A class Vs coachbuilt motorhome

Author
Discussion

benny 61

Original Poster:

467 posts

183 months

Friday 3rd January 2020
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Hi all,
For those that have a motorhome, what's the pros and cons on the A class motorhome and the more typical coachbuilt motorhome.

italianjob1275

567 posts

145 months

Saturday 4th January 2020
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Some A class motorhomes don’t have cab doors so you’d have to go in via the caravan door then walk through to the cockpit.

They also have a weird big shelf behind the dash, could be an advantage or a disadvantage I guess.

GlenMH

5,204 posts

242 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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If you are interested in an A class, why don't you rent one to try it out?

glamperrv.com and motorhomeholidaycompany.com have both got A classes they rent out.

Advantages: They often have better payload and are better appointed than a coachbuilt as well has having more storage. Underfloor heating is very nice!

Disadvantages: can be more expensive. different driving experience due to windscreen and cab, doors as mentioned above.

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Wednesday 8th January 2020
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Check that your insurance will cover the windscreen replacement in full as well, if you go with an A Class as they are expensive pieces of kit (c.2k!) and can also be difficult to source.

smile

TravelerDude

4 posts

50 months

Wednesday 8th January 2020
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A class. very hard to get parts on a lot of the older US stuff. If you go for a coachbuilt then you are just buying truck parts from off the shelf. I owned an old fleetwood RV took nearly two months to source supply and fit the brake servo. If time is no issue then the A-class is a better option. If you want to be able to repair something fast then go for coach built as most chassis used are common place vehicles.

GlenMH

5,204 posts

242 months

Wednesday 8th January 2020
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oblio said:
Check that your insurance will cover the windscreen replacement in full as well, if you go with an A Class as they are expensive pieces of kit (c.2k!) and can also be difficult to source.

smile
snigger - yup, currently a 12 week lead time on an Adria Sonic windscreen (at ~£2k, as you point out) and don't you dare bang one of the wing mirrors: 800 sheets each and a similar delay for delivery...

Yet you can get a Ducato wing mirror same day or next day delivery and a Ducato windscreen is a stock item.

VEX

5,256 posts

245 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
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Ours has better space for the drop down bed into the drivers area rather than taking up the lounge space.

Also slightly less of a theft risk. Less common (external) parts share with vans.


Down side is initial cost, up side worth more when older.

V.

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Friday 10th January 2020
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I'm not sure the cost is a big factor tbh...

You can get cheaper A Classes and more expensive coachbuilts.

smile

Jasper3.0

652 posts

199 months

Saturday 11th January 2020
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We went from coachbuilt to a-class.

The move was made for two reasons: 1. Increased payload and 2. Separate shower.

We sought out a van that had a drivers door but was not a tag axle, in an effort to keep the length down.

The other benefit is the larger front view. Feels like the difference of watching a film at the cinema vs a television. There is also more room in the lounge / front end. Ours has a double floor, so the amount of storage has increased massively.


Sidecar Man

581 posts

60 months

Saturday 11th January 2020
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Got 8m A class absolutely love it Massive pay load. Really good all round vision. Double floor really warm. 15 years old and still solid and everything works like it should. But likes been said Windscreen is 5k

benny 61

Original Poster:

467 posts

183 months

Sunday 12th January 2020
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Sidecar Man said:
Got 8m A class absolutely love it Massive pay load. Really good all round vision. Double floor really warm. 15 years old and still solid and everything works like it should. But likes been said Windscreen is 5k
Wow 5K for a windscreen, I've heard of 2K mentioned before but not 5K.
What motorhome is it? I'd love some pictures.
I just bought my first A class, burstner viseo i720. I don't know how to work anything yet lol.

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Sunday 12th January 2020
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OP

Coachbuilts can have massive payloads too...best to shop around as some are very small.

Ours is not far off a ton.

smile

FlipFlopGriff

7,144 posts

246 months

Monday 13th January 2020
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benny 61 said:
Wow 5K for a windscreen, I've heard of 2K mentioned before but not 5K.
What motorhome is it? I'd love some pictures.
I just bought my first A class, burstner viseo i720. I don't know how to work anything yet lol.
Mine has a split screen which is maybe why its approx double the original figures. Given the screen size the cost doesn't seem too bad but I know my insurer only covers the first £1k a it was one of my questions to ask when getting quotes.

FFG

Ubendum

105 posts

136 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
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Disadvantages or advantages of one between the other are all down to how its used. Simple as that.

I have a coachbuilt for the simple reason that so far, I've not been able to find an A-class that will beat it on all points. This year, I've got 7 trips planned. All of them are in Europe. Therefore, I prefer the length to be under 6 metres. That makes ferries and bridges cheaper. I've no doubt that there are A-class motorhomes under this length, its just that I've never seen one!

I dont really need a lot of space either. When I'm out, I rarely spend time in it, other than when I am driving or sleeping of course. I can understand though if someone is travelling with a family, they will need extra space.

Having said that, if I never went out of the country, and stayed longer in one place, things would change and I might just go for an A-class. As I said, its all down to the use. Advantages for one might be disadvantages for another.

GSalt

298 posts

88 months

Monday 20th January 2020
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I have an A-class under 6m! An early '90s Hymer. LHD with a drivers cab door, but the passenger's side is the habitation door behind their seat. Older German-built A-class motorhomes can be good value, under £10k can get you something well specified although the interior style may be somewhat dated.

Continental A-class motorhomes can have a variety of door layouts. Frequently only one door from the cab area and the habitation door could be forward, midway or to the rear of the habitation area. I've even seen one layout with only one door (habitation, on the right-hand side).

Specialist brokers can provide unlimited windscreen cover, it's often recommended given the nature of the screens.

The drop-down bed over the driving seats is a great space-saver and gives a lot of usable space in a short footprint. It also keeps things shorter than an over-bed coachbuilt, I've had at least one night where the price varied according to vehicle height (<3.1m and 3.1m+) and some tolls will assess by vehicle height (is it French tolls default by height but if you know to ask you can get re-categorised correctly?).