Carthago Chic i5.0 lhd 3ltr 2012 TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY (1 Viewer)

[Zepp]

They are Gel batteries so are the equivelent of 110 a/h standard wet cells.
I think there is space for another 2 batteries @Robert Clark should be able to confirm I think he has 4 in his Chic 5.0.

Thanks for that Lenny that's good news I know the e line you can add 2 more

Paul

 

[Gorse Hill]

That's the one Mel!! There doesn't seem to anything else around to compare it with unless mega expensive
Zep thanks for your comment.
We are sat here in the conservatory deliberating our 'future' and it's really looking positive to go LHD or keggy hand in the words of Mr B and a CARTHAGO. Will keep you all posted with our decision.
You are great!!!
The two happy Reds!!!

Only a happy red when LVG gone

 

[Ann&MikeMancs]

He's on his way it looks like. Lol

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[Gorse Hill]

He's on his way it looks like. Lol

The only people who want him to stay are the bitters from the council house on the other side of town

 

[travelling wilbury]

we have had our c-tourer i148 (twin singles) for nearly 18 mths now.
from a living in experience (we use it for over 30 weeks a year, with usually two 10 week plus stays....) we love it....
the lounge doesnt (at first) appear to be as large as brit vans with side benches, but is easily large enough for four to drink/dine, and the table works far better than we thought it would, making the use of a tablet or game of cards easier...and the Roadliners are supremely comfortable

the kitchen has huge storage woth six deep drawers and a massive cupboard above, knocks the spots off brit type 'storage' efforts. ok, worktop isnt massive, but with a little organisation all types of meals are possible to prepare.

right, the oven....this will be an issue for some as its above the huge fridge/freezer....i am 5' 9" and i can put food in and take it out safely, although OH wouldnt do it on her own as she is a bit shorter....but i like to cook a bit anyway so no issue for us...and the oven works, too...

our washroom, as Lenny says, is more of a wet room than the Hymer 'comfort' washroom which we did test when looking at one prior to this purchase...but yours would be a separate shower, which should be fine.

although we have twin singles (can also be a massive double) we can vouch for the comfort of the beds....truly lovely to sleep in.

wardrobe storage will be large....twin ones each side of the bed and large drawers at the front end of the bed.....

garage is huge, we have two electric bikes in a floor mounted rack and loads of room for all our other 'stuff'.....

we off grid from time to time and our twin gel batteries last well with the 120w solar panel, we also have a gaslow refilllable system...

niggles, yes of course there have been a few.....the rattling over cab bed drove us mad, amplifying every bump in the road......two differnt dealers failed to do any more than i could, so i then bought some Poundland plastic wedge doorstops and this has pretty well cured it.....yes, i know...

we had a leak in the output side of the Shurflo water pump, now fixed.

a few other tiny issues, either fixed by me or at the dealers.....

i also feel the 'heavy' chassis (we are on 4250kg) is harsher than our two previous 3500 'light' post 2006 Ducatos, and the Al-Ko rear end can be a bit sharp at times.....

also, check that you are ok with the bus-type mirrors....rear view vision is great, but i find looking ahead and right (as approaching a roundabout) can lead to a blind spot, so be prepared to move your self about to get a clear view...

do we like it.....yes.......would we change things, probably......

we would perhaps go for the slimmer Compactline, even to the smallest 6.4m 138 transverse bed, loads of payload on 3500, light chassis rides better, easier to drive and park......but thats all down the road.....
have a good long test drive.....im sure youll enjoy...

 

[Ann&MikeMancs]

Aww that's a great review many thanks. We appreciate all that valuable information.
Yes we are going to test drive. I was a little concerned after someone pointed out that they 'only' parted with £1100 deposit on a new van. This dealer is asking for £4000.
There is an issue with a doggie smell and I'm thinking they should 'fix' that before we hand over a deposit, also there's a noticeable mark on the table-the dealer is talking about the 'possibity' of relaminating it but he 'couldn't guarantee it' - which means (to me) that once we've handed over the money we are stuck with it! can I ask what do you think? We have only bought one MH and it's such u huge amount of money to part with-we want to get it right!
Thanks Ann
Ps I'm 5''8' and I cook lol

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[bellabee]

We saved loads of money importing from Germany it's well worth it.

