Buying a caravan - Part 4 - Coachman

Part 4 of our buying a new caravan series. We visited Highbridge Caravans, based in Burnham on Sea in Somerset. We looked at a couple of Coachman caravans from the Coachman Pastiche 545, to the Pastiche 575 and the Coachman VIP 650.
Links to the Coachman range : www.coachman.c...
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[@HereWeTow]

Superb vid and yes the etiquette for buying a van is look elsewhere when someone is in it, I don’t know how you can go in when someone is looking around unless it’s at one of the NEC shows and then the gloves are off. 😂😂👍

[@dawnallard6841]

Here we Tow gloves are off and elbows are in..

[@kernowcapers6199]

We love looking at caravans (plus Broadlane at Alcester has a fantastic coffee shop) but always come away pleased and satisfied we have our lovely old girl. If we ever decide to get a newer one, I think it will take us months to choose. 😂

[@paulreimers6805]

Dan thanku for liking the 650 we have the laser 650 2017 with air con we tow with a new x5 and me and wife are 5f 11 we have no problem anyway thanks for saying you like our van!

[@davereynolds3682]

Coachman 545 ? Nice van, but our SPRITE has the exact same layout, the island bed works well for us, and I'm a big lad, plus £11,000 cheaper. . . No brainer. Good luck with the search, hope something catches your eye soon. All the best, Black Country Dave.

[@CaravanChitChat]

Absolutely shocking how some used caravans are presented, we found that when we were looking around which is one reason we decided to go new!

[@jasetheace71]

That's the layout we want...mid bathroom, full width... so you don't disturb other people sleeping if ya need the loo in the night:-)

[@andy44646]

You have such a natural presenting talent..you really should be on tv with your own slot 🇬🇧

[@TheTrudgians]

Thank you - thats incredibly kind of you to say. Have a great weekend. Dan

[@Rusty_Pumper]

It’s a real shame Mrs T isn’t keen on the Unicorn colours because the Cabrera is a cracking van and a lot cheaper and lighter than the coachman

[@CC-fz7ix]

Hi Dan. I honestly believe that when you look at a Lunar Delta Ti, it'll be the van for you. We upgraded from a Sprite Major 4 SB earlier this year and, much as we loved the Sprite - it was our first 'van - we are absolutely delighted with the Delta Ti - same layout as the Sprite but bigger and a more luxurious. The Lunar is so light for a big twin axle van too - ours has 4x4 motor mover and MRO is 1568 kg. Your X5 should eat that.

[@CC-fz7ix]

BTW - we got our 2017 Delta Ti (built in November 2017 - but we were the first owners so brand new in April 2018) for £22,995. Happy!

[@angelbabygoth.]

I agree! I just hate it when someone walks in the Caravan that your sitting in having a PRIVATE FAMILY CONVERSATION and they just walk in casually and look around themselves. It’s so annoying!

[@peterhardy5011]

Unbelievable that they had that coachman for sale in that condition at that price !, I would be expecting no breakages what so ever when the forecourt price is hitting 20 K me thinks that could well be a dealership to avoid.

[@Caravanningwiththehoopers]

I do love the coachman vip but none of the layouts did it for us, we had a good look at the 675 vip but the main problem we found was when you pulled the bed out it didn’t leave much room for our boys to get round the bed to get to the loo, it really needs to be 8ft wide, I am eager to see their 2019 range though to see if they do either come up with a better layout or do go 8ft wide

[@johnhilton1360]

Hi dan I love coachman quality...... Compass and elddis do the rear double without the bulkhead the layout.... I would be looking for if/when we change vans..(and kids are older and at home 😉).. We got our Bailey for the length of the front sofa as they can be used as single beds which cannot be said about many of the vans we looked at.... Like the elddis and compass... Fantastic couples layout Love the channel keep up the great work

[@justinmorgan8128]

The search continues. Got to be honest, we're not fans of the central bathrooms that take up the whole middle of the van, when the doors are closed it makes the van feel claustrophobic. Still, it's all personal choice, and a good job we're all different.

