rupert123 Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Brock - 2014-07-11 7:47 PM Nice on 'rupert'. Do I detect that you might buy a German one in future notwithstanding your experience with Hymer? My current Hymer has not been fault free. Three faults developed in the first few months. But it's just passed its first year damp check with flying colours and the three faults were fixed by the dealer some time ago. Yes indeed, nearly bought one last year when we got rid of our unloved panel van, they should stick with delivering parcels in those things. The one thing that really puts me off is the backup, Euro vans simply do not sell in the UK in any quantity so dealers come and go. OK for Lennie to blithely talk about just 'nipping over the channel' when things go wrong but we are six hours from Dover and we all know putting things right does not often mean turning up at the dealer and waiting around with a cup of tea while he fixes it. The idea that UK vans all let damp in is getting a bit 'old hat' now, indeed with companies like Swift giving ten year warranties they would not last long if this was really the case. UK makers like Swift, Elddis and Bailey have left most of the Euro companies behind with their modern construction methods. The original poster must be wishing he had not asked the question with so many directly opposite views, but this is motor homing, we all think we know best when in reality only I do. (lol) So my tips. Never buy a fixed bed unless van is at least 9 mtrs long but make sure the bed can be made up in less than a minute, mine can. Never go for a dinette arrangement, horribly cramped when weather is bad or midges are about and you need to get inside. Never buy a van that is not well covered by UK dealers, this means a UK built one. Make sure it has proper cooking facilities otherwise you will end up carrying those famous burners of beef burgers, often called barbecue's and similar make do cooking stuff. Make sure it can carry a small motor scooter on a rack, essential equipment this. Probably lots more but I guess that's enough to annoy most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowie Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Abcheetham - 2014-07-10 7:35 PM We're buying a motorhome next week, have whittled it down to the right layout and found several van options. I was wondering, if there is one tip you could share with a newbie about your choice of motorhome what would that be? Welcome Andy; First tip would be; ….. don't rush to buy next week, take it easy! Second tip; decide (this means discussing) what you both feel about how you will use your new van. Specifically, will you use campsites and their facilities; or will you use your own chemical toilet and shower facility. Does the van you are favouring have a "bathroom" you can live with? Do you know (or think you know) what sort of camping you will do; most people learn a lot in the first couple of years. Having got the "toilet issues " out in the open; make sure the bed gets adequate consideration. One bad night's sleep is ok; more than that is unacceptable. Good luck; hope you find a van that suits. ( and don't worry; Ducatos are great! and unless you are looking at one that's 4 or 5 years old you should be able to just enjoy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinT Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Research the dealer, we have had 11 months worth of problems (minor) although if you cant use the van its major, that they just wont fix. When you see the van you like, if not new, and possibly even if new, there may be some problems you see with the van. The dealer will say he will repair all these faults but he will want payment from you before you collect the van so you wont see it until collection day, after they have your money. I know it would take longer, but if there is a next time for us, I will want to see the van fully working before I pay the balance! Our first two vans were bought privately, so not paying dealer profits but no warrantee, the money saved would have been used to cover cost of repairs, it's a gamble, but one that's paid off twice for us. The only time we get problems is buying through a dealer. Don't get put off but take your time. Good luck whatever you choose. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 A good friend of mine who liked the sound of our motorhoming life decided to give it a try. He made the mistake of buying a £5K banger from eBay. He could afford a decent one but his reasoning was that if he didn't take to it he wouldn't lose much. The problem was that he never got the chance to really try motorhoming as he had so many problems with the clunker that culminating in it breaking down on the motorway on his way to his first longish holiday. The holiday was ruined and his wife, who was so fed up with all the problems, insisted that they sell it and forget all about motorhoming. Knowing them well I have no doubt that if they'd bought something modern and decent they'd now be as enthusiastic about motorhoming as most people on here. As it is their experience with an an old worn-out banger put them off forever. So my tip is to buy the best you can afford so that you'll spend all your time enjoying it and not going backwards and forwards to the garage, bodyshop or motorhome dealer to get all the faults fixed. You'll come across people who'll eulogise about the advantages of owning an old banger. Don't fall for their bilge. They only drive old bangers because they can't afford something decent. If great-aunt Bertha left them a few grand tomorrow, the first thing they'd buy is a new motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 ColinT - 2014-07-12 10:06 AM The dealer will say he will repair all these faults but he will want payment from you before you collect the van so you wont see it