LinofDe Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Can anybody out there with more experience than us help? We are looking for our next motorhome but have only experienced a coachbuilt nu venture. We love the fact it is compact and economical to run but want something slightly bigger with a shower and usable cab space. I think a van conversion would be ideal-but my husband thinks a coach built would be better! We need advice on the pros and cons of both for extended use in our retirement. Thanks LinofDe *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi Linda and welcome to the forum. Could you elaborate a little on your descriptions of the two motorhome types please? From your current descriptions it sounds to me like you have confused what a coachbuilt and panel van conversion actually are. Other than that the only people who can truly make the decision is you and your other half, although there are plenty of us on here only to willing to giver our opinions :-> . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi Linda - horses for courses really, some good and bad in each I guess. We've had both over the course of some 16 years or so of motorhoming..so have seen both sides of it. There are several considerations - not the least being price, and in many ways the conversions are generally more expensive, I have found. Of course in both the quality can vary considerably, as can the equipement, so you have to decide on priorities in both As to usability, size is all important, and most coachbuilts now seem to be 2.3m wide and 6m long....not what I call 'compact' although this term is frequently used by the reveiewers......! In fairness, even quite a lot of the covnersions on the new Fiat/Peugot are approaching the 6m mark. The other main difference in our experience is the insualtion and confort levels, and for how much of the year you wish to be ab le to use it comfortably. On this score, undoubtedly the coachbuilt has to win, although I guess the better conversions are now a vast improvement from the earlier models - however, you still have a steel body, and naturally temperature differences are more noticable. Hope this helps a little, but I guess you need to look around as many of each as possible, and perhaps visit dealers and look in the various models especially when temperatures are low, and see for yourself how they feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinofDe Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Thanks for your replies. At the current time we are looking for a vehicle with a rear lounge and under 6m in length. We have looked at IH (secondhand) and a lunar (can't remember the model) We have also seen a dethleff? (is this the right spelling?) but it didn't have swivel seats so the cab area couldn't be used as additional space (one of the problems with the nu venture) I have heard that van conversions can suffer from cold spots but they can be much narrower than the equivalent coachbuilt and I really like the idea of being able to go anywhere. If my husband was typing this he would tell you he was worried about spave and storage! Always the practical one! LinofDe :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi Linda I just posted to your old thread then saw this new one. If you tried the Nu Venture Coachbuilt, I think they are as small as Coachbuilt's go. For winter use (your previous post) I think what your husband may be thinkuing of is the "Low- Profile" coachbuilts . For single beds I suggest you get the spec on Dethlefts Globus T4/Fortero H6915 BurstnerTravel Van 570G Hymer Van 572 Pilote Aventura P710TJ Geist Touring 708 Rapido 7097 All are rear lounge single beds layout. & if you are not too tall Bessacar E510/E530/E540 or Swift/Ace equivalents. Autocruise Stargazer/Starburst / Starfire/Vista or Pioneer equivalents Autotrail Tracker Auto Sleeper Eton/Nuevo / Orion Zeta Lunar Telstar These are all forward lounge. As earlier post you will need to check each for winter use requirements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinofDe Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Thanks for the list. we have seen some of these but will look into the others :-D LinofDe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi LinofDe, you have realy just got to keep looking until you find a layout that you both feel that you can live with in comfort, for the next five years. Only you will know, and when you find it will just "CLICK"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi LinofDe, you have realy just got to keep looking until you find a layout that you both feel that you can live with in comfort, for the next five years. Only you will know, and when you find it will just "CLICK"! Sorry didn't mean to click twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 here are a few from EuraMobil. first fully winterised with double floof. second a van conversion and much better value then UK types.... I think the 580 LS may suit or they do low roof models as well but these do not have double floors. http://www.euramobil.de/_produkte_gb_2008/profila_alkoven_start.html http://www.euramobil.de/_neuheiten_gb_2008/neuheiten_01.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Having replaced a near 7 metre A-Class with a van conversion, we have current experience of both. And much prefer the van. We reasoned that 'white van man' can go just about anywhere - even in ancient town centres you see them queuing to do the deliveries first thing in the morning - so we should be able to as well. And it works - we can go just about anywhere. We average near 32 mpg since new (18,000 miles) against 20 to 21 in the A-Class, and that makes a big difference when touring. And many of the 'facts' about van conversions are now nonsense. For example modern van conversions are as well insulated as coach builts - ours is actually better. Ours is also fully winterised - the only external tank is the waste water and this is kept from freezing with a low wattage, thermostatically controlled, electric heater. Both front seats have swivels, we have a living area convertible to a settee, 2 seater dinette, 4 seater dinette and single or double bed (full size and 6'6" long). There are also two bunk beds 6' long x 2'4" wide at the rear. So despite vans being narrower than coach builts, it's amazing what good design can get into them. We also have loads of storage space. All in just under the magic 6 metres. Interestingly, there seem to be fewer and fewer under 6 metre coachbuilts on the market. Your best option is to visit the NEC Show next week (18th on) and see for yourself what is on offer. