Buying advice what’s the best?
Discussion
Good evening,
I’m starting to look at campervans and motorhomes. Is there a difference? That’s the first question. Lol
What are the best engines and chassis? Are the Fiats and Peugeot reliable? I was thinking ford and Mercedes would be easier for parts?
Are the coach builders better than others? Are some coach built body’s more desirable and easier for parts and running repairs?
I’m starting to look at campervans and motorhomes. Is there a difference? That’s the first question. Lol
What are the best engines and chassis? Are the Fiats and Peugeot reliable? I was thinking ford and Mercedes would be easier for parts?
Are the coach builders better than others? Are some coach built body’s more desirable and easier for parts and running repairs?
Hi,
Everyone will have a different take on it, but here’s mine.....
You’ll frequently hear that the best van you buy will be your second. In my case, it was the third. The second was certainly much better than the first.
It’s easy to get carried away with a specific layout but it takes time to get used to realising what you actually want so I’d advise sitting in as many as possible and imagine how you’d be living in it.
Steer clear of Italian stuff, British stuff IMHO isn’t much better. French stuff is ok (Rapido particularly) but can’t go wrong with the Germans like most things automotive.
Hymer has strong build quality, arguably the older ones better than the newer ones. Otherwise any from the Hymer group. I’m in a Concorde now which has remarkable build quality but then did cost the same as a small house when new.
I personally prefer Mercedes chassis. Some will tell you they’re soft and wallowy, but I actually find they ride very well and corner exceptionally well too. They’re great long distance companions and the engines are grunty and refined. You’ll find a lot of PSA group chassis though, mainly because they’re cheap. They have a much firmer ride and engines less refined but at the end of the day, they’re all commercial vehicles so pretty solid. Mercs have a habit of having sensitive electrics.
I’ve had Coachbuilt and A Class and much prefer the latter. Much more space, less draughty and in general more luxurious.
Ping us an idea of your budget and require,ents and I’m sure the collective wisdom here can suggest something.
Everyone will have a different take on it, but here’s mine.....
You’ll frequently hear that the best van you buy will be your second. In my case, it was the third. The second was certainly much better than the first.
It’s easy to get carried away with a specific layout but it takes time to get used to realising what you actually want so I’d advise sitting in as many as possible and imagine how you’d be living in it.
Steer clear of Italian stuff, British stuff IMHO isn’t much better. French stuff is ok (Rapido particularly) but can’t go wrong with the Germans like most things automotive.
Hymer has strong build quality, arguably the older ones better than the newer ones. Otherwise any from the Hymer group. I’m in a Concorde now which has remarkable build quality but then did cost the same as a small house when new.
I personally prefer Mercedes chassis. Some will tell you they’re soft and wallowy, but I actually find they ride very well and corner exceptionally well too. They’re great long distance companions and the engines are grunty and refined. You’ll find a lot of PSA group chassis though, mainly because they’re cheap. They have a much firmer ride and engines less refined but at the end of the day, they’re all commercial vehicles so pretty solid. Mercs have a habit of having sensitive electrics.
I’ve had Coachbuilt and A Class and much prefer the latter. Much more space, less draughty and in general more luxurious.
Ping us an idea of your budget and require,ents and I’m sure the collective wisdom here can suggest something.
Than you for the reply. I appreciate what you say about learning as you go about your individual needs and requirements during Campervan ownership. I am not embarrassed to admit I am not sure what I want for sure. I have an open mind. All I know for sure is that I want my first camper van to be reliable and very very clean.
I am a bus driver and driving anything does not intimidate me. I am happy with manual or auto, small or big, turbo charged or slow.
At first I thought I would like a 5-6 Berth for the extended family but the more I think about it, I think smaller is better because It will be mostly me alone going hill walking, North coast 500 or a trip to Le Man etc.
I thought £10k was healthy but realise that does not buy much. A clean, well loved and reliable is my main priority.
cheers
I am a bus driver and driving anything does not intimidate me. I am happy with manual or auto, small or big, turbo charged or slow.
At first I thought I would like a 5-6 Berth for the extended family but the more I think about it, I think smaller is better because It will be mostly me alone going hill walking, North coast 500 or a trip to Le Man etc.
I thought £10k was healthy but realise that does not buy much. A clean, well loved and reliable is my main priority.
cheers
For £10k, I would suggest looking at the older (80's and 90's) Hymer A-classes. Get yourself on Facebook "Hymer For Sale" as there are some good, well cherished units which come up on there. If you buy well they're pretty depreciation proof and may even accrete in value if you find a good one. Something like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hymer-S550-Mercedes-Aut...
Again, I'd prefer the Mercs over the Fiats and are pretty robust even with very high mileages.
Anything, regardless of budget and age, will need a fairly constant spend. If you're handy then you can do a lot yourself which will keep the costs down. Every one of my motorhomes has chewed through a couple of grand a year though - some of that preventative maintenance, some of it urgent. So good to have a kitty of a grand or so IMO.
NC500 best done in a very comfy but smallish van. I did it in my 6.7m Hymer and it was about the perfect size IMO. I wouldn't do some of the same stretches in my current 8.9m behemoth and that's a bit disappointing. However, the Concorde is for living in and that takes priority at the moment and that is what I would suggest to you - if the NC500 and solo trips are what you want it for, buy it for you and not for others. You'll be spending the most time in it and it needs to work for YOU only.