until collection day, after they have your money. I know it would take longer, but if there is a next time for us, I will want to see the van fully working before I pay the balance! If buying in the UK not a problem , after inspecting the van you pay by debit card, if buying abroad you can take a bank draft with you but you will probably take a hit on the exchange rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-07-12 11:05 AM You'll come across people who'll eulogise about the advantages of owning an old banger. Don't fall for their bilge. They only drive old bangers because they can't afford something decent. If great-aunt Bertha left them a few grand tomorrow, the first thing they'd buy is a new motorhome. Not necessarily. If they have had the thing since new they may be genuinely affectionate towards it like I was - I had my last van from new and kept it for 18 years. But I agree that going out any buying a £5k banger instead of a nice new one is a different matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-07-12 11:05 AM You'll come across people who'll eulogise about the advantages of owning an old banger. Don't fall for their bilge. They only drive old bangers because they can't afford something decent. If great-aunt Bertha left them a few grand tomorrow, the first thing they'd buy is a new motorhome. Naturally only your opinion is of any real value Frank..................well in your view anyway :D........... Fortunately some of us do not feel the need to follow the herd B-)............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 pelmetman - 2014-07-12 2:09 PM Had Enough - 2014-07-12 11:05 AM You'll come across people who'll eulogise about the advantages of owning an old banger. Don't fall for their bilge. They only drive old bangers because they can't afford something decent. If great-aunt Bertha left them a few grand tomorrow, the first thing they'd buy is a new motorhome. Naturally only your opinion is of any real value Frank..................well in your view anyway :D........... Fortunately some of us do not feel the need to follow the herd B-)............... If you could afford it you'd be galloping with the herd as fast as you could to the motorhome showrooms! Who do you think you're kidding! You just have to laugh! It's really a bit sad that you just can't admit that you drive an old banger because you can't afford anything else. There's nothing wrong with that but what is wrong is the sheer dishonesty and the constant sneering at people who can buy a new 'van and enjoy doing so. You attack them and call them snobs who only wish to impress the neighbours and as you've just done, 'joining the herd'. It's really very unpleasant and shows that under this village idiot persona that you adopt, you're not very nice. Now do everyone a favour and stop this boring proselytising about the dubious advantages of running an old banger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-07-12 2:21 PM pelmetman - 2014-07-12 2:09 PM Had Enough - 2014-07-12 11:05 AM You'll come across people who'll eulogise about the advantages of owning an old banger. Don't fall for their bilge. They only drive old bangers because they can't afford something decent. If great-aunt Bertha left them a few grand tomorrow, the first thing they'd buy is a new motorhome. Naturally only your opinion is of any real value Frank..................well in your view anyway :D........... Fortunately some of us do not feel the need to follow the herd B-)............... If you could afford it you'd be galloping with the herd as fast as you could to the motorhome showrooms! Who do you think you're kidding! You just have to laugh! It's really a bit sad that you just can't admit that you drive an old banger because you can't afford anything else. There's nothing wrong with that but what is wrong is the sheer dishonesty and the constant sneering at people who can buy a new 'van and enjoy doing so. You attack them and call them snobs who only wish to impress the neighbours and as you've just done, 'joining the herd'. It's really very unpleasant and shows that under this village idiot persona that you adopt, you're not very nice. Now do everyone a favour and stop this boring proselytising about the dubious advantages of running an old banger. This should be interesting Frank ;-)................although I might miss it as we're eating around our tugger friends tonight :-S...................let me know what you think, as it appears to be attacking your religion 8-).......... The Men Who Made Us Spend: are we bullied into buying? Jacques Peretti's doom-laden documentary The Men Who Made Us Spend is bleak and persuasive, says Toby Dantzic BBC Jacques Peretti’s doom-laden drawl can be something of a turn off for those who prefer a more nuanced approach to presenting. And while this three-part series (available on BBC iPlayer since the end of last month) pinpointing the perils of consumerism is undeniably hard-hitting and eye opening, it’s also provocatively, endlessly grim. By the programme’s end, we’re left wondering if we have any sway on our shopping habits or if we’re just lemmings lulled into spending by Machiavellian marketing machines. In tonight’s first episode, Peretti’s particular (and worthwhile) bugbear is how companies deliberately design products to be disposable. This strategy, terrifyingly described in 1929 by General Motors executive Charles F Kettering as the “organised creation of dissatisfaction”, means that anything new quickly becomes old, sparking the need for us to buy and buy again. Peretti’s polemic is admirably dazzling and ambitious, tracing the history of capitalism, looking at political trends, and talking to experts with experience in brands from IKEA to Apple. The documentary’s slant on mass consumption is relentlessly bleak, footage of hysterical hordes clamouring to get through the gates of Primark emphasising our helpless, unthought hunger for more stuff. But while this is all horribly persuasive, Peretti’s rigid anti-corporate stance leaves little room for opening up debate along the way. The Men Who Made Us Spend is on BBC Two on Saturday at 9.00pm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-07-12 2:52 PM Oh dear, I'd of thought you'd be the first one to defend your religion against us infidels (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Oh dearie me chaps - and you've been doing so well recently. