Monday, Jul 18, 2011 at 20:42
Both of the above vans were involved in rollovers....... it's fairly clear which one survived with minimal damage. Clearly one is built stronger than the other.
I do understand that road going vans can probably be taken over some degree of terrain that they're not really constructed for, but in my humble opinion, if you want to travel over the more difficult terrain, then I would rather have purpose- built equipment...in my case I use an off-road camper trailer as it suits our budget and lifestyle for the time being.
I have been investigating caravans for about 12 months now in preparation for a prospective trip in a few years when the kids are old enough to appreciate it, and have done a LOT of reading and sussing out.
The main thing that I have learned is that there really are no 'STANDARDS' when it comes to caravans.... you only have to read a bit through this thread:
Horror Stories
to realise that purchasing one of these things is a minefield, and at the end of the day, unless you can see it being constructed at various stages, you really have no idea of what's under the 'skin'. There are so many shonky ones around. Even for road going vans, some of these would be unnacceptable and have left their owners stranded in remote areas...not something I would like to have happen to my family, nor the obvious consequences for my bank balance for the cost of recovery in remote areas.
I realise that there are some good ones at reasonable prices, but I think quality construction at a cheap price has gone the way of the do-do. You will get what you pay for. That certainly doesn't mean that everyone needs the biggest heaviest, meanest looking off-road van that costs in excess of $100k, but in my circumstance, I would rather buy something I know was built strong and with attention to detail at the start, even if a little outdated and a few years old, rather than the newest flashy van with lots of bling, that has a question mark over whether it will survive driving over the corrugated roads that Australia is so covered with.
I'm by no means any sort of authority on caravans as I have very little practical experience in their use...still researching and learning and always open to suggestions.
Cheers,
Mark
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