I can see the pros - tow them with a greater range of cars/use less petrol etc, but what are the cons, please? I've kind of ignored them because I thought they might be less well built and insulated but is that true?
if its a dry van there is not a problem.you still need to know the MTPLM.give them a ring.the van needs to be at 85% of kerbweight of car to be safe on tow.lightweight means nothing if the correct figure is not known.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
We had a lunar zenith a very light van 950kg for a for berth , and yes maybe it's not all singing and dancing but it has everything you need, and was extremely well built.
Thank you for your replies - I should clarify that we don't need to be too careful about weight, it's not a big issue for us as our tow car (Audi A4 diesel) is pretty adequate for everything we've seen so far.
It was more an issue of whether they would be as good as a standard caravan ...? I've seen a couple coming up in our price range, we're keen to buy soon, and I wondered whether to seriously consider them or whether we would be compromising on insulation/soundproofing/quality of fixtures unnecessarily
Best thing to do is go and look at one or two really, it will be your preference as to whether the fittings will suit you, but insulation shouldn't be effected.
It's definitely more flimsy than some of the other ones we've come across but it's dry, spacious and bright and does seem lightweight so should save us fuel.... It feels very long though!
There are a couple of cracks in the edges of the shower tray - will they silicon seal (as the dealer tells us) or will that cause problems?
As long as they are in the upper part of the trays lip, and not where the water would tend to gather and puddle as it drains away, you should be ok, ask him if hes prepared to give you a warantee on it, most dealers will give you at least 3months, we got six months with ours and made sure all the work needed was done before it ran out.
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Thanks Julia - yes, he's giving us 3 months warranty but says he'd probably also be flexible if something appeared a month or so outside that point.
Apologies - like an idiot I put completely the wrong link up last time! It's this van - well, not this specific one but one absolutely like it http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LUNAR-APOLLO-524-4-BERTH-CARAVAN-ISOBELLA-AWNING-1998-/180662109209 The third picture in shows the shower and the cracks in the one we are looking at (not this one, I'm making absolutely clear!!) are in the top of the left hand side of the tray, below the pipe.
I would imagine something has dropped on it - shower head or lots of shampoo bottles over time!
You should be ok to seal it if it's at the top. With 3 months to give it a good try out I would go for it, if it causes problems go back to the dealer.
It's definitely more flimsy than some of the other ones we've come across but it's dry, spacious and bright and does seem lightweight so should save us fuel.... It feels very long though!
There are a couple of cracks in the edges of the shower tray - will they silicon seal (as the dealer tells us) or will that cause problems?
Ours is the end washroom version of the same van and looks pretty similar.
It was the spacious, bright feeling that won us over. We had a couple of problems that were caused by a previous owners handiwork, and that were sorted out by the dealer under warranty shortly after we got her. Since then we have had no trouble and lots of fun!
Our van is 7 metres long, light for her size (but surprisingly robust - not at all flimsy!) and tows really well. Our dealer said that longer vans are easier to reverse and that seems to be the case, no trouble so far anyway(nearly a year now).
We have looked at a lot of newer vans since our purchase and are convinced we made the right decision.
Al + Mel - I've edited my link to show that I'd put the wrong van initially, it is the same one as yours but differently badged - I'm not quite sure what the differences are between the Apollo and the Solaris but I think they're fundamentally pretty much the same van? You sound really positive about yours, which is really encouraging. The one we are looking at is 13 years old but it doesn't feel that age at all. Is there anything you'd suggest we keep an eye out for? Unfortunately the dealer doesn't have an awning in to fit - did you buy a new one? I was going to try to price them up on Ebay before we go back tomorrow if I can stay awake long enough.
Andi - yes, the three months warranty does make us feel more comfortable buying the van, and the dealers seemed pretty genuine and uncomplicated. The warranty includes everything apart from soft furnishings - which also seems spectacularly uncomplicated compared to some we've come across....!
I think Lunar got it right with this van. I think that they do too, as the latest Quasar 524 seems to be virtually the same animal - but heavier!
As we haven't had any trouble with the van I can't think of anything to warn you about. We didn't get an awning either, but bought a Sunncamp Ultima 390 large Porch awning (2011 model) this year from Waudbys. Its pretty spacious, was quite cheap and we are impressed with the quality.
With a 3 month warranty you really can't go too far wrong. We are more than pleased with our van. We thoroughly recommend one like ours to you.
Thank you Al&Mel - I think we'll be going back for an enthusiastic second look tomorrow.
Have just started looking at awnings and discovered a whole new world of things I didn't know about ... this whole caravanning lark is an entire series of steep learning curves!!
Just a word on your awning, look for a second hand one, there's plenty about, think of it being more environmentally friendly, recycling rather than second hand
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Topic: Lightweight caravans - pros and cons?
