Hello

I'm a retired Brit and live in France with my two greyhounds. They've been telling me that they'd love to go on weekend trips to sniff the smells in new and unexplored spots and even to go on longer holidays to far away places. So I'm thinking of buying my first ever caravan to make them happy.

I'm looking at an old and cheap late 70s to 80s Puck to see how we get on. Any advice from Eriba owners as to what to look out for buying a 30+ year old van would be welcome.

The Puck appeals for several reasons. Here in France there's no need for MOTs or insurance for vans under 500kg, and being under 2m high there's no motorway charges either. I like its small size and minimalist style, as I'm used to rough camping so I don't need any mod cons.

A couple of questions though:

1 - I have a very steep driveway, about 70m long and around 18% gradient! Am I going to be able to get it up that slope with my 2016 two wheel drive 1.2 TSi Skoda Yeti ?

2 - I notice that at least one Yeti owner has had problems with his Westfalia tow bar height causing the van to be nose up. I haven't bought a tow bar yet, so is there anything I should consider before doing so?

Thanks for any advice you can give. I'm certainly hoping that my steep driveway slope won't be a no-goer!

Hello and Sorry I can't help with your questions but I am sure someone on here can answer them.

Welcome . Hope you get to enjoy your trips away with the greyhounds. Should be interesting.

. I'm guessing, as an ex greyhound slave, that this means 2 greyhounds comfy on the double bed, heads on pillows and under the duvet on nippy nights while you're in the pup tent next door.
Where are you in france? We're in Brittany on the coast half way between St Malo and Roscoff.

Yes the double berth will no doubt be stolen by the hounds, so I'll probably be left kipping in the back of the Yeti :-)

I used to live in Provence but recently moved a tad north and now in the Drome-Provencale. A bit more mountainous and we get snow in winter!

A warm welcome from the Charente, I thought that insurance was fairly standard for a remorque with the car, the van still has to be registered though with its own carte gris I believe. I have noticed an early puck near Limoge airport , might be worth knocking the door if you are around that area, if you want more details about location, email me. Good Luck

Hi Bryn

Unless I've been misled, the Puck being less than 500kg counts as a remorque and doesn't require a carte grise, nor controle téchnique or insurance. Also being under 2m tall you don't pay a surcharge on the autoroute péages. Not a big deal, but it makes life simpler (and cheaper) :-)

. Our PuckL used to slide under the height barriers on the French motorways, sadly the Troll is too high.

Maybe try letting some air out of the tyres ??? :-)

My 1997 Puck has a plate with 600 KG listed, I believe the Puck L is even heavier.

Would this just be maximum load?

I ask because I'm due to take mine across to France next year if the tunnel isn't refilled.

VIM Plate.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Hi Big Al

I'm probably not best qualified to give you a definitive answer re the plate info. But I believe the later Pucks (1995/6 onwards) are heavier than the originals. Having never towed anything before I'm not sure if the péage charges are based on weight or whether you can drive under the 2m height barrier for "cars" .

Seems size does matter! :-)

No carte grise for a puck.