aston Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Hello all, I have been a happy VW'er for many years now currently owning an LPG powered T25 Devon Moonraker with a Viking superspacesaver roof, However Mrs Aston says she can no longer get comfortable in the VW so as I am now a middle aged family man with a toddler I have decided to sell my beloved VW (of over 8 years) and buy a Motorhome, I don't have a lot to spend (Basically whatever my VW raises) So have decided I like Low Profile vans so therefore in my probable price range I have so far decided on theClassic Hobby 600 or Winnebago Le Sharo, Does anybody have any thoughts or knowledge on these vans or similar low profile vans (The French vans with the fixed beds also catch my eye) Are the older Talbot/Fiat engines Ok or best avoided, how about corrosion? Should I mainly consider vans manufactured in one country such as Germany (I keep reading the same old "German Quality". Thanks for your time and happy camping, Aston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Hi Aston & welcome to the forum. An idea of your VW T5 value would help as they vary so much in price / condition. Your choice of the Winnebago Le Sharo could be an expensive one, they are few & far between. They were a highly desirable conversion when new & from the few I have seen offered for sale, still command very strong pricing, especially the VW based models. Renault base Le Sharo here:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120927077833?clk_rvr_id=356459993384 or maybe of interest = Burstner on Fiat base. http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C268200http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C268200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Don't forget the humble Tranny as a base vehicle ;-).................parts are easy to get and cheap...........and available throughout France & Spain judging by how many Transits of a similar vintage to mine are on the road B-)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thank's for your help, To answer a few questions, My van is an air-cooled T25 converted to run on LPG with a devon Moonraker conversion and Viking superspacesaver roof. Only one previous owner, rebuilt engine, Propex heater and re-con gearbox however it is hand painted, Every document from new. As for the Le Sharo, they are actually not that expensive, There are a few for sale which never sale as the asking price is rather high but any on ebay which go for auction don't make a lot compared to other vans with the same spec, I am worries about the reliability of the Renault unit though, The USA forums don't have a lot of good things to say about the Le Sharo. As for thr Transit, Yes I am a huge Ford fan (2 Mondeo's) Are there transit low profile vans out there LHD is no problem for myself. Thank's again Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Ha ha ha...Even before I opened the thread, from the title alone I immediately thought, there is only one serious contender and that is a VW Westphalia! :-D unlike any motorhome I can think of, the interior is bomb proof.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hi Jason Finding any older model Low Profile may be restrictive to only 2 berths, there may also be problems locating one with more than 2 belted seats. Possibilities with overcab models 2 + 2 berths Autosleeper Amethyst, Legend & Pollensa, overcab models not too high & GRP monocoque construction. http://www.adoos.co.uk/postx/b0b4877c02fe9c35457ed512b49a5c9c/autosleeper_legend_gl_caachbuilt_motorhome_with http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/used-motorhomes/ford/autosleeper/1990-ford-auto-sleeper-gl-four-berth-petrol-bristol-mfpa-8a6af33d3786a96a0137983ed968265e Herald Squire, Templar & Aragon (are similar) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170831965922&clk_rvr_id=356902686034&item=170831965922&lgeo=1&vectorid=229508 Some maybe on the 2.0L Petrol or 2.5L normally aspirated Diesel, go for the 2.5 Turbo Diesel if possible. Or can you be tempted by a project on something a little larger (plenty of photo’s) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110889439109&clk_rvr_id=356903681075&item=110889439109&lgeo=1&vectorid=229508 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Why are you restricting your search to low profile?..........As your unlikely to be able to take a low profile anywhere that a full height coach built cant go ;-)............If its the handling that worries you then airbags will make all the difference, and don't forget the very useful overcab bed ;-)............Our bed is permanently made up, so none of the messing around with musical cushions at night :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 For me, the 'Classic' British Motorhome has to be the Autosleeper 'Monocoque' bodied van, best on a VW chassis, but as others have said a Ford based 'Legend' just as good, I had a Talbot based Talisman, which was ok, but rust in the cab was a constant battle, chassis itself was fine. Still Hundreds of them around at reasonable prices too. The Monocoque body will last forever. and is a 'Towns' designed Classic. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Well basically I like the low profile vans as I like to be low profile, After 6 months of searching the net the Hobby 600's and Le Sharo's seem to offer the most van for the least money. I am not to sure on the Le Sharo Renault underpinnings though, Do the classic Fiat/Talbot units fare well? There seem to be much better priced vans in Germany and France than here, I looked at Spain but they seemed very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 aston - 2012-06-23 10:04 PM Well basically I like the low profile vans as I like to be low profile, After 6 months of searching the net the Hobby 600's and Le Sharo's seem to offer the most van for the least money. I am not to sure on the Le Sharo Renault underpinnings though, Do the classic Fiat/Talbot units fare well? There seem to be much better priced vans in Germany and France than here, I looked at Spain but they seemed very expensive. Well image over accommodation is a sign of the times :-|......as for your choice of van I'd go for the Hobby as they were built this side of the pond, so more chance of finding that starboardglickbuttocktoggle that was only made for that particular model ;-)....