Dethleffs "Sunlight" subsidiary - any experiences?

[Peli]

Hello all. We're looking at a Dethleffs Sunlight later today and wondered if anyone had experience of this Dethleffs subsidiary?

We're looking for German-made, as "winterised" as possible (as far as that term can be considered a useful one!) as we'll be living in it 11 months out of 12.

This one is on for £55k, 2019 plate, 24k miles.

Any experiences very welcome! TIA.

 

[mitzimad]

no direct experience but petensal have been happy with theirs i believe .A lot of them start life as rental vans

 

[Peli]

no direct experience but petensal have been happy with theirs i believe .A lot of them start life as rental vans

Thanks mitzimad! They do look decent but we are wondering if we could get a Dethleffs proper, or an older Hymer, for around the same price.
petensal I'd be really curious to hear your experiences especially with the insulation in cold temps? Cheers

 

[carthorse]

We've had a sunlight T67s for two years with no faults whatsoever. Build quality is years ahead of our previous Autotrail and the truma combi 6 heating keeps all the van nice and warm.
Fresh water tank is under the seat so no problems in cold weather, waste is underneath
but we've never had any problems just leave the tap open and put a bucket under it.
Well pleased with the van and would certainly consider another Sunlight if we ever replaced this one.

 

[Lenny HB]

Carado are the Hymer equivalent built in the same factory.
Only looked at them in the showroom they look well built and are good value. Only downside is they are traditional construction timber frame and timber inside walls & the insulation is a lower grade but still great value.

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[Peli]

Thank you all, very useful info. I shall report back after seeing this van today.

Ideally we want a better insulated van with double floor but our budget is restricting us especially when there's limited availability. Spoke to two dealers this morning who are completely out of stock, new and used. They told me they'd never seen anything like it. One had sold two to walk-ins before 9.30am...

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Yes, a budget van. As long as you buy with that knowledge you won't be disappointed. Single layer insulated floor walls and ceiling, never felt cold in ours. Brilliant heating, and hot water. L.E.D. lights throughout. Fiat base, on their own chassis. There is the upgraded "Advantage " range, but I struggled to see where usefully for us the extra money had been spent, nicer wheels and livery, and some internal bling.
We looked at many in the same layout,but our T66 came up at brilliant price just as the first lockdown kicked in, now 2 years later still worth lots more than we paid for it. Some minor teething issues, but all sorted. No damp problems.
I took this shot on the way down to the Tarn Gorge earlier this year, we travel well loaded, and currently have an upgrade of 4090kg, all because of my toys, there's 4 boats hidden on board, a Honda Wave 110i, and the bikes on the rack. A spare wheel in the garage, and enough tools for a minor rebuild.
Mike.

 

[gpat]

Carado are the Hymer equivalent built in the same factory.
Only looked at them in the showroom they look well built and are good value. Only downside is they are traditional construction timber frame and timber inside walls & the insulation is a lower grade but still great value.

Yeah. Good point Lenny. We have a carado. Absolutely love it as you know but wouldn't want to winter in it. If you are a fair weather camper then there is no beating sunlight/carado. Great vans.

 

[clanjones]

We have happily spent a month skiing with mounds of snow and low temperatures with a single floor Rapido and were lovely and warm with a Truma combi 6 hot air system.

Yes I agree a double floor would be better but it is by no means essential for use in the winter.

 

[petensal]

Hi. We've had ours 12 years or so with no major problems.
Been away skiing in the French alps a number of times without drama, -20 over night and Insulation seemed to cope.
It's the only van we've had so can't offer a comparison.

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[Ridgeway]

Carado and Sunlight both come out of the Capron factory which is owned by Erwin Hymer. Never knew why they kept both brands although Carado seems to do better in certain countries, Sunlight in others.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

When in France we were amazed at the amount of Challenger M/Hs, which is brand we rarely see here.
Mike.

 

[Solwaybuggier]

Aren’t Challengers effectively badge-engineered Chaussons?

 

[lorger]

Thank you all, very useful info. I shall report back after seeing this van today.

Ideally we want a better insulated van with double floor but our budget is restricting us especially when there's limited availability. Spoke to two dealers this morning who are completely out of stock, new and used. They told me they'd never seen anything like it. One had sold two to walk-ins before 9.30am...

