Poppy Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi I am new here. We were caravanners and are in the process of changing our caravan for a HYmer Van. Anyone else got one? Any comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi Elizabeth, welcome to the site and to the motorhome fraternity.I personnaly do not have a Hymer, never considered it as an option for us, but I`m sure there are a lot of owners who will exchange info as they pick up this thread. Hope you have many happy years motorhoming as I have had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Poppy: Are you buying a Hymer Van built on the latest version of the Ford Transit, please and, if so, will it be the 522 model (with crossways rear bed) or the longer 572 (with twin longways beds)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Its a 2007 model with a cross wize double bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 PoppyDo you mean you have signed on the bottom line for the Hymer?If not, you might like to look at the Hobby Van, Dethleffs Globebus and Globevan, and Knaus Van, all of which offer similar bed layouts and overall size, but with different finish qualities and appearances. Nothing wrong with the Hymer, but just in case you haven't yet explored the alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi Poppy; Yes, we've got a Hymer van, last years model (522) just before the recent facelift. Very pleased with it, it fits our requirements perfectly and has everthing we need without feeling cramped and still under 6 mtrs. Large comfy double bed. Comfortable dinette for its size. Excellent wash room with folding shower system that is practical and actually works properly, not just a gimmick. Excellent garage with loads of storage (watch the weight on the tail end, its tempting to chuck loads in there). Large payload. Well insulated, toasty warm on a recent trip to the alps. 2.0 ltr engine is great with plenty of power (now superceeded by the 2.2?) ------------------------------- Problems we've had are relatively few; Shower room plastic wallcovering came away - fixed on pdi. truma regulator failed, not Hymers fault. Fridge problem (Thetford) in cold climates/high altitude, gas wouldn't light, new part on demand (power board?) ------------------------------- Design faults... Waste water outlet right behind the osr wheel and got all the crud thrown at it, theres also a possibility of water getting into the gas compartment as the dropout vent is in the same place behind the rear wheel, we've had mudflaps fitted which solves the problem. Optional drivers swivel is quite high, we're ok with it but it won't suit everyone. 1st gear is quite high leading to the occasional 'stall' until you get used to it, you also have to slip the clutch occasionally for a smooth getaway, you might have a different type in the 2007 model tho. Thinner tyres have to be fitted to be able to fit snowchains. ------------------------------ Overall its by far the best m/home we've owned (our 4th) and the build quality is excellent. Very impressed so far, even Brownhills have been good....... pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 Many thanks Pete. Like everyone we started off wanteing everything then read an excellent little book called Go Motorhoming and revised our opinionions. Like you we wanted some degree of comfort but also practicality.We went to see the Vanmaster Troodos which got a very good write up and it is a lovely van but when we saw the Hymer it was love at first sight as it combined practicality i.e siaze witha degree of comfort and of course Hymer has a very good name. As for Brownhills. Well at the mo they have been very good. Try dealing with Harringtons (although they have changed ownership since we bought our caravan). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Poppy: MMM December 2006 included a report on the preceding Hymer Van 522 (like Pete's) and, as the model's habitation specification remains relatively unaltered, this article may be of interest to you. Hymer's brochures indicate that the latest V-522 has increased in width by 7cm over its unusually narrow predecessor. Drawers have been built into the 'wall' below the bed, increasing interior storage space that the original design was a mite short of. However, this may well be the reason for the spare-wheel's transfer from the garage-area to beneath the floor - an unwelcome change in my opinion. The wardrobe has been split into an upper (potential micro-wave oven?) cabinet and lower hanging section. Pete's observation about high cab-seats continues to be relevant for the current Transit chassis and one example I sat in at the NEC seemed to have only a tiny accelerator-pedal movement. The revised gear-lever position and its precise action are huge improvements. The Van 522 now comes with a 2.2 litre motor with either 110PS or 130PS output, but I don't know which is the norm for RHD versions. There's always a long options list with Hymers from which Hymer(UK) pick and mix to produce a basic specification they believe will match UK motorhome buyers' preferences. This can produce odd combinations where, for example, the Hymer(UK) 'standard' vehicle may include fake-wood dashboard trim but omit heated mirrors. This strategy can also seriously bump up the price. Can't think of anything else, except that the recommended tyre pressures (whatever they are) may be questionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I wouldn’t get carried away with the idea that Hymer are THE best quality available. Clever marketing and trading on passed glories springs to mind. A German motorhome quality survey in Promobil magazine had