We have a VW T6 in Germany and I love it. It's a far more basic camping experience vs. a motorhome. I'm not sure what I prefer - I think the motorhome experience but they're both great fun. The VW will get to places any motorhome will not. So depends on how "off the beaten track" you want to get vs. how independent you want to be when you're away. I love wild-camping and our VW allows that as we've got an onboard loo and great diesel heater which helps enormously. Others will say you don't need all those creature comforts, but space, IMO is key.
You can hire old Hymers and also VW campers - my suggestion would be to try both out and see how you get on.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hymer-S550-Mercedes-Aut...
Again, I'd prefer the Mercs over the Fiats and are pretty robust even with very high mileages.
Anything, regardless of budget and age, will need a fairly constant spend. If you're handy then you can do a lot yourself which will keep the costs down. Every one of my motorhomes has chewed through a couple of grand a year though - some of that preventative maintenance, some of it urgent. So good to have a kitty of a grand or so IMO.
NC500 best done in a very comfy but smallish van. I did it in my 6.7m Hymer and it was about the perfect size IMO. I wouldn't do some of the same stretches in my current 8.9m behemoth and that's a bit disappointing. However, the Concorde is for living in and that takes priority at the moment and that is what I would suggest to you - if the NC500 and solo trips are what you want it for, buy it for you and not for others. You'll be spending the most time in it and it needs to work for YOU only.
We have a VW T6 in Germany and I love it. It's a far more basic camping experience vs. a motorhome. I'm not sure what I prefer - I think the motorhome experience but they're both great fun. The VW will get to places any motorhome will not. So depends on how "off the beaten track" you want to get vs. how independent you want to be when you're away. I love wild-camping and our VW allows that as we've got an onboard loo and great diesel heater which helps enormously. Others will say you don't need all those creature comforts, but space, IMO is key.
You can hire old Hymers and also VW campers - my suggestion would be to try both out and see how you get on.
Edited by Spuffington on Tuesday 29th May 12:15
Great advice above re: hiring first!
Make a list of what you definitely think you want in a campervan or motorhome.
Then make a list of 'nice to haves'
Then rent one that ticks all/most of the boxes in your definite list.
Then you will have some idea of what you can get for the money you want to spend. After this shop around.
Ebay does throw up good deals but beware of scams. Check if the owners who are selling are committed campers/MHers. Genuine reason for sale? Are they trading up so staying in the fraternity? Ask them for their wedge of paperwork (and decent owner will be happy to provide this). Ask them what work they have had done on the MH (again, if they have nothing to hide they will have had some work I'll wager) as they are likely to have done especially for the age/cost you are looking at. Ask if they have had any issues with damp..if so proceed with caution: it's not a show stopper but you will need to see evidence that it has been effectively dealt with.
You see a lot of old Hymers still running so that gives a clue to their reputed build quality.
Newer Ford based ones have a reputation regarding being easy to break into but I'm not sure if this holds for older Fords.
If you decide on a model/make have a look on line to see if there are any owners forums you can join or eavesdrop on, relating to your choice. If not there are still a number of more general free/cheap forums you can join where you can get loads of advice (such as MotorHomeFacts; MotorhomeFun...plus others!).
Make a list of what you definitely think you want in a campervan or motorhome.
Then make a list of 'nice to haves'
Then rent one that ticks all/most of the boxes in your definite list.
Then you will have some idea of what you can get for the money you want to spend. After this shop around.
Ebay does throw up good deals but beware of scams. Check if the owners who are selling are committed campers/MHers. Genuine reason for sale? Are they trading up so staying in the fraternity? Ask them for their wedge of paperwork (and decent owner will be happy to provide this). Ask them what work they have had done on the MH (again, if they have nothing to hide they will have had some work I'll wager) as they are likely to have done especially for the age/cost you are looking at. Ask if they have had any issues with damp..if so proceed with caution: it's not a show stopper but you will need to see evidence that it has been effectively dealt with.
You see a lot of old Hymers still running so that gives a clue to their reputed build quality.
Newer Ford based ones have a reputation regarding being easy to break into but I'm not sure if this holds for older Fords.
If you decide on a model/make have a look on line to see if there are any owners forums you can join or eavesdrop on, relating to your choice. If not there are still a number of more general free/cheap forums you can join where you can get loads of advice (such as MotorHomeFacts; MotorhomeFun...plus others!).
As an approved caravan and motorhome engineer (AWS Mobile Workshop) i'll throw in a few words of wisdom.
Buy on condition and not age and insist on seeing everything working. Ask when the motorhome was last habitation serviced and ask to see the paperwork. When someone says a caravan/motorhome is dry don't take their word for it, damp is a big killer of leisure vehicles and a lot of it can be hidden to the untrained eye.
My best bit of advice is this, If you see a van you love then get a pre purchase inspection from a qualified caravan engineer, it only costs in the region of £150 but it could save you a lot of money.
I'm sure you'll love the van you buy enjoy your travels!
Buy on condition and not age and insist on seeing everything working. Ask when the motorhome was last habitation serviced and ask to see the paperwork. When someone says a caravan/motorhome is dry don't take their word for it, damp is a big killer of leisure vehicles and a lot of it can be hidden to the untrained eye.
My best bit of advice is this, If you see a van you love then get a pre purchase inspection from a qualified caravan engineer, it only costs in the region of £150 but it could save you a lot of money.
I'm sure you'll love the van you buy enjoy your travels!
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