[@kennytyler4041]

The Luna Altea could be our next van its best layout we found so far

[@LifesADiscovery]

Have you thought about a German Burstner Van? I have just bough a 2001 Burstner Ventana 540TK fixed bed. very interesting layout but has bunks so not for you. It more the build quality and the extra width of a Burstner more than anything. Im also ure now that you can get the Burstners with the doors on the uk side now too, not that that has been an issue so far for us. Many thanks and looking forward to the next instalment :-)

[@jackiemccartan4338]

Guys....as always love the Vlogs remember Dan I sent you a twitter video of our Coachman (ex X6 John) I am so disappointed the 575 VIP you went in was grotty, Broad Lane Leisure, Alcester would never allow such a thing to happen. There are some great examples of Coachman there. Mate....Jackie, Ella and myself wish you every encouragement and positive thought as you make your selection, we made a mistake with our first layout (French Bed v 24 stone man did not go) I hope we may catch up on site in the future to talk, Caravans, Gin, F1 (routing for Ricardo) and dealer etiquette!!!!! Regards John

[@guesswho2616]

As previously mentioned, Dan if you love the swift eccles 635 take a look at the swift sprite Quattro EB or a vogue dealer special it's the same layout van bit cheaper 👍

[@scotiajinker8392]

From a non cooks perspective, the cooker isn’t very good re pots handles can’t be put out of the way of the heat because of the wall next to it.

[@stevechurchman1824]

Hi Dan. We had a look at the Coachman vans years ago. They had some nice features and looked to be well built, but boy were they heavy. We bought Swift at that time. Steve.

[@edwardcharles9764]

Steve Churchman Coachman are heavy because they're well built! On the subject of you Swift, have a look underneath at the rear. Swift tend to attach the rear panel direct to the floor with break between the floor and the panel. Consequently the rain runs down the rear panel, underneath the curved bottom and directly onto the floor. Due to this we found damp in my son in laws rear floor on his Swift and fixed it by fitting a drip rail, which made the gap required and allowed rain to drip off before reaching the floor. Check yours.

[@stevechurchman1824]

Hi Edward. There is no doubt that the Coachman vans were well built. We kept our Swift 10 years and never had any damp issues. We currently have a Lunar, and touch wood that seems to be sound as well. Steve.

[@Dieferdan]

Look at the Swift Vogue 635 EB as a variant to the Coachman VIP 650

[@TheTrudgians]

Thats one on my list. Really looks great.

[@Daveks3]

Told you the Pamplona has the same wash room at the Segovia. But mrs T doesn’t sound like she’s going to give in lol.

[@mikethebike5302]

Dan. Just to say I really enjoy your videos mate. Keep them coming

[@philnash1643]

Hi guys. I would have thought the first criteria would be the weight and tow ability of the van for your vehicle. Then the price, then the layout etc of the van. One could waste a lot of time looking at vans that are too costly and too heavy to tow. My wife and I are going through the process of buying a new van and we are limited to 1500kgs atm so the weight is the first thing we consider when looking. I really enjoy your videos guys, keep up the good work. BTW have a look at Caravelair vans. They are light and have pretty good lauouts.

[@rebeccajaneacquah]

Can't wait to see what you look at next. We have a swift freestyle SE. It's really nice and works well for us but one day we will be in the same position as you as I'll eldist is 19 and I'm sure she won't want it to come with us for much longer so we will be dropping down to a 4 berth. All this vloging from you is really helpful thanks

[@paulpringle8263]

Hi Dan I’ve got a coachman 545 vip 2016 very nice van but all the toilet fridge heating etc is the same as all the rest of manufacturers. We have had swift and Luna in the past. And yet the only thing coachman beat them on is the seating and bed which we think are very comfortable. But to be truthful that dose not make up for the extra cost for the caravan compared to any makes on the market. Plus point our dealer Raymond James has been very helpful when we had a problem with the tv aerial and replaced it for cost price and free labour. As it did not work. Before they helped me out with the problem I tried to contact coachman on a number of occasions and they never got back to me.when they did I was told the aerial was out of warranty after 12 months. So nice van in my opinion over priced for what you get. And very poor after sales service from coachman caravans

[@BobEarnshawMoHo]

Don't think I've ever seen a lengthwise island bed I could fit in.

