Onedaysoon Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Hello - any advice hugely appreciated! My husband and I are taking our 4 month old baby on a extended tpour of France and Spain. We are getting a 6 berth motorhome with front and rear lounge and an overcab bed - we feel this gives us the space to have some space each when we get under one another's feet! For our budget (22k) we have whittled the options down to the Compass Avantgarde 180 vs Swift Sundance 630L. Are these vans similar in quaility and reliability? By the way - we only have standard driving licences and are motorhome newbies! Thanks Shannon, Colin and Baby Bea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Hi Welcome to forum We have a swift Sundance ours is 590, so a bit smaller Been very happy with ours make sure that your licence covers you,. You may only be able to drive up to 3500, not sure what the 630 is You need to check what weight you have available for ALL the gear you will need with a baby, and for extensive time . (How Long?) It is fairly tight on the 590, and if the 630 is also 3500, you may have a problem !! ALSO make sure you can attache a child seat safley , as it's not like a car , usually the seat only has one side to it! Good luck on your search PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QFour Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 You cannot drive a Swift Sundance 630L on a Standard Licence you need a C1 Licence to drive it as it is over 3500Kg. The Compass can be driven on an ordinary licence but you only have a payload of 628kgs. Not a lot. Take out the passenger weight ie. Two Adults and a baby and that's what you have to play with. You will need to carry water, food, bedding and all the electric bits. If it's got an awning on the side that will need to be added as it will not be in the manufacturers payload. You are going to be carrying round a lot of woodwork ( beds ) that you will not be using. You will also have a larger table and more seating than you really need. Whatever you buy you need to visit a weigh bridge and find out what it weighs. Then load it up and weigh it again with you inside. It will also need filling with Diesel and Traveling Water. If it's over weight then you risk being prosecuted. If you go to Europe they do have roadside checks especially 3500kg MH's as people always overload them. Happy MH Hunting. Ps had a Swift Bolero .. Never Again would I buy anything made in the Uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 I have owned a Swift 630L for the past 8 years so I must like it. Excellent for families as you can curtain off the front or rear to give a bit of peace. Post 2007 they are 4000Kg. Pre 2007 most are 3850Kg so you will take the C1 driving test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onedaysoon Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Thank you - this is really good advice. The motorhome dealers have been saying we can drive these vehicles but they have been quoting the weight of the vehicle itself and not the max payload which I guess is what we need to be considering. Is a fixed rear bed lighter than a rear lounge? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Hi, You will have to look at the VIN plate of the vehicle you are considering and then double check on the logbook (V5C) to make sure the figures match. The figure you need to look at is GVW or MTPLM. It is item E in this picture. As long as it is 3,500 kg or lower you are OK. Anything higher and you need C1. PS Do not confuse with F which includes a trailer! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Onedaysoon - 2016-11-19 7:17 PM Thank you - this is really good advice. The motorhome dealers have been saying we can drive these vehicles but they have been quoting the weight of the vehicle itself and not the max payload which I guess is what we need to be considering. Is a fixed rear bed lighter than a rear lounge? Thanks in advance! This guide to motorhome terminology may be helpful http://www.motorhome-buyers-guide.com/beginners-guide-to-motorhome-terms/ Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is defined in the list as "GVW – Gross vehicle weight as marked on the vehicles VIN plate.This means the maximum amount the vehicle can weigh. Usually referred to as MAM or MTPLM. It is illegal to operate a vehicle in excess of the maximum weight marked on the VIN plate.” As both of you have ‘basic’ Category B driving licences, you are both limited to driving vehicles with a GVW not exceeding 3500kg. https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories To legally drive a vehicle with a GVW over 3500kg requires (at least) a Category C1 driving-licence entitlement. Obtaining that entitlement requires taking a test and very probably preparatory training - it won’t be cheap and it won’t be quick. http://www.nextleveldriving.co.uk/c1-course-info Uness you anticipate driving large heavy vehicles in future, I suggest you forget the C1 licence at this stage and ensure that whatever motorhome you settle on has a GVW not exceeding 3500kg. With two adults and a baby 6 berths will be serious overkill sleeping-wise. The overcab bed and front and rear lounges make good sense, but you’ll end up with a long vehicle and they tend to be heavy. You may want to rethink how you intend to operate the motorhome and how much compromise you are prepaed to tolerate. The following review of a 2007 Compass Avantgarde 180 http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/reviews/motorhome/30144-compass-avantgarde-180 quotes a GVW of 3500kg and a payload of 628kg. The calculation of the payload figure will (or should) have included allowances for vehicle-fuel and the weight of a driver, but probably will not have included allowances for freshwater and gas, and definitely will not have included allowances for passengers, baggage, accessories, etc. There are a number of caveats in the review - for example the smal size of the water tanks and, personally, I’d be wary of the motor’s capability in such a large vehicle. It’s not that the motor would be inadequate, just that it would need to be worked hard and driving should not be expected to provide much fun. The overall weight of a motorhome empty will largely depend on its construction, so a lightly-built 7-metres-long model may weigh significantly less than a heavily-built 6.5m-long motorhome. Once in loaded condition, the weight will depend on things like the volume of the fresh-water tank - the Avantgarde 180's is 45 litres = 45kg of water when full, whereas my Rapido’s tank is 120 litres = 120kg of water when full, and the size of the gas bottles that are carried. Suggest you don’t concern yourself about potential weight-differences between a rear U-lounge layout and a rear fixed-bed layout, you really need to look at the payload figure and understand how it has been arrived at. If you think a particular motorhome might have not much payload, but otherwise believe it might suit you, ask the vendor to have the vehicle weighed before committing to buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onedaysoon Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Thank you everyone for your advice - very much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 It’s perhaps worth adding that, if you have no ‘background’ experience to help you with what living in a motorhome will involve (eg. you've not done any caravanning), it would be a good idea to hire a motorhome before buying one. https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=motorhome+rental Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onedaysoon Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Thanks - my parents have a motorhome and we have borrowed it for a small trip and enjoyed it. We will be taking a 4 month trip so we'll be in trouble if its not for us! I have been searching through some other motorhome models today after everyone's advice and am now looking at 4 berth vehicles with a fixed bed, something like a Rapido. I'll have a good look at the guides too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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