RV FEATURE
Eagle and On the Move
– are strong companies
who back-up their product
without argument.
GORV: IS THERE AN ELEMENT
OF ‘BUYER BEWARE’ IN THE RV
INDUSTRY, WITH ‘BACKYARDERS’
AND OTHERS NOT DOING THE
RIGHT THING BY CUSTOMERS?
CT: Unfortunately yes, and this
is another reason why it’s so
important for customers to buy
through reputable dealers who
have preferably been with the
same manufacturer for many
years. Look at how long the
dealer and manufacturer have
been in business, and whether
or not the manufacturer has
changed hands – this can be a
good or bad thing.
Don’t buy off a ‘backyard’
manufacturer. It might seem
cheaper at first but in the
long run you’ll pay. Look for
companies with genuine runs
on the board.
GORV: YOU’VE OWNED
CANTERBURY CARAVANS
SINCE 1997. WHAT DO YOU
REMEMBER ABOUT THOSE
EARLY DAYS?
CT: When I bought it,
Canterbury Caravans was a
couple of years old and was
owned by Graeme Williams,
who owned Regent Caravans at
the time. He had this dealership
in the World of Caravans
complex. I heard a whisper that
Graeme might want to sell it.
Colin Tobin is a stalwart
of the RV industry.
There was just an old granny
flat, a grey Fergie tractor
but no other infrastructure.
I approached Graeme to
sell it and he shouted me a
sandwich, we shook hands,
and I bought the business.
Before that I was sales
manager at Scenic Caravans
– I ran that dealership for
13 years. The first thing I did
when I bought Canterbury
was to put a ‘fat boy’ gas
bottle in as prior to that they
didn’t fill a van’s gas bottles.
Within six months, I put a shed
up for caravan pre-deliveries.
A couple of years later,
the shed was too small so
I extended it and started
offering smash repairs.
GORV: FINAL QUESTION: POP-
TOP OR HARD ROOF CARAVAN,
WHAT’S YOUR PREFERENCE?
CT: I’ve always preferred full
hard-roofed caravans. A pop-
top is actually heavier than an
otherwise identical caravan
because of the construction
of the ‘hole’ and associated
reinforcement of the roof. The
old thinking was that a pop-
top was better on fuel because
it had less wind resistance but
in reality there’s no difference.
But, yes, if you have a low
carport or garage, then a pop-
top can be beneficial.
Resale-wise, it’s caravans.
People want caravans. Tall
people appreciate a caravan
more, too, as the benches are
higher, seat backs are higher,
and even the entry door is
higher than in a pop-top.
CANTERBURY CARAVANS IS
AT 587-589 DORSET ROAD,
BAYSWATER NORTH, VIC (ONLY
300M FROM THE OLD LOCATION).
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
CANTERBURYCARAVANS.COM.AU
gorv.com.au
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