[@GaetanHobby]

Thanks Dan for another great vidéo 😉 you should look at hobby caravan. Mine is 10 years old and still look brand new !! They are very good caravan ☺

[@CARLYQUINNESS]

I agree but he thinks that everyone thinks that people think it’s a travelers van. I would never go back to a poorly built British van.

[@GaetanHobby]

Helen Cokell he didn't reply to me...he doesn't like hobby caravan 😀

[@alanalan1406]

Another great video guys. We did look at Coachmans a few weeks ago and your findings echoed our own. Mid bathroom sink - why don't they put it where the linen basket is? Our dirty linen goes into a binbag in our shower cubicle because like you, we don't use our shower much. We'll try and watch the Live broadcast on Sunday, but if we can't manage it would be interested to see a video on weight ratios etc. We have a Volvo XC70 towcar and love it - bikes fit comfortably on the roofrack and plenty of power to pull a van. What does confuse us sometimes though is the guidance given by Volvo vs the guidance from dealers vs the guidance from the likes of the Caravan & Motorhome Club. Dug out a copy of our V5C registration document for the car (the old log book doc) and it specifies a "Mass in Service" of 1936kg and a "max permissible mass (ex m/c)" *whatever that means* of 2400 kg As far as I can see the ratios are worked out on a "empty car / full caravan" basis but in reality this never happens. If we can pack our car with gear (our kids have long gone!) we can put bikes/luggage totally 200kg or more I'm sure and with our weights would safely be under the 2400 fully laden recommended weight of our car. 80% of say 2300kg is 1840kg, more than enough for a fully laden double axle caravan I'd have thought. Interested in your views on the different makes Dan, but please can you do a video on towing ratios and your views? You seem to talk sense most of the time (except when estimating Mrs T's weight...) Cheers, keep up the brilliant work

[@alanalan1406]

I meant HEIGHT not weight. Sorry Mrs T!

[@alanalan1406]

I guess I'm in so much trouble now

[@dawnallard6841]

We use the wash bin to store the loo rolls. :)

[@DesmondsDonders]

Cannot give an opinion on Coachman, never had one. Will try to be a bout on Sunday for your live stream :-)

[@victorgomes7585]

Yep... High heels can throw one off! Lol

[@rassman48]

You know the 'bland' comments, made me wonder how redecorating could be done in a caravan/camper, if you are handy with scissors or a brush. I haven't seen the self adhesive kitchen surfaces in real life, but in the pictures from google some of them look very nice. I suspect you would have to be very good with scissors or stanley knife to make a good job of it (memories of raggy edges in Ye Olde Lino days flood back). Then I looked at "re-decorate a caravan", it seems to be mainly re-accessorizing. Is there something about the caravan surfaces that makes them poor at taking paint or a varnish?

[@MrSnookerballs]

that's why I didn't recommend the coachman 650. only 5' 11" bed. the lunar tr and the swift 650 both have 6' 3" beds.

[@SprayArtguy]

Dan Bailey Unicorn Pamploma might have the layout you want? I’m 6”3” and can fit in those beds either but that bailey is open at the foot of the bed. Think it might be 2018 model?

[@TheTrudgians]

Yep thats one on my list - but, its going to be a hard sell to Angela. She doesnt like the colour scheme

[@SprayArtguy]

The Trudgians when we got our sprite from the dealer they offered a dealer special which changed the colour of the curtains, sofas and external graphics. Not sure if you can get that option on the bailey? Ive seen that van in person on a camp site. Its big but (I could be wrong) dont think its as heavy as the coachman you saw. One of the few rear island beds I could fit on. Pretty nice inside!

[@leedownes6643]

They've got some great caravans down in Northam Farm brean

[@darrensquire5615]

Hi Dan and family how about the swift challenger 635 could be a good layout.regards Darren and Wendy

[@guesswho2616]

I love the quality of Coachman but Swift make lovely family vans 👍

[@digitalchimpuk]

Guess Who totally agree! I didn't really like the Swifts at first but we now own a Swift Fairway 585 and I love it. Buying a caravan is similar to buying a home, you know as soon as you walk in it's the one for you!

