shirles Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 We moved to New Zealand in 2014 and had our Delaware shipped out here. Since then we've toured quite a bit including a six week tour or the south island which was incredible. Unfortunately my back problems with spinal stenosis has worsened so decided we would downsize to a 6m pvc and use it as a day van and the odd couple of days away when I'm not too bad. The van we've got our eye on is the autocruise Rhythm so would be glad of input off Rhythm owners and any other suggestions regarding similar vans. We were also considering ex hire vans here in NZ but most come with high mileage and are mainly Sprinters and VW Crafters and are a bit basic and poorly insulated. So any pointers would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 We have just done exactly what you are considering, also for health reasons. We had an Autotrail Savannah, which was very comfortable, but a bit big and heavy (4.25 tonnes) so over the 3500kg license restrictions which kick in for me in June this year.We traded ours in for an Autotrail PVC, a V line, 5.99 metres. Not a new one, but 2014 with only 1600 miles on the clock. Problem, I now have a small mountain of KIT, that we can no longer carry or store ? So, some serious sorting out, needs to be done..... thank goodness for E Bay. We used to go away for several months at a time. Now a new era. Similar to youselves, mainly a Day Van for trips out, few days away, and visiting relatives without them needing to give us accommodation. Will post later, to let you know how we get on. Please let us know how you get on too. Good luck. PS. Can you get Autocruise Rythmn PVC 's in New Zealand ? Or will you ship one out ? Curious. Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Rayjsj - 2016-02-14 12:06 PM We have just done exactly what you are considering, also for health reasons. We had an Autotrail Savannah, which was very comfortable, but a bit big and heavy (4.25 tonnes) so over the 3500kg license restrictions which kick in for me in June this year.We traded ours in for an Autotrail PVC, a V line, 5.99 metres. Not a new one, but 2014 with only 1600 miles on the clock. Problem, I now have a small mountain of KIT, that we can no longer carry or store ? So, some serious sorting out, needs to be done..... thank goodness for E Bay. We used to go away for several months at a time. Now a new era. Similar to youselves, mainly a Day Van for trips out, few days away, and visiting relatives without them needing to give us accommodation. Will post later, to let you know how we get on. Please let us know how you get on too. Good luck. PS. Can you get Autocruise Rythmn PVC 's in New Zealand ? Or will you ship one out ? Curious. Ray. My Swift Mondial is identical to the Autocruise Rhythm and is made in the same factory. My main (and only) criticism of all PVCs is that they are not as well insulated as coachbuilts which is very noticeable in hot weather especially. However, they are practical vans and are OK for daily use unless you live in a city where finding a parking space is near impossible. But they are far more usable than the alternative of large coachbuilts. I believe Swift products including Autocruise are available in New Zealand - at least I think so as I've seen a few out there and assume they were bought locally rather than personal imports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Hymer exsis-t 414? Coachbuilt, large garage, big transverse double and only 5.95m in length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 We're very happy with our Autocruise Alto , fixed bed loads of storage underneath it and upfront dinette just under 6 mets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 There was a similar thread on the forum earlier this month concerning possible downsizing: http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/possible-downsizing/40761/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 Thanks for the replies which are much appreciated. Have been unable to find a dealer who imports autocruise vans but a few do import swift coachbuilt models.But I should be able to import one through the agent who brought our Delaware to nz and got it adapted to local regulations ie from 21st century back to 20th century rules. You would'nt believe how crappy the electric plugs are out here, but you have to adhere to their rules. Importing a new van will be exempt from vat but liable to nz import duty, but the high price of vans out here will hopefully make it viable. When we arrived in nz the pound was very weak and worth around $1.9nz so cost of living was higher but now at $2.20nz so a lot better especially the campsite fees which are similar to uk. You won't find caravan club standard sites out here because the income they generate is not enough to provide all the bells and whistles as in the uk. But a lot of them are in stunning locations which far outweighs the rather generic cc sites.As for the roads well the most polite thing to say is that there better on the south island.Diesel is about £0.34 per litre but you also pay road user charges which bring it up roughly to about £ 0.60 per litre. Well would we come back to the uk.....not bloody likely despite having to pay to see a doctor whose surgery is about 200 yards from a lovely golden sandy beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 I 've found out I can't privately import a new autocruise Rhythm into nz cos they have to have ESC brakes and swift don 't fit them to vans on sale in the uk. But swift fit ESC to the vans they supply to nz dealers. You can still import a used van until 2020. Well with the state of my back I'd be reluctant to fly over and use the van for a few weeks and then ship it out to nz. So i've scrubbed the idea of a swift and the agent I use in nz has suggested an autotrail V line 635 which is pretty similar and does have ESC brakes. So my take on this is that swift specify vans from Fiat without ESC fitted to sell in the uk market so have little regard for the safety of their uk customers. I presume it's not illegal to fit a well known safety feature in the uk, but it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I seem to recall Derek querying this on a make of van, IIRC Rapido? I'm suprised some manufactures omit this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Suppose it comes down to tight margins and as long as they comply with the law in each country they flog their wares to they don't give a damn. But in my case they lost a sale and having bought a few swift caravans and a bolero over the years it irks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Apologies but I have my dinosaur head on tonight. When was the last time you had to take the sort of emergency action that might trigger the sort of complicated emergency