Where do I start....... (1 Viewer)

[lunarman]

Hi and welcome.


I see that you are in Hastings, have you been to John Cross (a member on here) at Robertsbridge they are good at performing open wallet surgery but do have a good reputation.

Best wishes with your search.

John

 

[WillH]

Hi and welcome. We have had an E560 for 8 years, can't find a van to replace it. It's all about layout.

Bill

 

[DigglyDog]

As far as buying privately or from a dealer... we looked at a couple of private ads and came across quite a few agents who put you in touch with the seller (for a consideration of course..) - so buyer beware..
In the end, we decided that there could be so many things to wrong for a newbie, it's better to pay the extra and have the backup of a reputable dealership - they will certainly make sure gas and habitation checks are carried out and that the MH is solid. Also the handover is more than just giving you the keys !

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[ojibway]

My opinion only -
Buy a used van.
If you get it wrong you won't have wasted a fortune if you find you want something different and need to sell yours. Like a new car, when you put the key in the ignition the value drops substantially.
Beware of buying privately. There are a lot of scams about.

You can find used vans at dealers that have less than 1000 miles on the clock but even with 20k that's still low and the price will reflect this.

If you go to a show you will be overwhelmed and the dealers will be pretty persuasive. If you can narrow it down to a couple or three brands that will make it easier.

If you just want to travel around the UK then a bathroom is not that important as you will most likely stay on camp sites. If you want to head to the continent then you will eventually take advantage of the wonderful aires which have few or no facilities!
Also, if you join motorhome clubs you may attend rallies which also have limited facilities!
So much to think about - good luck

 

[Speve]

Lots of good vans in the classifieds on this forum.

 

[Beatherotty]

Hi All

Sorry for the late reply, work keeps interfering with my MH plans!

Once again, thank you all for your help and advice. From a storage point of view we have measured our driveway and don't have too many concerns. We have also visited numerous dealers (local) but I'm not too sure that they take us seriously as we're novices, and I can't help feeling that they think that we're window shopping.... However, this has helped us with regards to layout etc.

It's great to hear so many views on the subject and we will take all of them on board. We're going to keep looking at our options with an open mind and hope that we get it right, or very close to it!

Will keep you posted on progress.

Thanks and best regards

Beatherotty.

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[ojibway]

Hi All

Sorry for the late reply, work keeps interfering with my MH plans!

We have also visited numerous dealers (local) but I'm not too sure that they take us seriously as we're novices, and I can't help feeling that they think that we're window shopping.... However, this has helped us with regards to layout etc.

Beatherotty.

Yes, we had the same attitude from a local dealer. Said if we wanted to look in any vans on display to call him and he would open it up and walked away!
We walked away, too.
Other dealers mostly leave their van open for you to 'browse' as much as you want!

 

[travelling wilbury]

all good advice above....try, try and try again....especially beds...
we had a Bolero EK 630, end kitchen model....liked the van. after a year of touring, we did our first long (one month) trip to france.....
after a few days, we got fed up with making up the bed and went for a Bolero 680 fb, the same as the 560 you mention...
we had this van for nearly 6 years, toured all over Europe (retired) and found the bed large enough (we are slim and not overly tall), the shower room fine (we often use aires and shower in the van), underbed and underseat storage pretty good....yes, we liked it a lot....
whe we changed vans last january, i did have a long look at the latest equivalent but felt they had gon too OTT with the bling etc....AND, by now we had electric bikes which were a bit of a pain to hoist up onto the rear rack, so we went for a garage style van.....different kettle of fish altogether, but we love it too......
the 560 is a great package in a 7m van....just check all things like service and damp check history and get a good warrenty....

good luck....

 

[peterc10]

The one thing you really need to check is payload. Dealers don't like to mention it because many motorhomes are short of it. If you want to fit extras and want to go away for long periods then you will need at least 500kg. Things like electric bikes (or in our case a scooter) all add up and we use Aires so like to drive with plenty of water.

Our first motorhome had 500kg and that was just about OK, but our new one had a lot more because it had a GVW of 4500kg

But at the end of the day you will also need to listen to your heart as well as head.

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[pappajohn]

Its generally accepted that your third motorhome is the one you should have bought first.

Its an expensive mistake to simply jump in feet first.

 

[Popeye]

I'm on my fourth or fifth MoHo and I don't think I made a mistake with any of them. The old VW raising roof became too small for our needs, the Geist Silver Spirit transverse bed became a pain when I started to have to get up in the night but was perfect for us when I bought it.

This lovely beast Frankia Platin Plus 8500 was way out of my price range when I was a younger man but suits us down to the ground now, all the room to entertain and dine, a separate section for Loo and shower and en-suite to either end of the van. Big enough to carry our electric bikes and a Motor-cycle all inside, rear wheel drive which worked a treat today exciting Chester unaided in the rain and mud.

I firmly believe that @Beatherotty is planning well and I agree with the slow down one step at a time method will work just fine.

Searching for the right one is such fun, getting emotionally attached to the first one you look at is dangerous. Best of luck and call up to Southdowns or come up to us in the Forest for the day.

Griff

 

[Beatherotty]

Thanks again for the replies.

We've done research, research and more research!

Our conclusion is a fixed bed, 2 or 4 birth (we have no intention of taking anyone with us so the only reason for 4 birth is the layout), as new as we can get for what we're paying, awning, reversing camera, low mileage, lo-line and private seller if possible.

There's quite a few MH's out there that fit the bill, so now it's a waiting game to get the best one at the best price. We've seen a Swift Lifestyle 662 which looks perfect for our needs, so would appreciate any advice on this.

More than happy to meet Popeye in the New Forrest, a lovely part of the country!

Appreciate any advice, as always.

Thanks

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[travelling wilbury]

the Escape/Lifestyle has an almost identical layout to the Bolero 680/682, which will seem a far more upmarket van with larger fridge/freezer and better kitchen area, along with a few other upgrades.
it may be worth checking these out 2nd hand aswell, to get a comparison on age/price.