rjbell Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Hello everyone i'm looking for a motorhome under £10k that has 3 point seatbelts in the rear. Any recommendations are very welcome. I've been looking on ebay for a while and its very limited. Some of the Compass models in the 90's have them which are on my watch list. Also some of the early norties budget Italian manufactures have them also. Anyone else think of any more. Panel van or coachbuilt i'm not bothered it just needs to be 4 berth with the 4 proper seatbelts. One other point would the models mentioned above have a steel frame? The belts look like they are mounted to a ply headrest but surely this wouldn't be strong enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Welcome to the forum Robert. You might get a better response if you post the question over on the MotorHome Matters section. Cheers Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Our 2006 Sundance has 4 belts, securely fastened . They would have to pass safety regs, so must be OK. You are looking at older models, so make sure that any extra belts have been fitted by maker , as retro fitting is , I believe illegal I am sure one of the very knowledgeable posters will correct me , if I am wrong. Have you tried private ads, or just dealers? At £10, 000 you may get a better deal privately Good luck on your search PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 PJay - 2015-10-02 7:13 PM ...You are looking at older models, so make sure that any extra belts have been fitted by maker , as retro fitting is , I believe illegal I am sure one of the very knowledgeable posters will correct me , if I am wrong... PJay It’s near certain that the age of any motorhome that will fall within the sub-£10k budget will mean that retro-fitting seatbelts to it will be legally acceptable. This company should be able to advise http://seatbeltservice.co.uk/services-repairs/camper-van-seat-belts/ Besides the Compass and Italian models mentioned, I’d guess that some early large Auto-Trail, Elddis and Swift models would have had 3-point rear seat-belts. There’s also a good chance that large Continental-built models from, say, Mobilvetta, Pilote and Eura Mobil might have had 3-point rear belts and - if obtained in left-hand drive format - MIGHT slip beneath £10k. I’m doubtful that sub-£10k panel-van conversions would have 4 ‘proper’ berths unless a 'bed-in-the-roof’ were considered adequate. I don’t know whether 1990s Compass motorhomes had rear belted seats with steel frames, though I would have thought 2000-onwards motorhomes would have them. Safety-wise, the engineering of early motorhome passenger seating could be minimalist and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some belted seats relied on thick plywood for reinforcement not steel. Anything sub-£10k must have been through lots of MOT tests and (presumably) when belts are fitted to the rear seats the tester will have assessed the strength of the installation. It’s unrealistic though to expect that a sub-£10k motorhome will have anything like the designed-in passenger protection of a modern vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Derek Uzzell - 2015-10-03 9:15 AM PJay - 2015-10-02 7:13 PM ...You are looking at older models, so make sure that any extra belts have been fitted by maker , as retro fitting is , I believe illegal I am sure one of the very knowledgeable posters will correct me , if I am wrong... PJay It’s near certain that the age of any motorhome that will fall within the sub-£10k budget will mean that retro-fitting seatbelts to it will be legally acceptable. This company should be able to advise http://seatbeltservice.co.uk/services-repairs/camper-van-seat-belts/ Besides the Compass and Italian models mentioned, I’d guess that some early large Auto-Trail, Elddis and Swift models would have had 3-point rear seat-belts. There’s also a good chance that large Continental-built models from, say, Mobilvetta, Pilote and Eura Mobil might have had 3-point rear belts and - if obtained in left-hand drive format - MIGHT slip beneath £10k. I’m doubtful that sub-£10k panel-van conversions would have 4 ‘proper’ berths unless a 'bed-in-the-roof’ were considered adequate. I don’t know whether 1990s Compass motorhomes had rear belted seats with steel frames, though I would have thought 2000-onwards motorhomes would have them. Safety-wise, the engineering of early motorhome passenger seating could be minimalist and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some belted seats relied on thick plywood for reinforcement not steel. Anything sub-£10k must have been through lots of MOT tests and (presumably) when belts are fitted to the rear seats the tester will have assessed the strength of the installation. It’s unrealistic though to expect that a sub-£10k motorhome will have anything like the designed-in passenger protection of a modern vehicle. As you are finding, rear seatbelts were not a priority in UK Motorhomes prior to about 2005, and some STILL don't have them. Mainly because 2 parallel seats/beds were the favoured layout in UK vans. You might have more luck looking at Continental Imports, as the 'Sit up and beg' 4 seats around a table Dinette style has always been more popular on Continental vans. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjbell Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 Thank you something to look out for. A Pilote might fall into budget. I'm not sure about LHD though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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