Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Ha! I recognise some of this!We bought one 18 years ago and still have it. I've got very mixed feelings about it. I love camping, and at our age it's a comfy way of sleeping in a field. Most caravanners are nice people, and we've had some super holidays, mainly in France where we take the bikes in the back and use them almost exclusively to travel around. Municipale sites are usually small, clean and well-run, and a lot of French people use them, so we usually use these and get away from the Brits. I get a brilliant night's sleep in ours, comfier than our bed at home. It's a mid-range 2-berth Swift Challenger.
But ...
I hate it as an object. It's ridiculously flimsy and everything in it seems made for the convenience of cheap manufacture and not for long-term ownership (German vans are not like this, I am told). Carpet stapled down under the units. Water pipes and cables routed where you need to take half the van out to repair a small leak (that was this summer's fun and games.) Towel rail held on by two small self-tappers into 1/8" ply. Impossible to refix when it falls off, as it will. It's the exact opposite of everything I value in a vehicle, durability and good design.
I don't like the way it takes up useful space on the driveway.
I don't like towing it. It's not that I don't like towing, but it is so flimsy (again) that I am constantly in fear of things getting scraped off or falling off across 3 lanes of the M5.
Stupid, I know, but I don't like being that guy towing that caravan. As a driver, I just wish them all off the roads.
It costs more to service than my car.
We've had some good times in it, and my wife loves it, so it's not going anywhere. But if I were on my own, I would sell it tomorrow.
Our first Moho was a s/h 'luxury' Bailley, it was warm comfortable, spacious and well equipped for the money. But after ownership and joining a few forums found out why...it was made of cheese.
Quickly we upgraded to a s/h German Burstner, bit more expensive, less well appointed, much simpler/less gizmos but faaar better built. Finally we went mad and bought a brand new Frankia (silly expensive luxo) all the toys and more, but built like a Berlin Bunker. The point is that whereas the mass UK manufacturers sacrifice build-quality (and quality control) for features. The Germans in the past have prioritised simplicity and better construction. In Mohos and Caravans, build-quality pays-off in the long-run.
We downsized from the Luxo Frankia to a PVC as our long-term wagon, but still German (Globecar) and were also careful to choose the 'simpler' solid constructed ones (built by Dethleffs) over the newer fancier (but it seems slightly more troublesome) newer design. The build quality differences were apparent in the showroom and that clinched-it for us.
Time will tell!