hobby101 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Just back from the NEC show and very disappointed. Quality of construction seams to have gone really down, my 2 year old Hobby50GS is of much better quality than the new ranhe of Hobby Siestas at the show. New motorhome are glitzier but basic quality on offer tells me that they will not last a long life as they used to. Is the recession making the makers cut corners ? :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the general Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Very good point I am going Sunday you would think the cost of MH the converters and major builders would take care to give us value for money that is why I am thinking of using a small company who take pride in what they do. And by word of mouth get the business ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 There is pressure on manufacturers to keep the weight down below 3500kg and prices down but retain al the glitz of current models because that's what tends to sell vans. Consequently, they try different ways of reducing weight. To me that's not cutting corners, it's just responding to what customers pay for for rather than what they say they want. It is increasingly difficult to sell poorly constructed vans. Even the UK manufacturers accept this with their current craze for new build techniques to eradicate damp. Beware of using a small company. There are good ones about but is hard to separate them from the less capable. Oh, and during ownership, you can worry about whether your van will have any value when you come to change. Vans from established manufacturers, including some that build PVCs such as ih and Murvi, are easier to sell on when the time comes. Personally, I want more automated manufacturing and less hand built providing the robots are properly designed and work to exact tolerances. I'd rather be in a mass produced Vauxhall than in some sort of kit car the chap round the corner knocked together. We are all different, though, so if you find one that ticks all your boxes, good on you. It's a great feeling to have the van of your dreams. I enjoyed the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takeaflight Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I went Thursday, 5 halls but IMO not as good a show as last October. I not sure the quality is all do with weight, the Hymer B and S range IMO are certainly of poorer quality compared to older vans. Merecedes have gone down a similiar route. I think it's more to do with the accounts dept, however I do agree a lot of us do won't a mobile hotel room rather than tent with hard walls. No DFDS, RS Motorhome and Riverways Leisure which where the three stands I wonted to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocro Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Underwhelming. I'll be giving this show a miss next year, it was just.....so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddies104 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Must just be me, but I enjoyed the show, lots of Vans to look at, Alan Rogers mags a must, we actually went twice, bought tickets then won 2 tickets from Autotrail comp... Helps living near though, and a day out on the train, which takes you straight into the show, not literally of course.... (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailseeker Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Did anyone see the New Lunar Landstar PVC on a Merc,, Did not make the show myself, train fares were including the half term rip off addition, I have just got the brochure up on the Lunar site and it looks pretty ......normal, no water and waste tank specs given and starting at £49,000 which I suppose about £5,000 is for the three pointed star, seems to be competitive with the rest of the PVC offerings. What amazes me is that the great side lounge PVC layout, like my Tribute 650 is now so rare, I think only the Auto-sleeper Symbol and Kemerton are now using this layout, even Autocruise have dropped it. but I love it but I suppose the market all want those horrid (for lounging) upright travel seats and a fixed bed. I leave my side sofa made up with the duvalay under a throw, then its just a pull on the base, drop the back rest down and into beddy byes. reverse in the morning and as easy as making the bed in my old fixed bed van, but for lounging on the long winter nights you just cant beat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Does bling really sell vans? Not to me it doesn't. Is that a double negative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 The Lunar Landstar seemed to tick a lot of boxes for me, they should have gone down that road before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerC Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 starvin marvin - 2014-02-25 2:25 PMDoes bling really sell vans? Not to me it doesn't. Is that a double negative? if it's 'bling' over 'substance' then for me....no it doesn't. Nothing worse than looking over a MH, that on first impressions looks all modern and has all the 'bling', and then you find the doors don't fit properly, the drawers have no 'stops' or don't lock closed..........the microwave is five foot up the wall and opens downwards..........no freezer, dropping the bed closes off the 'leisure seating' area, fancy shower door doesn't fit etc etc. Yes those