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Hi.

Just joined the forum as me and my partner are thinking seriously about buying an Eriba caravan (we have looked also at Freedom caravans but the Eriba seem nicer even if prices tend to be higher for this iconic design). We’re very uncertain about a lot of things:

* We’ve never caravanned before. I’ve had a Mazdo Bongo MPV/campervan for many years and have camped a bit in that, with a Khyam Motordome side awning, but our choice of sites may be less with a caravan (esp as my Bongo is 2wd so would not tow well out of muddy fields). What is a typical cost per night for a small caravan and car with 2 adults, and is it best to join a club (Caravan Club or Camping and Caravanning Club?) to get better prices and choice? Also, I’ve heard stories of silly prices for pitches what with interest in camping and caravanning increasing but is this actually the case?

* Is there a way we can hire an Eriba to find out how well we get along in a small caravan (we’re both 60+ and I’m 6ft tall and don’t bend as well as I used to!)

* Should we buy from a specialist dealer (for example, I’ve seen there is Eriba Caravan Sales in Barrowford, East Lancs which is not far from us) or hope to buy cheaper by buying private / on ebay.

* We think (due to space limitations on my drive, where we hope to keep it as we’re nervous about an Eriba in remote caravan storage) that the Puck / Puck 120 / Puck 120 GT / Puck 230 GT is probably the best model for us. The 230 GT seems to have a longer lifting roof section so maybe that’s better with me being tall? We think we’ll have to make do without a dedicated toilet/shower and maybe use a side awning for that (I have a quick erect Khyam Motordome Tourer - might that work with the rail height of a Puck?)

* I get the impression Eriba build quality is fairly bullet proof but are there things we need to watch out for especially as we might be buying something that is 20+ years old after all as our budget is limited?

Phew – that’s a lot of questions. We’d be grateful for any thoughts or comments any of you might have and thanks in advance.

Mike & Trish

First thing you should do is take a look at some. Just to let you know that the bed in a Puck 120 is not long enough for a 6 footer, but it has a little flap to fold up to extend it on the right hand side. The Puck L is a little longer/taller. I've never been on any campsite where I would have to tow on muddy fields. For cost of camping just find a campsite you like on google maps then check out their website.

Wow, such quick AND useful replies. Thanks++ and all points noted. We're using search also to try and read up but nothing beats asking your own specific questions and getting direct answers, so thanks again.

P.S. We'd not picked up on Puck L or seen any for sale. Are the Puck 120 GT and 230 GT also short in the bed department (!)

HI Mike and Trish. We joined the caravan and motorhome club so that we could access their Certified Locations. These are small sites (5 units only) with or without facilities and are of a reasonable price which is particularly noticeable in high season. We were away 10 days ago for £15 per night including electricity, shower and loo block and dog walk. Next weekend in mid August, we have the same facilities (except dog walk) for £13 per night. We also use the club for foreign travel insurance and infact general Eriba insurance. The caravan and camping club also offer Certified Location sites. We sometimes use bigger sites out of seaon but do not like really big sites particulalry and we do not like to be told which way to park our Eriba.
I really like the long Puck as the bed is big and it is an airy van. . I would think the small Puck would be too small for you - it is tiny. We have a Familia which we love but we sleep across ways and that may be too short for you, you would fit I think but it might feel restricted. As others say, go have a look at some. Automotive Leisure in Poole is a good place to start.
We bought ours privately and were lucky to find a good one.
Best of luck to you. I don't think that you will regret it, Julia

whichever one you choose, have fun. We love ours. She's 20 this year and we bought her 3 years ago. We have had very few problems. Yann found a little rust underneath that he treated and the electric part of the fridge broke down, now replaced. Everything else is perfect. This place is your best source for repairs, help etc.

Thanks everyone for the further replies and advice - such a great help. Incidentally, one technical issue that is delaying me in replying is that I can't get the forum t work on my phone. I try to log in but every time it says that the Captcha letters I've entered are incorrect. So I can' t log in and reply etc. So I have to wait until I'm near my laptop and access the forum using that as it doesn't have the same problem. Have others reported a similar problem on the forum and/or a way around it? Mike and Trish.

P.S. Something else that is vexing us is how to have a look over the various Eriba types (especially the Puck and Puck L of course). Tony Lloyd at Eriba Caravan Sales is not far from us but we're not sure if he holds much stock and his prices might be above our budget (for example, we're hoping to find an early 2000s model on a budget of 10k max). Then again, even his older ones look in v good condition so we're guessing he only buys / imports good ones. So maybe an older one from him is as good as a newer one bought from an uncertain / private source? We could travel to inspect private ones but they are not necessarily local to us so a lot of travelling / time needed. All thoughts welcome though of course its up to us to make up our minds on all that!

Let Tony know what you are interested in and I'm sure he would accomodate a viewing. They have a deposit taken on a Puck 120GT so that may be available for viewing.

Thanks Steve and Debbie - will get in touch with him. He sounds like a genuine enthusiast and someone it would be very safe to buy from, also would understand the budget dilemma.

In my opinion the older vans look more retro. Mine is a 2005 Puck 120 GT and has more modern "embellishments" around the rear lights, push handles and wheel covers which to be honest are not well made and crack easily. I would buy the newest model that is still old fashioned if I had the choice again.

Finally found a moment to get on the laptop and read latest replies. Lots of really useful tips and thanks everyone very much again. Early days for us but I'm doing my homework :-)

Welcome Mike & Trish. We were first timers to Eribas (and caravanning) this year, and we've not regretted it for one minute (weather's helped!). As it's our 40th anniversary this year, we've a target to do 40 nights in Pedro..30 nights so far!
Anyway, we bought ours from Automotive Leisure near Poole, and whilst the view generally is that they are probably the most expensive, they did give us a good service, and more importantly perhaps, they did have a huge range of different models stretching back to the 90's, so you can really compare different types. Even if you buy elsewhere, it's worth making a trip there to look over the different styles sizes etc. I suppose it depends on where you live - we're 3 hours away, but it was still worth it.
All the best with the search.

Thanks for that advice Ron and Angela and Trish was actually saying to me a couple of days back that we should do just that. Its a long and tedious trip from Manchester but we've been thinking about a break down that way at some point so perhaps could combine the two. You certainly picked a good year to start Eriba'ing!