Hymer owners- give me advice! (1 Viewer)

[stevebill]

Hi, we have a plan to leave New Zealand and travel in Europe. I really like the look of mid 1990's Hymers. I have a UK driving licence Cat B1 C1 and C1E.
I would like to hear from Hymer owners about their vehicles- good points and bad points alike. We'd prefer a U shaped lounge to convert into a bed, but it's not crucial. I'd like a Merc engine, big as possible but- again- not crucial.I see Fiat engines are popular, but they seem amazingly small. Here in NZ, even our Hiace is 2.8 litres.
We dont rule anything out - and would love to get some in depth discussion going.
We will be in the UK in late July, and will do some looking whilst there, but you'd NEVER see a Hymer in this part of the World of course.
Being an expat Yorkshireman, I hate spending money. A likely budget would be between 13K Sterling (my budget) and 20K Sterling (my wife's budget !)
We'd be looking at something suitable for year-round living as the intention is to travel widely.
Thanks in anticipation, now tell me what you know- warts n'all ! Anyone who wants to tell me Im on the wrong track all together is equally welcome to comment.
cheers
Stevebill

 

[johnnerontheroad]

Have a look at this it may help you Link Removed

 

[Pikey Pete]

Hi, we have a plan to leave New Zealand and travel in Europe. I really like the look of mid 1990's Hymers. I have a UK driving licence Cat B1 C1 and C1E.
I would like to hear from Hymer owners about their vehicles- good points and bad points alike. We'd prefer a U shaped lounge to convert into a bed, but it's not crucial. I'd like a Merc engine, big as possible but- again- not crucial.I see Fiat engines are popular, but they seem amazingly small. Here in NZ, even our Hiace is 2.8 litres.
We dont rule anything out - and would love to get some in depth discussion going.
We will be in the UK in late July, and will do some looking whilst there, but you'd NEVER see a Hymer in this part of the World of course.
Being an expat Yorkshireman, I hate spending money. A likely budget would be between 13K Sterling (my budget) and 20K Sterling (my wife's budget !)
We'd be looking at something suitable for year-round living as the intention is to travel widely.
Thanks in anticipation, now tell me what you know- warts n'all ! Anyone who wants to tell me Im on the wrong track all together is equally welcome to comment.
cheers
Stevebill

My S630 has the U-shaped lounge and of course the pull down over cab bed. I have no warts to report. It's a great bit of kit and I would recommend a Hymer A class to anyone.
Mine is a 2.9 Merc. but I chose it because it's rear wheel drive rather than because it's a Merc, and in some of the places I've been, a front wheel drive FIAT, would never have got out.
£13k is low for a mid 90's Hymer and so is £20k if you want a Merc.
If you go for a LHD, as I did, in the UK, you're likely to get more bang for your bucks.
Lots of searching will be required as it took me a year to find a U-Lounge Merc. at the right price.

Pete:Cool:

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[Mandaxxx]

Our Hymer B584 Y reg. is quite a good van for two, drop down bed above driving seats which doesn'i interfere with the living area. Rear Kitchen, loads of free space and a decent shower/loo area.
The fact that it is a three berth and a LHD made it a bit of an oddity so the price was reasonable also being about 6m long is ideal for the French Aires, too long a van and you won't fit in.
But each to his own!

 

[JJ]

You might like to checkout http://www.ikonickampers.co.uk/

I got my beautiful Hymer 660 from them... well pleased

JJ

 

[sillybug]

hi

we have owned a hymer 694 2.5 turbo diesel tag axel for 8 years we have loved it .
never had any real problems it does have a u lounge but we never use it as a bed cause the drop down is so comfy . my son also owns a smaller hymer and says its been ideal even with the kids .

if i ever decide to change it i will definately look for another hymer .

