Motorhome prices!
Discussion
Hymers are, in my opinion, a very good buy. I originally ignored them as I had my heart set on a coachbuilt; again thinking that the luton bed was the solution to our family setup. And also because I thought the Hymer B classes looked a bit odd.
However, partly down to nagsheadwarrior and also down to some research I'd been carrying out before him telling me about "Harry" who we now own, I started to come around to the idea of the Hymer and I'm so glad we did.
From what I gather, ours cost c. 95k when new. That was back in 2001, so was a big chunk of cash, especially then. And you can tell why when you compare it to my Rimor Superbrig which cost less than 40k, brand new in 2002. Everything in the Hymer exudes an air of quality - the way its put together. The way all the doors line up. There's no slamming of the hab door to make it latch - the cupboards in the kitchen slot into place nicely and latch properly (first time). The quality of the trim and furniture is a league above and shows why these vans hold their money so well and are so well regarded. Harry is "only" 14yrs old. On the Hymer owners Facebook page, there are people running 30yr old Hymers which still look in great nick and still doing the job they were designed for.
I have a feeling we'll be keeping Harry a good long time and with a bit of money spent on maintenence and preventative maintenance, he'll keep plodding on for decades to come and yield us a decent proportion of our original outlay if/when we come to change him.
However, partly down to nagsheadwarrior and also down to some research I'd been carrying out before him telling me about "Harry" who we now own, I started to come around to the idea of the Hymer and I'm so glad we did.
From what I gather, ours cost c. 95k when new. That was back in 2001, so was a big chunk of cash, especially then. And you can tell why when you compare it to my Rimor Superbrig which cost less than 40k, brand new in 2002. Everything in the Hymer exudes an air of quality - the way its put together. The way all the doors line up. There's no slamming of the hab door to make it latch - the cupboards in the kitchen slot into place nicely and latch properly (first time). The quality of the trim and furniture is a league above and shows why these vans hold their money so well and are so well regarded. Harry is "only" 14yrs old. On the Hymer owners Facebook page, there are people running 30yr old Hymers which still look in great nick and still doing the job they were designed for.
I have a feeling we'll be keeping Harry a good long time and with a bit of money spent on maintenence and preventative maintenance, he'll keep plodding on for decades to come and yield us a decent proportion of our original outlay if/when we come to change him.
back and unpacked.
A few thoughts then.
We all enjoyed the concept of motorhoming, I found it easy to drive once I got the hang of it, just need to be wary of the overhang.
Not too sure about the layout of the van. It had two rear bunks plus the kitchen dinette table that felt very upright, so there didn't seem anywhere to really sit. A rear lounge with dinette and overhead bed would solve this I think, I would like to hire the next version up next time, I had a poke around one when I dropped this one back to the depot.
Very easy with electric hook up, the heating ran off the diesel tank although we didn't need it much. I was very surprised at how well insulated it was at night, we even kicked the duvet off as it was too warm!
The van never felt level though, both pitches we had looked level although clearly they were not, so it felt a bit odd. I couldn't get it level with the ramps either but I guess practice over time would solve this. As it wasn't 100% level the fresh water pump couldn't pump the water up the taps on the second site so for the last day we didn't have running water! I know we used a fair bit of water so I filled it up but I guess not enough and it couldn't pump up the remaining. I could have driven it down to the taps to fill it up again but that seemed a bit of a faff plus the second site was on grass, or should I say mud. So the wheels were spinning and we needed a push just to get it on the pitch!
I think we would need a few weekends just to get into the swing of things and get a routine.
Both sites were friendly and it was good to talk to other owners, they certainly seemed interested in the TeamRoller!
I can't seem to upload any pics at the moment, ill try again later
A few thoughts then.
We all enjoyed the concept of motorhoming, I found it easy to drive once I got the hang of it, just need to be wary of the overhang.
Not too sure about the layout of the van. It had two rear bunks plus the kitchen dinette table that felt very upright, so there didn't seem anywhere to really sit. A rear lounge with dinette and overhead bed would solve this I think, I would like to hire the next version up next time, I had a poke around one when I dropped this one back to the depot.
Very easy with electric hook up, the heating ran off the diesel tank although we didn't need it much. I was very surprised at how well insulated it was at night, we even kicked the duvet off as it was too warm!
