Top 3 Manufacturers (1 Viewer)

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I know this is a very simplistic question, but who would you put in your top 3 motorhome manufacturers.
Reviews on another forum based on an overall score give:

Autotrail, Swift, Compass with not much between them.

I own an Autosleeper Symphony 1994 Peugeot Boxer 2.5D

K
 

vwalan

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dont seem to make that annagram say action mobile. or any of the german makes . doesnt quality come in to being the top marques . :ROFLMAO:
 
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Blisters

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Eura Mobil, Hymer, Nishman n bishcoff, or Cathargo although the later are very expencive so they should be good

All German ::bigsmile:

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scotjimland

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Autotrail, Swift, Compass with not much between them.


K

That is very true..

IMO there isn't a British coach-built van worth buying.. I would rather buy a 10, 15 or 20 year old German van than any of the these.

However, it's not all gloom, there are some good British panel van convertors who build to order and actually care about workmanship.

jim
 
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vwalan

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strange giving the bottom three when asking for three top converters . have to start some where. no other vans come anywhere near them for quality .

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calculad

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strange giving the bottom three when asking for three top converters . have to start some where. no other vans come anywhere near them for quality .

I didn't choose them. They are the marques that came top on a different forum with contributions from hundreds of respondents. I just added up the scores to get some kind of easily scored average.
Also when you go on dealer websites they do seem to sell a lot of these amongst others of course.
Thanks for comments, but would welcome loads more replies
K
PS Are Autotrail, Swift, Compass all British
 
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Peter JohnsCross MH

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Yes,
out of curiosity, are you planning to open a dealership ?

If he is he needs his brains testing and a very large Bank account full of dosh!

Back on topic, the Swift Group are the best for service back up as far as I am concerned, but I do like the Rapidos and Hymers which we are now actively stocking when we can find used ones.

Peter
 
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vwalan

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hi ,i must say i have watched swift very promtly offer to sort problems out after remarks on here . i hope they have satisfied the customer. credit to them if they have. i still prefer the german conversions, i think they would sui my taste better for long terming. i have been impressed by some of the japanese coach built conversions i have seen as well .mainly because many are built on 4x4 base vehicles. the aussies do some nice ones as well.

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deepstar

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best three

I know this is a very simplistic question, but who would you put in your top 3 motorhome manufacturers.
Reviews on another forum based on an overall score give:

Autotrail, Swift, Compass with not much between them.

I own an Autosleeper Symphony 1994 Peugeot Boxer 2.5D

K

its a great shame none of you have seem to have been in burstner rapeedo hobby motorhomes they put english motorhomes in the dark ages
regards deepstar
 
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JayDee

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Based on no experience whatever

Laika, Burstner, Hymer - not necessarily in that order.

None of them are cheap, but all of them are solid and last for ever. They all have layouts that I like and (with the exception of Burstner with their ridiculously and dangerously located oven - head height for gods' sake) are pretty well put together. What's more there are most base vehicles to choose from - Fiat, Merc, Renault; (you can get Ford on Hobby - not sure about on the above three - and they are quite good as well)

We have a Dethleffs, which is not as 'good' as the above three but suits us fine.


John
 
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vwalan

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best get a truck conversion they are my favourites. last for years and have lots of payload .

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Douglas

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If he is he needs his brains testing and a very large Bank account full of dosh!

Back on topic, the Swift Group are the best for service back up as far as I am concerned, but I do like the Rapidos and Hymers which we are now actively stocking when we can find used ones.

Peter

I have found this to be complete untrue.

Doug...
 
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Douglas

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I can't speak of all the vans available but I can speak of the van I have now. Do not buy a Swift, I have had nothing but problems costing over £2000 in repairs in 4 years.

Doug...
 
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Wildman

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When it comes to motorhomes there are two parts, the base vehicle and the habitation. Then there is customer service. It is a fact of life that German built vans are built for a Norther European winter whilst British vans are built for a Southern European summer. The difference is as great as that between chalk and cheese.
So define quality first, what are you actually looking for. Insulation, solid built, reliable engine, rust free, good looks, functionality, or just plain value for money which will be a compromise on all of those. Are you prepared to keep rehanging doors? fix wonky steps, be forever returning you pride and joy to have engine/gearbox problems sorted out. It has already been said the best all round is a 10-20 years old German van, probably on a Mercedes chassis. Mine 26 years old and still going strong, no rust never been welded must say something for German engineering. The habitation is British but hand built to a good spec. original doors and hinges still sound. After looking around vans at the shows and seeing how many had doors hanging off I do wonder what has happened to British workmanship. Mass production seems to be the killer.

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DESCO

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My top 3 would be Laika, Devon, Hymer.

Laika:- After 2 years owning one most impressed with build quality, never had to do anything to the motorhome. The only problems have been dealt with in a most professional manner, rear bumper developed a stress fracture replaced. Step dealer re-sited relay box. Problem with Ford base on delivery sorted by a Ford garage and dealer combined.

Devon:- Renault Master van conversion, had for 2 years no problems at all

Hymer:- Never owned one but on looking round many have been impressed by what I have seen.


