After months of thinking about replacing our caravan, and weeks of looking at second hand vans, we have decided to replace our 2004 Coachman.
Have narrowed it down to either a Sterling Eccles Ruby, or Swift Challenger 570, 2010 to 2011 models as this seems to be the best layout for us, like the fixtures and fittings, and in our budget range.
My question is this.... if buying privately then I guess distance travelled to purchase really doesn't come in to it, only the time aspect. But if buying from a dealer with a warranty of some sort, then I guess there has to be a limit in case of any issues.
What in your views would be a reasonable distance to travel? or are the warranties just an insurance policy that other approved dealers can carry out work to repair and claim off the insurance?
Warranty issues once maker warranty has expired is only with supplying dealer so buy fairly local. I would. You can decide how far you might want to tow caravan to get work done on it. Non warranty work, ie servicing can be done at your nearest workshop or mobile fitter.
Hi
We live in Derbyshire, and bought ours in Bridlington.
12 Months warranty and 3 years Bailey warranty left.
Got home after a weekend and roof light was broken.
New one sent out direct to home address and my local mobile fitter replaced.
All paid for by dealer we bought the van from.
So you don't have to be local.
We live South Drbyshire and buy from Chichester caravans at Bromsgrove ( about an hour away). We have needed warranty work on two occasions due to breakdowns of pump and tap ... on both occasions the dealer posted out replacements to the French campsites we were on and fitting was quite simple and a DIY job. Service is done at a local approved workshop which we have used for several years and which is happy to do warranty work subject to getting approval.
Quote: Originally posted by Opensauce on 22/3/2017
Was this warranty work within manufacturer warranty period or dealer supplied warranty on older caravan?
went from scotland to north wales 2 weekends ago with a friend to buy privately. very few very lightweight caravans about so had to travel south. 600 mile round trip and got a cracking little van
I bought private so not sure my situation is of any interest other than I wonder if its the longest journey someone has gone for a local spec van (ie not an import)
We are from about 15 miles SW of Belfast in N.Ireland and we went to the East of Scotland for a van. There are a lot of Adria in Scotland as there seems to be three dealers, while very few in Ireland as there is only one dealer. That was 30 min in jeep, 3 hrs on Ferry then a four and a half drive to just see the van. Luckly we bough it so at least not a wasted journey.
------------- if your not living life on the edge your taking up tooo much room
So where are we now then? Some dealers may bend over backwards to honour warranty. Others we read about on here do their best to slide out of their responsibilities. It's true enough that if you live a short distance from a dealer he knows you can be on his case a lot easier than if you live 100miles away.
Has the advice so far been of assistance to the op in any way?
Grahame and myself seem to have worked out fine, but then again may not for others.
But that does not mean you have to be scared to travel?
You may also get a bad deal local to you.
Thanks guys for the input. I think when the time is right and we find "the one", be it near or far, you just go with your gut instinct and you get a feel for the right one whether that be a private purchase or a dealer one with some warranty. Having had used cars with so called warranties sometimes it appears more things are not covered than actually are.
When I think of a couple of things that have packed up on our van in the 4 years we have owned her they would not be covered anyway, more wear and tear items....
Yes. The op has his answer. Buying a s/h caravan is just a lottery. good/bad dealers. Good/bad caravans. Wherever you are in the country & wherever you travel...
Wasn't there a big issue with 2011 -2012 Swift caravans suffering from damp and this was featured on a consumer program called "Don't get done, call Dom"? A Google for "damp 2012 Swift" brings up quite a number of hits.
I believe there was an issue from 2011, but believed it was with the later new design Swift caravans. The 2010/11 570 we are looking for is the one with the washroom window on the back panel, not the off side rear newer design.
If you are worried about the dealer lottery,then approach the manufacturer direct.
When we purchased a trailer tent, we went to Bunnik in Holland to get it. It was signed off to us by a director of the company ( the owner's daughter!)
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: How far to to travel for new purchase??