The van never felt level though, both pitches we had looked level although clearly they were not, so it felt a bit odd. I couldn't get it level with the ramps either but I guess practice over time would solve this. As it wasn't 100% level the fresh water pump couldn't pump the water up the taps on the second site so for the last day we didn't have running water! I know we used a fair bit of water so I filled it up but I guess not enough and it couldn't pump up the remaining. I could have driven it down to the taps to fill it up again but that seemed a bit of a faff plus the second site was on grass, or should I say mud. So the wheels were spinning and we needed a push just to get it on the pitch!
I think we would need a few weekends just to get into the swing of things and get a routine.
Both sites were friendly and it was good to talk to other owners, they certainly seemed interested in the TeamRoller!
I can't seem to upload any pics at the moment, ill try again later
I'm sensing that you weren't totally convinced. But do keep at it - there is a reasonable amount to "learn" but once you've got into the groove, it all becomes a lot easier. My wife and I have a well-drilled routine now.
What you describe about the layout is exactly the issue we had with our first one and exactly what was discussed earlier in the thread in terms of needing to be convinced (whether by trying first or buying first and regretting!) of the right layout. Ours is a bar layout which has a settee down the side and a fixed table with travelling seat behind, so we get the best of both worlds in terms of lounging, aswell as sitting upright around a table when needed. BUT, it only really suits three of us - I can't imagine a family of four would manage, even if we had an additional berth.
Do have another go and see how you get on. At the end of the day, it's a lot of money to be sinking into a vehicle so you need to be happy with it.
We knew we'd love motorhoming but just took us a while to get the right layout for us.
What you describe about the layout is exactly the issue we had with our first one and exactly what was discussed earlier in the thread in terms of needing to be convinced (whether by trying first or buying first and regretting!) of the right layout. Ours is a bar layout which has a settee down the side and a fixed table with travelling seat behind, so we get the best of both worlds in terms of lounging, aswell as sitting upright around a table when needed. BUT, it only really suits three of us - I can't imagine a family of four would manage, even if we had an additional berth.
Do have another go and see how you get on. At the end of the day, it's a lot of money to be sinking into a vehicle so you need to be happy with it.
We knew we'd love motorhoming but just took us a while to get the right layout for us.
yes we need to continue. I don't think the time of year really helped, usually when we are camping we are sat outside enjoying the weather (!) bbq out, chatting, kids playing and we only really go into the tent to sleep. Of course when it is dark and cold at 5pm that is different so that would have contributed to the feeling of being on top of each other. My wife isn't to keen on camping now whereas I am trying to be more cautious.
Still cannot upload any photos, they are too big apparently.
Still cannot upload any photos, they are too big apparently.
Looks a smart looking thing.
Look forward to hearing about future antics - sounds like you'll be giving it a go again, albeit in a different layout. Good job you did hire and not buy and may well overcome beginners mistake of buying the wrong layout as a result!
It is an awful lot of money to tie up in something which you may not use every weekend and with us buying a new house, this has brought the motorhome into sharp focus again as to how much money we have sitting on the drive.
HOWEVER, we wouldn't be without it. Just knowing that we can go off whenever we please is great. The fact that ours will now be on our driveway as opposed to in a lockup which takes the sponteneity away means that I can imagine 2016 will be a bumper year for motorhoming for us.
Find the right one and you won't regret it, I can assure you.
Look forward to hearing about future antics - sounds like you'll be giving it a go again, albeit in a different layout. Good job you did hire and not buy and may well overcome beginners mistake of buying the wrong layout as a result!
It is an awful lot of money to tie up in something which you may not use every weekend and with us buying a new house, this has brought the motorhome into sharp focus again as to how much money we have sitting on the drive.
HOWEVER, we wouldn't be without it. Just knowing that we can go off whenever we please is great. The fact that ours will now be on our driveway as opposed to in a lockup which takes the sponteneity away means that I can imagine 2016 will be a bumper year for motorhoming for us.
Find the right one and you won't regret it, I can assure you.
I think I need to update this thread!
So after spending months still pontificating and dithering, wistfully looking at ebay, reading 'the camper van bible' by Martin Dorey (great book by the way) and generally boring everyone to tears we have a development.
