Help please re buying a motorhome (1 Viewer)

effnboots

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Hi everyone

What a great site - just spent hours reading as much as I can! We are hoping tp buy our first 'van this year - have hired a few and been to a few shows to decide on what size, layout etc we want. Have decided on panel van conversion with rear lounge/ bed (so we can keep bed made up if we want, being lazy!) but with front diner area so we can still eat/ watch tv etc. It will be for 2 adults and 2 dogs. Will also be my only vehicle, although partner has a car.

We loved the WildAx Aurora Leisure we hired last year so hope to get something like this - but unfortunately would have to be a fair bit cheaper than these currently sell for - as they are quite new to the market we haven't seen any second hand ones yet. Have seen an Autotrail Tribute Trigano with required layout - so to get to my questions:

- anyone any comments/ experience on these?
- any other suggestions (wouldn't want anything smaller than the Aurora size, but at same time nothing bigger as too scary to drive!)
- from the research I have done so far - i Think we want heating to be optional gas/ leccy i.e. like Truma but some we have seen have blow air heating from Webasto diesel heater - which is best? £ to run etc? (we won't be doing much wild camping so hope to hook up on most occasions).

Sorry for all the waffley questions - I could go on and on , but these are my main queries today!!

Thanks for any advice/ help.
:Confused:
Eff
 

Wildman

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Hoi and welcome to the fun, for the best advice on buying try "the motorhome Buyers guide" written by Jim the owner of Fun. it will tell you what to watch out for and how to barter the best deal. It will save you the cost of the book on your first purchase. Click on the advert on the righthand side of this page.
 
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Hi everyone

What a great site - just spent hours reading as much as I can! We are hoping tp buy our first 'van this year - have hired a few and been to a few shows to decide on what size, layout etc we want. Have decided on panel van conversion with rear lounge/ bed (so we can keep bed made up if we want, being lazy!) but with front diner area so we can still eat/ watch tv etc. It will be for 2 adults and 2 dogs. Will also be my only vehicle, although partner has a car.

We loved the WildAx Aurora Leisure we hired last year so hope to get something like this - but unfortunately would have to be a fair bit cheaper than these currently sell for - as they are quite new to the market we haven't seen any second hand ones yet. Have seen an Autotrail Tribute Trigano with required layout - so to get to my questions:

- anyone any comments/ experience on these?
- any other suggestions (wouldn't want anything smaller than the Aurora size, but at same time nothing bigger as too scary to drive!)
- from the research I have done so far - i Think we want heating to be optional gas/ leccy i.e. like Truma but some we have seen have blow air heating from Webasto diesel heater - which is best? £ to run etc? (we won't be doing much wild camping so hope to hook up on most occasions).

Sorry for all the waffley questions - I could go on and on , but these are my main queries today!!

Thanks for any advice/ help.
:Confused:
Eff

When I started I had a Mercedes RMB a class
Had several euro boxes
Got my Rv in 2009
It was a bit of a jump in size
Now it was the best thing I ever did
Do not be put off by a large size
As the living benefits far exceed any thing else you can find

My Rv is only 27 feet in length
Has every thing including the kitchen sink
No cassette to carry about to discharge body wast
Full size double bed
Half bath /shower
Don't limit your choice do think big and you will get the best of both worlds
Yours Ian
 
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duane0001

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Hi
I have a Trigano Tribute 550
The webasto heating is stupidly cheap to run on a medium setting you can have around 10 hours from a litre of diesel, but then if you are going to be on hookup in a campsite most good Motorhome Heating gas sytems can be run from the 240 hookup so thats free heat so to speak.
As for the van, its okay, the build quality is not up to much, no two vans seem to be the same
The Trigano Tributes are built in italy by people with special needs (they really are)
But once you take everything out and put it back in properly its a fantastic van for the money
Oh and i get between 38 to 43MPG which is not bad for a 3.3 tonne house
 
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duane0001

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When I started I had a Mercedes RMB a class
Had several euro boxes
Got my Rv in 2009
It was a bit of a jump in size
Now it was the best thing I ever did
Do not be put off by a large size
As the living benefits far exceed any thing else you can find

My Rv is only 27 feet in length
Has every thing including the kitchen sink
No cassette to carry about to discharge body wast
Full size double bed
Half bath /shower
Don't limit your choice do think big and you will get the best of both worlds
Yours Ian

Its going to be his second car as well, Read his first post

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Carol

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Hello and welcome to fun, good luck with your search :welcomefunster:
 
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effnboots

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Thank you to everyone who has replied so far!

Thanks for all the replies/ advice and welcomes :thumb:

I have ordered the guide today so will have a good read of that later.

