A class V coachbuilt ?

[Wingpete]

I am curious to know what are the advantages/disadvantages of owning and using a coachbuilt against an A class 'van ?

I have a coachbuilt, which has worked well for us. Now thinking of changing to A class, but wonder about the ease of access/egress via one side door, which most seem to have.

I like the idea of alighting via cab doors, especially when needing to access something like a toll booth (ever dropped your credit card or the change when carrying out a transaction ?) or barrier mechanism with a RHD in European sites.

Your thoughts welcomed prior to searching.

[Old Git]

I'm not sure you need advice Peter - I'd say you have it pretty well thought out already.

 

How long does it take to make up the bed on your coachbuilt? That's the only significant advantage of an A-Class that would interest me, and I'm not even sure about that. The person sleeping on the inside has to clamber over their partner to go for a wee in many layouts, but in most A-Class vans the bed is inevitably some way off the floor and as you get older the thought of pitching forward onto your nose becomes less and less attractive. You no longer bounce at my age - take it from me :-( :-(

 

Other folk will have different opinions of course, but that's my contribution. The lack of driver and/or passenger door on many of them would put me right off, from the safety aspect if no other.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

[crinklystarfish]

I personally don’t perceive any massive advantage with either concept. In my view it comes down to taste and intended use.

One reservation I do have though is the glasswork in A classes. It's bespoke and frequently large, heavy, and complex. I've seen quite a few second-hand high-end A classes with signs of water ingress around the bottom 'corners' of the windscreen.

Furthermore, to state the obvious, repair / replacement is the hackneyed problem, plus there's the issue of insolation and heat loss through these large glass areas.

As I say though, I don't think the issues are enough to sway choice if everything else about a particular A class is ‘right’.

[johnsandywhite]

B-) I've been an 'A' American class owner for over 7 years. But I have also had 2 'C' class coach built. The more I look at them the more I think they are a good choice for people who require storage area. The 'A' class tends to have more room for entertaining and basement storage. I am of course referring to the US Motorhomes here. So what I would really like is a 30ft full basement storage 'C' class. ;-)

 

[Clive]

A broken front windscreen on holiday will make you wish yours was an A class. But the wife wants a coach built next so she can put her feet up on the dash!

 

[Champstar]

Why the problem with coach built windscreens Clive..I thought A class was the problem (?) (?)

[Globetrotter]

Clive

I suspect your comment was in jest, but feel I should mention that putting feet up on the dashboard of ANY moving vehicle is a very silly thing to do. (I think it must be some kind of trend as I have seen it lots recently.) With cars, most have twin airbags which is where most people rest their feet. Needless to say, if it goes off it will potentially inflict quite serious injuries. More importantly though (and more relevant to our vans), if feet are on the dash, the body angle within the seatbelt is completely wrong. An accident could result in the person "submarining" under the belt and exiting via the screen, or alternatively, the spine would be bent in ways it isnt supposed to, causing horrendous injury.

[Wingpete]

I think Clive may have his "classes" wrong way around. Coachbuilt is cab with bdoywork, A class is chassis with coverall bodywork, including cab, I think ! Massive coach style wind screen though !

I am not sure how old you have to be to find mobility probs "Old Git" , but I just go my licence for HGV renewed for another 3 yrs, and manage fixed beds at 3 foot off the floor OK, but you are right about mightime excursions to the loo.

It's the whol econcept that interests me, as to which of the two types has greater advantages.

[Old Git]

Wingpete - 2007-09-11 7:19 PM

I am not sure how old you have to be to find mobility probs "Old Git" .

 

Depends more on how much fatter Mrs Git is going to get. No room for a ladder with more than about 6 rungs.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Guest starspirit]

That's the trouble with Clive - no experience!

 

PS

 

Only joking Clive - honest.

[Roamer]

We are changing to an A class without any cab doors partly to get away from the ventilation (draughts) that come in from the Fiat cab, especially from the pilars between the cab doors and the caravan body. The layout is similar to our Autotrail Scout and has a rear lounge that will form a super king size bed or two singles without the need for steps or ladders.

 

 

[JimJam]

On the three hi profile coachbuilts I have owned, the cab area has been pretty much dead space when parked up, I have always had dinettes up front which means the seats don't swivel. And when the ladders up, Arrgh, it's just in the way. An A class all of them use that space much better and its more integral. I think an A class can be 5 foot shorter than a coachbuilt and still offer much the same usable space. That's my experience of them anyway.