them at 15th As well as the other vans recommended, I would look at the “Euramobil Profila” range. (Available here from Westcroft/Brownhills considerably cheaper from Germany). They are technically a more modern and lightweight construction then Hymer. Also Hymer have a new budget range them selves which may be worth a look the “Carado” http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.carado.de/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpromobil%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6x Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Hi. A quick question (or four) to the Hymer Van owners if possible please... o is the garage big enough to house two cycles? o does it come with an oven, or is it possible to specify/install one? o does anywhere have these stocked or is a 1 year leadtime normal? o anyone know what the new transit is like to drive compared to the new '07 Ducato (which I personally think is a superb drive) Many thanks in advance, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Can answer some not all. Yes the garage should be able to cope with 2 bikes. No there is no oven as standard and I am not sure that there is room for one. We are having a microwave fitted and will use a skillet.We liked the way the van drove but haven't driven any others so can't compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Oh and we should be getting ours at the end of April/early May and we have only just ordered it so fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Hi Steve; q1. A quick measure of the offside door aperture.. 100cm tall 55cm wide, fairly tall bikes might be a squeeze unless you lower the handlebars, not an issue for us as we have 2 folders. q2. An oven would probably be possible but with only one lower cupboard it would rob too much space (imo) q3. Stock wise, chatting to a salesman at Brownhills whilst having the fridge sorted the other day, he said they boo boo'd last year, underestimated its popularity and didn't order enough (I got the very last silver one), but have ordered plenty this year, so there shouldn't be any supply probs (they've got a new 2007 silver one on show if you do visit) q4. Don't know, can only comment on the 2006 one. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Pan Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Poppy We are just in the (final stages) of acquiring a Hobby Van. We are new to motor caravanning and spent a lot of time researching the market including the Hymer Van before making a decision. I think the Hymer is great but we preferred the layout of the Hobby + the standard oven/grill. The Hymer has a wardrobe on the right as you enter whereas the Hobby has a seat in this position which gives a more open aspect. The seat can also be converted into a bed. The Hobby is also the narrowest van in this class. I would definitely recommend you look at the Hobby (and the GlobeBus/Van) before making a decision. Of course the relative buying price of each may also be a factor and whether the delivery date meets your requirements. Good luck ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 No need to wait if you don't mind LHD. lots of Hobby vans in stock and available now from German dealers on www.mobile.de from around £26.000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooke Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 i recently took delivery of a hymer van 130, anybody who is thinking of buying one i would really recommend the new Ford having owned 4 motorhomes from new the last one being a hymer 524c class fiat 2.8jtd this ford 2.2 (130psi) is a diffrent animal all together it drives like a car no more more changing down for hills and on cruise control its so easy to drive as for the pricing you guys where saying being very expensive for hymer all i feel is its like anything in life you pay for what you get and with these lower priced vans about i feel i dont want to be up brownhills every weekend like when i had my last swift gazzelle (needing 5 attempts to seal leaky windows even swifts factory could not cure it) also wanted to let anyone no that the bed layout on the hymer van is super comfy and has a great design especially now they have put in a step system into rear bulk head so at the end of the day i have been in the motor trade over 30 years working in the renault commercial industry and having owned motorhomes for last 12 years i would highly reccomend the HYMER VAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Yes I presume you mean the Hymer 522. We have an early one (March 2006) based on the previous Ford Chasis but very similar to the new one. We love it. Very good bed, washroom and garage. Drives well and economical on fuel. Think its a good choice. Worth getting the glass window over the cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omar Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Hi I under stand that the glass window over the cab is causing a major problem with condensation on cold mornings which will fall onto the seats.Very difficult to fit a screen, :-( :-( :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 omar - 2007-03-19 6:44 PM Hi I under stand that the glass window over the cab is causing a major problem with condensation on cold mornings which will fall onto the seats.Very difficult to fit a screen, :-( :-( :-( Hi there. I have the overcab window and haven't had any problems with condensation (its double glazed), I used it in the Alps this year with temps down to -15 with no probs. There is a built in concertina blind. pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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