Devon Conversions Ltd (PVCs) - Very Impressed

Blue Knight

Blue Knight

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It's slightly embarrassing to say this guys but until now I was under the impression that Devon Conversions Ltd was based in D&C and not a 23-minute slow drive from my house in Durham. I revert to my school report "Andrew must try harder"!

Well, knowing where it is now, I popped over today for a cheeky look and a critical eye and in all honesty I got the shock of my life.

Being British built I was not expecting much in terms of quality and innovation but I'm going to eat my words on this occassion and say categorically that these vans are bl○○dy fantatsic.

IMO if someone is perusing the market for a PVC then divert your attention away from the likes of the Autotrails, Swifts, Chausson and other Brit layouts and take a shifty at the Devon range which offer some highly innovative layouts at an incredibly good price-point.

As some of you know I rate my Globecar PVC very highly indeed but, saying that, I would have no hesitation in buying one of these Devon vans at all.

I would be interested to hear what you guys think of the brand.

Also, it was quite interesting to see the staff working on the new builds in the workshop via the viewing screen in the sales area.

It's worth a visit for sure - guaranteed.

Paul CazPaul We should have popped over together mate :)

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Lawrence said:
Sitting in my Devon Aztec in Sunny Spain having a great trip in a great van
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Hats off to you Lawrence for buying one of these. There were two or three models whereby I honestly thought I was standing in an IH; great quality.

The layout in the pic below was really cool; the U-shaped bit extracts leaving a twin bench configuration if you wish. The Sales Manager, Kevin, even jumped up and down on the middle bed/seat latts to prove how resilient they were - you would be through the floor if that was a Swift or an Autotrail.

Have a great time in Spain BTW :cool:

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Yes, they seem to be moving on a bit. I have a 2008 Astec, but conversion in abou t2012. A lot of the current layout is similiar to mine, but noticed that they have added a few more electric sockets., better windows. My only gripe is on my model they located the 3.6kg gas cylinders in a small locker at the rear, they missed the opportunity to use the large locker under the sink and installed larger bottles, similiar to the rest of the pvc manufacturers. Space is unfortunately wasted. Otherwise layout excellent, huge rear lounge. Enjoy
 
Blue Knight said:
It's slightly embarrassing to say this guys but until now I was under the impression that Devon Conversions Ltd was based in D&C and not a 23-minute slow drive from my house in Durham. I revert to my school report "Andrew must try harder"!

Well, knowing where it is now, I popped over today for a cheeky look and a critical eye and in all honesty I got the shock of my life.

Being British built I was not expecting much in terms of quality and innovation but I'm going to eat my words on this occassion and say categorically that these vans are bl○○dy fantatsic.

IMO if someone is perusing the market for a PVC then divert your attention away from the likes of the Autotrails, Swifts, Chausson and other Brit layouts and take a shifty at the Devon range which offer some highly innovative layouts at an incredibly good price-point.

As some of you know I rate my Globecar PVC very highly indeed but, saying that, I would have no hesitation in buying one of these Devon vans at all.

I would be interested to hear what you guys think of the brand.

Also, it was quite interesting to see the staff working on the new builds in the workshop via the viewing screen in the sales area.

It's worth a visit for sure - guaranteed.

Paul CazPaul We should have popped over together mate
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Sorry Andrew...that's quite funny........

I wonder if there is a "Durham Campervans Ltd" in Exeter :D2 :D2
 
I have been a few times Andrew and here are my thoughts.
They admit they are the budget end of the market and not winterised
Fresh and waste are underneath and not insulated or heated
They are bloody cheap though especially if they build a new conversion on a used van, the Aztec is a good layout.
I have heard complaints about them being cold and the bulkhead getting wet due to lack of insulation
Even though they build them to order they will under no circumstances insulate/winterise etc.
I like the fact they are local though and warranty issues will be nice
I went last week again as I was passing and work in Ferryhill, they took me into the work area and showed me insulation which 2 men were putting in, it's called Thinsulate
Yes next time you are going let me know.
 
CazPaul said:
I have been a few times Andrew and here are my thoughts.
They admit they are the budget end of the market and not winterised
Fresh and waste are underneath and not insulated or heated
They are bloody cheap though especially if they build a new conversion on a used van, the Aztec is a good layout.
I have heard complaints about them being cold and the bulkhead getting wet due to lack of insulation
Even though they build them to order they will under no circumstances insulate/winterise etc.
I like the fact they are local though and warranty issues will be nice
I went last week again as I was passing and work in Ferryhill, they took me into the work area and showed me insulation which 2 men were putting in, it's called Thinsulate
Yes next time you are going let me know.
Click to expand...

