Greg Sumner Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi all, This is my first visit to the forum and in addition I am new to the world of motorhomes. So please be gentle! I come from a family of caravan owners both tourers and statics, which is possibly why I am attracted to motorhomes, not wanting to become my father just yet! I have been doing my homework and subscribe to MMM and Practical Caravan along wth What Motorhome. I appreciate that any purchase needs to be undertaken with care hence my not purchasing to date and my asking for help in this forum. Living in Suffolk I have a local Marquis dealer about 20 mins away, this immediately appealed to me on the basis of servicing and problems, we also took a liking to the County range with the Suffolk model do ticking most of our boxes. We then decided that a single bed option would be better and avoid the obvious clambering over each other if need be during the night to get to the bathroom etc. The Berkshire was considered and proved an ideal answer but has been put on the back burner due to size. A recent look at the Northants, a pre-owned model seemed to meet all our needs and moved from a rear to central lounge. If I am honest it was only last minute nerves that stopped the purchase, at £42k for a 2009 model this was a serious committment. Friends of ours recently stayed with their Hymer Exsis 2.3 Fiat. This certainly was a revelation in respect of what can be done within a small space, something I fear only timelords ever experience. It would appear that Hymer no longer produce this compact van and I can only find one preowned model with a Ford engine on the web. I would appreciate any feedback from the forum in particular from those owners of either County range Suffolk and or Northants and from Exsis owners of eiher a Fiat or Ford engine. These three vans are all stunning in their own right and I guess it will always come down to the detail and experience of others that will help those like me trying to make the right decision for their first van. Any advice is much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyExsis Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Saw your comments on the Hymers Exsis and thought that I would pass on some info. There is a limited band of owners for this unique van - did not appeal to mainstream. They do offer alot of usable space and storage for about the same footprint of a panel van. You just missed one on the owners forum website! There is a owners website at www.freewebs.com/exsisowners/index.htm The van to which you refer was based on either the 2.3 or 2.8 fiat ducato with several layouts (mine is the SG with the dinette) production was from2004 until 2006. The van was replaced then by the Exsis SI which was a totally different shape and layout ( similar to the van 522) - both being based on the ford transit. Best of luck with your viewings and when you make your final choice, enjoy thr freedom that mmotorhoming brings. Regards, Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi Greg & welcome to the forum. A friend had the Hymer Exsis on the Fiat chassis & experienced difficulties with exhaust fumes entering via the Fridge vents. I don't know if this is the same on the Ford chassis. Although Hymer did not (to my knowledge) issue a recall notice, they did eventually agreed for the Exhaust to be modified, to eliminate the problem. So worthwhile checking the exhaust is not immediately below the vents if you look at any Exsis models. I'm not sure Hymer would still bear the cost of any modification. Although i've no experience of the Marquis County range, we chose Marquis (but another branch) for our current M/H and although they are distant to us, we have always been satisfied with their service. Good luck with your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hi we have an Autosleeper Nuevo II EK which if my memory serves me well is the same layout as the Northants . We bought ours from Marquis at Ipswich and find them as a company faultless ,great after sales service a lot different as to the service we received from a major motorhome dealer in Newark . We have used our mid bed as 2 singles on occasion just swivel both front seats pull the side seats out far enough for the back cushions to drop behind the seat cushion and you have 2 perfectly comfortable single beds . For us the Nuevo II EK ticks all the boxes regards size driver handling layout and storage space.Bought brand new last September has now dome almost 8000 miles we love it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ned Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 HI, My only comments would be that the Auto sleeper van (county range from Marquis) although quite country cottagey inside and a bit twee for my liking is a very high end vehicle. The main drawbacks are limited USEFUL storage space, Not winterised, It still has a caravan feel to it and we found the marque very draughty when driving in cold weather. The fresh water tank is underslung and only has a very meagre capacity. This is fine if you are always on site, ie like a caravan, But going abroad and using aires etc may