I've just checked Leisure First's website and it would seem that a 2018 Troll will cost you about £20k.

Well, how about a 2018 Eriba with legendary built quality, large washroom with separate shower cubicle and wardrobe. Alde heating, oven, microwave, radio, TV, 2m lounge benches, motor mover, exterior sockets etc, etc, all for £14,500. There are two for sale at that price and another for £16,500.

Not poptops but Eriba Nova's, in fact the last of the 'real' hard core Eriba Nova's, before Thor Industries canned them and went Light. Superbly built and one of Erwin's favourites and they're £6k less than the same age Touring.

An interesting post Andy and you are making a good point.

However as an ex-tenter of many decades the poptop was the very thing that made the Tourer so unique (along with a couple of other less well put together makes) and seperated it from all the BWBs. It is a caravan with some of the attributes of a tent.

Kath and I still remember the first night we spent in it on site near Dorchester. It was a hot night but a lovely gentle breeze blew in through the vents in the Poptop and we realised that we were on to a winner...................and on those difficult stormy nights when in the past you had concerns about your family tent blowing down around you, you simply fastened the Poptop down.

So whilst I don't think your feed is sacrilege and agree that the Nova could be an excellent buy for some, for devoted Poptoppers like us a Nova wouldn't hit the mark.......................

MikeT

I guess the only problem is weight.

IIRC in standard spec. they were 1440kg ex Bad Waldsee and could be had with 1600, 1700 or 1800kg MTPLM's.

However the ones brought in by Lowdhams were to their spec. and weighed around 1520kg with oven, TV, Alde etc (warm air was the standard heating) and they were available with either 1700kg or 1800kg.

If the 1520kg empty weight is correct then with our gear it'll weigh around 1650kg plus and even with 80kg on the hitch it would mean dragging 1570kg plus and the Karoq has a 1500kg limit.

I would be interested to hear if there is a reference for subtracting the hitch load from the mass of the trailer to arrive at the towed weight.

Exactly right Colin, the hitchweight is borne by the towcar rear axle via the towbar. It therefore reduces the weight that transmits to the road via the wheels.

Effectively the hitch weight becomes part of the car's weight, so the weight the car tows is reduced. Obviously it can't be counted twice as part of the car and part of the caravan.

and what is the issue with Leisure First? I was looking for an Eriba 430GT for a while and checked dealers and private listings. I found what i considered to be the best option - a 2008 430GT Touring with usual spec (gas/electric boiler; gas electric heater; 3-way fridge; 3 burner hob; and shower; flyscreens and blackout blinds)

we travelled 460 miles to check it out - after a very honest video of the quality and condition of the van - and were treated to excellent customer service from Cameron of Leisure First. after a detailed inspection we decided to buy. Cameron also said he would match the lowest price on the internet for a Dometic 340 PopAir Plus awning - so we bought that as well.

so there is a market for specific Eriba models and there is a limited supply - so you pay what you think it is worth - no point throwing some what ifs in the air

We bought our 540GT from Cameron in 2016 when he was a young lad at Automotive Leisure (now LF).

We were total novices and new to the world of caravans. We went to Pools and he spent 2 hours with us taking us in all the Eribas and talking about the pros & cons of everything Eriba Touiring. He was so helpful and spent time with us working out what we needed. We kept in contact over a few months and eventually ordered a new 540GT from him.

He was equally brilliant with us when we went to collect it some 6 months later. We would recommend him to anyone.

MkeT

I just mentioned LF because they are a bellwether for used Eriba Touring prices, nothing else.

The point being the comparison in used pricing between used Trolls and used Nova 2 berth vans. Novas, before they were lightened, were arguably the strongest made, best fitted out range of vans on the planet and yet the Touring range Trolls attract a £4k premium on them. That's not really logical.

As always it’s down to supply and demand; in this case there’s more demand for the lighter, more iconic pop-tops.
Our son has just traded in his nova for a Hymer motor home and it was phenomenally well-made, but soooo heavy.

Makes more sense compared to the 620 perhaps?

Quote: Steamdrivenandy wrote in post #7

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Effectively the hitch weight becomes part of the car's weight, so the weight the car tows is reduced. Obviously it can't be counted twice as part of the car and part of the caravan.

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This has been discussed at length on CT and a contributor who is a retired GM car design engineer has confirmed that the noseweight of any trailer is part of the car's gross weight, transmitted to the ground by the car's rear wheels. Therefore the towable mass of the caravan does not include the noseweight which is transmitted to the ground by the caravan wheels. It follows that if you load your van to it's MTPLM, you'll be putting MTPLM minus noseweight through the van axle.
The only legalweight limitson a car are those plated limits of gross weight, train weight and the axle limit its. It is perfectly sound to tow a van as long as the train weight isn't exceeded. The only comeback a car manufacturer has, if they suspect damage has been caused by towing over their limit is to repudiate any warranty.

No, it's actual weight that counts legally. The enforcement officers may have their suspicions roused by plated weights but unless you actually exceed them you're totally legal.