Decisions ,decisions....our day has arrived.

[Veteran1]

hi, we have just joined this forum. Must say it is a busy and interesting place.
We have rented camper-vans out of Italy several times, but are ready to buy our own.
Its been years of dreaming about it, and our time has come

Our choice would be out of the following makes. We do have a price point we need to stay in.
Our budget is 50/60 k euro. We dont see much saving buying used ?

How do we know the quality of the different campers ?

Here are some makes we have been looking at;

Adria
Hymer
Knaus
Arca
Mobilvetta
Laika
Elnagh
Burstner

So how do these rank in terms of quality of build ?
I guess insulation and hail resistance is also important as we will also winter camp.

If anyone can rank above and add advice , it will be very much appreciated. This camper will have to last us a long time, so buying right once is important.

thx........

 

[AndyPK]

Welcome from Ciren!
I haven’t any experience with the vans you mention but, no doubt, other Funsters will fill you in!

 

[The Wino]

I think you need to look at layouts first after making a what's important to you list. Then look at what matches your price range in various makes. If you decided you wanted an aclass hymer for instance with a fixed rear bed would it come into your budget with the extras you might feel are essential?

 

[David and Sally]

 

[Puddleduck]

Layout and payload are king

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[HugoBNB]

Get it weighed in running order by the dealer before you commit to ensure you have enough room for your bits.

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[jaygee]

They say you're final camper is the third one you buy!
We bought an old hymer as our first van for £11,000 to see how we got on and whether we liked motorhoming. We LOVED it so 3 years later , after selling the hymer for £11,500 , we bought the van we have now ( a dethleffs) - having had the experience of finding out what we really needed from a van & what was & wasn't important. We've had our present van for 7 years now & are thinking (tentativly) of changing it for one that has a few more of the things we didn't think were important but now find they are - hopefully that will be us finaly sorted!

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[Just smiffy]

There’s an excellent one for sale here...

Hymer B544

An excellent opportunity to acquire a well sought after motorhome with the layout and accessories for full time living or long periods away with all t

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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[TUCANO]

to the fun and the search for a van.
I have to agree that layout and payload are the most important thing although there are many many personal requirements to consider also.

 

[Minxy]

Hi and welcome to the fun house!

If you can give us some info on your budget, layout you want, how you intend to use it (ie campsite, aires, wild-camping), if you have any hobbies for which you will storage etc, and how many you need it to accommodate for travelling, we can probably point you in the direction of some to consider.

 

[nicholsong]

Hi and welcome to the fun house!

If you can give us some info on your budget, layout you want, how you intend to use it (ie campsite, aires, wild-camping), if you have any hobbies for which you will storage etc, and how many you need it to accommodate for travelling, we can probably point you in the direction of some to consider.

Filling in that list is only part of the research, then the hard work starts. Another factor to add in is 'How much of a hurry are you in?'

Of course you can go down the 'third van' route of choosing - seems a waste to me, as you could lose a total on 3 deals(with dealers) of what I paid(privately) for my first MH, which I have stll got 11 years later. And i paid about half of your budget for a quality N&B German MH.

I get the feeling you are a long way from making a reasonable decision. You might be better off hiring for another year, while you are doing deeper research.

Geoff

 

[Coolcats]

hi, we have just joined this forum. Must say it is a busy and interesting place.
We have rented camper-vans out of Italy several times, but are ready to buy our own.
Its been years of dreaming about it, and our time has come

Our choice would be out of the following makes. We do have a price point we need to stay in.
Our budget is 50/60 k euro. We dont see much saving buying used ?

How do we know the quality of the different campers ?

Here are some makes we have been looking at;

Adria
Hymer
Knaus
Arca
Mobilvetta
Laika
Elnagh
Burstner

So how do these rank in terms of quality of build ?
I guess insulation and hail resistance is also important as we will also winter camp.

If anyone can rank above and add advice , it will be very much appreciated. This camper will have to last us a long time, so buying right once is important.

thx........

Its only an opinion but you cant go wrong with a Hymer (as long as the layout suits)

 

[The Wino]

Its only an opinion but you cant go wrong with a Hymer (as long as the layout suits)

Their budget of 50-60k euro new could limit the choice by the time option packs etc are considered!