[@IamSook]

Re the lack of USB sockets in the bedroom. Do any of the spotlights have them incorporated like in done if the Bailey's I've seen reviews of?

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Dave, no sadly they don't. it seems currently only the Bailey range have the in the light fittings.

[@jamescarter2252]

why not a Swift conqueror Or Challenger. Twin Axles one?

[@michaelhjern9563]

Could someone explain why uk caravans have three windows in the front? All others that I know of has one windows no matter the size.

[@kulkarniprabhanjan]

I was wondering is it possible for you to get custom built one, from one of those companies if you write to them or self build(by some private company with your pre made shell.)

[@leelewis9518]

Another quality video thanks :)

[@TimsPracticalPrepping]

I can never understand why dealers present caravans in less that perfect condition, with bits broken off etc...it’s like they don’t want to actually sell the things!

[@TheTrudgians]

My thoughts 100%. It did us help choose which dealer we would be using ;-)

Hi guys 🤔🤔🤔 not have much luck finding the Wright caravan. Been there done that. Too..just find a nice 2 berth. And put your daughter in the awring. 🤔🤔🤔 ONLY kidding. Good hunting

[@marilynwisbey9446]

Agree with cloe 👍

[@dawnallard6841]

We prefer our blinds to go up rather than down. That way you can have some privacy without blocking out the light. If you get my drift. I also found the middle bathrooms seemed bit of a faf to get around. And we are midgets compared to you 3. I'm 5' and Mark is 5'6". I'd like to see a bit of the offerings on the outside too Dan. Gas points, lockers etc.

[@TheTrudgians]

Morning Dawn, top tips - thank you. We are focused on the layout at present, once we have our "semi finalists" we will be looking closer at the other factors, like outside fittings , weight, pro's and cons etc. Hope you and Mark are both well. Speak soon

[@Nemo_Point]

HI, thanks for another interesting vid. The one thing I noticed is that you asked your daughter's opinion, she replied it was somewhat bland (declaration I completely agree with her but probably about all caravans I have seen). But then you simply went on to contradict her, saying it was a better, lighter brown than another. Yes, I realize you left her comment in but yours was much longer, juxtaposed and without discussion. Now, we are all like this - we hear and celebrate what we agree with and ignore / contradict what we disagree with. Sorry to give you a hard time but I would have enjoyed that debate. Why are all caravans so boring by the way? We as a nation should demand variable interiors with exotic designs be available, or at least bohemian ones - ask your daughter to design a more interesting, flexible interior, with interchangeable decors - then sell the concept to the oh so boring caravan firms. Anyway... heights. OK you are both much taller than I, so I can say this ;) Dan - Are you sure you have not started to shrink yet? (Happens to us all - celebrate it, you will be able to fit in more caravan beds by then). Ok, teasing over, thanks for all your hard work and great vids; your channel is interesting, intelligent and informative. I am not buying a caravan (though had one years ago and have a small motorhome now) but, even for the non-player, your videos are great and, for the motorhome-owner, often very useful. Best wishes and cheers. D.

[@jennifermccaffery5268]

B78

[@Jordanmufc666]

Please stay away from elddis we have had 2 brand new ones 2018 avante 586 now and sent them back as loads of things where wrong with them and if I am honest the build quality are not the best they have spoilt our caravan experience and seriously thinking of stopping as I have no trust in the caravan industry anymore especially when your paying 24 grand plus for poor built shobby workmanship If you want to know exactly how bad they are join the Facebook group 2013 onwards problem page and find out for yourself don’t say I didn’t warned you Hope this helps

[@Jordanmufc666]

I think if I got another caravan I would purchase a newish one pre owned definitely not a brand new one

[@CluelessinaCaravan]

On the other hand, we're perfectly happy with our 1996 Elddis. It has held up beautifully over 22 years.

[@SELBYHAMRADIO]

buy a Bailey great service and very well built

[@DariusUK]

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah 😂😂😂