Owners Feedback

Spirit 560: A good 'van - a very good 'van -nearly spoiled by some very strange thinking when it comes to stowage. Why 18 small and not-so-functional lockers, where there could have been 9 larger, really useful lockers? Absolutely nowhere sensible to stow pots and pans and larger kitchen utensils (people do actually live in 'vans and, to live, need to eat; and to eat, need to cook!) So the telly stand has been ripped out and the telly cupboard converted for just that (not that that's a great loss!)
However still trying to think of things to stow in the 9 mini lockers under the 9 not-so-large lockers around the back of the 'van: Handkerchiefs, knickers and CD cassettes have come to mind - but there's still oodles of wasted space there, which is a pity. In fact, had it but been just a bit better designed, there is surprisingly oodles of space in a 'van that's two feet shorter than our last - and I'm flogging off  the old top box as a result. 

A 'U'- shaped seating configuration gives three grand under-seat lockers (the last 'van was 'L' shaped and only had two)-but a little professional upholstery is going to be needed on the crossbench cushion,
if we have a cats chance in hell of accessing the large crossbench locker, without cross words! And 4" broader in the beam does make a 'U'configuration much more practical - my cook can get in and out to her domestic thing without even ruffling my daily paper. The table is fixed. That's a first - and a good first: It drops down into the bed-making-up position with the flick of a switch (not that we would begin to consider sleeping downstairs until we are considerably more decrepid than we already are - but it helps accessing the rear lockers when lowered.)

Build quality? I don't think you can beat it: Seven 'vans on, I really do think that this is the best one yet - built to last. It had better be: It was bought to carry us over into the next world - and we have no
intention of going just yet!

A quick plug for Geist dealers, Southern Motor Caravans of Chichester, Referred by Jeff Kendricks, they have: (a) repaired the defective Trauma heater, under guarantee; (b) installed (my choice, to avoid the extravagent costs of running a Traumatic heater) a Webasto diesel powered space heater; (c) replaced the fairly stupid Geist fitted oven without a grill, for a another, with grill; (d) got me £150 from a
punter, for the old oven; (e) estimated around £500 to take out that rather stupid Geist Spirit 560 bathroom arrangement, put in a fixed washbasin, shower curtain, bathroom window (can you imagine a caravan bathroom without a window?) - and a washbasin that actually drains away without having to apply a plunger to it. Good value, I say. That said, I still say that my new Spriit 560 is still the best - and the best built-I have owned: It's just such a pity that the designers didn't take their brains to the drawing board whilst they were creating it.

The dealers, however, have my every confidence.