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Topic: Wrong way round!

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Nik 61

26/7/2018 at 3:09pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered

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Joined: 18/7/2018

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Recently back from a glorious couple of weeks in Dorset and the Cotswolds only slightly marred by our caravan which seems to be on a self destruct mission so after a few minutes deliberation over our last supper we decided to trade in our old van. Is 10 years really old I don’t think so but apparently it is and it has become a liability especially with the crazy prices of caravan spares.
So off we went to look at lovely new ones errr 18 k for this 22k for that and look a beautiful one only 25k gulp. Err it’s a bed on wheels mate ! So after much deliberation over a nice cuppa we decided to look at trailer tents. Basically a trailer and tent from 5k to err 20 k very nice too.
After much deliberation over a kitkat we decided to look at tents and to cut a long story short we are campers again. So after 30 years of towing caravans we have returned to our routes haha let’s hope it works for us !!

TimCESmith

26/7/2018 at 3:59pm
Location: London
Outfit: Karsten 350 + SE CA EA RA FW & ZIG

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Congratulations! What did you get?

SGThomas

26/7/2018 at 4:29pm
Location: Leigh on sea
Outfit: None Entered

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Joined: 16/10/2007

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10 years old and needing repairs...what did you have?

Ours is 10 years old, used 4 months of the year and polishes up like new.

My wife is even older and scrubs up really well.

tango55

26/7/2018 at 5:33pm
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Vision 450

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My caravan is 14 years old and the interior looks as good as the day it came out of the factory plus it does what any modern caravan does. Maybe it is a bed on wheels but yourself having a caravan at 10 years old has still got to be better than lugging heavy camping equipment about and taking longer to set up and I bet you end up with some kind of trailer anyway.

Paul_B

26/7/2018 at 5:51pm
Location: Yorkshire
Outfit: Car & Caravan

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Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 26/7/2018
10 years old and needing repairs...what did you have?

Ours is 10 years old, used 4 months of the year and polishes up like new.

My wife is even older and scrubs up really well.

My caravan is older and still looks and acts like new, however I'd be interested in a recommendation of what to use on the wife

SGThomas

26/7/2018 at 6:29pm
Location: Leigh on sea
Outfit: None Entered

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Quote: Originally posted by Paul_B on 26/7/2018

Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 26/7/2018
10 years old and needing repairs...what did you have?

Ours is 10 years old, used 4 months of the year and polishes up like new.

My wife is even older and scrubs up really well.

My caravan is older and still looks and acts like new, however I'd be interested in a recommendation of what to use on the wife

She uses a polyfilla deriative for the body but the chassis needs some tightening up

Nik 61

26/7/2018 at 6:42pm
Location: None Entered
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Cheers we have a Vango illusion 800 xl

Nik 61

26/7/2018 at 6:46pm
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My caravan was a Bailey. Many faults main ones being all 3 front windows de-laminated and letting in water to ruin front pot shelf. Water heater U. S. most of the furniture plastic facing have shrunk considerably I could go on and on

Fiona W

26/7/2018 at 7:36pm
Location: Ayrshire
Outfit: A2DS+Nuevo

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Nik 61, welcome to UKCS.
You ok with not having an en-suite shower & loo any more?

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2026: 14 sites / 33 nights. 2025: 13/27. 2024: 20/41. 2023: 9/23. 2022: 13/35. 2021: 11/29. 2020: 4/20. 2019: 13/35. 2018: 20/33. 2017: 10/22. 2016: 19/33. 2015: 15/27. Didn't count sites/nights 1985 to 2014.

Colin21

26/7/2018 at 7:52pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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10 years, old??? That's barely run in!

Ours is 26 years old and still going strong. Has everything a modern van has with the possible exception of air-con. Doesn't leak either.

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Best Regards,
Colin

Nik 61

26/7/2018 at 8:03pm
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Thank you Fiona. I think we have used the shower once in all the years caravaning. Obviously we use the toilet but have a thetford porta potty for the tent. I’m under no illusion we probably will miss certain aspects of the caravan but on a personal level I feel caravan manufacturers and dealers are very blasé about the build quality of there products.

The 2 Tops

27/7/2018 at 2:37pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Swift Challenger Sport 524 VW Carave

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Across the range, new caravans seem to be getting less reliable as the years progress. Our van is in its 7th year, and we will never buy new again. It did go back under warranty for water ingress - the other faults I dealt with myself, applied better quality to prevent repetitive problems. Latest fault is that one of the concertina blind-cum-net assemblies has shot its day. It will be resolved by a cassette where the net and the blind are independent of each other.
Remaining blinds will be dealt with as they fail - not bothered about differences from one window to another.
Bertie.

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The 2 Tops

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