I have put a deposit down on a 95 Hymer B544. Very happy with the layout, seems very well looked after, there was even a handwritten letter in the documentation below!
So very happy, my dad is a retired car mechanic so between the two of us we will look after it properly. I still can't believe I have finally done it!
So after spending months still pontificating and dithering, wistfully looking at ebay, reading 'the camper van bible' by Martin Dorey (great book by the way) and generally boring everyone to tears we have a development.
I have put a deposit down on a 95 Hymer B544. Very happy with the layout, seems very well looked after, there was even a handwritten letter in the documentation below!
So very happy, my dad is a retired car mechanic so between the two of us we will look after it properly. I still can't believe I have finally done it!
Well done sir!
Fantastic news and look forward to seeing some pics. FWIW, I think you've done the right thing buying the Hymer. If you're not already, make sure you join up to Classic Hymers page on Facebook as it's a mine of useful information. And the longer I've spent on there, the more I can appreciate the build quality and longevity of the older Hymers. If we hadn't have had the resources to buy our Harry and have had some time to research the older vans beforehand, then I can quite easily think we'd have been be going that route ourselves.
However, we're now firmly in the camp of those people who are emotionally attached to Harry. We've had him 17months now and none of us could ever bear to part with him. After our epic trip to the Pyrennes in June, he'd been laid up for a bit, but we went out in him at the weekend and caught the bug again and now desperately planning the next few weekends away and perhaps a cheeky getaway in November again for a week.
Do enjoy your new van and please post some pics and let us know how you get on with him. Also, don't get concerned if you need to spend a bit of time and money on it to begin with. It's well documented on here that we spent months and lots of money getting Harry right, but I'm so glad we persevered as he's been worth it in spades. Now we're on top of everything and "know" him, we understand what might go next or have a feel for when things might need doing and plan for it. It's like owning a house and a car. And inevitably there is some ongoing maintenance and some one-offs, but it's incredibly rewarding.
All the best with it!
Fantastic news and look forward to seeing some pics. FWIW, I think you've done the right thing buying the Hymer. If you're not already, make sure you join up to Classic Hymers page on Facebook as it's a mine of useful information. And the longer I've spent on there, the more I can appreciate the build quality and longevity of the older Hymers. If we hadn't have had the resources to buy our Harry and have had some time to research the older vans beforehand, then I can quite easily think we'd have been be going that route ourselves.
However, we're now firmly in the camp of those people who are emotionally attached to Harry. We've had him 17months now and none of us could ever bear to part with him. After our epic trip to the Pyrennes in June, he'd been laid up for a bit, but we went out in him at the weekend and caught the bug again and now desperately planning the next few weekends away and perhaps a cheeky getaway in November again for a week.
Do enjoy your new van and please post some pics and let us know how you get on with him. Also, don't get concerned if you need to spend a bit of time and money on it to begin with. It's well documented on here that we spent months and lots of money getting Harry right, but I'm so glad we persevered as he's been worth it in spades. Now we're on top of everything and "know" him, we understand what might go next or have a feel for when things might need doing and plan for it. It's like owning a house and a car. And inevitably there is some ongoing maintenance and some one-offs, but it's incredibly rewarding.
All the best with it!
Spuffington said:
Well done sir!
Fantastic news and look forward to seeing some pics. FWIW, I think you've done the right thing buying the Hymer. If you're not already, make sure you join up to Classic Hymers page on Facebook as it's a mine of useful information. And the longer I've spent on there, the more I can appreciate the build quality and longevity of the older Hymers. If we hadn't have had the resources to buy our Harry and have had some time to research the older vans beforehand, then I can quite easily think we'd have been be going that route ourselves.
However, we're now firmly in the camp of those people who are emotionally attached to Harry. We've had him 17months now and none of us could ever bear to part with him. After our epic trip to the Pyrennes in June, he'd been laid up for a bit, but we went out in him at the weekend and caught the bug again and now desperately planning the next few weekends away and perhaps a cheeky getaway in November again for a week.
Do enjoy your new van and please post some pics and let us know how you get on with him. Also, don't get concerned if you need to spend a bit of time and money on it to begin with. It's well documented on here that we spent months and lots of money getting Harry right, but I'm so glad we persevered as he's been worth it in spades. Now we're on top of everything and "know" him, we understand what might go next or have a feel for when things might need doing and plan for it. It's like owning a house and a car. And inevitably there is some ongoing maintenance and some one-offs, but it's incredibly rewarding.
