I am looking for a caravan and I wondered what people thought of these makes , I have seen a few on the net and they look nice but I was wondering on their quality
not a very good comparison, Adria is a very good quality budget brand,I love my adora isonzo, had it 3 years and no issues what so ever, Hymer is a bit more expensive, made for a different market.
Hymer make various models not imported to UK including fairly basic. Plenty are imported privately & end up being sold in the UK. Best bet is to check respective websites to see the ranges. Build quality of both makes are generally regarded as better than UK makes so buy either make with confidence although obviously check individual caravans carefully if buying secondhand.
I always thought that Tabbert were a premium German manufacturer and I would expect to see them on traveller and showman sites
I had an adria in the early 90's well made caravan that was made for the continental market fully winterised blown air heating but no grill or oven and only 2 gas rings
I currently have an Adria campervan and I am still happy with the quality of build
Cant comment on Hymer apart from made in Germany
Any German make can be regarded as having generally better build quality than that of UK makes but obviously any secondhand caravan needs to be checked very carefully before paying. The larger German makes going for reasonable prices on UK ebay have often been used for permanent living so can be well worn with lumps knocked out of them when being sold at 8-10yrs old.
Can't comment on Adria's because we have never owned one. Although some of the designs look good. We are on our third Hymer though. Excellent van imho.
I was talking to a woman on a site in Holland last month. She had a Knaus Lifestyle caravan. Very nice van, not as big as the Hobby's but nicer inside.
We were discussing the difference between UK and European vans, she advised that the perception in Germany is the UK vans are better quality and more well made than the German vans.
Quote: Originally posted by Chunkwana on 04/9/2017
We were discussing the difference between UK and European vans, she advised that the perception in Germany is the UK vans are better quality and more well made than the German vans.
I think that she was just being polite
We bought our first van a cheap starter on a whim about 14 years ago. We then started to look seriously at dealers at an upgrade. We didn't have any preconceptions or prejudices every British made van had obvious faults and evidence of a lack of care in manufacture, mastic all over the place not cleaned off, fittings falling off a particularly remember looking at Avondales where every single one if it had a curtain divider it was falling off. Then we happened to look at a second hand Burstner caravan omg it was a revelation the quality was so much better. So we decided not to spend our money on a British van, in the end we bought privately a Hymer Swing, this was quite possibly the ugliest van ever made but it was indestructible. We then had a 2007 Hymer Nova which if I'm honest wasn't as well built but still very good. We now have a 2015 Hymer Nova which we love and again is very well built and designed.
Trouble with British van is it is all surface bling. Just take a look at waste water drainage not very sexy I know but you will use it. The average British van there is a good chance they will expect waste water to run up hill to multiple outlets. Hymer through traps. To a solid pipe that has a fall to a single outlet. Not exactly rocket science but beyond the capability of a British manufacturer.
At the end of the day buy what you are happy with and works for you. But do dig below the surface a little bit.
The Hymer group doesn't just include Hymer branded vans, but also Dethleffs, Burstner, LMC and Eriba (they also include Eldiss, Buccaneer, Compass etc, but these were only acquired earlier this year, so no influence on design yet).
We have a Dethleffs van, and previously had a Burstner, both of which are very well built - high spec fixtures and fittings and not a trace of damp. We've never had a UK built van, so can't compare.
I went to see some caravans over the weekend at Pearman Briggs in Gloucester, really disappointed in the quality on show, most had parts missing and most of them could have done with a damn good clean , and that was internally !
I entered a 5K Bailey caravan to find the shower in pieces, a cupboard door hanging off and shelves fallen down , needless to say I left empty handed, not that anybody would have noticed as nobody approached me in the half an hour I was there
European vans are constructed differently, have different air distribution systems, waste etc etc. The cabinatry is generally accepted to be of a better build quality BUT them may miss out on a few of the plusher finishing touches depending on the model or range (look to see if the heating is Electric (often missing) as well as gas. Microwaves are often missing.
Its not that the Europeans are skimping its just they live outdoors and don't need these things as often so leave them to the options list.
We are on our second Adria, first an Altea the base model and now an Adora. Notable step up in ket but finish is still the same high standard. The vans age better as they are more robust.
Its why the travels tend to use European vans, they stand up to more abuse and have less damp issues.
SO your pays your money and takes your choice.
Adria are the only European van maker who make vans for UK with the door on our conventional side. As its more about the interior space the vans often look odd from the outside, quite often with a front or rear with no window on it as the master fixed bed will often be at the front.
Look at Hobby, Tabbert, Knaus, Hymer and Fendt. All pure European (German) made vans. There are a few importers who seem to bring in barely used 1-2 year old stuff that is worth a look.
------------- if your not living life on the edge your taking up tooo much room
Thank you , I am planning on placing mine permanently on a site and cooking will be 'boiling a kettle' so I need few luxuries. I do fancy a fixed bed though
For what is worth. We have never had a problem, with the door being on the "wrong side". Also if you get one with a reversed layout, i.e. Bed at the front and lounge at the back then you can always pitch nose in that way your door is the right way arround.
IMO the door is not on the "wrong side", just not on the conventional side or the safer side to use alongside UK roads.
But as our travelling in the UK is rarely for 4 or more hours we don't stop on UK shallow lay-bys.
Our use of roadside stops is far greater on the Continent where we do travel the distances where a stop is needed, there the door is on the safe side.
Sites is not an issue as in our case we very rarely use the car park type of sites the two clubs offer, our preference is for 5 van sites and open field rallies.
Finally, our car port works best and our feet stay cleaner, for vans with the door on the UK off-side.
Edit: There would need to be a mega mindset change in the building of UK vans, including the offered user payloads, in the construction technology employed, plus the level of build care used and care thought acceptable, for us to ever buy another. So I confidently expect any replacement will have the door on the UK's off side.
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Topic: Adria and hymer
