Hello again,
(As a reminder, I'm a newbie, who has yet to buy his first motorhome)
So we visited the motorhome show in Kent this weekend to get a final feel for the layout we like best. Turns out, we sat in many different layouts and realised we could actually make anything work. BUT... at the show was a new Hobby Vantana K60 which we fell in love with. I found the seated area at the front comfortable, I like the idea of the fixed bed at the rear with large storage space underneath, and the sliding door system for the toilet seemed like a nifty solution (in practice, we'll have to see).
So after starting my investigations with a low budget for second hand van, then upping it a lot to a nicer second hand van, I am now very strongly leaning towards a new Hobby Vantana K60. But, the addendum to this is that I would like to buy in Germany and import to the UK. I have now finished work (always was the plan to quit to go travelling) and have a lot of time on my hands before we are due to leave (6 weeks time). From my research, it seems that importing a van would be doable in that time, just.
am in the process of identifying dealers and will make contact tomorrow, and hopefully fly out this week to take possession and bring it back to the UK.
I'd like to get some opinions on this. This seems to be the first van conversion that Hobby have done. Am I taking a risk buying their first ever model (Vantana)? What is Hobby's reputation in general? We looked around inside a similar layout Hymer and somehow preferred the Hobby (the seats seemed more comfortable). I'm open to suggestions to change to buying a Hymer converted van though if people feel strongly about it.
I realise I'm taking a further risk in going through the import process, but the cost saving is just incredible compared to buying from a dealer here. We'll be touring the continent for 4 months, so the LHD actually suits us fine, but we may take a hit on resale. As mentioned, I do have all my time free now before we leave, so I can focus full attention to the import and registration process. Anyone think I'm nuts?
Thanks in advance
(As a reminder, I'm a newbie, who has yet to buy his first motorhome)
So we visited the motorhome show in Kent this weekend to get a final feel for the layout we like best. Turns out, we sat in many different layouts and realised we could actually make anything work. BUT... at the show was a new Hobby Vantana K60 which we fell in love with. I found the seated area at the front comfortable, I like the idea of the fixed bed at the rear with large storage space underneath, and the sliding door system for the toilet seemed like a nifty solution (in practice, we'll have to see).
So after starting my investigations with a low budget for second hand van, then upping it a lot to a nicer second hand van, I am now very strongly leaning towards a new Hobby Vantana K60. But, the addendum to this is that I would like to buy in Germany and import to the UK. I have now finished work (always was the plan to quit to go travelling) and have a lot of time on my hands before we are due to leave (6 weeks time). From my research, it seems that importing a van would be doable in that time, just.
am in the process of identifying dealers and will make contact tomorrow, and hopefully fly out this week to take possession and bring it back to the UK.
I'd like to get some opinions on this. This seems to be the first van conversion that Hobby have done. Am I taking a risk buying their first ever model (Vantana)? What is Hobby's reputation in general? We looked around inside a similar layout Hymer and somehow preferred the Hobby (the seats seemed more comfortable). I'm open to suggestions to change to buying a Hymer converted van though if people feel strongly about it.
I realise I'm taking a further risk in going through the import process, but the cost saving is just incredible compared to buying from a dealer here. We'll be touring the continent for 4 months, so the LHD actually suits us fine, but we may take a hit on resale. As mentioned, I do have all my time free now before we leave, so I can focus full attention to the import and registration process. Anyone think I'm nuts?
Thanks in advance