So thats what avtur record is for, 'number of vehicles held up in a queue', sneaky old bugga!!!

So I take it npinks, that you have been pleased with the 540?? we looked at that too, as we liked the bunks at the back but were worried the wifes great big butt would not fit the washroom whilst having a shower!!! (sorry dear she is actually a size 10, 9st 3lbs!!), so thats why we looked at the 600. No decision made as yet still weighing up costs. Think we prefer the bigger van, but have budget as yours was for the 540. Trouble is if we spend less we get the lower spec Sprite, or if we keep with the bigger van and your Sterling spec it costs us more....I am just trying to weigh up the value of the extras over the cheaper Sprite....difference is about £2K. decisions, decisions!!!

Last edited by carlfraz on 19th Sep 2007 7:55 pm. Edited 1 time in total

I would consider saving money on the stereo, and all the conectors at at the back of the black plastic filler plate that covers the hole were they put the radios in on the swift models.

Saying that some caravan have a CD/DVD radio with output socket for the TV so you don't need the extra dvd player to entertain the kids.

I know you'll be thinking they wouldn't want a TV, its the great outdoor adventuer of a life time, but its great for my son to watch Postman Pat and Bod the Builder, and for the wife to watch Corry

If I order before Dec 31st they will throw in the CD / radio/MP3 player and a microwave , and something else free of charge, the offer is from swift , so this makes the decision towards the dearer van bettrr value as the same offer is not on the cheaper Sprite, plus the dealer will throw in a 'cheap ' awning' wheel clamp, hitch lock water carrier and other bits too????

Last edited by carlfraz on 19th Sep 2007 5:57 pm. Edited 2 times in total

i bought my Europa 525 due to its larger end bathroom, and had the side dinnette perminatly made into a bed for the young one as when he was in that van he slept at various times of the day, and we lost those seats.

That was the reason we changed, but, we also found that been members of the Caravan Club we were stopping at sites that have clean shower blocks so there is no need to use the vans shower. (You need to bring the water to the van, and then take it back to the drain when you have finished with it, (wether showering or washing the pots)

I like the quality of the Stirlings and other Swift group van, yes there is the build quality, I think with all vans, but they are assembled by hand and they use the lightest wood available.

Another thing I would look at it the seats, some have foam and some have springs, the latter been more comfy.

Yeh, the foam seats (cheap seats) are on the Sprite models, you in the 'posh seats' get the springs!!! When you are sitting for two minutes the foam seem fine, but an hour of Bob the Buider and Corry may be a different story. Interesting point on the showers!!! But feel I would rather the privacy of the van and then the walk to empty and fill up the water tanks, give me something to do whilst shes watching Corry

carlfraz wrote:

But feel I would rather the privacy of the van and then the walk to empty and fill up the water tanks, give me something to do whilst shes watching Corry

I would keep a close eye on the MPLTM rather than the MIRO the difference between the two is your loading margin, if you have two kids and the two of you then you need as big a loading margin as possible.I personally try not to exceed 855 of kerb weight of vehicle but do accept that the more you stow in the car the greater is the kerb weight.The nose weight limit on an F2 is quite generous but again I would look twice at carrying 4 bikes on the towbar as you can easily use up 50% of limit with the bikes alone.we have towed caravans for 30 years now and reccon theF2 is our best towcar yet.On German autobahns 75 to 80 mph is fine even when you get overtaken by a hearse doing about 120!!! I have an exlporer group caravan with the swing V-tec chassis for added stability but think that the new electronic stability gadget that can be fitted to all new alko chassis vans is also woirth looking at. We have covered 7500 miles with the caravan on this year and i woulddn't swap the caravan or the car as the outfit has performed brilliantly. At speed I get 25 mpg towing and as a comparison 39.5 solo.

Sorry should have read 85% of kerbweight

Thnks Tandemman, I have seen the 85% ratio rule for car to van. They suggest only experienced vanners go higher but this is not recommended

To be honest it depends more on how you load the van . It is easy to increase the kerbweight of the car by putting lots of heavy stuff between the axles{on floor in rear seat area if your kids have shortish legs ) the noseweight limit is set by landrover and you adjust the fore and aft loading of the van to achieve this figure. just dont put heavy items high up or towards the extremes of the van and you,d be fine.Some vans inherently tow better than others on different vehicles and any dealer worth knowing would allow you to test tow a van and would ballast it accordingly to acheive a realistic impression of a fully loaded van.

Noboby has talked about weights yet? We tow 1500 max permissible weight with a FL2 and this is just about right, certainly wouldn't want anything heavier. It is worth checking how much pay load you get with the one you are looking at (what you can pile into it and still keep within the weight limit) With two kids and all their equipment it is very easy to be over the weight limit. We came back from France in June and put it over a weigh bridge on the way back, with just two of us we were overweight by about 2 crates of wine! I presume insurance would be invalid if you exceed max weight?
Remember a caravan moover and an awning if you carry it in the van need to come out of the pay load.
Are you sure you want an end bathroom? We had one first time and found we never used it. Sites have brilliant facilities both here and in Europe. Remember if you use the one on board you will be the one to cart the water in and cart it away again. We find small shower room and more living room a better option.
Oh, and have you looked at the Caravan Club web site yet. Lots of useful info.
Happy caravanning!!

Cheers fr advice fellas keep it coming as you think of things

Something else to think about is the kids sleeping areas

Can you separte them from the caravan, and by what means a curtain or a sliding door.

There is some vans that have a table at the rear, which converts to beds, normally 2 singles or a double, sometimes with a bunk above. These areas can be usefull as a kids area where they can draw and colour in and do the things kids love to do like make noise.

But they are at the other side of the van, doing this, give you space when needed.

But then again so does a awning.

Bloody Hell Carl ... what have you done .... this must be one of the fastest growing threads on the forum?

Yes avtur is a "shed tugger" and pround if it too. As for holding people up, that must be long lost twin you're thinking of ... (though i do hold people up when I'm in a 55-60 ton fuel truck!)

There's tons to go at on caravans, if you've not bought by the time we get to Tong we can chat there.

If memory serves me correctly there a couple of caravan shows in the next few months, they're a good day out, even with family.

Electric mover is WELL worth considering, could set you back £800 - £1000 but they are so useful.

Are you aware of different width vans, our van is 2.29metres (max is 2.30) the extra few inches makes all the difference ...

There are a number of web forums for 'vans, this one is pretty good http://touringandtenting.com/forums/

Can't remember off the top of my head but does the auto FL2 have the same towing capacity as the manual? Auto's sometimes have reduced limits.

Last edited by avtur on 19th Sep 2007 2:40 pm. Edited 1 time in total

The towing capacity for both is indeed 2 tons.