Newbridge caravans: would you recommend?

Mommaof4

Hi everyone,
We have 4 children aged between 6 years to 9 months and are looking for a 6 berth caravan for our mad family holidays!
We've been looking over the past few months. We visited Charles camping but the price was too high for the caravan we were looking at. We also went to Enniscorthy but again after a very long round trip the caravan wasn't for us. Both dealers were lovely to deal with. We have been looking at websites for Newry dealers but it's a long way to go. We are in Cork. We will go up north if we need to but want to make sure we have exhausted all options around here first.
Newbridge caravans.ie seem to have some lovely caravans on their website. Has anyone any experience in dealing with them?
We really appreciate your advice or recommendations for other dealers we could try.
We are gone goggle eyed at this stage from the caravan hunt and are mad to get our caravanning adventure started!
Thanks in advance!!!!

bridster007

I bought from them with no problem and would go back again. They may not be everybody's cup of tea though. Think they import a lot of their vans from the UK, which is no bad thing as most vans in Ireland originate there in some way anyway. Their vans are clean and I spoke to CRIS in the Uk before buying from them and they said they had frequent dealings through them with no problem.
I didn't have to go back to get any issues fixed but I'm not sure how good they would be with something like that. I could be wrong but I don't think they would be a full service dealer like the big NI dealers, but this is reflected in the lower prices.( Having said that, I don't know how good some of the big NI dealers would be to go back to with a problem). If you are spending a large amount you might want to bring someone with you who knows how to inspect a caravan. Wherever you buy a caravan, check for damp, then check for damp, then check for damp. There are loads of sites showing how to do this.
For your family size you need to look at a van with a separate children's area at the back. The ideal layout is with 3 fixed bunks and a lounge table made up to a bed, with a door to pull over.
Then the adults in the front.

Look for 10% off Newbridge's price.
Prices seem to have increased a lot lately for caravans though.
Good luck.

Mommaof4

Hi Bridster,
Thanks so much for your reply, it's really helpful. my husband has a damp meter that he uses to check out the caravans so there's piece of mind with that. It's great to know you had a good experience of dealing with Newbridge so we will definitely give them a call. They have a good selection of stock by the looks of things. Thanks again for your advice!

oinkely

We bought our first caravan from Curragh Caravans in Newbridge, having visited a number of dealers in the area. Newbridge caravans were coming in a close second but we got a better deal for what we wanted in Curragh. When we were looking to upgrade I did another tour of all of the dealers and found that Newbridge caravans had the best range of stock. In the end we bought privately, but I certainly would have had no problem in dealing with Newbridge or Curragh caravans again.

FWIW - we have a triple bunk with end dinette layout and find it brilliant for our 3 kids. I would recommend the layout. Ours is a Caravelair so a bit spartan compared to the UK models but is perfect for a young family. I would recommend looking for one that has a motor mover fitted, or budget for adding one on as they make life so much easier.

Mommaof4

Hi Oinkely,
Thanks a million for your message, definitely will get a motor mover and that layout is exactly what we need. Fingers crossed we find our caravan when we hit Kildare! Thanks again!

oinkely

they have a few triple bunk ones on their website and donedeal.

Saw this yesterday, seems very good value if it checks out wiht no damp etc. Would require a flight over to check it out but serious saving to be made over buying in Ireland - https://www.gumtree.com/p/caravans/2009-bailey-pageant-bretagne-7-series-6-berth/1251599902

Mommaof4

That looks good alright Oinkely. Thanks a mill for posting on the link. I've just sent it on to hubby there. It could be worth a trip alright! I'm having caravan dreams at night at this stage! We definitely need to get one soon!

oinkely

no problem

Whatever you get I'm sure you will have great holidays. We have taken ours to France the last two years and really enjoyed it. Easiest holiday ever.

Haven't used it for tripping around Ireland as we have it sited for the summer near the beach on some family land.

TigerTim

Hi,

We bought our caravan from Buckley Caravans in Charleville about 5 years ago. Have 3 kids & found a really suitable 6 berth Adria there. Really nice guy to deal with. He's less than 2 miles outside Charleville on the Mallow road. Have his number somewhere if you need it.

