Looking to get 1st MH this summer (1 Viewer)

[adt]

Hello,

I'm Al and I'm looking to get our first motorhome this summer. After 25 years in the RAF and travelling the world, I was happy enough when I left and my wife said she didn't want to travel. Turns out she meant flying or sailing abroad ! So after a short stint of hotel breaks in the UK, we are now looking to get our own motorhome to enable us to tour the UK with our 3 dogs in tow.
Been doing a bit of research online and will be venturing out in the next month or two to look at different options.
Due to the nature of our drive and wanting to stay smaller, we'll be looking at 6m and our faves so far are the Pilote G600L, Benimar Mileo 202, Roller Team T-Line 590, Chausson Flash 510 and the Rapido 803F.
Key for us is room to move about during the day so a pull down / lowering bed is advantageous - for that reason the Rapido will probably drop off but will have a look to see if the space gained from being A-class gives a benefit.

I look forward to surfing through the other topics here to get more info and experience before committing to buy.

Al

 

[Speve]

Welcome to fun the subscription is well worth it you will get loads of useful advice and help and of course a bit of fun

 

[wigster]

You are wise doing your research . Dont forget to check the payload of the vans as well, some vans are almost unusable due to lack of payload .
Best of luck with your search .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MC 55 FUN]

&

 

[SteveandSue]

Welcome to Fun- It might be worth you having a trip to the Motorhome Show at Peterborough next month.
There should be a lot of models for you to look around any maybe something that you have not considered yet.
Good luck with your search and hope you enjoy what ever you decide upon.

Steve and Sue

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DBK]

Don't rule out PVCs. Our Murvi has masses of lounging space and a great kitchen all within 6m. Beds very quick to deploy too. Lots of other designs of PVC of course and as a rule you won't get the damp problems some more conventional MHs can suffer from. A PVC can also be a lot easier to park.

And do consider crossing the Channel, so much easier to tour with the MH than the UK because of the aires networks and generally more tolerant attitude to MHs.

And a big welcome!

 

[Dawn B]

Hi &

 

[ambulancekidd]

Hello & welcome to the fun....Robert & Hazel.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[adt]

Thanks for the welcome everybody - done a lot of reading already and more to go.
We've gone through the "if" and "when" stages and it really is down to "what" now.

 

[travelling wilbury]

Hello,

I'm Al and I'm looking to get our first motorhome this summer. After 25 years in the RAF and travelling the world, I was happy enough when I left and my wife said she didn't want to travel. Turns out she meant flying or sailing abroad ! So after a short stint of hotel breaks in the UK, we are now looking to get our own motorhome to enable us to tour the UK with our 3 dogs in tow.
Been doing a bit of research online and will be venturing out in the next month or two to look at different options.
Due to the nature of our drive and wanting to stay smaller, we'll be looking at 6m and our faves so far are the Pilote G600L, Benimar Mileo 202, Roller Team T-Line 590, Chausson Flash 510 and the Rapido 803F.
Key for us is room to move about during the day so a pull down / lowering bed is advantageous - for that reason the Rapido will probably drop off but will have a look to see if the space gained from being A-class gives a benefit.

I look forward to surfing through the other topics here to get more info and experience before committing to buy.

Al

its clear what style of van you are looking for so, have a look at the Rapido 600FF even if you rule out the 803F as it has a rear bed.
my pal has just got one and he loves it.
main disadvantage is lack of external storage die to the one-box (live, eat, sleep in the same place) design....so bikes etc slung on the back, which, of course lengthens the van....but keeps the tight turning circle.

 

[sid1959]

Just looked at my bed controller no signs of overheating key wires well away from board components

alteration what I have done
removed wheel from wardrobe and blocked back off
new shelving in bottom cupboard for cloths
put strap on bathroom door to stop hitting fridge
put striker plate for bathroom door
taken battery from under passenger seat
and put two battery's underseat compartment (extra power for bed )
installed 140w solar panel
Put stops on draws so does not hit fridge when opening
had a scooter rake installed for Honda 125
adjusted the bed so I can know put the safety seat belt on and bed was also crocked so had to alter the lifting seat belts
Put insulation in above cab
Resealed around bathroom shower tray and above bathroom cubical
Extra socket under seat and in wardrobe with usb ports for vacuum and laptop

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome.......

 

[Spidey]

Welcome . We have a flash 510 and love it. The following year they brought out the 620 only a little longer but has more storage worth a look.

 

[travelling wilbury]

as Spidey says, the one (simgle?) big disadvantage of the 6m one-box design is lack of decent external storage....bikes etc have to be carried outside...
the 620 as mentioned, along with vans like the Burstner 680 have added a 'garage', above which sits not a fixed bed but a large wardrobe/cupboard giving huge extra internal and (importantly) external storage.
obviously, the 'penalty' here is one of length, with the extra capacity adding 50cm+ to the smaller vehicle....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[adt]

Thanks Wilbury and Spidey - the Chausson 510 was on the list too but so are about another 10 !! The 600FF - I hadn't been able to find any decent pics or video but found some last night so yes it is firmly on the list too.

