New van -maybe!

[Pete-B]

 

The old dutch and I have been motorhoming for many a long year but now we're in our dotage we've thinking maybe we should downsize to perhaps a van conversion.

 

I know next to nothing about these van so looking to the forum members for a bit of advice perhaps! After looking briefly at them for instance, there seems to be a wide range of prices which makes sense I suppose. Some of it must be down to quality, a better build or maybe what extra's are in them. For instance there's quite a difference between Auto Sleepers and Auto Cruise and some of the others so it always down to quality or not?

 

I'd be very interested to hear from any members who have van conversions and to hear what they think of theirs or even anyone who has had a bad experience.

 

Thanks for any help.

[Don636]

We have a Vantage Neo, 6.36m rear U-shaped lounge van. We bought it after spending 18 months looking at everything available. We specifically wanted a rear lounge type van as we prefer to have more daytime space and accept that you have need to make up the bed each night although this is very easy, taking 2-3 minutes only. We really liked the interior styling of the van but that of course is a personal thing. Of more importance is build quality and for me Vantage were easily the best that I saw. This has proven to be the case over the last six years with the only significant failure being a cracked shower tray. Lots of storage in this van with a decent sized rear boot although I accept that it is not as large as you would get with a rear fixed bed van. This again is a compromise that we were prepared to accept and it has not been a problem. I carry the levelling blocks in a bag at the sliding doorway ready for use on site and if not required simply place them in the front passenger footwell. If we take our reclining chairs and leg extensions they also travel in a bag in the van - not a problem. Layout is key and if a rear lounge is your thing I would not hesitate to recommend Vantage - build quality is fantastic and after sales service exemplary - nothing is too much problem for them. Happy hunting. They also do front lounge vans and more recently one with a rear lounge and a set of front travelling seats that make up into a single bed for kids I suspect. They are not cheap though - our Neo with all the extras would now cost around £70k.

[HymerVan]

i have been a great fan of East Neuk Campervans and I am on my second "Fifer" M. Last year MMM published an owners report article which was also recently reproduced in Campervan MMMs sister magazine.

This can be accessed through

https://eastneukcampervans.co.uk

 

Good luck with your search.

 

[Pete-B]

 

Thanks for that guys. Just wondered how do the Swift van conversions compare? The reason I ask is, our present van is a Swift Bessacarr 462 and we've had very little trouble with it in the last 5 years.

[buddy]

I have a Autocruise Rhythm ( 6 mtr) which is now called the Swift Select 122 and find it works well for the two of us and is fairly well put together with plenty of opening windows, which some vans do not have. .We have downsized from a Bessacarr E520 which we had for 5 years and do not regret it, although we do not go away for long periods.

[Brian Kirby]

Pete-B - 2020-09-24 4:27 PM...........................I know next to nothing about these van so looking to the forum members for a bit of advice perhaps! After looking briefly at them for instance, there seems to be a wide range of prices which makes sense I suppose. Some of it must be down to quality, a better build or maybe what extra's are in them. For instance there's quite a difference between Auto Sleepers and Auto Cruise and some of the others so it always down to quality or not?........................

Thanks for any help.

It really depends what you want to do. As we are all different in our preferences and how we use our vans, I think the best advice is to look at as many as you can. That is a bit of a tall order, because everyone and their dog is currently producing van conversions, based on the three Sevel vans, the Merc Sprinter/VW Crafter, the Transit, the Merc Vito and the VW Transporter or their respective minibus variants. All different to drive, with various engine and transmission options. A good start would be to visit a show - but that is probably out of the question until a Covid vaccine is avaliable.

 

Start with dealerships near your home, and see what they have on offer. If you don't see anything you like, look further afield for alternative brands. There is a limited number of layout formulas, largely dictated by the length and width of the base van. You'll soon recognise them. Thereafter, the differences are, as you suggest, in the equipment level included as standard, the amount of added bling, and the tedious, but important, details such as number of hob burners, oven/grill or not, space/water heater type/spec and number and locations of warm air vents, number and location of power./2V sockets, washroom practicality, width of dining table, size and type of fridge, and size of gas locker.

 

Many PVCs have compressor fridges which, unless you prefer campsites, almost certainly require supplemental battery capacity - so where can that go? Also, from reports, they can be noisy - especially if the fridge is next to the head end of the bed!

 

Price, IMO, is a function of what the manufacturer thinks they can get away with charging, and is no guide to quality.

 

These are are of necessity all smallish vehicles for living in, so much will turn on the kind of layout, general space and creature comforts suit your needs. Try the seats and the bed for comfort, and look critically at fridges, cooking facilities, space in washrooms, etc. etc.

 

Ours, for example, is on the almost standard 6.9 metre Fiat Ducato base, with a transverse rear bed. It is on the maxi chassis, which I think a great advantage, but is plated at 3,500kg. It has the usual swivel front seats, dining table with extension, forward facing dinette, 3 burner gas hob (no oven/grill), three way Dometic fridge, Truma heater, shower, fixed (i.e. non-tilting) wash basin, and Thetford cassette toilet, 100L fresh water tank, and a gas locker that takes one 13kg and one 6 kg cylinder. It is left hand drive because most of our use - Brexit and Covid permitting - is in mainland Europe. We invariably use camp sites and their sanitary facilities, so the shower was never intended to be used (it is a bit of a joke, but that is irrelevant for our mode of use). Simply put, it was the best van we could find for what we wanted. We chose it from among a huge variety on offer, after a period of research, at the Dusseldorf show in 2017.

 

We travel spring and autumn, to avoid winter and the school summer holiday period. Our trips have hitherto been in the region of 10 weeks in spring and 7-8 weeks in autumn. For our pattern of use we find it entirely satisfactory. It is solidly assembled, though some aspects of the design could be improved. I have made a couple of minor interior alterations, and have adjusted the washroom door to prevent it spontaneously opening on less than smooth roads. Externally, I have added a full length Thule LED light strip to the awning, which has so far proved excellent.

[Pete-B]

 

Thanks for that Brian,

 

We visited a local dealer over the weekend and were quite taken with the Auto Sleeper Warwick Duo XL. It's the longest van in their range and has a rear lounge/sleeping area which is like our present one and what we wanted. It also has a underslung 25litre gas tank and a payload similar to what we've got, plenty of storage space under the beds and an abundance of overhead lockers it also comes with the 165bh Peugeot engine.

 

They offered me a very good deal on our Bessacarr so we intend to go back and have another look.