Dave:thumb::thumb:
 
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savantuk

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I don't want to get into the 'Mines the best' arguement, but I can only tell you why I like my hobby!

I have one small reservation... Hobby vans interior design seems to be a year or two behind it's contemporaries, as far as fashion is concerned. Perhaps thier attitude is 'isf it ain't broke, don't fix it!)

The all fiberglass monocoque body is probably the strongest and best finished of any van I have ever owned.

The external door is properly mounted on two solid hinges.

The internal fittings are solid, beautifully built and finished.

All interior doors have 'domestic' quality fittings, not the usual lightweight motorcaravan items, which means that they will last the life of the van.

The cooker/oven and fittings, are again of domestic quality.

The windows are fully framed, and sealed, unlike the majority which are push in fittings.

The carpets are high quality, rubber backed items which can be pressure hosed.

All of the above suggest that the van will still be functioning well when others are looking tired. It is the German attention to detail, not the UK 'built to a price' that is telling, not low price at any cost!

My van has it's faults, but they are few and minor. I'm not saying that it is better than any others out there - my experience shows that Hymer is as good, perhaps even better, and I've never been in a Neimann and Bischoff, but otherwise, I'm satisfied mine is as good as any out there.
 
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bevo

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isn't it subjective as to the best built motorhomes, one mans meat and all that.
there are loads of people out there (me included) with so called budjet motorhomes,
who are made up with them.
if you are looking to buy hymers there are loads on autotraders website.

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calculad

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If he is he needs his brains testing and a very large Bank account full of dosh!

Back on topic, the Swift Group are the best for service back up as far as I am concerned, but I do like the Rapidos and Hymers which we are now actively stocking when we can find used ones.

Peter
No i'm looking to buy a van.
 
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vwalan

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there are several questions to ask .
for how many people.
weekend /holiday or longer.
home or abroad
what driving licence do you have.
what parking do you have.
any disability.
do you fancy small or large.
summer or and winter use.
when we know what top look for we can give you a better idea or let you know our thoughts. cheers alan
ps. take time to answer its got to be the right one or it can be costly.
 
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scotjimland

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isn't it subjective as to the best built motorhomes, one mans meat and all that.

There is nothing subjective about damp or doors, fixtures and fittings falling off ..

To be "best built" means a van that's suitable for purpose and made to last longer than a drive off of the dealers fore court ..

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haganap

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Sorry its a daft question unless you put a budget on it. For example, how can you compare a cathargo against a swift.??? its a bit like comparing a new ford focus against a bentley??

if its because your looking for a van then think about giving us a budget, then re-ask the question, that way you will get far more replies relevent to your question.

As for the 3 you mention? well I dont know what forum it was but susspect it must of been the swift owners club:ROFLMAO:
 
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hilldweller

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To be "best built" means a van that's suitable for purpose and made to last longer than a drive off of the dealers fore court ..

It seemed worse than that from a year's reading on the dark side. Some weren't fit to be driven onto the forecourt.

It seemed obvious to me from "should have been caught with the PDI check" that some manufacturers expect the dealer to finish off production and be their QA department. This is not acceptable. It *is* the British way of the 60s which is why no longer manufacture TVs, white goods, cars ( yes I there are factories here but foreign run ).
 
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John H

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My van is a 1988 Elddis autoquest on a fiat ducato cab, its done 8o,ooo miles. The Elddis part of the van is spot on, everything still works as it should and looks very good, the interior looks a bit dated by todays standards but so do I, so I fit right in :Smile:
The Fiat part of the van has had some welding to the chasiss, the body panels are awful, its going to need two new wings a new scuttle panel under the window and the front panel around the lights. I knew what it needed when I bought it and it was reflected in the price, I didnt want to spend a fortune and find out motorhoming wasnt for me as it turns out I like the van and have decided to have the work done and keep it.

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scotjimland

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Sorry its a daft question unless you put a budget on it. For example, how can you compare a cathargo against a swift.??? its a bit like comparing a new ford focus against a bentley??


That is a good point Paul, you can't, you do need to compare like for like.. so, lets compare a new Swift Kontiki with say a new Rapido A class.. not quite the same but it does as an illustration .. both sub £60k

What would you choose ??

Fiat Ducato Swift Kontiki 665P Vogue.
Engine: 2.3 JTD 130 Multi-JEt
Layout Type: Fixed Bed
Prices from: £57,565.00


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For £2.5k more ...


23359 Mercedes Rapido 990M 2.2 CDI/150BHP Motorhome
Manufacturer Mercedes
Range Rapido
Model 990M
Colour SI
Trim Cloth
Cabin Trim Malaga
Chassis/Engine 2.2 CDI/150BHP
Engine CC 2148
Berths 2
Fuel Type Diesel
Transmission Automatic
Price £59995.01


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Frankia, Niesmann and Bischoff, Euramobil all for habitational build quality. Although as euramobil are now part of Trigano I am not sure if they are still good, Would have added Hobby,however the newer vans I looked at at shows had all sortsof broken bits, as did the Burstners.
 
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Peter JohnsCross MH

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I do wonder about the price of the Rapido, its not the 2010 price as far as I know, Martin at Caravannes Rapido was saying massive price increases coming.

Very nice van though.

Peter
 
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