has anyone out there who have one or had dealings with grandcruiser caravans from newcastle and if so what problems or experiences with have you had with it
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Greg & Dawn with a 2007 Pathfinder towing a Grandcruiser ritz 24
Hi Flasher, Looked them over last year and the three that we saw, the cabinets were done out in two pack paint and all three had long cracks in the paint. Wasn;t impressed with the running gear and while fibreglass is easy to repair , if you take a large hit on the front , it is very hard to get a good match with the existing bodywork colour. Walls seemed to be solid but wasnt impressed with the front and rear. Consequently we are still looking.
Hi wombat, I didn't think that they were in the business of making vans any more. Last i heard about them was they were only doing repairs and their vans would be starting to get a bit long in the tooth these days. The more i look at vans, the more faults i seem to find and the sales staff attitude of "dont worry about that, it'll be ok" and the story that all vans leak make it hard to be happy to lay out 70 or 80 thou. It's not chicken feed and the $$$$ are too hard to come by. While the money is in my account i guess i am in the driving seat so will keep looking. Thanks for the reply. Den n Col
That Belmont address is only a sales yard. Where's their factory? (curiosity only)
CHINA Grandcruirer vans are made in China. They has a couple on display at the last Brisbane Caravan Show that I attended and neither conformed to Austrailan VSB1 standards. Send me a PM anytime. ozjohn.
-- Edited by ozjohn on Wednesday 12th of January 2011 10:22:45 AM
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Retired Engineer, Ex Park Owner & Caravan Consultant. Holden 2.8 Colorado - Roma Elegance 17'6" Pop Top. Location: Mornington Peninsula Vic.
ozjohn wrote: CHINA Grandcruirer vans are made in China. They has a couple on display at the last Brisbane Caravan Show that I attended and neither conformed to Austrailan VSB1 standards. Send me a PM anytime. ozjohn.
As you can see i have a grandcruiser and all though i have had quite a few minor problems i was able to fix most of them with some exta screws or silicon the problem with this company is they dont seem to want to know you after you drive out the yard I lost a wheel 50 ks from newcastle after picking it up from brand new -they forgot to tighten them up-spent 4 hours on side of highway waiting to be fixed,no sorry no nothing.Had to replace all wheel bearings as they where not greased properly,they have NO quality control so i think they sell the vans to people like me to do all there quality control for them -enough bagging i think they could be a good van if they took more care in the final assembly as the shell only is made in china and most of the assembly is done at newcastle [tamworth] with all australian made appliances.look i am happy with the final product after all my work it is just a pity they didn't do it before you pick it up
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Greg & Dawn with a 2007 Pathfinder towing a Grandcruiser ritz 24
just looking at some of the replies and i have had a look at all the requirements for vsb1 as this van is assembled in australia and it has a compliance plate affixed to it -passed rellevent regestration requirements [nsw-qld] has gas certificate [nsw-qld] also i think future systems caravans are out of business
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Greg & Dawn with a 2007 Pathfinder towing a Grandcruiser ritz 24
just looking at some of the replies and i have had a look at all the requirements for vsb1 as this van is assembled in australia and it has a compliance plate affixed to it -passed rellevent regestration requirements [nsw-qld] has gas certificate [nsw-qld] also i think future systems caravans are out of business
Greg. The problem with the industry is that in terms of VSB1 it's self regulation. The vans I looked at didn't comply in the earea of Chassis or lights. The chassis safety chain attachment points were not as per VSB1 Caution "Drawbar safety chain attachment points should not come into contact with the road surface when the trailer is disconnected".
The location of external lights also did not conform to VSB1.
One can see what they're trying to accomplish and if they eventually get everthing up to scratch then could be on a winner. Only time will tell, if they can stick around that long. Cheers, ozjohn.
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Retired Engineer, Ex Park Owner & Caravan Consultant. Holden 2.8 Colorado - Roma Elegance 17'6" Pop Top. Location: Mornington Peninsula Vic.
they have been around for mor than 5 years as i had a look at a 2nd hand van at ipswich just 8-9 months ago and it was made in 2005 and the van still looked good at that age that is why we got this one brand new and at $60k was great value for a 24 ft van with all the good gear so at that price i should not complain
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Greg & Dawn with a 2007 Pathfinder towing a Grandcruiser ritz 24
We are just looking at a Grand Cruiser, I spoke to Dave of Grand cruiser who was most helpful and genuine and very good to talk to, his knowledge of caravans was a welcome experience.
Being a builder I like the way these caravans are built. We 're looking at buying a Grand cruiser and the BS that I've seen and heard from so many so called quality manufacturers leaves me dumbfounded! I've visited different factories and seen the way these so called quality timber framed builds are put together with staples and tiny screws, the shoddy wiring, the rubbish insulation used, not to mention the litres of silicon used. I'm surprised that I haven't seen more on the side of the road.
Armed with a year of researching and physical inspections etc. We will be buying a Grand Cruiser !!
