Creative Caravans

Cant help you there but did you ask on the caravanersforum as well? And maybe the company can give you references.

hi donga, give dave a ring at custom caravans at smithfeild s.a and ask him about the repair job he had to do on one. cheers mark

Hi Donga,

We looked at a Creative Caravan early this year and found the quality was ok but not great, we just had a few issues with the finishing and attention to detail in our opinion.

We ended up buying from Orion Caravans, the quality was spot on and was actually cheaper than any of the dealers that we visited.

Archi

There seems to be an influx of "new" makes of vans or renaming of old ones.

Would be interesting to know who actually makes some like the above mentioned Orion, Blue Sky (Seen in Nomads yard in Brissy) also seen on a truck going north thru Coffs. Also Western??

Another make also in same yard now made in Caboolture.

Hi Donga

Yes, we own a van manufactured by Creative and we have been living in it for 2 months now. We are extremely pleased with it.

It is labelled "Trackvan" by the Qld dealer Caravan World. They are also labelled "Grant Tourer" by Vic dealer Ian Grant Caravans. Other dealers around Australia use Creatives' labels such as Tanami etc.

We purchased brand new from dealer in March (Caravan World, Sunshine Coast) and can say we had BRILLIANT service from them. They do a 'service' check on the van before handing over to you.

In terms of what was not quite right, or downright wrong....we sometimes joke that it was made by the apprentice on a Friday afternoon, but really it isnt that bad ..... finish is slightly rough, but I just got the sand paper out on all edges inside doors and vacuumed up the mess - no drama. The luxury of the finish is however very good - from all the 100's vans we looked at, it rated in top 20% for luxury finishes and generousity of coverings (ie splashbacks, upholstery). Downright wrong was that the 'heater' part of the airconditioning unit didn't work - so had to tow van 200kms to nearest service dept to get fixed. Creative are very bad at customer service - never return emails or phone calls or offer very little assistance if something goes wrong. The dealer was the opposite - great service.

What we love about it.... an amazing amount of internal space (very little waste inside cupboards - something Jayco is very bad at. An amazing amount of standard extras included in price (which is $5-$10K lower than competitors) ie BBQ (brilliant and very hot - cooks steak perfectly), the outside table, full size oven, full size fridge/freezer, DVD players for kids, great DVD tv that takes SD cards straight from my camera so I can view on the big screen. Love the shower. The toilet is excellent. The vanity roomier than it looks. Hot water service is very good. Winguard Antenna perfect. Chopping board over sink. The comments we get in the caravan park are also praiseworthy.

What we would like changed.....an extra powerpoint on dining side (to plug laptop into), an extra hatch to let in sunlight over dining table/kitchen. A magnetic fridge to stick notes/photos to it. Bathroom switches the kids could reach (light, fan). I would also like a maid to make the beds each day and clean the thing, but hey...that would be dreaming!!

It is towing very well, strong chassis but doesnt like the corrugations much. We got the 24' family van with full size bathroom - and I love the layout. It works really well with 4 people + occasional visitor. We met a family who bought the 21' with 1/2 bathroom and they were cursing their bathroom choice (too small, too wet).

If you are buying brand new, then Ian Grant Caravans in Tralagon offer the cheapest price. However, we met on the road a family from Victoria who picked theirs up same month as we did and Ian Grant (himself) set up their car tow ball, hayman reese hitch etc for them and did a very dodgy job of it. We had our rigs side by side on the road (same cars, same vans) - ours was perfectly level (car level/van level), theirs was drooping in the centre and made horrible noises every time they turned a corner. We gave them lots of advice, lots of photos of what the hitch up should look like. A week later he rang and thanked us sincerely for the help - he made the changes we suggested and no more droop, no more noises, lot safer drive.

So, all in all. No van you buy will be perfect, but Creative is getting better and better at what they do. They also offer amazing comfort and features for the price, which is $5-10K lower than its competitors. And that $5k goes a long way in buying all the extra stuff you need to set up!

We are going around Australia - onto our 3rd month. Seen a few Ian Grant Tourers by Creative on the road, but no Tanamis, and no Trackvans yet. So at this stage, there are only a few out there, but I think the market will wise up and will soon see a lot more.

Check out March 2010 issue of Caravan World magazine. There is a review of Creative's 24' family tourer labelled Trackvan in it.

Cheers
On the Road to Discovery