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[Minxy]

I don't subscribe to the 'third van' train of thought ... we've had a fair few MHs and each one was bought for our needs at the time, so trying to get one now that will suit you for many years is great if you can but unless you know how you're gonna use it in the future it's difficult to get a 'forever MH', of course you can get one that suits you now and for the foreseeable future.

 

[Coolcats]

Their budget of 50-60k euro new could limit the choice by the time option packs etc are considered!

Absolutely agree which is where a second hand unit can be more of a bargain as your not adding all the extra's As they are thier already so yes there can be big savings second hand. On the face of it you may think its the same price but check out the option list

 

[Garfields]

If you are thinking of a PVC you can add Hobby and Globecar to your list
As others have said start a shortlist of the layouts you like first and see what is available to view
As you have hired before that should give you an idea of what works for you

 

[Spriddler]

Of course you can go down the 'third van' route of choosing - seems a waste to me, as you could lose a total on 3 deals(with dealers) of what I paid(privately) for my first MH, which I have stll got 11 years later. And i paid about half of your budget for a quality N&B German MH.

I did the same; first m/h, half the OP's budget and still love it 8 years later.
I think I benefited from my 25 years experience cruising Europe with my several sailing cruisers, especially with regard to layout and I believe that you nicholsong are also an ex yachtie.

 

[Sundowners]

hi, we have just joined this forum. Must say it is a busy and interesting place.
We have rented camper-vans out of Italy several times, but are ready to buy our own.
Its been years of dreaming about it, and our time has come

Our choice would be out of the following makes. We do have a price point we need to stay in.
Our budget is 50/60 k euro. We dont see much saving buying used ?

How do we know the quality of the different campers ?

Here are some makes we have been looking at;

Adria
Hymer
Knaus
Arca
Mobilvetta
Laika
Elnagh
Burstner

So how do these rank in terms of quality of build ?
I guess insulation and hail resistance is also important as we will also winter camp.

If anyone can rank above and add advice , it will be very much appreciated. This camper will have to last us a long time, so buying right once is important.

thx........

Don’t forget Neismann & Bischoff.

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[Allanm]

They say you're final camper is the third one you buy!............

The moral is, don’t buy in haste and do your research. We have had 5 motorhomes and 2 VW campers. Each one was perfect for our needs at the time, we have never thought we were missing out on anything.

 

[nicholsong]

I did the same; first m/h, half the OP's budget and still love it 8 years later.
I think I benefited from my 25 years experience cruising Europe with my several sailing cruisers, especially with regard to layout and I believe that you nicholsong are also an ex yachtie.

Indeed I am and bought my first and only yacht privately in 1987(a Westerly 33) and kept it for 30 years. Again did a lot of research.

The combined cost of yacht and MH was £50K and gave me pleasure for 45 years (4 years had both)

Geoff

 

[Veteran1]

I think you need to look at layouts first after making a what's important to you list. Then look at what matches your price range in various makes. If you decided you wanted an aclass hymer for instance with a fixed rear bed would it come into your budget with the extras you might feel are essential?

We have planned for a double single rear bed with central joiner.
It will give a feeling of space and comfort for extended trips.
We would also like a overhead bed in the front if one of the kids joins us . Its also a nice storage area if needed.
All the campers i mentioned have what we need. Some are a little over 60K though. I am sure some old stock can be found at discount. if not we can move onto next best.

Could you explain what A class means?

thx

 

[Veteran1]

Hi and welcome to the fun house!

If you can give us some info on your budget, layout you want, how you intend to use it (ie campsite, aires, wild-camping), if you have any hobbies for which you will storage etc, and how many you need it to accommodate for travelling, we can probably point you in the direction of some to consider.

as mentioned, budget up to 60K euro
All kinds of camping , from wild to long stay to winter.
In time we will gravitate to what we prefer i am sure.

Only sporting kit we will take with are bicycles, motorbike, and skis.
The motorbike will go on a rear rail. Bicycles in garage for fear of theft.

 

[The Wino]

We have planned for a double single rear bed with central joiner.
It will give a feeling of space and comfort for extended trips.
We would also like a overhead bed in the front if one of the kids joins us . Its also a nice storage area if needed.
All the campers i mentioned have what we need. Some are a little over 60K though. I am sure some old stock can be found at discount. if not we can move onto next best.

