sorry yes i do like the amara very much . i think it is a nice looking van, cheaper as well as lighter for towing. i had decided that were going to down size and they didnt have the 470 in the amara or i think that might have been our choice. the differences are mostly cosmetic yet i wanted the 470. i dont like the vans with out draining boards ie, the baileys and swift etc. i had a compass with draining board. my favourites were pastiche, amara or compass again, i was very sorry to see them no longer being made. ( yet in this months c&cc mag they are going to make a new model as a one off. ) this might be worth looking at.
i dont think the draining board makes less work space i still use it when colsed with a chopping board on it. i hate the hook on plastic drainers. isnt it a good thing that we are not all the same.
We wanted indoor storage and there wasn't alot of options around here. It works ok having it stored in Huddersfield though. We bring it home and keep it on the drive for a week before we go away and when we come back. We just aren't allowed to have it here all the time. We are not able to change vans until next year but just don't know what to change it to! Hence we are having a good look around as we have plenty of time.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and i'm glad you have had good service from Glossop Caravans. We do use, them for accessories as they are on our door step.
nora, thank you, yes it does help to hear other peoples perspective on things. In our current van we don't have a draining board and i have to have the work top down that covers the gas rings to prepare food and then move it all to cook it! I didn't want to have to prepare food and then move it to use the sink underneath. As you say, its a good job we're not all the same! We do tend to use the site washing up facility but thats probably because its easier at the moment. When we have a different layout it would be good to be able to wash up in the van especially during the dark/wet winter times!
We have a coachman amara and I have to say I dont feel they are worth the extra money, the thin laminate on different surfaces has to be constantly re-glued, the sink tap had to be replaced, the Cd player has stopped working, when the vans level the shower doesnt drain away, so mopping has to come into play, the door glass fell out, but I have to say a new half door was posted to the site we were on and we fixed it ourselves, and lastly when you want any repairs carried out you are told to take the van to Hull, we live in London, they have no branches in the South East, our local dealers has not had the training to repairs panels, which we needed after an accident. So I ask is the extra cash worth it
We've had our Coachman from new, a Glossop special edition and like the vast majority of Coachman owners I've spoken to we are very happy with it. Excellant build quality, stylish interior, tows like a dream, the insulation is of the same standard as Bailey alu-tec and the price and weight of ours was the same as the equivalent Lunar - not the case I realise for the bigger vans.
The special editions from Glossop are very worthwhile, I assumed it would be just cosmetic but it's not with for eg the security features a genuine upgrade from the standard Amara on which it is based.
Re servicing we have the reverse problem as we live in Yorkshire! But the way we are going about that is to get any warranty stuff done in the first year and have the first service done by them. After that we will use an approved mobile servicing firm as the warranty is with Coachman for the following 5 years.
Re Glossop I hear these rumblings about them but have never seen or heard what the issues are meant to be, we've now had two vans from them, one new and one secondhand and found them friendly and helpful, most importantly both vans were first class and good value. They do get very busy and have made the odd mistake with us but did then apologise and provided compensation for keeping us waiting for hours one time.
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Topic: Coachman Caravans
