Newbie looking to upgrade to MH with large garage. (2 Viewers)

[Merdymort]

Hi all, I've done my stint with a transit campervan and now am hoping to upgrade, nothing crazy money, around 30k I expect. Main considerations are large garage for bikes and cruise control! Anyone fit 4 bikes in their garage, or use the over cab bed for bike bags?
Ideally looking for 4 berth but so long as 4 travelling seats it's acceptable. I am wondering at the difference between the van based chassis and 'brick' shaped fish bowl A class ones... I don't really want anything beyond 7m but this is based on what I feel might be practical and the airy feel of that fish bowl cab is appealing.
I'd love to hear some pros and cons from owners, including economy, does it make a big difference the shape you go for? Also, year round use, what should I be looking for if I want to use in winter too. Any advice and thoughts greatly appreciated, thank you for reading

 

[funflair]

What you call the "van based chassis" will be what we call a coach built and the "goldfish bowl" as you rightly state is an A class, they are quite possibly on the same chassis so its just the bodywork that is different, you will only get a decent garage by going for a fixed bed so that is starting to nail down the layout you will be looking for, fuel consumption differences between the two body styles will be negligible.

We have only ever had A class partly because I like that style but also because its practical use of space and better insulation, of course not every body likes the same.

 

[HugoBNB]

Welcome

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[peterc10]

We used to have a C class but now have an A class, which we much prefer. Views are excellent and cab area is warmer and larger..

For winter use it will be best to have a double floor A class motorhome with the tanks inboard or in the heated double floor. At your budget you should be looking for a European model about 10 years old, or even older for more popular makes. Lots to choose from, but prices are very high at the moment because of popularity of motorhoming. Don't worry about high mileage, these are built on a commercial chassis designed to eat up the miles. In reality low mileage indicates it has been standing for long periods, and that is not what the engines are designed for.

But first thing to think of is weight and payload. If you do not have a C1 licence (passed your test after 1996) you will be limited to a maximum weight of 3500kg, which will limit your choices of A class. And it will also mean your payload (difference between maximum weight and empty weight) will be low, which will be very difficult to manage and will mean that lovely large garage you want will be nearly empty!

 

[Merdymort]

What you call the "van based chassis" will be what we call a coach built and the "goldfish bowl" as you rightly state is an A class, they are quite possibly on the same chassis so its just the bodywork that is different, you will only get a decent garage by going for a fixed bed so that is starting to nail down the layout you will be looking for, fuel consumption differences between the two body styles will be negligible.

We have only ever had A class partly because I like that style but also because its practical use of space and better insulation, of course not every body likes the same.

Doh, yes Coach built, thank you. Luckily I like the idea of a fixed bed so it's no issue

 

[Merdymort]

We used to have a C class but now have an A class, which we much prefer. Views are excellent and cab area is warmer and larger..

For winter use it will be best to have a double floor A class motorhome with the tanks inboard or in the heated double floor. At your budget you should be looking for a European model about 10 years old, or even older for more popular makes. Lots to choose from, but prices are very high at the moment because of popularity of motorhoming. Don't worry about high mileage, these are built on a commercial chassis designed to eat up the miles. In reality low mileage indicates it has been standing for long periods, and that is not what the engines are designed for.

But first thing to think of is weight and payload. If you do not have a C1 licence (passed your test after 1996) you will be limited to a maximum weight of 3500kg, which will limit your choices of A class. And it will also mean your payload (difference between maximum weight and empty weight) will be low, which will be very difficult to manage and will mean that lovely large garage you want will be nearly empty!

Thank you, def old enough to not worry about weight (only on myself!) I have predominantly been looking at German brands, is it a given that they would have the double floor or do I need to check on each model? In terms of mileage I think it was probably only Rust I was concerned about, how do they fare, are any extra precautions taken compared to say a Sprinter?

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[HKF]

We have a Benimar Europe 740, coachbuilt. We're slightly longer than you want, at 7.3m, but have a huge garage we could get 4 bikes in. We're also a 6 berth, with 4 travelling seats. There's only the two of us and our small dog but we wanted a good deal of floor space, which we get with this van. Also, with the push-away over-cab bed and two large roof vents, we have a lot of height, light and feeling of space. Hope this helps

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

Wyn

 

[peterc10]

Thank you, def old enough to not worry about weight (only on myself!) I have predominantly been looking at German brands, is it a given that they would have the double floor or do I need to check on each model? In terms of mileage I think it was probably only Rust I was concerned about, how do they fare, are any extra precautions taken compared to say a Sprinter?

Not all Hymer A class have double floor. From memory the Exciss range did not (at least in 2015). Not sure when Hymer started using Alko chassis for their Fiat based A classes, which has a galvanised chassis, so will last a lot longer. But you could also look at Burstner, Dethleff, Rapido and other European built A classes.