All the best with it!
Many thanks, it all happened a bit quickly really, we found a dealer 10 miles with 3 Hymers in stock. The chap that ran the place let us have a good nosey around for an hour or so and was very helpful. The layout is just what we wanted, and we can see that it appears to have been well looked after. Fantastic news and look forward to seeing some pics. FWIW, I think you've done the right thing buying the Hymer. If you're not already, make sure you join up to Classic Hymers page on Facebook as it's a mine of useful information. And the longer I've spent on there, the more I can appreciate the build quality and longevity of the older Hymers. If we hadn't have had the resources to buy our Harry and have had some time to research the older vans beforehand, then I can quite easily think we'd have been be going that route ourselves.
However, we're now firmly in the camp of those people who are emotionally attached to Harry. We've had him 17months now and none of us could ever bear to part with him. After our epic trip to the Pyrennes in June, he'd been laid up for a bit, but we went out in him at the weekend and caught the bug again and now desperately planning the next few weekends away and perhaps a cheeky getaway in November again for a week.
Do enjoy your new van and please post some pics and let us know how you get on with him. Also, don't get concerned if you need to spend a bit of time and money on it to begin with. It's well documented on here that we spent months and lots of money getting Harry right, but I'm so glad we persevered as he's been worth it in spades. Now we're on top of everything and "know" him, we understand what might go next or have a feel for when things might need doing and plan for it. It's like owning a house and a car. And inevitably there is some ongoing maintenance and some one-offs, but it's incredibly rewarding.
All the best with it!
I am on the Classic Hymer page on facebook and you are right there is so much info on there, very helpful. When we pick up on Sunday there will be a total handover to show how all the appliances work, and then we will be out into the New Forest for the day and planning our trips. I have managed to get storage 5 minutes drive from our house at a reasonable cost, so that is another item sorted.
It just got to the stage where my wife was getting cheesed off with me banging on about it all the time. The money was there to do it, and as my dad said, life is too short and just get on with it. If it doesn't work out, then I will sell it, no harm done. At least I will have given it a go.
Completely agree with that take on things. We ended up with the same mindset when we initially tried it and although we lost a couple of k's when we sold the first one, nobody died and it wasn't the end of the world. At least with a Hymer like yours, you'd struggle to lose money on it if you had to sell it in short order.
Good luck with it, enjoy the New Forest and keep us posted!
Good luck with it, enjoy the New Forest and keep us posted!
So we have had the Hymer for 2.5 weeks so far so I thought I would give an update.
I have to admit I was nervous to begin with, just with regards to the commitment. Would we actually use it enough, would I ever learn what all the switches do, would I ever understand the workings of a 20 year old motorhome.
My dad offered to go halves with me on it so that felt like some of the pressure was off, he is a retired car mechanic and has to know how everything works!
We picked it up and I drove it from Gosport, along the m27 and we parked up in the New Forest. Got to know it a bit ( what that switch does, what does that pipe do etc) and made a mental list of things we wanted. You tube videos were great but I promptly forgot everything I thought I learned.
Kids were very happy although they had a fixation with using the toilet as much as possible!
I drove it home after a few hours and left it in the temporary storage facility. All good so far.
I then booked the first night out with the wife and kids, and that went very well. All electrics work, heating was very warm, beds are enormous, great fun. We went to a site in Hayling Island. Not too sure I would go back there again but it wasn’t about the site, it was more a night out in the Hymer.
Last weekend my dad took it to Setthorns in the New Forest. All went very well until the gas ran out at 10pm so he was a little cold apparently! Our fault for not checking the state of the gas tanks. All replaced and working again.
Hopefully we will be out in it again this weekend.
So really I think we have bought well, certainly seems well looked after and has had important upgrades done by previous owners such as Air Suspension, two solar panels on the roof, crank up satellite dish, LED lighting throughout, silver screens etc so there is nothing that need to be done to it really.
I am glad I did it and persevered with it when I had my doubts if we could manage, I am sure the mobility issue won’t be too much of a problem.
Any way a pic.