mean 2 or 3 days without access to water conveniently. The drainage plumbing is also a joke and I can't see how they are going to change these problems. If you go for the Exis then it is fully winterised, the design concept is not about a caravan with an engine but more about a reflection of the instant mobility that is a motorhome. It sort of gets closer to the concept of a campervan but with a bit more luxury Have you thought about the ford based westfalia Big Nugget now that is good campervan design Cheers Ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hi Greg and welcome to the forum You may know that Marquis County motorhomes are built by Auto-Sleepers. In our opinion, based on a November 2008 Auto-Sleepers Symbol ES, Auto- Sleepers build quality is poor. (We are aware of other AS owners of vehicles of a similar age having reservatons about quality.) Mike Crouch, AS Managing Director, in the 2011 50th Anniversary brochure states "our quality has improved dramatically since the MBO" (Management Buy Out in 2009). Similarly I have heard reports that some Hymer owners are not satisfied with the build quality of later Hymers in comparison with earlier models. I suggest you examine any possible purchase very thoroughly, paying special attention to upholstery, seat and bed fastenings, drawer catches, table restraints and how well fitments are attached. Hope you find something suitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Sumner Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Hi all, Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply to my thread and your welcome. The advice has been really helpful and I have decided to use the out of season time ahead to dig deeper into what would be best. Starting off with the NEC in October and of course keeping an eye on comments here. Thanks again and enjoy the rest of the season. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuxDeluxe Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Hi, just to add a bit to this, I think that Autosleeper quality has improved - my own van is well built and only had a couple of minor issues since delivery. Marquis Ipswich have been very helpful indeed and I would certainly buy from them again. The only major fault with The van has been an AC failure, which is nothing to do with A/S but everything to do with Sevel poor design. Being fixed under warranty. Each and every van is a compromise in one way or another and the relatively low water capacity is one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 DuxDeluxe - 2011-08-15 5:32 PM Hi, just to add a bit to this, I think that Autosleeper quality has improved - my own van is well built and only had a couple of minor issues since delivery. . Glad to hear that AS quality has improved. What van is it and what age? I'd be interested to know what the"minor issues" are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Greg If you do fancy a Ford Transit-based Hymer Exsis, I strongly suggest you opt for one with the 6-speed gearbox as this has ratios more suitablle for a motorhome. All Ford-based Exsis models are built on a platform-cowl Transit chassis that complicates 'winterisation'. I'm very doubtful that these models are fully-winterised to the level of a Fiat-based Hymer A-class, though they are likely to be a lot more winter-proofed than a Marquis/Auto-Sleeper motorhome. It's a reasonable bet that Hymer will, at some stage, follow other manufacturers' lead and build Ford-based models on chassis-cowl underpinnings that should facilitate water-system frost protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuxDeluxe Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 mel wood - 2011-08-15 10:05 PM Glad to hear that AS quality has improved. What van is it and what age? I'd be interested to know what the"minor issues" are. It is a 2010 Broadway Crown. Problem one was the waste hose came off underneath the sink - caused by me jamming a box in there. Fixed in about 10 seconds. Problem two was the tape between the wall boards (1/2" wide stuff to hide the join) had lifted a bit in a couple of places. Complained about it and the dealer replaced the lot. That is it, so far. No rattles, squeaks or creaks - drives like a dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 DuxDeluxe - 2011-08-16 6:33 PM mel wood - 2011-08-15 10:05 PM Glad to hear that AS quality has improved. What van is it and what age? I'd be interested to know what the"minor issues" are. It is a 2010 Broadway Crown. Problem one was the waste hose came off underneath the sink - caused by me jamming a box in there. Fixed in about 10 seconds. Problem two was the tape between the wall boards (1/2" wide stuff to hide the join) had lifted a bit in a couple of places. Complained about it and the dealer replaced the lot. That is it, so far. No rattles, squeaks or creaks - drives like a dream Thanks for the reply. That's great - I'm glad you've had no other problems. It's good to hear such comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Sorry - mistaken post!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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