I can see the point re the bigger the van the better and more comfort, but it is going to be my main form of transport (i will be selling my beloved berlingo :Sad: as can't afford 2 vehicles - so it really has to be 6m or less.

Any more advice or comments will be gratefully received!

Thanks
Eff ( A GIRL :roflmto:)
 
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Carol

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Could be worth checking out the Hymer 544 and 584 both just a fraction under 6 meters, but deceptively spacious. :Smile:

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peterandclare

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Actually it is easier if you are sticking to 6m overall length as you can discount many van types straight-off

We found it was very useful to have a week away in a rented van first

Not cheap but very informative, and influenced our decision

Best of luck!

Peter (and Clare)
 
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effnboots

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Again thanks everyone!

Chocswahay & Peterandclare - yes I saw the globescout at the Birmingham show last year - VERY VERY NICE - bit out of our £ range sadly :cry:

We have rented a couple of vans - agree it is vital to ensure you realise what you want/ don't want - hence our decision to go bigger than VW California type size and to settle on the panel van conv high top type size. Also trying to stick to </=6m for parking purposes (home and away) plus driving down great Scottish/ Cornish/ Welsh etc etc roads and lanes!

Good point Pappajohn re insurance and work - I probably will be using to get to/ from work sometimes.

Carol - i checked out the hymers you suggested - maybe me being fussy - but prefer the van conversions. Also we are not lightweights so need a good sturdy bed with feet firmly on floor ::bigsmile:

The search goes on .....

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effnboots

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More research

Have spent several hours researching a bit more on the Adria Twin after a fellow funster suggested that they tend to be better built/ quality than the Trigano Tributes. Have seen a number from 2006, 2007 and 2008 that look fairly good and lowish mileage.

Anyone got any comments good or bad on the Adria Twin?

Also is their much difference in running costs between the 2006 2.8s (JTD) and the 2007 onwards 2.2s (thicko here i know but hey a girls gotta ask :Blush:)

Price-wise do these seem reasonable or high (all mileage well below 30k) ?:

2006s from £22k - £26k

2007s from £27.5k - £29k

2008s from £28k - £30k

They all seem pretty high to me (after reading the fantastic Guide to Buying Motorhomes which I downloaded from here yesterday). The 2006s are more in line with my budget (with a bit of bartering!) but thought i'd get your opinions on others in case (more in hope)

Thanks again

Eff
 
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duane0001

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I got a 2008 Trigano Tribute 550 last year with 19,000 miles on the clock From a dealer for 23,995
Thats with Cab carpet, Loose fitting over mats in the hab area, status Ariel plus all the other standard fittings that a tribute has which are for the most part Optional on lesser vans of the same year like the electric step, alloy wheels, 120bhp engine, 6 speed, cruise control, side skirts, roof rails, colour coded bumpers scatter cushions and so on

Oh and sorry for me presuming you to be a man Effnboots
 
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haganap

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The Adria twin is a really nice van and if the layout works for you is a good buy. They are well made and do the job they say they will.

I love the orange Adria Twin GT but at 50k as a start off you might want to rob a bank or give it a miss.

There is not a lot of difference in running costs between the two vans you mention. However haveing owned both, if you can, go for the x250, it is such a supererb drive compared to the previous model. 6 speed box and wonderfuly smooth. :Cool:


here's a link to some pics of the Adria twin GT
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...CA8048AB19FF4F0588091F5CBA4B&selectedIndex=14

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We loved the WildAx Aurora Leisure we hired last year so hope to get something like this - but unfortunately would have to be a fair bit cheaper than these currently sell for - as they are quite new to the market we haven't seen any second hand ones yet. Have seen an Autotrail Tribute Trigano with required layout - so to get to my questions:

Seen 3 Auroras for sale on the web recently, 2 privately:
Link Removed
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plus one at Newark dealer
.

If you buy one, we have an Owners' Group now!

Catherine
 
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duane0001

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Hi rogeteri
(It's Duane from the Tribby forum)
How's that new 140 bhp tribute?
Been away yet?

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effnboots

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orange Adria Twin GT

orange Adria Twin GT- Haganap - :Cool: OH YES - in my dreams!! Maybe when we win the lottery!!!

Catherine - thanks for the links to WildAx Auroras for sale - look great, maybe i should have said I haven't seen any used ones in my price range lol!!!

Eff
 
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duane0001

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Tribute

Springfield Motorhomes have just sold a 2007 Trigano Tribute 550 for 22,995 and a 2007 Trigano Tribute 650 for 24,995
They say there is another 550 coming in soon
Its where I bought mine from, They seem to have sensible prices
 
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