kevandali Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Hi Everyone, I have looked at a lot of postings and got loads of info (thanks a lot) I am about to plunge for the first time into owning a motorhome and intend to head down to the south of France sometime during July, hopefully.(or anywhere hot and easy to get to) We have a boy and a girl 14 and 12 who will be coming with us and also using the motorhome quite a lot in the future, well till they get bored and decide it's un cool to be seen with us anymore. [b]What we are after[/b] A motorhome that has a double bed over the cab, a pull down one if poss as some of the fixed type are a bit cramped, a U shaped lounge at the rear, extra seating area in the middle of the van, a full cooker and decent sized fridge. We are doing as advised, this weekend and visiting a big dealership (Brownhills) to take a look at all the models that have the sort of layout we are after. I know that they are pros and cons for having different layouts but this is the one we have settled on after much thought and strong words from the wife. *-) [b]What we have seen/heard so far[/b] We have seen our ideal van, can I call them a van? owned by friends of ours, it is a Bessacarr E695 and the only thing that I wasn't sure about was the height restriction of the double bed above the cab, other than that I/we thought it was just right for us. We then saw a Euro Mobil Activa 690 HS which was exactly what we wanted and had the advantage of a pull down type double bed that could be left made up when me and the wife were travelling alone as well as underfloor storage. Finally I have looked at past posts on the forum and the Autotrail Apache 700 and the Scout has been mentioned. [b]At last, the Question[/b] Does anyone have reservations of staying clear of some of these models mentioned or strong reasons to look closer at other models. We know our budget is going to be £25-£30k We are going to try and buy private and save the mark up cost of the dealerships. We know the layout the wife wants, oops we want. Any advice as to what to stay away from and what other models we may possibly look at as well as those listed above. Thanks for reading this, I'm afraid I waffled on a bit but I hope you got the idea. We are hoping to have bought the van by the end of June at the latest and then had a couple of weekend runs before heading off into the sunset for a fortnight. Any help, ideas, information, genaral advice, much appreciated. kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greynomad Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Hi Kev and Ali, I don't envy you, what a daunting task trying to get it right first time. We are on our sixth motorhome and, still looking! When you say 'Van - everyone here knows what you mean, so don't worry. We have had 3 Swift Kon-Tiki's [Bessacar are part of Swift] and 3 AutoTrail's, as far as we are concerned, AutoTrail knocks spots off Swift, we certainly would not purchase another one. The European manufacturer's Kitchens seldom have enough appliances and never enough worksurface, for us, so up to now we have avoided them, although I can quite understand their popularity. Your declared budget suggests that you are shopping for a used 'van, as all the mentioned makes are quite expensive new but, currently there are many imported 'vans listed in the MMM Buyers Guide with a 'new' cost within budget plus, as a first time buyer, with possibly no part exchange to consider, you should negociate a generous discount. You have probably already discovered the enormous selection of Used Motorhomes listed for private sale at the back of MMM each month, anywhere between 500 and 800! Of course, many of them are American RV's [as it would be unwise to offend the sensitivities of those RV owners using this forum - I decline to offer an opinion as to why so many appear for sale!!]. As the largest retailer display of motorhomes in the UK, Brownhills of Newark, is certainly a good place to start looking but, be aware that as the Stratford Motorhome Show is on this weekend [2-4th. June] a lot of stock and personnel will be there. It would also be a superb location for you to look at 100's of motorhomes on the stands, plus 1,000's camping there for the weekend. I have never yet met an owner that will not willingly chat to you about their own motorhome - so there is an enormous amount of 'free' information available to you, for the price of entrance. The general consensus of opinion regarding first-time purchase is usually, to buy as many Motorhome Magazines, as possible, for as long as possible, to absorb enough knowledge to gain the confidence to list your 'must-haves', 'would be nice to have' and 'not really necessary', before you actually commit to exchanging your hard-earned savings for something that you will enjoy, more than you did the money in the bank!! Good luck in your search and best wishes. Greynomad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemoss Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Kev and Ali what fun you're going to have! We've just been down the same route, looking for a motorhome with rear lounge (for us) with full-length settees that can be made into either two singles or one enormous double, plus a front dinette (for eating) capable of conversion to another double, and a third over-cab double. The idea is that there's more than enough space for the two of us, and just enough for when our grown-up daughters and their boyfriend/husband want to come along too. We started off with an Italian-built CI Riviera 181 which had a smaller rear lounge. It was well built, a good price, great to drive, but the hob and cooker were pretty pathetic and we really missed the extra length in the rear lounge - difficult to get really comfortable in. So now we've traded that in for a Bessacarr E695 like your friends, and it suits us down to the ground. A real bonus (which I think is unique to Swift Group vans) is the chest of drawers at the back which converts into a table just the right size for two. The cooker and hob are great, and the fact that the front dinette is right opposite the kitchen makes cooking and eating so much easier and more pleasant. Ours is a 1998 model and cost £24000 (we saw others of the same vintage at up to £30,000, which seems ridiculous). It has been well used at 68,000 miles but it's dry as a bone inside, everything works, and the layout has obviously been very well thought out. Totally subjective of course, but Swift Group always