I have to admit I was nervous to begin with, just with regards to the commitment. Would we actually use it enough, would I ever learn what all the switches do, would I ever understand the workings of a 20 year old motorhome.
My dad offered to go halves with me on it so that felt like some of the pressure was off, he is a retired car mechanic and has to know how everything works!
We picked it up and I drove it from Gosport, along the m27 and we parked up in the New Forest. Got to know it a bit ( what that switch does, what does that pipe do etc) and made a mental list of things we wanted. You tube videos were great but I promptly forgot everything I thought I learned.
Kids were very happy although they had a fixation with using the toilet as much as possible!
I drove it home after a few hours and left it in the temporary storage facility. All good so far.
I then booked the first night out with the wife and kids, and that went very well. All electrics work, heating was very warm, beds are enormous, great fun. We went to a site in Hayling Island. Not too sure I would go back there again but it wasn’t about the site, it was more a night out in the Hymer.
Last weekend my dad took it to Setthorns in the New Forest. All went very well until the gas ran out at 10pm so he was a little cold apparently! Our fault for not checking the state of the gas tanks. All replaced and working again.
Hopefully we will be out in it again this weekend.
So really I think we have bought well, certainly seems well looked after and has had important upgrades done by previous owners such as Air Suspension, two solar panels on the roof, crank up satellite dish, LED lighting throughout, silver screens etc so there is nothing that need to be done to it really.
I am glad I did it and persevered with it when I had my doubts if we could manage, I am sure the mobility issue won’t be too much of a problem.
Any way a pic.
Great that you went through with it and it's working for you so far. I don't think the wobbles just before buying were anything more than any of the rest of us have gone through. I certainly did - couldn't believe we were dropping nearly 30k on something on something which we'd tried with the previous motorhome and had such a bad experience. But there was something in us which made us do it again. And I'm so glad we did. And I bet you're so glad you've taken the plunge too.
Don't worry, there's lots to learn and you'll keep learning for a fair bit yet. Can I suggest that if there's any cash spare, you look at refillable LPG like GasIT or Gaslow? We've got a GasIT system and it's great, although we have noticed that LPG isn't quite as readily available as it was a couple of years ago. But it's still much more convenient than wondering how much gas you have left and then swapping bottles around.
Looks like you've got a really good van there. The 544s are popular too, so if you ever needed to flog it on.....
But in the meantime, wish you loads of fun with it. We don't use ours nearly enough for what some People might deem "justifiable". Luckily for us, we don't need to justify it to anyone. We love it and wouldn't be without it, especially the flexibility it offers to just go away at the drop of a hat.
Keep enjoying and keep us posted!
Don't worry, there's lots to learn and you'll keep learning for a fair bit yet. Can I suggest that if there's any cash spare, you look at refillable LPG like GasIT or Gaslow? We've got a GasIT system and it's great, although we have noticed that LPG isn't quite as readily available as it was a couple of years ago. But it's still much more convenient than wondering how much gas you have left and then swapping bottles around.
Looks like you've got a really good van there. The 544s are popular too, so if you ever needed to flog it on.....
But in the meantime, wish you loads of fun with it. We don't use ours nearly enough for what some People might deem "justifiable". Luckily for us, we don't need to justify it to anyone. We love it and wouldn't be without it, especially the flexibility it offers to just go away at the drop of a hat.
Keep enjoying and keep us posted!
Re the gas, little trick is to look on the bottle to get the empty weight.
Then use an old pair of bathroom scales and deduct the empty from the current and you have the total gas left.
I found we would use 3-4kg per trip (weekend). It was actually very economical on gas.
Gas should last a few days even in winter with lots of use. We did most of our trips from October - March due to work.
Electricity, again we would not have an issue even over a long weekend generally. TV for a couple of hours at night, LED lights and use battery powered lanterns or glow sticks if we started to run low. I would actually invest in a box of glow sticks if you are going to do much wild camping. It can get very, very dark out there!
Water on the other hand, we would generally run out on Sunday morning if we went on Friday night.
We started to bring 4 or 5 big water jugs with us about another 75L. Would top up on Saturday afternoon and that would usually see us ok till Sunday night and home.
Then use an old pair of bathroom scales and deduct the empty from the current and you have the total gas left.
I found we would use 3-4kg per trip (weekend). It was actually very economical on gas.
