we have decided to sell our fc and buy a used caravan.the layout we think would be best (2ad+2 kids) is with fixed bunk and dinette at back so we can shut the kids away in the evenings!!whilst looking we stumbled across the likes of geist,dethleff and we really like the look of them.just wondering if anyone has any advice or tips of what to look out for?are they easy 2 insure??thanks in anticipation.....
I liked very much the german vans when i was looking for a first caravan great build quality, etc. I quickly realised that the con's can out weigh the pro's, SO DO YOUR RESEARCH VERY CAREFULLY.
I was disappointed when i turned my back on the german van route at the time, but i am now pleased i went british!
I went the Geist route 6 years ago and am still very pleased. Good quality fittings and wearing well. My choice, others differ. It is a personal decision which, as has been said,needs careful consideration.
Quote: Originally posted by adrian06 on 09/5/2011I went the Geist route 6 years ago and am still very pleased. Good quality fittings and wearing well. My choice, others differ. It is a personal decision which, as has been said,needs careful consideration.
Very true statement here too. It is indeed a personal decision. What puts some people off may not make a jot of difference to others. The only way to find your personal preference is to weigh up all the pro's and cons. I did a tick sheet for both german and british vans and it was the british van that ticked most boxes, others on the forum have favoured the german route. Things to consider are:
Size of van ( german vans can be wider)
Insurance (you may pay a premium with german and somtimes not even get insurance)
Build quality
Handing (german vans may have the door on the drivers side which is not ideal)
Layouts (traditional british layout does seem to differ to german)
Will all your favourite sites accept non british vans? some dont!
Etc, Etc
We've had our Burstner for 4 years and love it. We've never seen a British van we like better (and we've looked at hundreds). We lived in it for over a year, touring round Europe. It's still as solid as a rock and dry as a bone. Having the door on the "wrong" side has never proved a problem in the UK, and is an advantage abroad. Several dealers of British vans tried to put us off with stories of insurance problems and hostile campsites but we.ve never had any problems. In fact, if a campsite wouldn't accept a German van I'd report them to the police for discrimination. The build quality is superb - you can jump up and down on the roof. We even drove it into a tree - not intentionally!! - and the damage was negligible. Of course it might bother some people to look a bit different on a site when surrounded by Baileys and Swifts, but we like to be individual rather than follow the herd!
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
The small number of campsites that don't accept non british vans are not really bothered about what country the van is manufactured or what side of the van the door is on. The reason is because rightly or wrongly they don't want to accept travellers/Gypsies on their site's. No Non British vans is their polite way of saying no travellers. I would like to add this post is without prejudice and i don't have a problem with Travellers.
As regards insurance, i virtually couldn't get it for a hobby i was interested in. Frequent insurance companies said they don't insure continental vans because they are more ripe for theft than a british caravan.
I agree on Build quality, German vans seem better, although i think the new british construction methods are catching up with the likes of Swift. You can also get german vans wider and legally tow then now in the uk although length may still be an issue.
Like already mentioned, a continental van will suit some down to the ground and thats Great. Others will be put off with certain issues as mentioned. my intention was not to create an british vs non british argument, but to say to the OP that thought is needed before jumping in!
Lol not recommended tree van crash testing lol.
I dont have a german van but we seriously looked at one point , but was told ' not all sites let you on ect ect' but in all my travels every site I go to there is a few geist,dethleff burstner ect, so I think that must be a myth, what about all the tourists who come over here with their german vans ? Wouldn't be very euro pc if sites said no Germans as in vans would it?
If you really like it and it ticks the boxes and your car can legally tow it, then you should go with what feels right.
Most sites will have you on with a continental van. If they don't go elsewhere.
Two sites i was frequent at in my tent days in north wales said no when i told them i was thinking of a hobby, which would have been a shame and that did have an effect on my decision.
BTW iwalani the Burstner in your gallery does look a great caravan.
thnks for all your comments-i did wonder if insuring it would be a problem and i've also heard a lot dont have ovens on board?tbh we're not even sure what we can tow with our megane estate-still in the very early stages of looking and weighing up the options.there just seems to be more choice for the layout we want with the german ones,correct me if i'm wrong!!!really looking forward to finding the right van-on the down side though we'll be sad 2 see our pathfinder go.....:(
I have had two european caravans since I started caravanning, the first in 1992 was a Belgian De Reu and I had no problem insuring that one even though it was a very obscure make. I used that for three years until I wanted something larger. I bought the Hymer in 2003 because I was completely fed up with Uk vans that leaked and once wet simply rotted away. I have had no such problems with the Hymer, no problems insuring, no problems being turned away from sites, no problems with the door on the European side, No problems with poor build quality, in fact no problems at all. Would I have enother if I ever need to replace this one, like a shot. The only problem is that they are too good and the price has shot up.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
We've got a Geist - got an insurance quote from every company I tried and never had any problem getting onto a site (99% of the time, the people in reception don't even see the van and I've never been asked the make).
Ours is UK spec with the door on the right side but our friends have a Hymer (door on the other side) and they have never had insurance or site access issues.
Most German vans tend to be heavier than the equivalent British version (ours is plated to be 1500kg but another owner said he took his to a weighbridge and it came out at 1600kg ), so I'm not sure if a Megane estate will be hefty enough. Often, European vans did have different specs (no oven, for example) because that is just European preference but others do have them, so obviously you check the spec (as you'd do for any van).
PS: at an agricultural show last weekend, the travellers/gypsies running one of the rides had a Geist and...a Bailey Ranger.
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
nelmo i think you are right regarding the weight-i think our max is around 1350 but obviously that will be one of the first things we check before we make any decisions.thats half my trouble-i dont do decisions!!!!!!!could be the longest caravan purchase ever.....!
Well in nine years of owning German van's I have never yet come across any resistance from any site. I have been asked to pitch hitch first once or twice to keep the orderly awnings to port site layout.
Re insurance, we were in the early days asked if it was a personal import if it was UK legal.
Insurance is expensive only because the van's are very expensive to replace new for old; I have no reason to believe they were loaded because of being German, it was purely based on replacement cost.
I dont know about "quality" our decision was based on excellence of construction technique of both the body and furniture. The appliances are the same German kit fitted in UK van's.
Layouts and fitted kit vary; ours have had ovens and Alde heating and the layout is shared with some UK vans.
It is fair to say there is a bigger market over there for more basically equipped vans, including those only suitable for use on EHU [no battery ans associated kit] and also a culture for more outdoor living that in the UK. So at the bottom end there are some pretty basic vans on offer. However the vans marketed for those following winter sports can be exceptionally well appointed but come at a very high price.
With the rugged construction techniques we went for they are quite heavy. However in this regard do your homework as Germany legislation has long required the van's MIRO really is that; not with vital equipment like gas, cable, step, battery, spare-wheel etc left out as was until recently the case here. Also in my experience they came with more generous user payloads, so these aspects combined you really do need to check you are comparing like with like on the weight front.
They also generally feature single front windows [or rear] offering a panoramic view from the lounge, something we are very keen to have.
We liked our first so much we purchased another six years down the line; I cant see us coming back to a UK van anytime soon but we watch with interest Bailey's brave attempts to technically pull the UK industry forward.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: german vans
), so I'm not sure if a Megane estate will be hefty enough. Often, European vans did have different specs (no oven, for example) because that is just European preference but others do have them, so obviously you check the spec (as you'd do for any van).