seem to have the best coordinated interiors to us in terms of fabrics, finishes etc. I guess our best advice is something that we didn't follow ourselves first time round: take your time, and I mean time, to check the usability of the motorhome you have in mind: are the seats comfortable enough to relax in, do the beds make up easily, imagine trying to cook and serve a meal, is there enough storage space (including some outside access to lockers), can you move from cab to the habitation area without cracking your head open on the bottom of the luton bed? Greynomad's advice is absolutely on the button - go to the show, in fact to plenty of shows and showrooms, and don't sign on the dotted line until you are sure you can live with your choice in all weathers for both short and longer periods. Have fun looking, and even more fun using your final choice! Mike and Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Thanks for the replies Greynomad, Mike and Sue. Sounds like the stratford show is the place to go, will have to work out all my questions before I go. Any more info very much appreciated, keep it coming Kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Hi, The only thing i would add is get a garage as i just don't know how or where people store all of the equipment/stuff ? you end up with ??. We have met quite a number of people who have gone for the rear lounge models and they nearly all found that for ease of use they stopped using the pull down or over cab beds and made the rear lounge into the perminant bed, which is a great idea, but you then may of well purchased a MH with a fixed rear bed in the first place and if you take that route, then i would suggest you go for a garage model as you will obtain far more storage and ease of use for access to the storage areas ? just some thoughts, hope they help. and i think the Swift make are extremly good quality and we have a Bessacarr e735 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Going to the Stratford show is going to be very informative for you but please don't rush into buying a van, if you find you are tempted to make a deal there and then, get yourself by the scruff of the neck and make yourself go for a walk and a coffee!!! Only when you have walked away and had a chance to think for a while will you know if you REALLY want that particular van. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of it all and forget something that's important to you that it hasn't got, or that there's something about it that will really annoy you every time you use it. If you can think about them and are then happy that it is still what you want then at least you stand a good chance of getting exactly what you want. Make sure you climb up into the overcab beds, try making up the dinnette (or whatever) beds, pretend to use the shower, toilet (keep your clothes on though!), think how you would prepare, cook and eat meals, are the places to store all your large bits and pieces (chairs, table, BBQ, bikes, football, etc, etc). Don't go for a small engine on a big van, the 2.0 ltr Fiats are not meant for anything but the smallest of coachbuilts unless you want to spend a while longer getting to places. Avoid petrol engines (although there aren't many now anyway), and make sure you have a good long test drive of anything you're interested in, don't be fobbed of by driving a 'similar' van, drive the one you're thinking of buying, they all drive and handle differently. You need to go at speed as well as low speed tootling and try parking it etc to see how it behaves. I personally wouldn't go for anything that Swift/Bessecar built before 2002 (ie the older style of coachbuilt body with the completely flat roof), we had one and the quality of the workmanship was atrocious and we had nothing but problems with it and couldn't wait to change it. Since 2002 I think the quality has improved but I've not had one since so don't know by how much. Have a search on the Forum for others that have asked for 'help', 'new to this' etc (or whatever phrases you can think up) and you'll find other postings with even more advice. My final bit of advice is to re-iterate - DON'T RUSH! I know you're wanting to have a holiday in your 'new' van in July but if time starts to get short don't panic and buy something for the sake of it, it's a heck of a lot of money to spend and you'll loose a good chunk of it if you then find you need to change. Happy hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixter Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Hi kevandali, Welcome to the new adventure! All the postings so far have been on the button and I agree with all that has been said. You may care to consider Hymers as they would be in your price range and have the layouts you are looking for. Being A class you tend to get more living space as the front seats become part of the lounge when parked up. Try before you buy is the motto - have you considered hiring a motor home? We did this first to see if the concept actually appealed to us. We hired a Benimar is Spain and found that C class MHs can be easily broken into as they have the base vehicle doors and locks. We then hired a Neismann Bischoff Flair in Belgium and found the A class far more to our liking all round. Consequently we have looked at all A class layouts and makers and have come round in full circle to N+B and will be collecting it later this month. This little excercise has taken us about six years but we have thoroughly enjoyed the shows and the research. Hope this helps Vixter The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 4, 2006 Author Share Posted June 4, 2006 [QUOTE]Mel B - 2006-06-01 8:23 PM My final bit of advice is to re-iterate - DON'T RUSH! Happy hunting.