are things we have seen on MH costing upwards of £75000.00..........so give me substance and practicality every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailseeker Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 RogerC - 2014-02-25 3:46 PMstarvin marvin - 2014-02-25 2:25 PMDoes bling really sell vans? Not to me it doesn't. Is that a double negative? if it's 'bling' over 'substance' then for me....no it doesn't. Nothing worse than looking over a MH, that on first impressions looks all modern and has all the 'bling', and then you find the doors don't fit properly, the drawers have no 'stops' or don't lock closed..........the microwave is five foot up the wall and opens downwards..........no freezer, dropping the bed closes off the 'leisure seating' area, fancy shower door doesn't fit etc etc. Yes those are things we have seen on MH costing upwards of £75000.00..........so give me substance and practicality every time.It always amazes me that you can go to one of these shows, on the first day and find bits hanging off, tambour doors out of there runners, drawers that are stuck half open, etc, etc, and all this on vans with price tags of a lottery dream win. I know they take a bit of stick at the shows and that's why I like to go on the first day, god knows whats left of them on the last day, unless they have an army of fitters with gaffer tape and superglue coaxing the things through to the end. Sometimes the salesmen are just as hopeless in the knowledge of the products they are selling. I once queried the lack of a vent or window in the bathroom of a van on show, asking how the condensation and steam would be vented, he replied..." This model doesn't get condensation"..... 8-) 8-) :-( (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 trailseeker - 2014-02-28 10:47 AMRogerC - 2014-02-25 3:46 PMstarvin marvin - 2014-02-25 2:25 PMDoes bling really sell vans? Not to me it doesn't. Is that a double negative? if it's 'bling' over 'substance' then for me....no it doesn't. Nothing worse than looking over a MH, that on first impressions looks all modern and has all the 'bling', and then you find the doors don't fit properly, the drawers have no 'stops' or don't lock closed..........the microwave is five foot up the wall and opens downwards..........no freezer, dropping the bed closes off the 'leisure seating' area, fancy shower door doesn't fit etc etc. Yes those are things we have seen on MH costing upwards of £75000.00..........so give me substance and practicality every time.It always amazes me that you can go to one of these shows, on the first day and find bits hanging off, tambour doors out of there runners, drawers that are stuck half open, etc, etc, and all this on vans with price tags of a lottery dream win. I know they take a bit of stick at the shows and that's why I like to go on the first day, god knows whats left of them on the last day, unless they have an army of fitters with gaffer tape and superglue coaxing the things through to the end. Sometimes the salesmen are just as hopeless in the knowledge of the products they are selling. I once queried the lack of a vent or window in the bathroom of a van on show, asking how the condensation and steam would be vented, he replied..." This model doesn't get condensation"..... 8-) 8-) :-( (lol) (lol) (lol)That's one of the reasons we ended up with a Hymer, after trolling around Düsseldorf on the last day of the show the Hymer's had far less bits broken than most of the other manufacturers vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 trailseeker - 2014-02-25 10:55 AM Did anyone see the New Lunar Landstar PVC on a Merc,, Did not make the show myself, train fares were including the half term rip off addition, I have just got the brochure up on the Lunar site and it looks pretty ......normal, no water and waste tank specs given and starting at £49,000 which I suppose about £5,000 is for the three pointed star, seems to be competitive with the rest of the PVC offerings. What amazes me is that the great side lounge PVC layout, like my Tribute 650 is now so rare, I think only the Auto-sleeper Symbol and Kemerton are now using this layout, even Autocruise have dropped it. but I love it but I suppose the market all want those horrid (for lounging) upright travel seats and a fixed bed. I leave my side sofa made up with the duvalay under a throw, then its just a pull on the base, drop the back rest down and into beddy byes. reverse in the morning and as easy as making the bed in my old fixed bed van, but for lounging on the long winter nights you just cant beat it. I looked briefly at the Landstar, out of curiosity not as a potential buyer. It's not badly priced for a 6.96m-long Mercedes-based panel-van conversion - about £57k if one chose to add options like cab air-con, automatic-transmission and a 163bhp motor upgrade. The Lunar website has a short video and an adequate description of Landstar http://www.lunarcaravans.com/ http://www.lunarcaravans.com/brands/lunar/landstar/landstar-rl According to the "Key Features" section, fresh-water and waste-water tank capacities are small (respectively 70litres and 35litres) and the gas-locker can (apparently) only accommodate 2 x 6kg canisters. It does come with a clothes-hook as standard though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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