So did we!

 

[Spidey]

I would be very careful with smells. Airing or air fresherners won't work as it is in the fabric. We once bought a sofa off an aunt who smoked it took a long long time to get the smell out. I think it would need to be professionally cleaned. If that doesn't work then it would mean replacing cushions. .

 

[Clarky]

Our Chic C-line 5.0 is 14 months old now and we love it.
I purposely ordered it as LHD as we spend more time abroad than in the UK. It did take a bit of getting used to and being an A class with that enormous windscreen it felt huge after our AutoTrail.
The quality of fit and finish is way, way better than the Brit vans we previously owned and it is a joy to drive and live in.
I note the van you are looking at only has 20k miles on it. Is that genuine? We've done nearly 15k in ours already.
The batteries will be gel type and with a decent solar panel should be very adequate. You could fit extras but would have to relocate them as @Robert Clark has on his Carthago.
Providing the van has been looked after and is genuine I would go for it. I doubt you will regret the move.

Richard.

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[Ann&MikeMancs]

They say they use a special chemical that they leave for 24 hrs then air the van for a day?! It kills everything - presumably also anything in the carpets and beds?

We WOULD buy abroad - after just returning from France where we spent many a happy hour in and out of them AND seeing the €'s price! Just not sure how to go about it? Do you have to pay import duty? Do you have to open foreign bank account to pay for it? How much does it cost to change to an English plate and how long would that take etc
We'd love to know??
Thank you all again - we are SO appreciative
Ann & Mike

 

[Phillybarbour]

Carthago is a top quality brand. Take a look at the pipe work, hinges, stop cocks for waste, cable routing and neatness. That van is in a different league to your current van re quality, although to be fair the price is in a different league also.

Double floor with absolutely nothing outside the van under the floor. Great van great brand and super quality. Only you an decide on value. Currently on our third German A Class double floored van and wouldn't go back.

 

[garjanco]

A dealer told us they can put something inside ( like a smoke bomb type thing that are used to clean chimneys I think ) the MH and it gets rid all of smells. Sorry I dont know what they are called but it was Travelworld Dealer who told us this so any dealer would be able to do this for you.

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[Ann&MikeMancs]

Yea ta. That's sounds like the gizmo!! Many thanks for taking the time to reply. Ann x ps your just around the corner from us! Well...up the M66 lol

 

[garjanco]

Oh I hadn't noticed that you lived so near to us. Good luck and let us all know if you take the plunge.
Janet and Gary

 

[bellabee]

If you're interested in importing, a starting point would be to search for threads on the topic. There's loads of info on this site on how to go about it. It'll give you plenty of food for thought, then you can come back and ask specific questions. Lots of people on here have imported, and will be able to provide info.
Specifically, you don't have to open a foreign bank account. Most people pay via FX companies, for ease and in order to get the best exchange rate.
If you buy new, British VAT is payable once you've imported. If buying from Germany, the dealer usually charges VAT on purchase. They then repay this to you, once you provide proof of payment of British VAT.
The process is not too daunting, and definitely worth the effort.

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[Ann&MikeMancs]

Ooh that sounds very interesting.
Many thanks.....off to research!

 

[travelling wilbury]

there are two companies that i can think of that will source you a european van to your spec and price, and then bring it back and take care of all the paperwork.....they are Edgehill Motors and Bundesvan.
a few minutes on the phone to either/both will give you most of the info you seek straight from the horses mouth....

good luck.

ps....although we also spend more of out touring time abroad, i went for RHD as i felt more comfortable with RHD in france/spain (big open roads....) than i thought i would be with LHD in this country....narrow roads, idiots on the road, faster pace etc....)

pps....our van was new but we only paid £1k deposit on credit card

 

[Mel]

cant find an exact match
On German sites there are 2011 with 75000 km for more money
So the price does not seem too bad .
From the photo the dashboard looks like a 2012
Many 2012 are on the old chassis

Ask them why they need £4000 deposit
And where they put the £4000 if its in there account and the go tits up.
Wave bye bye to the £4000.

99% of people are honest.

Mel

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[Ann&MikeMancs]

Oh that's just what I though Mel but Mike says he's going to do it on a credit card to give us protection AND Tesco points as that's the only way we will be eating out after buying THIS baby lol

 

[Mel]

You wont want to eat out you will be in the Cartago all the time.