I've started looking at a couple of 6.5m possibilities. The problem is our drive which has a sharp turn up a hill to the house. The length is more a wheelbase issue as a longer overhang means risking scraping the floor with the rear as you go "up the ramp".
It is possible but have seen a number of delivery vehicles who thought they could do it scrape their rear end (after I told them not to try).

 

[The Wino]

How big are the muts we have a chausson flash 10 (same inside as a flash 510) and it would be a squeeze with 3 dogs the size of ours (see avatar he's a labradoodle)

 

[Judge Mental]

Summer not the best time to buy as high season and prices firm up...get a much better deal in the Autumn onwards . I won't touch Chausson, German dealer who's opinion I value.... (not been wrong so far!) Dropped the brand due to quality issues. Buy well and try and get a private deal or import is my advice!

If buying a coach built get it damp checked and weighed before purchase...to make sure it's practical in use...Can be surprised how many are not!

Eddie

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[adt]

How big are the muts we have a chausson flash 10 (same inside as a flash 510) and it would be a squeeze with 3 dogs the size of ours (see avatar he's a labradoodle)

Two mini-poodles and a Dobermann - I know good mix, eh ?
The space element is mainly for us to be able to move around when she does ! She does like to watch what is going on.

 

[The Wino]

On our second chausson and not heard to many bad reports all makes have occasional problems never know if dealers tell the truth or what gets the most business If he doesn't sell them he's hardly likely to recommend them!!!

 

[Spidey]

Totally agree you have to look and decide yourself. Been very pleased with our chausson only a couple of niggles. If i changed it would be get a different layout. Love the hymer b544 layout but if Chausson did that layout would consider it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Debs]

...
Have fun looking. Not sure if you are only looking at brand new?

as Spidey says, the one (simgle?) big disadvantage of the 6m one-box design is lack of decent external storage....bikes etc have to be carried outside...
the 620 as mentioned, along with vans like the Burstner 680 have added a 'garage', above which sits not a fixed bed but a large wardrobe/cupboard giving huge extra internal and (importantly) external storage.
obviously, the 'penalty' here is one of length, with the extra capacity adding 50cm+ to the smaller vehicle....

.... Our Adria Vision has this layout on 6.5m and the drop down bed but think they stopped making them 2009/10.

 

[adt]

Not sure if you are only looking at brand new?

That is the intention - after a couple of lemons with used cars, I've gone the same there. At least I know every mile and how the vehicle has been treated plus we do intend to keep whatever we buy until it drops to bits (hopefully a long time).

And thanks again everybody for the warm welcome and pointers.
Looking at going down to Notts this weekend to the for a first real look around in the flesh.

Al

 

[pigginchilli]

Thanks Wilbury and Spidey - the Chausson 510 was on the list too but so are about another 10 !! The 600FF - I hadn't been able to find any decent pics or video but found some last night so yes it is firmly on the list too.

I've started looking at a couple of 6.5m possibilities. The problem is our drive which has a sharp turn up a hill to the house. The length is more a wheelbase issue as a longer overhang means risking scraping the floor with the rear as you go "up the ramp".
It is possible but have seen a number of delivery vehicles who thought they could do it scrape their rear end (after I told them not to try).

Hi, We had our heart set on a u shape lounge, but eventually went for the rear bathroom, we have two dogs a staffy and border collie who travel in the bathroom and also sleep there too, but the old girl is 7 metres long. nade and steve. and welcome, this forum is as addictive as motorhoming and any questions will be answered, even daft ones. We are staying at tarnside at braystones this weekend as we love the cumbrian coast.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Judge Mental]

On our second chausson and not heard to many bad reports all makes have occasional problems never know if dealers tell the truth or what gets the most business If he doesn't sell them he's hardly likely to recommend them!!!

He used to sell them but dropped the brand due to recurring build quality priblems? Whats so difficult to understand. They sell 40 vans a week in season so far from a small concern. I trust his opinion..... he was right about my euramobil before he even saw it....don't take it personally for pity sake it's a blooming van!

 

[The Wino]

Just not heard too many stories on here about them yes its only a van but we all get a little attached to ours!

 

[scousebird]

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Deleted member 29692]

we do intend to keep whatever we buy until it drops to bits (hopefully a long time).

Take your time buying then. Look at as many as you can before you buy and once you think you've found the layout you want find one with that layout that you can hire for a week or a weekend. Then hire your second choice layout for a similar period.

Talk to as many people as you can who own or have owned your preferred van as well. Not just the ones that are happy with their choice because they're obviously going to tell you it's wonderful, talk to the ones who weren't happy and find out why. You might hear something that makes you think.

It's generally accepted that the third one you buy will be the right one for you so if you want to buck that trend you need make sure your research is spot on.


by the way

 

[Taran_Las]

​