systems the international nanny state has imposed on everyone. The very act of driving a motor vehicle on the road involves risk. They can be reduced by sensible measures such as seat belts and airbags but the best computer is just aft of the drivers eyes.. I did spend the best part of three decades driving vehicles with two tone horns and blue lights. The only serious accident was when someone jumped a crossroad in front of me. I had best get off the soapbox before I get giddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 George Collings - 2016-02-19 9:42 PM When was the last time you had to take the sort of emergency action that might trigger the sort of complicated emergency systems the international nanny state has imposed on everyone. . ESC works in other situations than this, such as going around a corner a bit faster than you ought, or finding a slippery bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Lets also not forget back in the 60's, before safety was taken seriously, there where four times the number of deaths on the road despite there being a lot less cars on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 colin - 2016-02-19 10:52 AM I seem to recall Derek querying this on a make of van, IIRC Rapido? I'm suprised some manufactures omit this. When the latest generation of ‘X290’ Boxers/Ducatos/Relays was introduced in mid-2014 the vehicles were advertised by their respective manufacturers as having an ESC (Electronic Stability Control) system as part of the standard specification. It was not widely advertised that motorhome manufacturers could de-specify ESC if they so chose. This is covered in greater depth here: http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Latest-Fiat-Ducato-X290-Standard-specification-/36108/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Wow, about 17months ago and I remembered correctly the make of van, considering what I've been throu this last few months I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Were going to the motorhome show in Auckland on march 11th so will have a good look round to see if any locally made vans appeal to us. If none tick the right boxes then it will probably be a V line from the uk but we'll probably have to wait a good while for delivery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suda Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 We went down the downsizing route and lived to regret it. Painfully costly too!!! We did 3 long trips in a Rapido v56 , having had a Burstner Delfin t700. We reluctantly came to the conclusion that we missed the space and are now the owners of a Burstner once again. Not as big as the Delfin, but only half a metre longer than the Rapido panel van conversion but what a difference going back to a coach built has made in terms of space, comfort and security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 We won't be doing any trips away longer than 2 or 3 nights as that's all my back can cope with. But as a day van it will get constant use and fit in parking places we can't take the Delaware. In previous years we've hired pvcs in Australia and nz for lengthy holidays and coped ok so the odd night here and there won't trouble us. Not seen any low mileage locally made pvcs and don't fancy the ex-hire vans out here. Where we live is a very popular kiwi holiday centre and Rotorua is only an hour away so lots of places for day trips and if we want to stay the night.....no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Shirles, will your Delaware sell easily in NZ ? And how big a presence has Autotrail got there ? We are happy with our V Line, so far, storage is a challenge but we are re-adjusting OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Kiwis love autotrails and out here and are seen as a premium brand despite tough competition from the likes of dethleff and burstner as well as swift and autosleepers The delaware is the top selling a/t so it should be easy to get rid. Because you can drive a van of up to 6000kg on a normal license bigger vans is what most people aspire to. Anyway if we get a smaller van we might be able to ditch the car which is a 2006 nissan tiida and save a wedge of money ( but not sure the wife would go along with that) Up to now the other half as not driven the delaware in nz cos she's scared of the one lane bridges which can be quite narrow, so if we change vans she might do a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 We have a SWB Transit which we use for trips of a few weeks and as a day van. I use it instead of the car if my wife wants the car, or because we like being in it. BUT, my wife has absolutely no intention of driving it because it just seems too big, even though she used to drive a Saab 9000 with almost the same footprint. So don't bank on not needing a car :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Off to the Auckland motorhome show on friday and if we don't see owt we like were going for the V line 610se. We 'll plump for an auto but which ducato engine should we plump for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 shirles - 2016-03-09 9:51 AM Off to the Auckland motorhome show on friday and if we don't see owt we like were going for the V line 610se. We 'll plump for an auto but which ducato engine should we plump for? I would opt for the most powerful available with an auto box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Well we've got the Delaware up for sale and had a few nibbles and hopefully it will sell soon. If we opt for the V line 610se on an auto it might take a long time for delivery as I believe there's been problems with the supply of Ducato's. Only seen one local converter doing 6m vans and price works out as the same as a new Delaware in the uk. None of the dealers over here that sell autosleeper, swift and autotrails are interested in obtaining pvc's from uk as they say there's no demand for them in nz. So it's down to an agent to bring one in. The market out here is probably the reverse of the uk so Upsizing is the way to go for kiwis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirles Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 Well we sold the Delaware and were going for a 6m ducato converted by a firm based in Thames which some of you know is a town at the start or the Coromandel peninsular. The thing like about the van is the proper habitation door as they get rid of the whiz bang (sliding door). We got a good price for the Delaware so e only have to find about £1500 to change. It's got the 180bhp engine and is the auto box. We should take delivery by end of august at the start of spring out here. In between time were off to australia for 5 weeks just after euro 16 finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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