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 LinofDe - 2008-02-09 7:50 PM Can anybody out there with more experience than us help? We are looking for our next motorhome but have only experienced a coachbuilt nu venture. We love the fact it is compact and economical to run but want something slightly bigger with a shower and usable cab space. I think a van conversion would be ideal-but my husband thinks a coach built would be better! We need advice on the pros and cons of both for extended use in our retirement. Thanks LinofDe *-) You have mentioned "full timing" which, to me means living permanently in the van for over 12 months at a stretch. For this kind of use you'll need to choose very carefully, as most vans (are any?) aren't designed/built for permanent occupation. You seem to be touring dealerships, which is fine for ideas but a bit of a waste of time really because you only see what they stock, and the ranges are much larger than most dealers can hope to stock. So, what to do? Well, as Mel suggests above, visit the NEC show and tour all the stands, and gather as many catalogues/brochures as you can carry. Do make sure you get the technical supplements, where necessary, as these contain the information such as engine options, weights ,length etc etc. Buy as many motorhome magazines as possible, and read all the tests. Make a shortlist, but consider if you will use it mostly in Europe or UK. If for use in Europe consider whether LHD would be better day to day. Consider also buying in Europe as prices can be quite a bit lower and there is a greater choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 MEL E We are thinking of "downsizing" AND your van sound like a Tardis and something that we might be looking for. Can you tell me what it is please? Cheers ike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 a classes is king me ansums. f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I see Brian spotted the fulltiming from another of your threads. I don't know your situation now, but fulltiming in a van conversion is a fairly large change in living space for most people, both myself and gf have seperatly fulltimed in small caravans, but I don't think we could manage it with both of us in a van conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Ike, Yes it is a Tradis. It was fully described in 2 articles in MMM in June and July 2006. I designed it down to the last detail and it was built for us by Wyvern Conversions in Shepton Mallet. The total cost, including a new Renault Master in metallic silver with virtually all the options (aircon, cruise control, comprehensive alarm system, twin front seats (rather than bench), windows in rear doors, etc., etc., was just over £35,000 2.5 years ago. Which is about £10K to £15K less than the equivalent IH or Timberland product and similar to the much less spacious Adria or Trigano products which seem to me to waste a lot of space. The build took about 3 months - there were inevitable delays getting some of the parts - and we commissioned it in July 2005. As an example of how to build a Tardis, the lateral bunk beds at the back have loads of storage under the bottom bunk and both can be moved to give full access to the length of the van. You can also provide more storage by lifting the top bunk into its upper (storage) position with plastic boxes on top (or the bunk matresses if you need to use the bunks) and there is then clearance to fit 3 bikes on the bottom bunk, plus plenty of nooks and crannies for other stuff. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Unklike Mel, we started with a van conversion (Bedford Dormobile) and have pregressively worked our way bigger. But some basic things to ponder over :- 1 Van conversion can go and park most places so you don,t need auxilliary transport provision as well. (Bikes, towed car etc) 2) Van conversion will cost more than a comparable sized coach built because of all the complicated shapes that make van conversion expensive. 3) Van conversion almost always means a non permanent bed for the two prime users, something has to convert from one use to another to enable lounging. 4) Van conversion may not be as warm in the winter because of the difficulty in getting thermal insulation into all the necessary places. 5) But Medium sized coach built is the same size as a "Luton Van" and van driver also takes these most places as well!. 6) Larger coachbuilts can be a little limited as to where you venture with them, but you would be suprised just where they will go if you are confident about its size and turning capability. 7) Larger coachbuilts can have a garage for the bikes and clutter and a full size double bed on top which is always there and inviting. 8) Irrespective of what motorhome you go for the camp site fees are the same. Currently we have a coachbuilt which is 7.4 metres long and tow a trailer for his and her small motorcycles. The next MH will have a garage. Its your money, you must go with whatever you are both comfortable with. Happy Camping. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAVELLER Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 lived in caravans and selfbuilt conversions for 20 years [fulltiming] so a fixed comfortable doudle bed is essential Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.