WildBill Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I am looking to buy a new motorhome and am after some advice from anyone who owns or has owned either a Rapido 700FF or a Burstner Ixeo time it 585 motorhome. Both vans are quite new, about the same size and have drop down beds etc. We have seen both vans in the flesh but could not sample the Rapido drop down bed as everytime we saw one, the dealer did not have the battery connected to drop the bed. At the moment the Burstner seems to be a better van but if anyone has any valid comments on either van, they would be much appreciated. TVM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 MMM have the burstner on long term test currently, a quick look through the recent (4 or 4) back issues should give you a little more background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks Chris I have been following the progress but find it a bit sketchy. One problem which came up was keeping the bed stowed when made up. Yet to hear the outcome. TVM Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We looked at a number of motorhomes with the bed in the roof over the living area. Non provided sufficient headroom when the bed was secured away without bedding. In our A-class, storing the bedding drops the bed by about 4" but the bed is over the cab so we don't notice as much. I'd also make sure you can get in the bed and it doesn't rock too much. Factor in that you will get older and possibly less athletic during ownership. The bed will have a weight limit which will help keep you slim! The shape of the bed is important. Some manufacturers quote the maximum length and width but then cut out chunks to fit them in to the space available. Bear in mind whether you are likely to have taller visitors. It may embarrassing when showing off your pride and joy to someone permanently stooped. I'm only 5'9" but I do like a good 6" of headroom. When choosing a van, we factor in the dealer. Apart from the obvious location issue, I think about whether I will be happy dealing with the dealer, how do they rate in customer satisfaction surveys, and would there be an alternative if we fell out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We have had a couple of Rapidos and cannot fault either of them. Spares are exnsive but reasonably readily availiable. Obviously (as said before) a lot depends on the attitude of "aftersales" after the initial purchase, and how far you have to travel to get minor problems fixed. (Any new vehicle wil lhave to back at some stage, ) Your avatat / description gives no indication of the area you are in, so forum members cannot make any recomendation(or otherwise !) for a dealer. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks for the tip. I have put my location on my profile. There is not a lot of choice down here as far as dealers go. Where did you get your Rapido from? We are off to the NEC in October to have another look and see what is new for next year. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy mccord Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Bill, I live 8 miles from a rapido dealer, so when I wanted to have a look at the new 691, I drove down, his total stock of new rapido's was one!!! (brownhills preston) I guess the biggest stockist your neck of the woods looks like highbridge in bristol....happy hunting Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkirk Flyer Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I just joined the forum and guess a bit late with comment but we have a Rapido 700FF and think it is the best van ever. We downsized from a tag axel 8.5m Dethleffs but the 700FF feels more spacious ! We were looking to change the Dethleffs for a couple of year sbut never seen anything that was worth changing for .... until the 700FF. We checked out the Burstner 585 and read the Which report which put it above the Rapido but the Rapido shower and bathroom is so much better. We have enjoyed a great holiday in Scotland and to Northern Spain. Although the van is less than 6m long it was plenty big enough for 4 of us. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We had a Rapido for six years all I can say is that it was very well built and almost fault free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Cannot answer the question on beds or specific vehicles, but we had a Rapido 710F for 5 years,bought new in 2002, then changed to a Burstner Marano 595. Main reason for change was that they both had the same rear lounge layout, which we favour. With both vehicles we had a few problems, but in both cases I cannot fault the dealers for after sales service, nor the manufacturers in warranty work. The Rapido was puchased from the Rapido Wokingham , and the Burstner from Chelston. In terms of quality and finish, not a lot to choose, I don't think, and much despends on the specific design of each and your own requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Both Rapido and Burstner are good makes. We've owned both (rapido 710f & burstner marano t640) and we've had a good look at the Ixeo time with a view to buying one. It's an excellent van but the severe lack of storage in all of them stopped us buying one. A pity really as we loved the interior of the 575. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 WildBill - 2011-07-31 9:34 PM I am looking to buy a new motorhome and am after some advice from anyone who owns or has owned either a Rapido 700FF or a Burstner Ixeo time it 585 motorhome. Both vans are quite new, about the same size and have drop down beds etc. We have seen both vans in the flesh but could not sample the Rapido drop down bed as everytime we saw one, the dealer did not have the battery connected to drop the bed. At the moment the Burstner seems to be a better van but if anyone has any valid comments on either van, they would be much appreciated. TVM Although the Rapido 700FF and Burstner Ixeo Time IT-585 have the same length, use a similar chassis and both have a drop-down roof-bed, they are really aimed at a different market segment - think Audi versus Skoda, with the Rapido equating to the Audi. According to MMM's data, it's possible to purchase a basic-specification IT-585 that's some £1000 cheaper than a basic-specification 700FF and (dare I say it?) if you compare the two vehicles it's not hard to spot why this can be. Very obvious exterior examples of Burstner cost-saving are the differences in the roof to body-side joint and the 'quality' of the habitation doors. Inside, the Burstner's furniture is much more flat-packy than the Rapido's. But whether the higher cost of the Rapido can be justified on a perceived-quality basis, you'd need to decide for yourself. The Rapido is wider than the Burstner by 5cm (which may not matter much), but, more importantly, is 15cm taller. This extra height should translate to extra headroom inside the Rapido and, possibly, easier stowage of a made-up bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 A bit late, but I meant to write "...that's some £10,000 cheaper..." (That's the trouble with being a retired civil servant living on a platinum-plated pension - £10,000 or £1000, they are just pin-money figures!) As far as I'm aware, the only other sub-6m low-profile motorhome with drop-down bed available in RHD in the UK is Chausson's Flash 10: cheap, but seriously lacking in storage. Wingamm does roof-bed models but there aren't currently any UK agents, nor are there UK agents for Autostar that markets the Auros 58LP that's possibly the best of the bunch as far as cost, quality and commonsense-design are concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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