Enjoy

 

[DBK]

Oh that's just what I though Mel but Mike says he's going to do it on a credit card to give us protection AND Tesco points as that's the only way we will be eating out after buying THIS baby lol

It would be worth a call to the card issuer to check if you are covered. Credit card protection only covers transactions up to £30K and though your deposit is of course much less than that the overall transaction isn't. Even if you are planning to pay the balance by bank transfer your deposit may fall outside the scope of the legislation. A quick, if there is such a thing, call to the bank would be sensible.

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[Lenny HB]

Aww that's a great review many thanks. We appreciate all that valuable information.
Yes we are going to test drive. I was a little concerned after someone pointed out that they 'only' parted with £1100 deposit on a new van. This dealer is asking for £4000.
There is an issue with a doggie smell and I'm thinking they should 'fix' that before we hand over a deposit, also there's a noticeable mark on the table-the dealer is talking about the 'possibity' of relaminating it but he 'couldn't guarantee it' - which means (to me) that once we've handed over the money we are stuck with it! can I ask what do you think? We have only bought one MH and it's such u huge amount of money to part with-we want to get it right!
Thanks Ann
Ps I'm 5''8' and I cook lol

No way would I give any more than £1000 deposit, if for unexpected circumstances you couldn't go through with the purchase you could lose your £1000 no way would I want to take the risk on 4k.
As for the table it is unlikely the repair will be satisfactory, insist on a genuine new Carthago replacement top as if you accept the repair & then decide you would rather fit a new top could cost you quite a few hundred quid.

Oh that's just what I though Mel but Mike says he's going to do it on a credit card to give us protection AND Tesco points as that's the only way we will be eating out after buying THIS baby lol

Credit card won't give you any protection if the total purchase price is over 30k.

 

[StefAndDi]

They are Gel batteries so are the equivelent of 110 a/h standard wet cells.
I think there is space for another 2 batteries @Robert Clark should be able to confirm I think he has 4 in his Chic 5.0.

@Robert Clark is certainly the guy you should speak to. He had a Bessacarr prior to purchasing his Chic so he's in a good position to make some objective comments.
Stef.

 

[Ann&MikeMancs]

Brill Stef how do we 'find' him?
Thanks
Ann

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[StefAndDi]

Brill Stef how do we 'find' him?
Thanks
Ann

He's currently touring the Scottish islands with no internet, but I think he'll be back in circulation in the next few days.
He watches the forum closely, so as soon as he knows that we've been talking about him he'll be in touch.
Stef.

 

[Speve]

I would certainly reccomend Bundesvan now BVN they sorted ours for us didn't have to do anything except pick what we wanted it was then delivered to our door with all paperwork and necessary work done.
They were brilliant.

 

[Robert Clark]

They are Gel batteries so are the equivelent of 110 a/h standard wet cells.
I think there is space for another 2 batteries @Robert Clark should be able to confirm I think he has 4 in his Chic 5.0.

We removed the two standard leisure batteries and moved them the rear garage and added an extra two. The extra capacity has been a great benefit

We then had a 2kw inverte fitted above them, and two 100w solar panels

Just spent 5 days off grid with little driving so not much charge from B2B charger.

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[Ann&MikeMancs]

Thanks for the information Robert. We will bear it in mind. When we collect our van early June. It is a 2012 and I think the same model as yours. Ours is automatic, rear island bed and LHD.
We would welcome any suggestions/helpful hints you have about the van!
We too like to go off-grid every time we go out lol
We are trading in a Bessacar e495.
Many thanks
Ann & Mike

 

[Lenny HB]

What did you do about the Table? Hope you insisted on a new top, one of the Hymer club members has just been quoted £1500 for a new table top for his van. I hope you gave them a lower deposit.

 

[Ann&MikeMancs]

Hi Lenny
I mentioned the table when we first viewed. We travelled back yesterday and....drum roll...low and behold they had actually rectified the problem..the table looked brand new!!
Deposit....a quarter of what the first salesman asked for!!
Dare I say it's all going very well sssh!!
Just waiting till we hand over our Bessie and for them to start to 'kick the tyres' They've offered us a good trade in price.
Will keep you posted!
Ann

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