Have you looked at Knaus, we have one with double floor and in my opinion very good build quality. Our model is the 650MEG Sun TI platinum, they discontinued our one last year but I'm sure you'll be able to pick up a second hand one.

 

[Guffy60]

We’ve had our T68 two years, been away UK winter, snow and freezing nights no issues. no warranty issues due to sunlight only Fiat. Very few creaks.

as I say to people it is Hymers skoda/seat range.

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[Sapper520]

I got a little fed up with my motorcycles being called ‘Budget’ as they weren’t ‘Premium’ brands, it seems that continues with Motorhomes as well.

I know……don’t be so touchy.

Anyway, a few more bits added since this photograph, but our ‘budget’ Sunlight Cliff 600 that sells for only £50k plus suits us just fine.

 

[Peli]

Thank you, everyone, for these very helpful replies! It's so useful to hear real life experiences of your lovely homes on wheels.

To update on the visits yesterday, we saw the following vans:

Sunlight T69L, 2019: we liked the build quality, no creaking was apparent, and the rear island bed (with extra section) was *just* about long enough for my 6'4" husband but he could not stand up under the drop-down bed over the dinette. We liked the solid door to the loo and shower cubicle. Seemed overpriced at £55k.

Laika Kreos 4009, 2016: we shouldn't have set foot inside this one as it was out of our reach... but we really loved it! I guess all experience of seeing vehicles is good, just in case something unexpected does come up within budget. The build quality seemed outstanding and it had a double floor and heated waste tank. Saying that, this one was well used and a wee bit tatty in places and didn't have gaslow or solar panel. Asking price was £60k. (Our *absolute max* budget is £58k including any extras we need such as solar panels, gaslow and internet connectivity.) So, bye bye, Laika.

Burstner Travel Van, 690G, brand new: this was the first Burstner-proper van we had looked at. We wanted to see if this model would be too small for what we need (living 11 months a year in the van)... and indeed it was. We felt it was too narrow around the kitchenette area. The quality was superb, though. I have seen a couple within budget, second hand but we now think it's not suitable due to the size.

We looked at a few more Burstners, but they didn't have the bed layout we are after (fixed rear twins with infill). We really like the quality, so will be keeping our eyes open on all the selling sites. We particularly like the look of the Nexxo T690 Sovereign but haven't been able to see one IRL yet!

Chausson Titanium 627GA: we looked at this one as there was a nearby dealer who had this on their forecourt. Quality seemed poor compared to the Sunlight. Very creaky floors and door catches which felt loose. The split door to the loo and shower cubicle would drive me mad, it was so flimsy and difficult to arrange so that the central vertical rubber edges closed properly. £60k... hmm! Very stylish, though that won't keep us warm!

All in all, a very useful trip to get a feel of what we are dealing with. Thanks again for the advice, please do let me know if you have further thoughts or comments. Cheers!

 

[Peli]

I had a question about mileage, if I may, as we have seen a tempting 2014 Burstner at £43k which looks like it would work well for us. However, it has 75k miles on the clock which seems high for an 8-year-old Motorhome. (Our Ford Transit campervan is the same age and same mileage, but we use it as our daily vehicle as well as our camper and it was used as a commercial vehicle before we converted it.)
Does anyone have advice about how to regard high mileage in a used motorhome? We plan to have a habitation check and a check under the chassis and bonnet by a mechanic before purchase, but any advice is welcome.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I had a question about mileage, if I may, as we have seen a tempting 2014 Burstner at £43k which looks like it would work well for us. However, it has 75k miles on the clock which seems high for an 8-year-old Motorhome. (Our Ford Transit campervan is the same age and same mileage, but we use it as our daily vehicle as well as our camper and it was used as a commercial vehicle before we converted it.)
Does anyone have advice about how to regard high mileage in a used motorhome? We plan to have a habitation check and a check under the chassis and bonnet by a mechanic before purchase, but any advice is welcome.

How much do you intend using it? It could well balance out over time.
Mike.

 

[Peli]

How much do you intend using it? It could well balance out over time.
Mike.