[/QUOTE] Thank you so much for all the advice, it looks like me and the wife will be joining the motorhome fraternity a lot sooner than we thought. We went to Brownhills in Newark with good friends who own a Bessacarr E695 and spent the day wandering around all the numerous vans on display. We came across a Swift Kontiki with the exact layout we wanted and only £1000 over budget (which is something we are working on) Anyway, bearing in mind all the information received on this forum and especially the advice about "Don't Rush" we are actually test driving the Kontiki in about five hours time. (!) (LOL) Having walked away and sat down with a bottle of wine and thought about it, all the correct boxes have been ticked as far as what we originally wanted from a van. So if the test drive goes fine and we become new owners I/we will be bombarding you lot with questions, having checked previous postings first, of course. ;-) I am going armed with a list of questions from when was the cam belt last changed to what Warranty/Guarentee comes with the van, if anyone has any [b]"must ask" [/b]questions regarding a Swift Kontiki L then please let me know and I will check back here before we leave. Thanks again for all the advice Kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Hi Kev, "must ask question"? I'd go for "how much will you knock off the marked price" and try to get it down to within your budget. Even on second hand 'vans the dealers build in some bargaining room to the price. Go through the 'van with a fine toothed comb and list every little problem you can find. Little problems today can very easily become big problems tomorrow. Try to get a hookup cable out of them and perhaps a bottle of propane and/or a full tank of fuel. Don't forget, they want to sell that 'van probably more than you actually want to buy it and they are professional salesmen while I doubt you are a professional buyer. Haggle for it all you can. Welcome to a great way of life and enjoy yourselves, D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Just a point! Make sure you put in writing anything you find wants doing. Stay on Brownhills overnight site so any niggles can be ironed out there and then, before you get home. Get them to put in writing anything they promise to do at a later date through lack of spares etc.. Don't get fobbed off. Happy motorvanning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemoss Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Come on you two, cut the suspense - did you buy it yet?! If that test drive is still to come, I guess the main thing with any second hand motorhome is to check, and check again, for any damp. Brownhills should give you a current damp test report anyway but it really does pay to be on the lookout for any soft bits of interior wallboard. I know lots of people decry Swift group products, but we think they have the best layouts and interiors. Touch wood, our Bessie is still dry as a bone after 69000 miles and eight years....hope that's not tempting fate on 6/6/6! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 Just to let everyone know who might be vaguely interested. :-D We pick up our Swift Fiat Kontiki 640L on Saturday. We can't wait, apprehensive, excited and nervous all at once. Just glad we found this forum as I know we will have loads of questions for you lot at a later date. Thanks for all the help Kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutse Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Hi we have just bought our first autotrail motorhome with rear lounge it,s great .One thing when driving it i seem to never have my hands on the stearing wheel as i am waving to othere motorhomers coming the other way it,s good to be happy (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Hi Scoutse, try only using one hand to wave to other motorhomers, it'll make your passenger feel safer if nothing else. KevandAli, did you get a good deal? what extras did you get out of them? Come on, spill the beans. d. :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 Failed a bit miserably on the extras front, got a hook up lead, that's it. Think we were chuffed to get them down to nearly 2 grand off of the asking price. Alison told the salesman that our original budget was 5 grand less than the asking price which I thought was great, until she burst out laughing with the salesman, I think they both knew that it was bulls*^*. Did get a new cam belt fitted as it hadn't been mentioned in past services and the normal snagging list sorted, full Mot and tax. Apart from the extras, we are dead chuffed, France here we come :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 When waving to other motorhomes coming the other way, is there a special wave we should know about? [b]Would hate to get a reputation as non-standard wavers in our first year.[/b] Do you use your left hand, right hand, both hands. Does the non driver take over waving duties or is the driver normaly in charge of any required waving. Are kids allowed to enter this adult motorhome waving world or can they be kept content with unofficial waving from side windows to random vehicles. Who waves first ? Northbound, Southbound, does it matter. Do motorhome owners try to get their wave in first and keep a tally? Finally, is there a universal waving standard that will cover us while in France, they seem to be a bit more flamboyant than us Brits, do they use more of an Italian style salute type wave? Will keep all other posts semi serious, sorry (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemoss Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Good stuff Kev and Ali, keep waving whichever way you want - and hope you really love your new 'van. bet you can't wait for Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs w curry Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 hi there we have a bessacar e795 and 2 teenage kids (sorry nearly adults) it sleeps us all fine with u shaped lounge and seating in the middle. id recommend it to any family and we ve taken it too france and are about to go again - with no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutse Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Hi we are of to france soon i will give you a big big big wave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enrico Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Hi All It makes me so envious all you people waving yourselves off in your new/existing motorhomes.I`m still in the looking stage although we think we`ve found the layout we want. I`m so rooted to this website especially now because of the kevandali saga.When will we hear about episode 2.The collection of the new motorhome!!!! Keep this up and we`ll have another Coronation Street on our hands.Only another 46 years to go? Seriously though I am looking forward to hearing about the adventure (so if kevandali need an agent I`m your man and I`ll get you all the bookings I can,Wheeltappers and Social Club,things like that.) Is anyone else as excited as these 2,if so it would be great to hear from you.I`m so excited and I haven`t even got a motorhome yet.I can`t wait!! (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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