Quality Motorhomes (2 Viewers)

Feb 5, 2009
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Hi All

We're on the lookout for a new van and have decided to go for older & quality rather than newer.

We have seen a couple of Rapido vans and have been impressed, but have seen today on the web a Pilote that has the right layout, but as we have no experience of Pilote, are they considered "quality" ?

What is the concensus of opinion?

Cheers

Steve
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Yes.. Pilote is considered good quality , French built. I am considering buying the new van conversion by them called the Foxy ..

but not wanting to start WW3.. just about anything built in Germany is of decent quality .
 
OP
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EssexBoy
Feb 5, 2009
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Thanks Jim... Might be worth a trip to view it then... was originally sceptical as its a long way away..

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DuxDeluxe

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We traded in our very well built auto-sleeper for a very well built Pilote. They have a good reputation. I would not hesitate to buy another but the layout of the one we have now suits perfectly
 
Oct 29, 2012
887
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Rapido 9090df
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20 years (unless you count my dads VW which makes it 52 years with a few gaps!!)
I think they are about on a par with Rapido but it boils down to what suits you.The Pilote's we looked at just didn't do it for me. I prefer the Rapido but then I'm biased:)
 

Forestboy

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Don't know about Pilote but we sold a new van and went back to a 8 year old van 4 years ago and its turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. The type of build quality we now have is not possible today, can't see us parting with it until we're ready to downsize.

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Nov 30, 2009
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Don't know about Pilote but we sold a new van and went back to a 8 year old van 4 years ago and its turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. The type of build quality we now have is not possible today, can't see us parting with it until we're ready to downsize.
Snap.
When we bought ours, if we'd payed just a few grand more , we could gave got the newer version of ours. Ours was 3 years old when we bought it.
The only reason were selling ours now ( eventually after Xmas , or spring ) is because we are doing our own PVC.
We've looked, liked things on new ones , and thought lots of other things let them down.
We got it right first time , for us , with ours present MH.
But have decided we want a smaller van , to get us to the more out of the way places we crave.
But we want everything we have now and more , in the new panel van conversion. And we just can't buy it off the shelf.
 
Feb 24, 2013
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Bolsover, Derbyshire
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we had a Pilote before our Hymer, more basic than Hymer but well built, practical MH

some details we preferred in the Pilote, some things were a bit quirky, but hey it is French
 
Sep 26, 2013
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While in France a couple of weeks ago we were parked next to a Cartier motorhome which really looked good. Had a look at the website but no prices listed.

Mike

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Snowbird

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RMB are in a class of there own and in my opinion the early nineties models were the best and can be had fairly reasonably nowadays. The downside to owning an RMB is that there is a good chance you will have to import one from Germany. Of course if money is no object maybe a new model such as this would suit the OP.
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OP
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EssexBoy
Feb 5, 2009
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Thanks for the comments...

Essentially, we wanted to spend in the region of £35-40k, for which we could buy a brand new "budget" van, but I think we would be better off buying an older used "quality" van.

Our problem has been understanding what constitutes a "quality" make/model, as we only have experience of British caravans and the cheaper end of motorhomes...

We know German vans are good, but suitable layout ones are like hens teeth round here, so would at least like to know we aren't travelling 100s of miles to view vans for nothing
 
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dabhand

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Feb 19, 2014
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Thanks for the comments...

Essentially, we wanted to spend in the region of £35-40k, for which we could buy a brand new "budget" van, but I think we would be better off buying an older used "quality" van.

Our problem has been understanding what constitutes a "quality" make/model, as we only have experience of British caravans and the cheaper end of motorhomes...

We know German vans are good, but suitable layout ones are like hens teeth round here, so would at least like to know we aren't travelling 100s of miles to view vans for nothing
There was a 2004 (I think) Hymer 820 shown on here and sold this week for 40K top quality van. I have the forerunner to this S740, It's a 2001, had it since 2003, Just been to Lincoln as I'm thinking of getting something a bit newer, There was little to come near it, apart from a 2012 Hymer 830, for £110,000. And that's the problem, I agree with what the guys are saying about new vans (RMB, VARIO and CONCORDE etc excepted) that is quality down, price up.
 

DuxDeluxe

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we had a Pilote before our Hymer, more basic than Hymer but well built, practical MH

some details we preferred in the Pilote, some things were a bit quirky, but hey it is French
Must say that our Pilote has everything we need and many more toys than the previous van. A similarly specced Hymer was about £15k more, with no discernible difference in quality. Combi heating, double floor, grp sides, extra batteries, huge fridge, proper kitchen etc. above all, no rattles or creaks apart from one trim squeak which was quickly fixed

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Snowbird

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I know for sure if I had between £35 and £40K to spend on a motorhome and with the £ being strong at the moment, also at the end of season I would be trolling the German websites for quality bargains. £40K sterling will buy you a 50K van in Germany and with a little haggling a 60K van. If the right van is bought at 60K in Germany you should be able to run it for a couple of years and at the very least get your money back, with luck maybe a little profit. My first foray into the purchase of quality German imports was with £8K sterling. In 5 years that £8K has not only given me a great deal of pleasure, but with buying the right vans and selling them on when I have found another, has turned into an outfit worth well in excess of £40K now, with not a penny extra put to the original £8K investment other than the extras I have fitted to them. Motorhomes need not be a poor investment IF you buy the right van, from the right place. Like most things in life, its a buyers market, you just have to buy right. Good luck with your search, but do not be afraid to spread your wings a little further than your local dealer. Many of the quality German vans were never imported into the UK new, and until a few years ago were never heard of in the UK. For many years the Germans had vast amounts of disposable income, and were not afraid to spend it on quality products, whereas not many here in the UK would spend the equivalent of a medium sized house on a motorhome, many Germans did just that. When I bought my first RMB although it was over 20 years old, when new would have cost the price of a large house in the UK. Can you imagine anyone here in the UK paying more for there motorhome than there house ?.
 