[Charlieme]

We have a Rapido A class. Its fine with two double beds (one fixed) so us older gits can have a real good sleep.

 

I use the drop down bed and at nearly 6ft tall I never touch the top or bottom.

 

I removed the ladder (an awfull thing in the night with bare feet !!!) I'ts very easy to step on a side seat and into bed.

 

We've had fiteen people around the table drinking wine and no one complained.

[JimJam]

Charlie&me - 2007-09-11 8:16 PM

 

We've had fiteen people around the table drinking wine and no one complained.

 

Nice wine then :-D :-D

[Mel B]

We seriously considered an 'A' class earlier this year but decided against it because:

 

1) Cost - you pay a lot more for the priviledge of not having a cab front.

2) Extra width - although some coachbuilts now are getting a bit chubby.

3) Bed - I like to sit up in bed to read and in an 'A' class drop down bed there's nowhere to properly rest against due to the rise/fall mechanism.

4) We also like to lounge around in bed occasionally watching a good film which is difficult to do in an 'A' class due to 3) above but also because there's no where obvious to put the screen to be able to comfortably watch it.

5) Cold - with all that single-glazed glass surrounding the bed I would think it's probably fairly cold, much more so than when the bed is in the normal coachbuilt part with double-glazed windows.

6) Because of the drop down bed you loose the storage at the front.

 

One thing we find difficult to understand now is the number of 'A' class motorhomes with fixed rear beds, not necessarily those with 'garages'. Why? To us the whole point of having an 'A' class is for the drop down bed facility (ie no having to make up a bed) without having the extra length required to house a fixed bed ... this is why I can't really get my head round the reason for the new Hymer Exsis II - 'A' class motorhome with fixed rear bed and NO drop down bed?!?!?!? Seeing as it's just about identical to one of the low profile Hymer vans I can't see why anyone would want to pay around £7,000 more for virtually the same vehicle. Perhaps its a Hymer thing .....?

*-)

[Clive]

I must take more water with it!

 

No problems with replacement front screens with them built on chassis cabs. Those built on chassis Cowls are a bit special and not always immediately available.

 

Have I got it right this time?

 

Feet on dashboard. Yes all the safety considerations are true but we come out of the same mold as Jim Davidson. She always travelled this way when we had a converted Duple Vista coach and wants to do it again. So I had better drive S L O W L Y hadn,t I?

 

 

[crinklystarfish]

Just picking up on Mel B's bed conundrum; the answer is simple.

Not everyone wants to sleep in the same bed as their partner. The clambering-about-in-the-night aspect alone is enough to put me off.

The new Exis has twin singles from memory? Which to my mind is an equally efficient way of avoiding the nocturnal dangling-of-unsolicited-body-parts scenario.

[Vernon B]

I started out with a 1999 coachbuilt and now have a 2003 A Class. I went for that because within the same 6 metre body the A Class gave you more "living" space. I was also attracted by the "permanent" drop down bed. Those benefits have certainly been delivered and I don't regret the decision. I have one cab door (off/drivers side) and have never experienced any problems with this arrangement. It could be argued that fewer doors mean more usable wall/floor area and fewer security problems. Surprisingly I find the A Class easier to drive, because the cab is the same width as the body. May not make sense but it works for me.

 

Since 2003 I've noticed that cabs on coachbuilt 'vans are increasingly becoming more integrated with the living quarters, and my basic justification for the switch is much less valid. Its also worth noting that some Lutons are now sufficiently capacious to take two adults in relative comfort. So all in all the "differences" have become less marked. Add to that that the steel cab on the coachbuilt 'van will be better engineered, will probably offer better impact protection, give better engine access and will be more durable than the GRP A Class cab and you'll see that the coachbuilt has some real advantages. And as mentioned there is a considerable cost advantage as can be seen with some manufacturers who provide identical layouts/specs in both formats.

 

So to repeat. I'm very happy with my A Class and have not experienced any particular disadvantages. Would I buy another one? Possibly but it wouldn't be the first criteria in selecting a new 'van - I'd be looking at the "total package" and wouldn't rule out a coachbuilt/low profile van.

 

Vernon

 

 

 

[flicka]

A major disadvantage with an "A" class is those with a single exit door.

See my post in

" The great door bore" thread