Hi Paul, that's a great write-up. I've got to admit that I visited the showroom today thinking that they would probably sit alongside the other dull Brit offerings (IH and Wildax the exception) but instead I was pleasantly surprised with the general layout and the feel of the vans.

You make a great point about the price point but in your opinion how would you stack the Devon range against AT, AS, Swift, Benimar, Chausson, Rollerteam, Elddis in PVC guise etc. I'm hoping that I'm not overstating the Devon rep here but I honestly thought they left the others behind in a whole number of areas.

I think the company is open during the week only (W/E by appointment) so drop me a note and I'll pick you up then off for a coffee.

All the best,

Andrew

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Cheshirecat57 said:
Sorry Andrew...that's quite funny........

I wonder if there is a "Durham Campervans Ltd" in Exeter :D2 :D2
Click to expand...

It was nice to have something on the doorstep for a change C.;)

My part of the world is not blessed for choice when It comes to PVCs and MoHo's so Devon was a real pleasant surprise.
 
Blue Knight said:
Hi Paul, that's a great write-up. I've got to admit that I visited the showroom today thinking that they would probably sit alongside the other dull Brit offerings (IH and Wildax the exception) but instead I was pleasantly surprised with the general layout and the feel of the vans.

You make a great point about the price point but in your opinion how would you stack the Devon range against AT, AS, Swift, Benimar, Chausson, Rollerteam, Elddis in PVC guise etc. I'm hoping that I'm not overstating the Devon rep here but I honestly thought they left the others behind in a whole number of areas.

I think the company is open during the week only (W/E by appointment) so drop me a note and I'll pick you up then off for a coffee.

All the best,

Andrew
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Well Andrew I would sooner have a Devon than a coach built AT or Elddis simply because the PVC shouldn't get damp, yes they have some nice touches about them, decent quality, they use gas heating for them all what I saw
For a summer van ideal not sure all season van though. With a little work they could be better the owner Peter Gowland is adamant you don't need a winter van even if you are s purchaser and ask him if he can winterise one he says an emphatic ''No'' but then says they could if they wanted to but there's
1. No need
2. No call for them.
 
I agree that they are streets ahead of an AT or Swift
Maybe a “continental” style one on a Transit ( not Custom) would put the cat amongst the tree-rats
 
CazPaul said:
With a little work they could be better the owner Peter Gowland is adamant you don't need a winter van......
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......even more reason to visit and explain the pros and cons to him Paul. I've not met the owner but I did see him on the shop floor. He seems to be very hands on.
 
Cheshirecat57 said:
I agree that they are streets ahead of an AT or Swift
Maybe a “continental” style one on a Transit ( not Custom) would put the cat amongst the tree-rats
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Good idea. We'll propose it to Devon next week. I would be interested to hear if they have anything in the R&D pipeline.

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Is that the same Devon who used to convert Bedford CA's and the like back in the 60's ?
 
Blue Knight said:
......even more reason to visit and explain the pros and cons to him Paul. I've not met the owner but I did see him on the shop floor. He seems to be very hands on.
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Yes he's hands on Andrew but just mention winter use, winterising etc and he will give you an emphatic No.
He must have his loyal following though who because he is not open for customising.
 
We had a Devon for 10 years and was so pleased with it we wanted them to build us another with a few tweeks but he wasn't interested in any compromises and quite unpleasant so don't hold your breath for improvements.

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Ranger said:
We had a Devon for 10 years and was so pleased with it we wanted them to build us another with a few tweeks but he wasn't interested in any compromises and quite unpleasant so don't hold your breath for improvements.
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Exactly my experience when asking for a few tweaks.
 
CazPaul said:
Yes he's hands on Andrew but just mention winter use, winterising etc and he will give you an emphatic No.
He must have his loyal following though who because he is not open for customising.
Click to expand...
I would concur, they're local to me and when we were moving up from tents in 2014 to a PVC we went in with some specific requirements and we're dismissed as newbies who knew nothing. Yes, we were newbies but I'd done a lot of homework and they were realistic wants. That and the fact that their decor was more chintzy than my aunt Doris's parlour and was something else they wouldn't change meant they lost a sale.

They did supply another villager with a new vehicle last year, unfortunately it was on collection that they realised that Ford had managed to supply the base vehicle with the wrong spec - no aircon, shame they hadn't noticed before they'd done the conversion.
 
We have a Devon Colorado, picked it up at the end of March and have been out and about in it ever since.