Gas should last a few days even in winter with lots of use. We did most of our trips from October - March due to work.
Electricity, again we would not have an issue even over a long weekend generally. TV for a couple of hours at night, LED lights and use battery powered lanterns or glow sticks if we started to run low. I would actually invest in a box of glow sticks if you are going to do much wild camping. It can get very, very dark out there!
Water on the other hand, we would generally run out on Sunday morning if we went on Friday night.
We started to bring 4 or 5 big water jugs with us about another 75L. Would top up on Saturday afternoon and that would usually see us ok till Sunday night and home.
Spuffington said:
Great that you went through with it and it's working for you so far. I don't think the wobbles just before buying were anything more than any of the rest of us have gone through. I certainly did - couldn't believe we were dropping nearly 30k on something on something which we'd tried with the previous motorhome and had such a bad experience. But there was something in us which made us do it again. And I'm so glad we did. And I bet you're so glad you've taken the plunge too.
Don't worry, there's lots to learn and you'll keep learning for a fair bit yet. Can I suggest that if there's any cash spare, you look at refillable LPG like GasIT or Gaslow? We've got a GasIT system and it's great, although we have noticed that LPG isn't quite as readily available as it was a couple of years ago. But it's still much more convenient than wondering how much gas you have left and then swapping bottles around.
Looks like you've got a really good van there. The 544s are popular too, so if you ever needed to flog it on.....
But in the meantime, wish you loads of fun with it. We don't use ours nearly enough for what some People might deem "justifiable". Luckily for us, we don't need to justify it to anyone. We love it and wouldn't be without it, especially the flexibility it offers to just go away at the drop of a hat.
Keep enjoying and keep us posted!
Don't worry, there's lots to learn and you'll keep learning for a fair bit yet. Can I suggest that if there's any cash spare, you look at refillable LPG like GasIT or Gaslow? We've got a GasIT system and it's great, although we have noticed that LPG isn't quite as readily available as it was a couple of years ago. But it's still much more convenient than wondering how much gas you have left and then swapping bottles around.
Looks like you've got a really good van there. The 544s are popular too, so if you ever needed to flog it on.....
But in the meantime, wish you loads of fun with it. We don't use ours nearly enough for what some People might deem "justifiable". Luckily for us, we don't need to justify it to anyone. We love it and wouldn't be without it, especially the flexibility it offers to just go away at the drop of a hat.
Keep enjoying and keep us posted!
Funny you mention the gas situation that was something my dad and I were discussing the other weekend. I think I need to let the dust settle a bit money wise and then see what is what. Bike rack and perhaps a small tv for inside is first up. If it was up to me I wouldn't bother with the tv at all but living with three females my view doesn't count for much!!
Wednesday afternoon and already I am getting fidgety about going out in it again, living on the edge of the New Forest certainly has it's advantages! Also it's good spending quality time with my dad as well, recently widowed for a second time, we are now discussing all sorts of technical details till late in the night, so as a family I really think it was the best thing to do, and getting to know its little foibles is have the fun.
Gas level indicator, recently bought one of these, its great:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222194021746?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222194021746?
Little update the. All still going well, no real issues, although I need to re-attach the fridge door to the wood trim after the eldest daughter was to eager to get to the chocolate inside! For a 20 year old van , I can't complain at that!
One thing I am struggling with is reversing it, I just don't feel comfortable doing it and cannot judge the length. Possibly a rear view camera would help, but that will have to go on the list after the bike rack, tv and possibly a sat box.
I think we may change the curtains for something a bit brighter, I have spoken to the previous owner who confirmed it was totally re-upholstered last year, it is certainly like new in there, but possibly rather beige for our tastes. A winter project.
We have done a few weekends in the new forest and picnics out and it is everything we wanted it to be, very happy we finally did it.
One thing I am struggling with is reversing it, I just don't feel comfortable doing it and cannot judge the length. Possibly a rear view camera would help, but that will have to go on the list after the bike rack, tv and possibly a sat box.
I think we may change the curtains for something a bit brighter, I have spoken to the previous owner who confirmed it was totally re-upholstered last year, it is certainly like new in there, but possibly rather beige for our tastes. A winter project.
We have done a few weekends in the new forest and picnics out and it is everything we wanted it to be, very happy we finally did it.
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