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[lebesset]

you have to consider firstly whether you want to stick to 3.5 tonnes or not

problem in europe is that authorities are getting tougher on weight , but over 3.5 is higher tolls , restricted access , lower speed limits etc ; you have the driving licences so at least you have the choice

personally I consider the 2.8 fiat/peugeot/ citroen as the best engine , absolutely bombproof , and sufficient power for a 3.5 tonne vehicle

like a previous poster I have a 584 , ideal for travelling around for a couple , biggest motorhome you can get at 6 metres long ...if you see what I mean ; we have a horror of bedmaking every night , and find the drop down bed very comfortable at a combined 150Kg

hymer is a good choice , presuming you are going to sell later they hold their value well , at the end of the day the purchase price is not important , it's what it costs you during the period of ownership that matters ; you might find a more expensive one that is better value , and it would pay to purchase that on the total cost front

LHD are certainly cheaper in the UK than RHD , and of course private sales cheaper than dealers ; with no trade in I wouldn't even bother to visit dealers except to see what is on the market , sites like pre loved will show you the difference , and in that market cash buyers are king ! precautions on history and ownership are essential , but you will find details of that on this site

 

[scotjimland]

Our Hymer B584 Y reg. i



being about 6m long is ideal for the French Aires, too long a van and you won't fit in.
But each to his own!

you need to qualify that statement .. you may not fit into SOME aires ..

we have visited dozens of aires with a 36 ft RV without inconveniencing anyone.. not all aires a small .. see link in signature for aires we have been to

just one of many...

The Aire at Plougonvelin , our RV top left


Link Removed

 

[stevebill]

Hymer owners

Thanks everyone for some excellent advice- for those considering replying- please do, all the info we can put together will result in the best choice of motorhome.
When youve never seen a Hymer in the flesh, this sort of research is invaluable- thanks again.
Keep it coming
For example- anyone got gas bottles which can be filled up at an autogas point? What's the conversion cost?
Are any Hymers offered with free wheeling front hubs, or are they all either front or rear drive?
Is the Hymer trim wood, or plastic veneer over ply?
Ive seen Hymers with no front doors ! What's that all about?
Oddities like that run through my mind!
Steve

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[Pikey Pete]

Thanks everyone for some excellent advice- for those considering replying- please do, all the info we can put together will result in the best choice of motorhome.
When youve never seen a Hymer in the flesh, this sort of research is invaluable- thanks again.
Keep it coming
For example- anyone got gas bottles which can be filled up at an autogas point? What's the conversion cost?

Are any Hymers offered with free wheeling front hubs, or are they all either front or rear drive?
Is the Hymer trim wood, or plastic veneer over ply?

Ive seen Hymers with no front doors ! What's that all about?

Oddities like that run through my mind!
Steve

A Gaslow conversion is around £300 and if you plan to travel extensively around Europe it's worth every penny.

Free wheeling hubs are the domain of the 4x4 and there aren't any Hymers with AWD it's either front or rear wheel drive. Front FIAT and rear Mercedes.

Veneer over compressed board usually, real wood is just too heavy.

How many doors do you need? A driver's door and a habitation door are adequate for most. Doors are in fact a waste of possible storage space and some A class vehicles only have the habitation door, but not the Hymers.

Nothing odd about an A class.

Pete:Cool:

 

[stevebill]

hymer owners

Thanks for that Hobo, looks like we'd better plan an Autogas conversion if the one we buy doesn't have it, as you say it would be the best idea for long tours.
Thanks for the 4WD info.
Im not clear how the A class is different, or what the spec is. There's a website http://www.dmiuk.com who show the historical layouts - but they done include the A class and I cant find anywhere else with layouts / specs described.
Doors - i bit of lateral thinking is necessary - now I appreciate the point and you are right alongwith Sue, my wife - she also thought what a good feature it can be.
cheers
Steve

 

[Pikey Pete]

An 'A' class is where the builder uses the bare chassis and puts a complete body on from front to back. A 'C' class is built using the chassis including the cab and then a body on the back.
There are also other derivations such as conversions, where the whole of the original panel van body is retained.

I can see where you might be confused over the layouts at dmiuk. Hymer uses it's own classification as in 'B' class and 'S' class etc. This is a Hymer thing. All the layouts are for 'A' class motorhomes except for the Coachbuilts at the bottom which are 'C' class.



Pete:Cool:

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[pieterv]

Another thing to take into consideration is that Fiat based Hymers after a certain year (don-t know when) have a double floor (apart from the "Classic" models), which gives a lot of extra storage space (accesible from outside) and better insulation; Merc based Hymers don't have this.

The Mercs are, howver, rear wheel drive, which is an advantage on slippery surfaces like wet grass, as it gives better traction.

Pieter