T.

breakin_ball

Not for the rookie purchaser – bring an expert


- Bought our 2nd caravan here – the first one we bought privately from a family with children like ourselves – and we were very lucky – it was a gem
- Initially thought we got a good deal from Newbridge, but after our first trip we found loads of issues, and @ that stage the warranty was expired
- Recommend if you have to go there – bring an expert, and, take it on a trip within the 3 month warranty window in order to check everything
- Found that they went from zero to very confrontational really quickly on the phone when questioned
- We paid a €500 deposit and every time I called them to arrange collection they accused me of arranging collection dates and not turning up.
- Initially every collection date I suggested was shot down as “out of the question” as the person dealing with it seemed to be constantly abroad
- Problems we discovered with the caravan:
o Not cleaned inside or out – there were medical tablets loose in one of the presses for instance. And we have young children – highly dangerous
o Broken drawers, window latches and the bathroom door stuck shut
o Major damp on the back left – we missed this when viewing it in the yard. That’s why I recommend bringing an expert.
o Some of the stabilizers were buckled – and only noticed when setting it up on the first trip. One corner was very bad – there was a big repair job where a board was bolted up to the floor. Somebody prob drove off with the stabilizer still down
- When we called them, we consciously stayed ultra calm on the phone, but they got very agitated. They offered a once off “goodwill” gesture to look @ the issues, while stressing over and over that they are not under any obligation to do so. But to be honest, I don’t need the stress, and, I don’t know how good a job they will really do based on the attitude, so going to do it all myself.
- Already I had to spend €60 in Charles Camping on 2 rear door locks as the originals were cracked.
- Look – they prob have good caravans – but we got burned ☹.
- They assured us that a professional would overhaul the caravan before collection. If they did – I really don’t know what they actually did!!!
- A Tip: When purchasing in November – the 3 month warranty is prob worthless – because you wont be taking it on a trial trip to find all the snags
- Outside of that the warranty window they pull the “Sold as seen” card – they are VERY sharp when it comes to knowing what they are bound by
- Not so sharp on customer service

Lastly – they must have asked 4/5 times for us “to be sure to post a review”, and, I said no problem, so, as requested, here it is.

If this info only helps one person, I will be happy.
Here are the photos in case it helps:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP7EzCWeZZTEktgqkIz5wJPu96phLVD_jbkr_iM6brULiYJm7DmNFNfZJXAWAPnhw?key=MlgwWjdWT3ZVQXFOUXVCMHhHSWJFVXc5MW0zb2tn

mtierney5

breakin_ball wrote: »

Not for the rookie purchaser – bring an expert


- Bought our 2nd caravan here – the first one we bought privately from a family with children like ourselves – and we were very lucky – it was a gem
- Initially thought we got a good deal from Newbridge, but after our first trip we found loads of issues, and @ that stage the warranty was expired
- Recommend if you have to go there – bring an expert, and, take it on a trip within the 3 month warranty window in order to check everything
- Found that they went from zero to very confrontational really quickly on the phone when questioned
- We paid a €500 deposit and every time I called them to arrange collection they accused me of arranging collection dates and not turning up.
- Initially every collection date I suggested was shot down as “out of the question” as the person dealing with it seemed to be constantly abroad
- Problems we discovered with the caravan:
o Not cleaned inside or out – there were medical tablets loose in one of the presses for instance. And we have young children – highly dangerous
o Broken drawers, window latches and the bathroom door stuck shut
o Major damp on the back left – we missed this when viewing it in the yard. That’s why I recommend bringing an expert.
o Some of the stabilizers were buckled – and only noticed when setting it up on the first trip. One corner was very bad – there was a big repair job where a board was bolted up to the floor. Somebody prob drove off with the stabilizer still down
- When we called them, we consciously stayed ultra calm on the phone, but they got very agitated. They offered a once off “goodwill” gesture to look @ the issues, while stressing over and over that they are not under any obligation to do so. But to be honest, I don’t need the stress, and, I don’t know how good a job they will really do based on the attitude, so going to do it all myself.
- Already I had to spend €60 in Charles Camping on 2 rear door locks as the originals were cracked.
- Look – they prob have good caravans – but we got burned ☹.
- They assured us that a professional would overhaul the caravan before collection. If they did – I really don’t know what they actually did!!!
- A Tip: When purchasing in November – the 3 month warranty is prob worthless – because you wont be taking it on a trial trip to find all the snags
- Outside of that the warranty window they pull the “Sold as seen” card – they are VERY sharp when it comes to knowing what they are bound by
- Not so sharp on customer service

