Hi we are about to become first time caravan owners and would love to hear the good the bad and the ugly on the Desert Rose. We have not committed to the purchase yet but after 1 year of research it has everything I want and more importantly everything my wife wants!!
Really interested in the experiences people have had
A freind of mine has the manta ray 19 foot road van for four years now and had no major problems but mainly sticks to the tar i have not had much to do with there off roaders just make sure you get more than one years warranty on off roaders and give it a good workout on some rough roads to see if there are any defects .Also another thing to be aware of is the tare weight on the van you mentioned is around 2950 kg which depending on your tow vehicle will allow up to a maximum of 550 kg when you put 250 litres of water 100 kg clothes and linnen,food and all the other stuff you put in the van and vehicle not trying to scare you but it is just something to think about as i did not know any of this when i bought my first van cheers
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John
2017 dmax lovells upgrade full CSM trade aluminium canopy,3.5 m quintrex tinny and rear boat loader mangrove jack aluminium trailer
Also not sure what your tug is but when ball weight is deducted from the cars weights it often does not leave much weight for accessories, people fuel etc. I have a New Age MR deluxe which is rated as off road. I can certainly tell you it was nowhere near off road ready, in factory delivery form. Glass Shower screen door fell off pivot hinges to the extent the door is now in Innaminka, as is the sliding door to the ensuite area. Both "vibrated' loose so many times on dirt roads and despite all my attempted fixes they just kept on falling off. I now have a roll up shower door- lighter (35kgs) and gives more access room to shower. Glass top on stove needs to be held in with occy strap, back to front hooked onto door handle. If not expect glass on floor. Underside is NOT lagged fully make sure all pipe work is protected, Includes, all water pipe work not just the waste water. Make sure any extras that are put on by dealer are done properly. Ie my extra water tank and grey water tank were Teck screwed to chassis. They need to be bolted. Water tank protection is thin tin sheet metal. Make them put on decent thick sheeting and to extend it past the tank to protect the water pipes and tank taps. Specify Lithium batteries. Its the way things are going now. PM me if you want any further info.
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16.5 Discovery 4 with a few mods and New Age MR 16' Deluxe
Thanks so much. I took all the info and used it. I am now the proud owner of the Desert Rose and can't wait to actually become a Gray Nomad. Looking to jump in late October.
