What is the 'Ci Carioca' like? (1 Viewer)

[Risteard]

Hi all, my wife and I have been spending the last 6 months searching for our first motorhome for ourselves and our 2 small children. We were working with a budget of up to £30k. However today we viewed a 2006 Ci Carioca 635 with low miles for £19,000. Very clean inside. Can anybody please advise as to how good the Ci Carioca brand is? Your advice is very much appreciated

 

[Bellini]

Hi, and welcome!:thumb:

A good starting point is this recent thread.

Broken Link Removed

 

[camocam1]

There will always be plus + negative points for all vans we were told not to buy swift because of damp yes we had a slight damp probłem round wheel arches but nothing like people were saying just been offered the same as I paid for it 18 months later but I digress
I would say if you like the layout get an in dependant check done for damp and that may give you piece of mind as you will always get conflicting advice

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[Phill D]

the cI brand has been dropped by the manufacterer and Roller team in its place. IMHO due to poor publicity from build quality issues.

they are very much entry level vans and we had a CI Carioca 746 2008 from new for 3 years. liked the layout and the space, but the build was poor as far as the main openings ( habitation door, lockers ) were concerned, poor fit took 18 months and 2 hab doors to get ours to stop leaking like the proverbial. roof delaminated inside, and even the replacement hab door delaminated. spares take an age if at all from the factory.
so i am not the best advert for CI.

that said i have seen and spoke to owners who have nothing but praise.

a thorough damp check and good look through should be fine, check the cushions for flattening they are basic.

 

[DP+JAY]

Hi all, my wife and I have been spending the last 6 months searching for our first motorhome for ourselves and our 2 small children. We were working with a budget of up to £30k. However today we viewed a 2006 Ci Carioca 635 with low miles for £19,000. Very clean inside. Can anybody please advise as to how good the Ci Carioca brand is? Your advice is very much appreciated

The CI Riviera has a better spec than the Carioca. Half of me still wishes I hadn't sold our Riviera 181.

 

[Risteard]

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to my question

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[stevensson10]

Hi all, my wife and I have been spending the last 6 months searching for our first motorhome for ourselves and our 2 small children. We were working with a budget of up to £30k. However today we viewed a 2006 Ci Carioca 635 with low miles for £19,000. Very clean inside. Can anybody please advise as to how good the Ci Carioca brand is? Your advice is very much appreciated

absolute rubbish so im told steve

 

[ukbill]

i have a carioca 694 and fits all my needs and its a great van like said there is good and bad in all vans but if ya budget was 30k you could get a newer van than the 1 you have seen

 

[Steve101uk]

my Dads got a CI Carioca and loves it, no real issues apart from a little damp that was sorted by the dealer under the warranty ( we use an independent guy to service our vans habitation and mechanical).

with 2 kids who will grow heavy and require more kit keep an eye on the weight issues with a van under 3500. the payload soon gets eaten up.

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[magicsurfbus]

We have a 2005 Carioca 656 which we've been perfectly happy with in most respects, but in that particular model there was a recognised design flaw in the roof trim that caused leakage, especially because rain water pools on the roof. I'm not sure if that's the case with the model the OP is describing but it's worth looking out for. Ours was subject to a factory recall.

If the roof were to go again I'd consider a reasonable outlay to sort it out as we don't want to trade it in for another model. MHs are like houses - you have to pay now and again to keep them in good repair.

Nearly 9 years on, we've only had to pay a total of £100 for re-sealing part of the roof, as the earlier issues were covered by a 3 year extended warranty, which more than paid for itself. One of the front wheel bearings went long before its time but that was also a warranty item. The others are still fine after 41,000 miles so fingers crossed..

The CI Carioca range is an entry-level no frills camper that will do you good service if you look after it, but buy a damp meter, keep a close eye on the ceiling and get it checked by a competent MH specialist at least every 12 months.