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Dave Wat yer trying to do, upset Derek et al Hobby is a German manufactured van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 flicka - 2012-06-23 10:31 PM Dave Wat yer trying to do, upset Derek et al Hobby is a German manufactured van. Well I did say they were built this side of the pond......perhaps I should of said over the other side in Ditchland :D.........................Or should that be Debt..land ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 pelmetman - 2012-06-23 10:12 PM aston - 2012-06-23 10:04 PM Well basically I like the low profile vans as I like to be low profile, After 6 months of searching the net the Hobby 600's and Le Sharo's seem to offer the most van for the least money. I am not to sure on the Le Sharo Renault underpinnings though, Do the classic Fiat/Talbot units fare well? There seem to be much better priced vans in Germany and France than here, I looked at Spain but they seemed very expensive. Well image over accommodation is a sign of the times :-|......as for your choice of van I'd go for the Hobby as they were built this side of the pond, so more chance of finding that starboardglickbuttocktoggle that was only made for that particular model ;-)....... Well it's not about image to be honest if it was i'd have some van sat on my drive for all the neighbours to see which cost no doubt well over in excess of £25k, However I am looking to spend around £3500, Now I know there is a lot of snobbery in this game and no doubt peeps will exclaim that it is impossible to get a decent van for under £15k well my answer to that is my VW cost me £1200 8 years ago and does everything the other vans do including having 5 comfortable beds. For my budget it just seems the Le Sharo and Hobby offer the most (Le Sharo has 2 double beds, AC, Generator, Full Central heating and is basically a Renault Traffic so spares are not too much of a pain. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Aston, ref. Talbot Based Motorhomes, I owned and refurbished a 1988 Talbot Autosleeper, and ran it until selling it 2 years ago, Parts are getting (really) hard to come by now, especially good quality replacement body panels (which WILL be needed as the cabs rust very easily). Usually no power steering so heavy to handle, the Diesels were 'dire', under powered even the turbo, so a petrol engined one is best, and if you don't mind a LH drive, get one ,as the 'Column change' is far better than the 'lash up' that was done to provide a floor change for the RH drive market. Looked at a couple of 'Le Sharo's' when looking for my first van, but they had not 'Worn well' so past them over. What did impress me were the Early Winnebago's on low profile VW T4 chassis's they were then fetching big money, but now should be more into your price bracket, good luck in your search, let us know what you end up with. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 aston - 2012-06-24 1:05 PM Well it's not about image to be honest if it was i'd have some van sat on my drive for all the neighbours to see which cost no doubt well over in excess of £25k, However I am looking to spend around £3500, Now I know there is a lot of snobbery in this game and no doubt peeps will exclaim that it is impossible to get a decent van for under £15k well my answer to that is my VW cost me £1200 8 years ago and does everything the other vans do including having 5 comfortable beds. Maybe my reply did sound a bit rude :$..........for which I apologies's.........The point I was trying to make that by limiting yourself to a low profile you also limit your accommodation.............As for getting a decent van for under 15k *-)...........my own van would probably fetch 8k if I'm lucky (lol).................but Horace has been to Spain twice this year ;-).............better to have the time using your van than having to spend your time paying for it :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 pelmetman - 2012-06-25 9:19 PM aston - 2012-06-24 1:05 PM Well it's not about image to be honest if it was i'd have some van sat on my drive for all the neighbours to see which cost no doubt well over in excess of £25k, However I am looking to spend around £3500, Now I know there is a lot of snobbery in this game and no doubt peeps will exclaim that it is impossible to get a decent van for under £15k well my answer to that is my VW cost me £1200 8 years ago and does everything the other vans do including having 5 comfortable beds. Maybe my reply did sound a bit rude :$..........for which I apologies's.........The point I was trying to make that by limiting yourself to a low profile you also limit your accommodation.............As for getting a decent van for under 15k *-)...........my own van would probably fetch 8k if I'm lucky (lol).................but Horace has been to Spain twice this year ;-).............better to have the time using your van than having to spend your time paying for it :D ;-).............better to have the time using your van than having to spend your time paying for it , Very true, £2000 van on a french beach for 6 months or £50k van on the drive impressing people who really don't care less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 I am off to see a Renault Traffic based Le Sharo 1987 tomorrow , owned and maintained by a mechanic, So no doubt it'll run fine but will be dirty, ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 aston - 2012-06-25 9:44 PM Very true, £2000 van on a french beach for 6 months or £50k van on the drive impressing people who really don't care less Oh er 8-)...............to many people like me on here, will lead to the total melt down of capitalism 8-)..... (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Well back to the drawing board, I viewed the Le Sharo and decided it wasn't for me, Very large, Very Ugly and very 80's American, A Bargain for someone I am sure but obviously neglected for too long and not loved. So where now, I agree a Transit base vehicle would be a good idea as a Mercedes or VW no doubt, I have took on board what you said about the Talbot and shall avoidthis model though I have read great things about the Kon-Tiki, I'll keep you posted here with my questions, Thanks all....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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