Could you explain what A class means?

thx

Basically there are panel van conversions which are a metal van with all the motorhome fittings put in. C class or coach-built which have a metal cab at the front and a purpose built body on the back and A class where the whole body is purpose built. I think you need to spend a fair bit of time on research before considering taking the plunge!. Word on the street is on booming sales with the end of lockdown there might still be some old stock new ones around but I suspect the discounts will be reducing. When you look at reviews look at the as tested prices it will give you a better idea.

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[Veteran1]

Filling in that list is only part of the research, then the hard work starts. Another factor to add in is 'How much of a hurry are you in?'

Of course you can go down the 'third van' route of choosing - seems a waste to me, as you could lose a total on 3 deals(with dealers) of what I paid(privately) for my first MH, which I have stll got 11 years later. And i paid about half of your budget for a quality N&B German MH.

I get the feeling you are a long way from making a reasonable decision. You might be better off hiring for another year, while you are doing deeper research.

Geoff

Thanks Geoff,
we know what we want. What we dont know is how to rank the quality of motorhomes we listed on a quality scale.
Once we know ranking we can go looking. We dont want to buy an Adria for example, only to find out later that its a rather cheap ,made with poor insulation and not good for hail or cold. Or it just plain falls apart.
maybe the experienced here rank it with Hymer, or perhaps they rank it last.

As i mentioned, it must last so quality is important.

Now whilst i dont think any are totaly bad, we did rent some in the past that didnt seem to hold up well.

Surely are built to a much higher standard than others ?
As looks can be deceiving, perhaps the experienced here can rank my list.

thx

 

[Puddleduck]

We are on our 4th van.

The first van was an old minibus that we fitted out with removable cooker etc. It didn't have a loo!!!!

The second was an ancient old Hymer and was wonderful. It still shows on the DVLA database but without MOT since 2016

After that we had a break from motorhoming as we built a house. By then there were only the two of us and no sign of Grandchildren so we bought a 3 berth Chausson which was ideal for the two of us and demonstated just how much had changed in 10 years ...... then Grandchilden appeared and the two oldest love to sleep in the van (little one isn't 6 weeks old yet and we have not met him in person).

We were looking round the NEC show in 2015 to see what the second hand options would be in a couple of years time and ended up ordering a NEW van (SunLiving by Adria) which, because it was a factory order, we were able to have tweaked a little.

Not planning to change again anytime soon

Each of the vans we have had has been what we wanted / needed / could afford at the time but things do change over time. The current van is plated at 3650kg and we both have C1 licenses but we can downplate if we need to and want to continue to travel by van. The lockdown has made Martin less amenable to travel and has given me more itchy feet but we will see how things go once the shielding is over. I do not want to be with a lot of other people anytime soon.




I know most people make a list of what they have to have but I also made a list of "must not have" which was just as useful. For me a rock'n'roll bed that had to be sorted every night was a big "no". It's okay once in a while but the double transverse fixed bed and the double drop down bed plus a make up if required in our current van are ideal

 

[Spriddler]

Only sporting kit we will take with are bicycles, motorbike, and skis.
The motorbike will go on a rear rail. Bicycles in garage for fear of theft.

Probably been mentioned but it might help to check the available payload and max rear axle weight for the makes on your list, and that you have the appropriate licence category.
I recommend subscribing to Fun - worth every penny.

 

[Lucky]

After 27 posts, hardly no body has tried to answer the OP's question - how would you rank motorhome brands for quality.

We might have differing views but if it was car brands I'd rank a Mercedes above a Mazda above a Vauxhall. I'm relatively inexperienced in motorhomes so am reluctant to offer a view, but the question seems simple enough.

 

[Spriddler]

After 27 posts, hardly no body has tried to answer the OP's question - how would you rank motorhome brands for quality.

I don't think that the thread title helped much. If it was along the lines of: 'Build quality advice/opinions wanted' it might have attracted more attention (Funsters are never slow to express opinions ) and probably better in the 'Motorhome chat' section.
Maybe if the OP subscribes it would be worth a try.
I have only heard of Adria, Hymer and Burstner but not owned any of them.