but at €20 a night with EHU and a dam good restaurant doing menu del dia for €15 makes for a weeks holiday rather than "traveling"
Move on Monday after the Moor/Christian celebrations this weekend...mountains then drop into Castell del Ferro

Ps at least you got a plumber and it worked

 

[GMJ]

We stayed at Camping Eden last winter for a fortnight. Useful base for the rock and castle in Peniscola and walkable into town for bars, resto's etc. We never ate in the on site place as they served food too late for us. We used the resto just outside the campsite which was more than acceptable (and well priced too).

For those who prefer aires etc, there is a 6€ a night one around a km up the road, so still handy enough for town.

 

[Deleted member 4814]

You clearly dislike Autotrail, however I guess its the final QC issues that has killed so many car makers. There are plenty of Auto-Trail vans around so if you get one that's squeezed through the final checks then yup its a big problem.
Swift had similar issues with some of their models...
The point I was trying to make is, only after very careful inspection was the fault found. This should have been identified by the dealer buying it and rectified before placing on the market.
I've found a Rapido 966A class similar layout, but thats in P&P in Gosport..thats a 05 plate @32995.
But its too far to inspect atm dooh...

I had an Autocruise Stargazer 2005 and there were ZERO construction problems ... I just sold that van yesterday, so currently deciding what to have next... will probably do my own conversion on a panel van this time. The quality of those older makes/models went right out the window when Swift bought those companies ... If Swift labelled their new model The Swift Flimsy I would still think more than twice ! Many years a go I made the error of buying a Swift manufactured caravan ... you almost couldn't lean on anything ! Looked pretty, but very mass designed, rather than best use of space. Although, it had an ed bathroom which is largely what sold it to me ... that was well designed.

On the matter of using wood for flooring, when I was 13, my dad and I built a caravan on a chassis that my dad bought for the purpose ... I under-sealed the three-quarter inch marine plywood floor panels with Rubbaseal (Dunlop if I recall correctly) and under-sealed the whole of the chassis. The rest of the van was constructed using a timber frame covered with quarter inch thick marine plywood. When I was 50, my dad decided that he would knock it to bits and sell just the chassis. This he did, reporting to me that the undersealing I did at 13 was still complete, intact and perfect... such that he rescued the floor panels to roof a small shed!

 

[GMJ]

We are on our second Autotrail Comanche. The first one - a 2012 model - was an absolute lemon. A real Friday one!! Loads went wrong with it and it had to have masses of damp treatment and as such the whole of the back of it was rebuilt.

Our current one - a 2017 model - has been a peach. Zero issues thus far - touch wood!

Luck of the draw really I suppose.