New or used Ford,Merc or Renault even Fiat.

[wolfy]

Good Morning all, I'm looking for my first motorhome, Can you advise on engines for me which engines are more reliable and do 2.3's do a better job than a 2.0 or is it a matter that they go a little faster and it's a little easier on the engine due to the extra torque. Or will have to go with whatever takes my fancy on layout and etc etc, if anyone would like to submit the likes and dislikes for a particular model please do, I am looking for a 5-6 berth model but not with fixed double beds but must have seat belts for my two kids 6 & 14 years. Looking around the last few weeks I like seats and table behind driver with lounge on the back end for us parents to chill out in which you all will know turns into a double bed with a double bed above driver so a High top - high line, not yet got the jist of terminology but working on it if I am getting things right I'm looking for a Coach built / A- class / High line model. Many Thanks P.S. looking through the threads Clive and Derek, and Dave are the Guru's and I look forward to your assistance in the coming months.

[Dave Newell]

Hi Wolfy and welcome to the wonderful world of motorhoming. Which 'van to go for is such a personal decision that it's difficult for any body else to advise you as we all have our own preferences/prejudices. Best advice I could give would be to visit as many dealers and/or shows as possible to see what's on offer. As for base vehicle in some ways you are limited to what your chosen converter uses but whichever unit you choose be sure to have a good long test drive before you part with any dosh. D.

[KIMU122]

Hi Wolfy just to give you an example we looked at over 100 motorhomes and out of all that lot one gave us the ticks on our must have lists. It will be well worth making the right choice in the end with no compromises. Mind you having said that all I dont think there is the perfect motorhome around yet, even our new Kimu122 has what I consider a stupid design flaw in that the toilet window is completely clear. Still good luck in your hunting. Mr Bev

[Clive]

It all depends, Sound advice from all above. My viewpoint is personal but here goes. Get the biggest engine you can. It makes the driving experience so much more relaxed. I prefer rear wheel drive, so that rules out Fiat Peugeot etc. I have had two cam belts fail inside the change mileage on different vehicles so prefer gear or chain driven cam shafts. So that rules out Fiat Peugeot, some Transits and VW. Cam belts need to be changed irrespective of mileage after a prescribed number of years anyway. With motorhomes not generally doing a lot of miles this tends to be the case The New Renault 3 litre engine is chain cam. Renault make both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive versions of the chassis cab but I have only seen front wheel drive versions converted to motorhomes. (Dave Newell had the MMM long term test vehicle based on this for some timeand the base vehicle is a cracker!) Ford Transit is available either front or rear wheel drive. Most motorhome conversions use the front wheel drive variant. Many of the new Transit engines have a chain cam. Transit still a tad noisey but well supported and a good work horse. Mercedes Sprinter ticks all the boxes for me. Silky smooth, comfortable ride, loads of grunt etc. Its still at the front of the list for me. However the Sprinter and the VW LT35 have just been replaced with new models with a 6 cylinder lump in the Merc. The Sprinter does come as standard with ABS and an auto braking differential to ensure best traction on wet grass. You pays your money and you makes your choice.

[Derek Uzzell]

My experience of 'mentoring' potential motorcaravan buyers is that it's invariably a waste of effort on both sides unless the buyer has already narrowed down their search to a small number of specific motorhome models. I normally repeat what a Brownhills salesman once told me he advised inexperienced buyers - make a list of 10 factors that you believe to be important to you and then select 5 of the 10 that are non-negotiable (eg, "must have seat belts for my two kids 6 & 14 years"). There's bound to be a budgetary upper limit and there's no point praising the merits of a new £80K Hymer if the buyer is looking to spend a maximum of £30K. If space is restricted where the motorhome is to be kept or the drivers have restricted licences, then vehicle dimensions or weight may be critical. A vehicle that lacks any of the 5 essential key-features must instantly be rejected. Whatever you eventually purchase you are going to wish the designers had done things differently and there will always be compromises. KIMU122 would prefer an opaque window in his motorhome's toilet area. My Hobby has an opaque window and I would prefer a clear one (with a blind I might add!) In my case, if I changed the window for a clear one there would be no room to add an additional blind unless I swapped the window for a totally different design and then the vehicle would look weird from outside. All this was obvious to me from the outset and I accept the somewhat gloomy bathroom as something I can live with. Conversely, a well-sized separate shower compartment was a prerequisite and I wouldn't have selected the vehicle if that feature had been missing. Assuming that KIMU122 owns a Mobilvetta KIMU 122, then I know I wouldn't have chosen this instead of my Hobby T-600 FC and I'm sure he wouldn't have picked the Hobby over the Mobilvetta. We both had our own 'tick lists' and the items on them would have differed significantly. The more background you have the better. It would be worth you obtaining John Wickersham's "The Motorcaravan Manual" (Haynes Publishing) and/or perhaps the "Go Motorhoming" book mentioned in earlier forum postings. If you e-mail me on derek.uzzell@talk21.com I can also send you my home-grown Buyers' Guide that might help (anyway it's free, so there's nothing to lose).

[Brian Kirby]

All true.  All true.  However, once you start looking down the list of 5/6 berth, rear lounge lutons with at least 4 belted seats, I think the number of 'vans on your shortlist will become fairly manageable.  Especially so if you follow Clive's advice and opt for a Merc base!

Just do be aware that all the base vehicle manufacturers except Renault are replacing their current offerings late 2006/early 2007, most with completely new vans - and even Renault is introducing a new range of engines for 2007.  That means converters have a bit of a job on their hands, so current ranges are liable to change quite a bit in consequence.  Doesn't help your search, I know, and if you're looking to buy secondhand, largely irrelevant.  But, if you were thinking of buying new it might be better to stick to selecting just suitable generic layouts, and wait to see what is proposed for 2007 - perhaps by visiting the major shows - before you jump in. 

Of course, you may get a bargain on a 2006 chassis as manufacturers try to clear unsold stock, but you may also find it loses value a bit more rapidly due to the impact of all the model changes.  Your call!

Good luck

[Mel B]

Derek Totally agree about wanting a 'clear' toilet window, our Rapido has witha blind that you raise up, not lower down, so you can sit in comfort on the look with the blind slightly down looking out at the lovely scenery (hopefully!) as you go about your ... As for your gloomy bathroom - do you have a roof light? Is it clear or opaque? Ours was solid white so I recently changed it for a clear one with a slightly smokey hue (to match the Heki) - what a difference!!! I wish I'd done it 3 years ago when we bought the 'van! Oh, back to topic, don't got for anything below a 2.2/2.3 engine, the 2 litre Fiats are not that well respected except on a small coachbuilt motorhome or van. They would certainly be underpowered on 5/6 birth motorhomes.

[Brian Kirby]

Further thought: most, if not all, of those new 2007 model vans will be coming with ABS and a driver's airbag as standard and I suspect many converters will add the passenger's airbag. 

Just as power steering became a "must have" on motorhomes to the detriment of the value of vans without, I just wonder if ABS and airbags will be "must haves" in a few years time and the vans without difficult to sell.

Regards