German Caravans

There's no doubting the build quality of the vans you mention and yes, some of the larger models, normally twin-axle versions, are used by the travelling community (but not exclusively) 

I purchased an Adria (six years ago) which had similar dimensions to a twin axle, was 8' wide and towed superbly. They're on a different chassis to UK built vans and proved utterly reliable and well built. It would have been perfect on a seasonal pitch too and maybe another option for you to consider? 

That said, I'm going to the Caravan Salon, Dusseldorf next week to view the latest offerings.

"If twin axle, they are very likely over the 7m limit. Places selling these larger vans are unlikely to draw the 7m limit to your attention."

I don't know where you get that from Kj.  Our Knaus Starclass 695 (twin axle) has a shipping length of 8.1m but the body length is 6.3m - so well within the UK limit. The build quality is in a totally different league from most UK vans and being just over 8' wide has loads of room inside. What I have found is that whilst the method and quality of construction is far superior to UK vans, it has been let down by third party equipment - notably the useless Dometic toilet which I had to have changed for a Thetford because of constant problems with it during the first five months of ownership. The only issue with the bodywork was in relation to a badly distorted battery locker door which had to be rectified and was it more than coincidence that this was the only part of the body manufactured in the UK! 

Whilst the MIRO is actually 10kg lower than out previous Barcelona, it has a realistic payload of 365 kg and all of the fittings - hinges, door hardware, woodwork generally, are all totally - and very satisfyingly, over-engineered. 

Being of full UK spec - and, with the exception of an included solar panel - has more 'extras' than the Barcelona - we have never, so far, experienced any comments from site owners other than "what a stunning van".

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Many years of observing vans being used in other countries, plus there  have been a few threads on here, one not so long ago, about new caravanners who have purchased continental vans that cannot be towed legally in UK with a vehicle under 3500kg, the last one was about an LMC van, so it is good to give a warning.

I would expect that manufacturers like Knaus who make for the UK market would be safe, but Hobby and LMC are more difficult.

Continental makes are also often longer in the body before they move to twin axles, as has often been pointed out by Lutz.

A  van ideal for a seasonal pitch, I would think, might often be on the larger side, certainly the case in many countries, so would be attractive if that is the reason for the purchase.   If you are not aware of the UK restrictions, it would be very easy to make an expensive mistake.

My single axle sterling exceeds this length at 7.22m

i read now that doesnt include the a frame though, i think thats including with the length i quoted

There was a time some years back when Hobby and LMC were popular with “travellers” and this impacted the retail value. In fact our dealer at the time said that he wouldn’t take a Hobby as part exchange. The other problem was poor basic equipment - no battery, oven etc. I believe this has all changed in recent years as they are sold for the UK market. Hobby in particular are very popular with the Dutch and we see many of them when touring France (in better times!). Dutch people  we have met rate the Knaus as superior to Hobby.

Yes, the 7m limit applies only to the body length, which I think can cause a lot of confusion as sites always ask for  the overall length, and that length is also important when considering the space needed to store the caravan.