Went to view a sterling Europa 540 last night absolutely loved van not fault at all until got to back end banks lower bunk to the back had 35% damp next too the storage door and storage door wouldn’t shut correctly you could see day light through it, does anyone know how easy this can be fixed the door and then cut the piece of damp and out re apply? Will it be easy? Is this a common fault with this door ?
Damp is your worst enemy if buying a caravan especially if you have no skills at undertaking damp repairs so I agree with Stuart (above post) and go look for another identical model without any damp issues.
I too agree with the above. If any caravan has damp it is invariably MUCH worse than it at first appears. What seems to be just a small patch in one corner can extend to the whole side or back panel once you start stripping things back. It is generally repairable, but it all depends whether you want a caravan to use immediately, or one that you intend to renovate over a period of months or even years. It also depends on your ability to carry out such repairs. If you don't want a "project", look elsewhere.
Hi thanks for replies.
Yes we are first time buyers but my mum dad have always had tourer my dad comes with us to view with have viewed so many caravans last few months and all have damp is there any out there with no damp
Hi, I don't know what your budget is but there are plenty out there without damp to any large degree. From what I have read on here, often the newer vans seem to have more problems than the older ones.
I have a 1992 Elddis that I bought last July, and I couldn't find any damp in it when I bought it. I still can't, and we are going away with it soon. It cost us £1,100. The last one we had cost us £500 and we had that for 4 years before any sign of problems began. Then we sold it for £550.
If you are looking for an older, starter van, then I would suggest going round the dealers in your area and asking if they have any "trade sales". They often do, or so the dealer where we got ours told us. These are often older vans that people have traded in when buying new(er) ones, but as they are regarded as "old" by the dealers they don't usually have them on display on their forecourts. Apart from the "older" styling, our current van is like new. I don't think it has been used very much at all, but has been lovingly looked after. They are out there, but it does tend to depend on where you look. "Trade sales" are usually sold without warranty, but dealers are still subject to the sale of goods act (unlike private sellers) so they don't tend to take in rubbish. I suppose it depends whether modern looks matter to you or not. They don't to us as long as everything works and we have all we need in it. Ours ticks all the boxes and has everything modern caravans have, apart from air-conditioning.
Now is peak selling time so all the rubbish will be dragged out in the hope of catching some poor unwary 1st timer desperate for a van for the summer holidays.
We have decided to wait until after summer holidays to look for one. We can’t use it until September any way as I’m working every week end! Hopefully then we find the right one, just really putting me off after so many havin damp, we’ve seen Bailey senator Arizona 06, Bailey senator India 07, swift 07 and a sterling Europa 07 and all had damp 🙈🙄
Can any one recommend best caravan we have a 2 1/2 year old and a dog so wanting 4 birth plus
That is probably a wise move Stephanie91. In my opinion, the nearer to Christmas the better.
It is very difficult for anyone to recommend any particular make or model as they seem to vary so much. Someone will say that their caravan is the best they have ever known, then someone else with the same make and model will come along and say that it is the biggest heap of rubbish ever. The only common train of thought seems to be that continental models are better made than British ones, but just how accurate that is many would question. My own personal thought is that build quality has deteriorated over the years. Corners have been cut, and pennies saved, but quality has suffered. Others will probably disagree.
Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 16/6/2018
That is probably a wise move Stephanie91. In my opinion, the nearer to Christmas the better.
It is very difficult for anyone to recommend any particular make or model as they seem to vary so much. Someone will say that their caravan is the best they have ever known, then someone else with the same make and model will come along and say that it is the biggest heap of rubbish ever. The only common train of thought seems to be that continental models are better made than British ones, but just how accurate that is many would question. My own personal thought is that build quality has deteriorated over the years. Corners have been cut, and pennies saved, but quality has suffered. Others will probably disagree.
I would agree that the build quality of modern caravans isn't great, but then modern vans have so much more tech inside that older vans didn't. So the designers have to save weight somewhere to fit all the tech inside.
The one thing I would say is that the small Elddis 304 I gave has had no damp problems (touch wood) not sure if its due to the SOLiD tech that they are using or not.
To the original poster though, if this is your first van I would suggest buying from a dealer, at least that way you'll have 12 months warranty, so if anything is found faulty, you at least have somewhere to go to get it sorted, buying privately means you could end up with a lemon.
having had one and seen others i would avoid series 5 or 6 bailies. they had problems wih cracking plastics at the front and rear ends. many were repaired under warranty and if done correctly, whith a whole new rear or front end were probably ok but many were bodged up with car body filler and paint. they also decided to join the roof to the frnt and rear with a strip accross the flat roof.
i would recommend Adria caravans, i beleive they are better built but are more basic inside. some dont have an oven for example, its not a priority for our continetal friends. i quite like the Ikea styling.
i have a 2010 coachman and its built like a brick ...out house. which is good for longevity but its very heavy so a serious tow car is needed for it. from what i can gather from coachman forums the newer models dont seem to be as well equipped as the older. curtain tiebacks, seat balsters, bunk curtains, sprung upholstery, ominivent roof fan etc... which are all on my old 2010 entry level model are now an option on the newer higher spec caravans.
i have had damp in my coachman but i have a meter and caught it quickly and repaired and its dry now.
my previous bailey was a disaster and it had to be extensively re boarded byt the dealer i bought it off...twice at which point i traded it in.
------------- First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara
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Topic: Hi first time buyer