Sep 3, 2013
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Yup! RMB. Has to be.

Their quality is immense. Truly immense. I defy ANYONE to prove me wrong.

Sure, you could buy a new 'van with proper, solid wood inside these days. Sure, it'll have a stiff, one piece shell and be super-insulated. Sure, you'll get porcelain fittings and solid stainless taps. Then what would you pay for one, assuming you could find one? Or have one custom built. The latter is more likely.

Well, that's how RMB operated back in the 80's and 90's. And quality lasts. Truly.

Udo's 22 years old and all original. Who'd have thought it, eh?...

 
Feb 24, 2013
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not long enough
Must say that our Pilote has everything we need and many more toys than the previous van. A similarly specced Hymer was about £15k more, with no discernible difference in quality. Combi heating, double floor, grp sides, extra batteries, huge fridge, proper kitchen etc. above all, no rattles or creaks apart from one trim squeak which was quickly fixed

I was talking from my own Pilote experience, from the OP I had thought the budget might have been a bit lower than I now know, our 2004 Pilote interior was a bit like marmite, the later models seem to have become more muted in colour choices

But I agree with most comments, more money does not necessarily mean more quality, we have an 08 800S class Hymer, stopped making in 2009, (there are the odd 2010 registered around) the financial loss on ours for the first owner was eye watering

We have been told though by the discerning, that the earlier S class was the better one (typical though) I generally buy wrong, but they do have a lot of quality fittings, which by age simply means potential for expensive failures!

Good luck with your search, you will get opinions right across some will say buy older others buy newer, some will say don't touch a particular make others will tell the only one to consider is that same model :)

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DuxDeluxe

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Agree with what you say. Each has their own requirements, and I must say the upholstery choice is a little strange in our van - an odd colour. The one with half leather that we looked at was really nice but sadly it was sold before we made up our mind. However the cost difference meant that if we wanted to, we could recover it anyway. Needless to say, we have got used to it, now.
 
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EssexBoy
Feb 5, 2009
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Thanks all... some great points well made...

I've had a poke around on a couple of Germany websites and can't believe the choice and reasonable prices !!!

Although I have another make to consider TEC - and they look quite impressive for the price. They appear to be a hymer sub-brand.

Anyone know much about them pls?
 

Allanm

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Jun 30, 2013
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We looked at new Hymers, Pilotes, Chaussons, Burstners, a Geiss, Auto Roller and more.
With the exception of a few of the very expensive Hymers, we weren't impressed with the quality of fthe furniture, even though from a quick look around, they looked fantastic. A Burstner Ixeo we looked at was like the set of Crossroads, looked good till you touched anything!
We then looked at older versions, and they didn't do it for us either. They seemed better built, ( less flimsy) but we didn't like the layouts or finish.
Best thing to do is have a good look around at as many as you can then make a shortlist of what to consider buying.
We are still impressed with our Autosleeper. Good solid wood everywhere.
Allan

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D

deleted-member02

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Easy to get overwhelmed with it all. Even within the same brand, there are different levels of quality.

We found the best idea was to firstly work out the model ranges you liked, then having narrowed it down, search for the right layout within those ranges.
For example Hymer Classics are lower quality than S class. Burstner Active lower quality than Elegance.

To complicate it further, quality levels vary by the year... Cabinets in our 2005 B Klasse are poor compared to our previous 1998 B Klasse. but I prefer the new bathroom and the drive is so good compared to the older van.


I do think you're on the right track with Rapido though, very well put together.... and no one's mentioned Euramobil , another solid van....
 
Jun 16, 2013
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I had this dilemma when we bought our MH. We were choosing between a 2 year old rapido or a brand new chausson. The wood was better in the Rapido but we loved the look of the chausson. My head was saying Rapido but my heart wanted the chausson. We love it and totally glad we went with what wanted.

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OP
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EssexBoy
Feb 5, 2009
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Most important thing; Layout Layout Layout the rest is secondary the best chassis and best wooden cabinets in the world aren't worth tuppence if the layout is wrong.

You're right... We're after a twin single bed van, winterised and ideally an A class - and crucially - quality build over age (although we realise there is probably a compromise to be made)

The main reason for the original post was that dealers with french or german vans are few and far between round here, so wanted to narrow any potential buys down by make first eg. I don't think an Elddis would suit.
 

DuxDeluxe

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We had to go to Birmingham Hayes Leisure to get what we wanted. Have you looked at Pullingers in Halstead? They do Dethleffs which have some nice A class vans, but not sure what their stock list is .
 
Apr 18, 2009
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To get the van you want you may have to travel:cool:, its sods law the one with the right layout and all the toys will be as far from you as poss:eek:

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Snowbird

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Twin beds, Mercedes sprinter diesel with very low miles and at around £35K well under budget.
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OP
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EssexBoy
Feb 5, 2009
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We had to go to Birmingham Hayes Leisure to get what we wanted. Have you looked at Pullingers in Halstead? They do Dethleffs which have some nice A class vans, but not sure what their stock list is .

Yes.. We went there... All they had of any interest was a brand new Sunlight (Hymer?) which I wasn't overly impressed with
 

DuxDeluxe

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They are a Pilote dealer as well, but we went to Hayes............ Thought it worth mentioning, though.

Best of luck with the search; it'll be interesting to see what you finally end up with. Our current van found us, rather than the other way around

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