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[ambulancekidd]

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from Bexley

 

[Ditcha]

Not all Hymer A class have double floor. From memory the Exciss range did not (at least in 2015). Not sure when Hymer started using Alko chassis for their Fiat based A classes, which has a galvanised chassis, so will last a lot longer. But you could also look at Burstner, Dethleff, Rapido and other European built A classes.

The Fiat wide track chassis is galvanized and painted so can't see any problems with longevity compared to Alko.

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[Merdymort]

We have a Benimar Europe 740, coachbuilt. We're slightly longer than you want, at 7.3m, but have a huge garage we could get 4 bikes in. We're also a 6 berth, with 4 travelling seats. There's only the two of us and our small dog but we wanted a good deal of floor space, which we get with this van. Also, with the push-away over-cab bed and two large roof vents, we have a lot of height, light and feeling of space. Hope this helps

Thank you, have you found it restricts you much being over 7m?

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[62272]

Parking wise you will be better with a 6 metre vehicle. 7 m or thereabouts is fine for all campsites we have been to (7.3 m), and will be no probs with aires.

conventional car parks we generally take up 4 spaces, but you could use 2 in tandem if you want to risk damage by people parking next to you (opening doors).

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[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[The Old Man]

I have a 56plate Adria Coral 660, which I am well happy with.

It has six berths but only four belted seats, the other two seats are sideways, without belts.
One bed is a full sized doublw bed, permantely made up, another is a double bed overcab which can be left fully made up but bumps on the head will occur moving from front to back to front. The other two berths are made from the table, the four rear seats and associated cushions, however I have never managed to make it up.

I believe that it is 7.5mtrs. High roof and has a large garage.

Faily consistant at returning 25mpg.

This is not mine;





http://www.southdownsmotorcaravans.co.uk/stock/200455/pixindex.html

 

[HKF]

Thank you, have you found it restricts you much being over 7m?

No, not at all, although we live in France where everything is very geared up for MoHos and there's a far greater number of places to stay than there are in the UK. However, even in the UK, I can't see that we'd be restricted that much really. Maybe some of the smaller roads might be an issue but then we use a SatNav that allows us to put our dimesnions in, to avoid tight corners, low bridges etc.

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[HKF]

I have a 56plate Adria Coral 660, which I am well happy with.

It has six berths but only four belted seats, the other two seats are sideways, without belts.
One bed is a full sized doublw bed, permantely made up, another is a double bed overcab which can be left fully made up but bumps on the head will occur moving from front to back to front. The other two berths are made from the table, the four rear seats and associated cushions, however I have never managed to make it up.

........

This layout is very simliar to our Benimar.

 

[Snoopy]

Hi and welcome

 

[AndyPK]

Welcome from sunny Ciren!
Are you looking at staying mainly in the UK, or further afield…..?

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[DT]

Welcome. We chose a 6.99m Burstner for its shorter length and big garage. Just watch garage payload as ours is maxed at 159kgs but great for our ebikes.

 

[lorger]

We have a Knaus with double floor and water tanks are in there plus heated off our heating system, we also have a garage than we currently carry 3 adult bikes in with room for another couple. Our van is only 7m and comes in 3 or 5 berths, we have the 3 as only 2 of us, I’m sure if you look at the older models they also have double floor.

 

[orridge]

We have a Laika 4009 which has a large garage can fit 3/4 bikes depending whether all MTB, Road bikes or mixed. Having a large door on either side makes loading/unloading easier as you have bikes facing different directions to load them all. Worth measuring and trying out the garage space as it's like Tetris trying to fit everything in.

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[Roseandpeter]

We have a hymer b594 which is 6.95mtrs and had a massive garage with two doors. Double floored. 4 berth with two good sized double beds and 4 seat belts.Good payload. Only compromise for us is a smaller living area than we'd prefer, but you can't have everything in a shorter van

 

[Roseandpeter]

Ps our first van would also fit your criteria. A 2005 hymer b514 at 6.4mts. Loved that van

 

[Calamaster]

We have Autotrail Cheyenne 696 SE and does exactly what you want and £28K odd.

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[Puddleduck]

You have a lot of choice

One point to check is if there is a weight restriction for the garage.

Adria also make SunLiving:

Sun Living

Simply Great Times!

www.sun-living.com

 

[Merdymort]

Welcome from sunny Ciren!
Are you looking at staying mainly in the UK, or further afield…..?

Sadly just uk. Might aspire to a mountainous alps trip at some point if funds allow.

 

[Merdymort]

You have a lot of choice

One point to check is if there is a weight restriction for the garage.

Adria also make SunLiving:

Sun Living

Simply Great Times!

www.sun-living.com

Thanks for that, is that something that would be in the documents or the plate?

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