Hi Mike! We are planning to live in it, while travelling and working throughout Europe, with max. one month a year living in a house with family. This will be our home.

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[Lenny HB]

When in France we were amazed at the amount of Challenger M/Hs, which is brand we rarely see here.
Mike.

Just Chausson under another name, appear to be more popular than Chausson in France.

 

[huck999]

We have deffleffs trend. Excellent build, double floor etc. Very cosy in the snow.
Only thing Id change would be the comfortmatic for the new fiat torque converter

 

[Peli]

We have deffleffs trend. Excellent build, double floor etc. Very cosy in the snow.
Only thing Id change would be the comfortmatic for the new fiat torque converter

Thanks huck999 ! I was just this second looking at a Dethleffs Trend T7057 Eb on a selling site. £52k 2017 model, 10k miles. Looks really good.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Hi Mike! We are planning to live in it, while travelling and working throughout Europe, with max. one month a year living in a house with family. This will be our home.

In all honesty, the handles/ cupboards are designed for a couple years hard life in the hire market. Full timing might well show up the lighter finish grade to these components IMO.
Mike.

 

[Peli]

In all honesty, the handles/ cupboards are designed for a couple years hard life in the hire market. Full timing might well show up the lighter finish grade to these components IMO.
Mike.

Thanks Mike. We have been concerned about that with the Sunlight/Carado/Etrusco type vans. We're currently looking at Dethleffs, Burstners etc - the main brand rather than sub brands. The 2014 75k miles Burstner we like the look of is a Nexxo with double floor and insulated waste tank. The mileage is a bit of a concern, though the price is good.

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

Goodmans sell ex hire T7057 as well. Might be a saving there to be had.

Ex-Hire 2020 & 2021 Motorhomes available in October 2022 | Goodmans

Ex-Hire 2020 &2021 Motorhomes available in October 2022 from Goodmans Motorhomes, London & Edinburgh.

www.goodmansmotorhomes.com

Mike.

 

[mitzimad]

remember as far as i know theres no warranty on vans used full time i would check with manufacturers

 

[Lenny HB]

The 2014 75k miles Burstner we like the look of is a Nexxo with double floor and insulated waste tank. The mileage is a bit of a concern, though the price is good.

That's only 9k a year.

 

[Sapper520]

Goodmans sell ex hire T7057 as well. Might be a saving there to be had.

Ex-Hire 2020 & 2021 Motorhomes available in October 2022 | Goodmans

Ex-Hire 2020 &2021 Motorhomes available in October 2022 from Goodmans Motorhomes, London & Edinburgh.

www.goodmansmotorhomes.com

Mike.

We were able to buy our Cliff 600, brand new, for less than Goldman’s were selling their ex-hire ones.

We ordered ours in January 2020 ( took delivery September 2020), so things may be different now.

 

[ColwynC]

Hi Peli. We moved from a Swift Champagne 614 (Brownhills Edge special I think) which was a basic van with a manual drop down bed. We had it for 3 years and whilst we enjoyed it there were limitations in layout... Always is in your first van. Our biggest gripe was making lower bed up for night and then banging head on the cupboards at night that were attached to the drop down bed that was a real pain to get in and out of... My better half found a Sunlight T68 XV at Lowdhams by accident and because its got the two very large single beds at the back we decided that was the way forward. Bought it before we left the shop because we liked the quality and it did not rattle when test driven. This was just after covid restrictions eased proper last year. It was 8 months old and 5k on the clock - it cost £55k same as a new one st that time but no waiting.... glad I made that decision now! They did add solar and rear view/reversing camera though. Also transfered by gas setup over.

We love this van. It is rock solid, build quality is great and no rattles which is night and day to the Swift- but you dont know that until you have tried both. Bed is always made up when we decide enough is enough, kitchen is great, stainless steel sink and cooker, great ventilation, massive garage. Sat TV too. 140bhp 9 speed auto so driving is so much easier than the earlier Fiat Box but that is Fiat not sunlight...
In summary Sunlight seem to have economy with quality quite well nailed. For our budget this has been ideal... now that said, the exact same van on same reg (XV special edition) is in Brownhills this year, admittedly under 1k miles, but now a year older and it is sat at 66k I think! I bet it sells too! Good luck with what you buy though...