If anybody is thinking of getting one then its worth exploring a pre-reg van with a new conversion, we did that and it turned out that our pre-reg was registered in February this year with just delivery mileage on it and it was £10,000 less than had we bought a new van which would have been registered in March.

We were very happy with the service we got from them. We have private plates on our van now and they had the plates made up for us at the price they pay for their own to be done.

They've brought out a new bed layout for the Colorado - 2 singles which utilise the driver and passenger seats but we're more than happy with our double bed. Although they say that the bed width is 4ft 7ins it turns out that its 4ft 10ins which is massive, especially when the van itself is only 5.4m long.

We met a couple while we were up in Scotland last week, they had an Aztec and said that Devon had put in a smaller table which is by the fridge and sliding door in place of the heavy table, they said that its fixed but swings out (we didn't see it though). We took our heavy table out, it was just too unwieldy and we now have a small folding table from Mountain Warehouse which fits in behind the driver's door.

It looks like a small van, and inside it feels like a small van, but after a week in Scotland where we took clothes for every weather type it didn't feel like we were stuffed to the gills and we could have put more in!
 
The owner was obnoxious when we went to put a deposit on one nearly 10 years ago. I asked about having an underfloor refillable gas system and was told 'it was a stupid idea and not do able' think he must have had a rethink. He refused pointblank to give us weights for one of the vehicles he was selling and also refused us a test drive which would have included puting it over a weigh bridge.
We didn't walk, we ran. this was after weeks of phone calls, and emails and making arrangements to go and view, involved partner taking a day off work, and me sleeping on the way there after a nightshift. Despite having sveral Renault vans on the premises he wanted us to order without taking a test drive and said he didn't have one anyway.
Bought a nice new coachbuilt instead.
 
I nearly bought a Devon once at a show. Can't remember why I didn't now -- maybe the one they were shifting was a manual gearbox and I fancied an automatic. They were really nice people and absolutely no B/S.

They had a great price/quality ratio. The fit-out wasn't top notch but was damn good for the price.

We were buying our first M/H and were looking for a PVC. Our list of possibles included Globecar, IH, Devon, Wildax -- and each had its merits.

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A big-up for British converters!

We bought our Wildax Europa in 2014. We wanted to buy a new van -- a PVC.

We were very tempted by the Globecar vans, but were not entirely comfortable with the UK distributors. They were essentially just salespeople (and not particularly good ones) who would tell you anything to make a sale. That made up our minds to choose a UK converter -- in making that choice we would also be putting our money into employing people in the UK, rather than abroad. We try to buy British products for the same reason. Most of our furniture is made in the UK. The sofa cost twice what a Chinese-made one would, but the quality is way better and we have contributed to a British person's wages who has paid tax funding services here -- you get the picture.

Wildax were willing to make modifications to the standard design for us at no extra cost and also accomomdated last minute changes on our part -- whether that is still the case given that they are now a bigger company with different owners and greater output, I don't know. They now sell through agents too, which presumably alters the dynamic.

At that time we dealt with Duncan Wildman who is, in my opinion, a very good and honourable salesman (I have worked with all kinds of salespeople during my career, so I appreciate the different types, skills, tactics) and we arrived at a deal favourable to both parties.
 
MyrtleGuru said:
A big-up for British converters!

We bought our Wildax Europa in 2014. We wanted to buy a new van -- a PVC.

We were very tempted by the Globecar vans, but were not entirely comfortable with the UK distributors. They were essentially just salespeople (and not particularly good ones) who would tell you anything to make a sale. That made up our minds to choose a UK converter -- in making that choice we would also be putting our money into employing people in the UK, rather than abroad. We try to buy British products for the same reason. Most of our furniture is made in the UK. The sofa cost twice what a Chinese-made one would, but the quality is way better and we have contributed to a British person's wages who has paid tax funding services here -- you get the picture.

Wildax were willing to make modifications to the standard design for us at no extra cost and also accomomdated last minute changes on our part -- whether that is still the case given that they are now a bigger company with different owners and greater output, I don't know. They now sell through agents too, which presumably alters the dynamic.

At that time we dealt with Duncan Wildman who is, in my opinion, a very good and honourable salesman (I have worked with all kinds of salespeople during my career, so I appreciate the different types, skills, tactics) and we arrived at a deal favourable to both parties.
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I’m sure I read that you had had some mods to the spec so we approached them before we bought our Globecar. At that time they couldn’t help with our requests.

I think there are distinct advantages in dealing direct with the manufacturers as what I read about dealerships does not fill me with confidence!
 

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