Hi Folks
Just joined as we're looking to purchase our first Eriba as an upgrade to camping. We were supposed to be looking in the new year but a 94 Familia 310 has come up on another forum that's local to us so I'm currently trying to persuade my husband we should look at it.
Any tips (on buying privately secondhand, not persuading husbands) welcome!
Thanks

Thanks Randa. We're in Yorkshire. No bathroom isn't an issue and I'm 5'8 and call him my ginger smurf so no worries height wise! Thanks for the signpost.

I was debating asking one of those two to source one for us. i've been watching what they sell over the last year Dom has indeed seemed to deal in newer vans whereas we'd be looking at mid 90s to keep the price down but he does advertise a findrs service. Don't want to spend more than £5k to £6k and I'd like an awning within that price.
Three birth preferred as the smurf doesn't get up early so I like the twin dinette of the 310 and it also gives the potential to take the grandaughter with us.

Good luck with your search !

You WILL find a mine of help and information from a lot of very helpful members here who have a vast experience over the 'fulll' range of 'vans, you only need to ask

Hi and Hope that you find what you are looking for.
Tom & Margaret

and happy hunting.

Robin & Pat

Hi Redfraggle, some pointers for you:
Damp is not a big issue for an Eriba because of the way it is constructed, however that doesn't mean they don't get damp. Ideally you will need a damp meter but failing that look for water marks and use your nose, if it smells musty it's probably got damp somewhere. Check the belly band area especially where the handles are and the roof line of the awning rail as the mastic can become less flexible over the years. Window rubbers can be a problem on the older vans, especially the grey rubbers that were used, the UV rays perished them a lot quicker than the black and they will almost certainly need replacing. I did all my own window rubbers at a cost about £250, a mobile engineer wanted more than a £1000. Check that the poptop stays up when raised, it's not a big job to fix, only a couple of springs. Check the canvas in the poptop for tears. Try and check the roof for repairs as there are external bolts that can come adrift and some owners have only noticed botch jobs when they looked out of their bedroom window, Check the subframe for rust as on the pre 2009 models the small box sections were not galvanised.
Sometimes the tables go missing or not original. Make sure the door fits in the gap as they can bend. If it is an older version it will have a fiberglass external gas box so check for cracks and also the hinges/lock are ok. Check that the draw bar will push in and come back out slowly, there should be a lot of resistance when pushing it in and it should come back out on its own slowly. A slack draw bar will make the brakes snatch. Check that all the gas appliances fire up and stay on including the fridge, look for condensation in the Windows, it can be sign the window has delaminated. If it is a Puck check the bed extender is ok, they use a piano hinge and can become stiff an start to pull away from the floor. Make sure the date is correct otherwise you will be paying too much if they are saying it is younger than it should be, generally the Eribas serial number starts with a 5 for a 1980's and a 6 for a 1990's the next number after it is the year, i.e. serial number starting with a 63 such as my old puck was a 1993. It's not an exact science as the French Eriba seemed to have no continuity with their numbering system.....
How to date your Eriba

Wow you guys are so helpful, thanks so much. The one I'm trying to persuade the smurf to look at it is a 94 310 twin dinette with the window rubbers replaced and a full soplair awning and winter cover advertised at £5k ovno.I was debating paying for a CC pre-purchase check but I'd expect them to not be too familiar with eriba so not sure if that's a waste of money.
This is the text from the ad, it looks like an ok buy to me, provided it's alright, which is the big question obviously.

"The van is in very good condition for its age, with all grey window seals having been replaced with the long-life black seals. There are blinds on all 4 windows and curtains on 3. The van has 12v lighting and comes complete with 240 volt electric hook-up and cable. There is a 3 way fridge, two ring gas cooker, 100ah leisure battery and lightweight 9kg calor-gas bottle. There is a a bike-rack, which attaches to the rear of the van, a small portaloo and a breathable winter cover to fit the van.

The van is in good used condition, but the gel coat on the gas box on the front of the van has slight de-lamination, which is purely cosmetic and there is one tiny dent in the rear corner, which is not really noticeable."

Is it worth persuing or will others come up between now and when we want it (early next year)?This one is 20 miles down the road from us.

They don't come up that often so may well be worth a look.

Ask about the service history, if its been regularly serviced by a registered engineer then it should be in reasonable order.

I asked via a PM and they sent me phone details etc. Maybe I'll give them a call. Wonder if Tony Lloyd would look it over for a fee, maybe I'll call him and ask if or request a full service and report from Lowdhams that I'll pay for. Happy to pay a couple of hundred quid for peace of mind.