we currently have a coachman amara 380/2, whilst we are impressed with quality and spec, we are fed up with making up the bed each morning. we are looking for a fixed bed but not too big a van. yesterday we came across a sterling europa 470, it seemed to fit the bill, anyone got experieces of this van?, any comments would be appreciated.
We have an Abbey Freestyle 480, which is really the same van. We're new at this and hardly qualified to offer opinions, but in case the more knowledgeable aren't going to answer - here goes.
We bought her new last September - our first van. We think she's lovely.
I'm a bit of an insomniac and it's very useful being able to split the van so I can read and have a cuppa in the lounge end without disturbing the missus in bed. She's warm and cosy (the van) and has everything we could want.
Her weakest point is the size of the toilet/shower, but at 21' something has to be a compromise.
Although she is supposed to be a 4 berth, and could actually sleep that number, she just doesn,t have the floor space for all those people wandering around.
For the two of us she's just great.
Hope this helps. If you need any specific info, just ask
Sterling, Swift, Abbey, Ace and Sprite are now all brands in the Swift Group. Many of the layouts are the same, but there are differences in woodwork and upholstery finishes.
We have just ordered a europa 495 which is very similar to 470 just slightly longer.
I looked around at other models and stumbled across these by mistake but am really glad I did, some really nice touches and more space than some models we looked at, well worth a view in my opinion.
yes still got coachman until thursday when i will be taking it to dealers so trade in is sorted before new van arrives which is being built at the moment.
we decided we wanted fixed bed as my wife has back problems and current beds cause problems for her. After looking around websites and magazines we narrowed it down to Bailey or Avondale so we went to look at dealers and quickly decided that we didnt like either, I know both are very popular vans but just not for us.
When we were at avondale dealer they were also dealer for sterling so we looked at these and couldnt believe that these were just what we were after, Great layout plenty of space and storage areas very high spec with free upgrade pack of cd, digital fridge and built in microwave so we ordered it £12500.00 although coachman are a well built van the spec we wanted was about £3000.00 more than this and i couldnt justify this
I also have a Sterling Europa, bought last year probably from the same dealer. (F*y$)
Just a word of warning. Be prepared to be knocked down on your trade in.
Like you, I did the deal beforehand. And took my old Bailey in 2 weeks before collecting the Sterling. They went over it, and despite the mechanic telling me it was in good condition, they picked up 2 small dents (pea size) on the body.
They knocked £400 off the agreed PX price to repair them, despite me pointing out 2nd hand caravans (on their site) with similar dents. Their answer was they repair them after they are sold.
In the end (the thought of a new caravan clouds the judgement) we accepted the lower figure, but it soured the whole deal.
Since then, the dealers have been great, we needed a warranty job doing, and got it done with no trouble, but I wouldn't buy from them again without getting a proper price first.
Let us know how you get on.
Paul
------------- "Whether you think you can, or think you can't... You're right"
Ours is a sterling europa 490 plenty of room there is me, hubby,16 yr old daughter, 14 yr old daughter and a 9mth old yorkie lol sometimes we also take our 17 yr old niece.
yes that the dealer at hutton cranswick. I am expecting to be knocked down when they inspect it as although its a good clean caravan i have spotted a couple of problems myself which i know they will pick up.
They have offered me £2850.00 for mine which is already less than its worth but the market is just about to be flooded with secondhand vans around here so this will affect all prices
I took it today as previously stated and when checked by their engineer he found I had damp, I watched as the meter flashed red all over the front panel of the van so the £2850.00 has now dropped to £850.00 which means I now have to find £2000.00 extra I could say it has spoilt things for me but as I previously said I had spotted the problem but I just didnt realise the extent.
It just shows how damp can get hold of a caravan and ruin things because the problem I spotted was a very small piece and there was definitely no smell, More regular checks in the future I think especially with new caravan.
I now have to put this to the back of my mind and look forward to the new one.
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: sterling caravans