Lastly – they must have asked 4/5 times for us “to be sure to post a review”, and, I said no problem, so, as requested, here it is.

If this info only helps one person, I will be happy.
Here are the photos in case it helps:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP7EzCWeZZTEktgqkIz5wJPu96phLVD_jbkr_iM6brULiYJm7DmNFNfZJXAWAPnhw?key=MlgwWjdWT3ZVQXFOUXVCMHhHSWJFVXc5MW0zb2tn

I fully agree with you here. And iv no doubt some might have got lucky. But when I was looking for a caravan I went to all the regular places in newbridge and else where. I ran out of them!!! I could see issues everywhere.... And I'm not an expert by any means! I wouldn't buy a wheel barrow from any of these places. Just my personal experience.

MojoMaker

The world of used caravan and motorhome retail is indeed a murky business, with a lot of Arthur Daleys, and some characters altogether less savoury.

DaSchmo

In the process of looking for my current caravan I visited all three dealers in Newbridge including Newbridge caravans. Newbridge caravans was by far the best of the bunch but they were looking for pretty strong prices for their vans. Can't say I would be falling over myself to engage in a transaction with any of them to be honest though. The stock in the other two was seriously run down and filthy and also priced higher than private sales on donedeal. Things would get "interesting" if you pushed your luck trying to get any sort of comeback with these folks if you catch my drift...

Go private on donedeal.

Jude Nicholas

mtierney5 wrote: »

I fully agree with you here. And iv no doubt some might have got lucky. But when I was looking for a caravan I went to all the regular places in newbridge and else where. I ran out of them!!! I could see issues everywhere.... And I'm not an expert by any means! I wouldn't buy a wheel barrow from any of these places. Just my personal experience.

I agree with you totally. We went up to look at Caravans recently and saw one we liked. I was surprised when we were told we’d have to go to a local cash point to get €500 for our deposit. They wouldn’t accept a cheque. We did that, paid the deposit and then the fun began. We were told we could collect the caravan the following week as there were a few issues that needed sorting out. Every time we rang we were told to call back later and they’d know more. This went on for over a week. I had read these reviews and after a few days got very frustrated and called them to say we needed a date to collect the caravan as we too needed to organise our week and they were messing us around fobbing us off with excuses like above where they were short staffed because John was in England etc. Edward got really aggressive and was very rude to me. He hung up on me twice!!! My husband kept calling them and it was excuse after excuse. They really need to work on their customer service skills. It was appalling. In the end we told them we wanted our deposit back and I’d say having realised that he may have pushed us too far he agreed. My husband had to drive nearly 100 miles after work to get this back. It was a total waste of time and I would not recommend them to anyone.

_Brian

Lads.
There are enough bad and terrible reviews of dirty damp caravans, problems with cash only payments, deposits not being returned, rude and intimidating behaviour etc with these “dealers” that people should know well enough to salary clear.

These travellers are obviously in the minority of travellers that can’t be trusted.

I wanted to see a few layouts and went there to see their stock. It was all smelly and fusty, I presumed ex traveller vans brought in from U.K. everything was cash, cash, cash and pressuring to make a deal there and then, they weren’t happy when you looked under vans or for signs of damp.

average_runner

Great experience with Newbridge. Brought the caravan to wicklow in hassle. Great service. They gave us new water containers and electric cable for free.

6 month warranty and were available afterwards for questions.


Payment was through a bank transfer