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Simple answer back on thread. If in doubt don't buy there are lots of motorhomes for sale so take your time. Hiring first is good but expensive. John :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Go for a fixed bed layout as much better than moving seating cushions etc around. Yes you do loose some . Living space so just means you need to keep buying longer vans! We are changing from our just under 7m tribute to almost 7.5m Rapido 691ff, which also has advantage of an island bed. So second tip is that if you are not careful this motorhoming game can be very expensive, as if you change every 3 years or so, as we tend to do, then depreciation costs are high!! So idea of running an older van has advantages, just we prefer new, but it is clearly a personal choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Ive bought both new and nearly new ,and next time i think it will be old or really old lol: i never was in love with the new one (autotrail apache) and the vat was annoying ,we didnt keep it for long before we uptraded to a bigger (arapaho) which was a cottage on wheels ....loved it : before those it was a cheyanne (comfortmatic disaster) and an autosleeper palermo (smell of burning from gearbox) and a little bit grandma'ish : so probably next time we will go for an old one :-hopefully an oldie but goodie , but then you never know ,but at least i wont be thinking its a lot of money parked on drive doing very little ; as we still have the same commitments that we had when we packed in in january: but i miss it so much so really it doesnt matter what you drive whether its £10,000 or £100,000 as long as you enjoy it eh? We had duvalays so the bedmaking in arapaho was so easy in the large rear lounge.......aah i wonder whose sleeping init now ?lol. Pp:).........perhaps as i head to retirement im getting cautious with the wonga? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 candapack - 2014-07-12 4:28 PM Oh dearie me chaps - and you've been doing so well recently. :D Unfortunately old Frank prefers acolytes to none believers like me :D..................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Robert and jean ...those rapidos look well made , its not a make i am familiar with internally but have seen plenty on our travels but just had a gander on ebay and they look very classy .pp:) the cabinetwork looks well finished: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 snowie - 2014-07-11 11:08 PM Abcheetham - 2014-07-10 7:35 PM We're buying a motorhome next week, have whittled it down to the right layout and found several van options. I was wondering, if there is one tip you could share with a newbie about your choice of motorhome what would that be? Welcome Andy; First tip would be; ….. don't rush to buy next week, take it easy! I would agree with that... As you've "whittled" down your choice down to a few options, it may be beneficial if you named them(exact models, base vehicle etc) so that if any forum members *own/owned such vehicles, they could pass on any advice? (*..unfortunately, you will also get "feedback" from those who have just read third/fourth-hand,and probably biased, internet tittle-tattle..and therefore will proceed to just slag 'em off! (lol) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcheetham Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Thank you all for your input. It's been great reading them. We are experienced campers and caravaners as well as spending many nights on floating caravans (yachts) so we know that what is right for one is not right for the other. However, I'd like to introduce you all to Herbie who we bought today and we now need a new thread which I'll post now about your favourite accessories :-) Anyway, here's Herbie: http://www.oakwellmotorhomes.com/motorhomes/2008-hymer-a-class-ex-522/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Lovely :--god bless herbie and all who sail in him , happy wanderings pp:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 What a sensible man a wise choice, looks like a good price and I assume you got a few grand off as well, even at full price a looks good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcheetham Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Yes Tom gave us a good deal and him and his family were a pleasure to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcheetham Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Great to see your photos Lenny :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Great van Abcheetham and a good price. It should give you many happy years of motorhoming. We have a six metre 504 which has a single bed at the back. Love your blue interior; our previous 544 had this trim and it wore well. Not sure what accessories you'll need so I'll be interested in reading that thread when it sets off. All we've added to ours is a TV and aerial plus an alarm. We did put down some rubber matting in the cupboards to stop rattles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Abcheetham - 2014-07-14 10:11 AM Great to see your photos Lenny :-) Thanks, you have reminded me to update them not added any for a couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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