Give up or buy a motorhome? (1 Viewer)

[Puddleduck]

We always said we wouldn't buy new and after a self-build and two second hand vans (over a period of 20 years) we went to the NEC to buy another awning and looked at the new vans to see what would be available in a year or two. We saw the van that was ideal for us and agreed a trade in and price for a brand new van built to our spec. That was 3 years ago (new van collected July 2016) and we still love it, buying new worked for us.

When it was in for the second year services (hab and van) we were offered £5K less than we paid for it by the selling dealer and that was without any negotiation. It has been well used and never a garden ornament. It was nice to know that we could have sold but it wasn't in the least bit tempting.

The van we have is a SunLiving by Adria, the dealer is Geoff Cox and they have been very very good. The newer SunLiving vans are not as nice in my opinion but others may well disagree,

 

[thebriars]

As for layouts, almost all are used by more than one maker, so if you like the layout of one maker there will probably be an equivalent available from another maker. This is especially so with most European models. Trouble is that the dealers for these are less in number than those for British made vans. It may be best to visit as many alternative makers and dealers as possible before finally deciding.

We looked at every make at the NEC, and there were only 2 manufacturers with the layout we liked, both very similarly priced. Interesting though, that this layout seemed to be very popular with those at the NEC, as it was difficult to even get near the particular MH.

 

[The Wino]

We bought ours new and would do again or nearly new secondhand. The nearly new seem almost the same price as new and you are unlikely to get nearly new from a private seller so it would be from a dealer who won't really know how its been treated !! (I've yet to hear a dealer say their stock came in from someone who didn't look after their van so the price was cheap but I bet a lot are)

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[Pekepal]

Just another point, we found when doing our research, that continental vans have more external storage. We take foldup electric bikes and these are stored in the garage of our Bürstner. We were unable to find a UK van (7 metres max) with this sort of storage as we did not want a bike rack etc.

 

[Speve]

My phillophosy is that if you buy new and sort out any problems yourself and get it how you want it to be you have the satisfaction of knowing it’s been done to a good standard and will last if looked after properly and as long as you have the right layout and payload you have a keeper.
However I’m in a position that I am lucky to be able to do most jobs on the van myself whereas others may not know where to start.

 

[peterc10]

We looked at every make at the NEC, and there were only 2 manufacturers with the layout we liked, both very similarly priced. Interesting though, that this layout seemed to be very popular with those at the NEC, as it was difficult to even get near the particular MH.

But makers only bring a selection of their models to the NEC. If you say which Benimar you like and what the layout is other funsters may give you alternatives to look out for.

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[Teuchter]

That's good to hear.

We were similar!

35 years caravanning and aged 72 sold our van & bought a Motorhome

As to which to buy- we owned 7 caravans in our 35 years

2 Both British had damp problems (Abbey & Eccles)
2 Both British were reasonably good all round (Lunar & Swift)
1 British was good but the floor delaminated and the shower tray leaked (Van Royce)
1 British was very good (Ace Rallyman)
1 German was excellent and we kept it 11 years (Hymer)

As to Motorhomes - guess what we own

Yup a Hymer - love it!!

 

[thebriars]

But makers only bring a selection of their models to the NEC. If you say which Benimar you like and what the layout is other funsters may give you alternatives to look out for.

We did, of course, look at their full range, whether on display or not.

The Benimar we like is the Tessoro 486 which has a Ford 170 bhp engine, and 5 year warranty, has a drop down double bed with no cutouts so we can sleep either way depending on a slight slope. We also want a separate bathroom with its own shower cubicle. It needs to have a decent sized lounge area for sprawling out. We don't want a rear fixed bed where one has to squeeze round the shower and toilet to get into bed, but we do need a decent sized garage. Finally we want a wood free construction, and something not made by any of the UK manufacturers.

Other than one Chausson motorhome, we could find no others that had that layout.

This is the layout, except the UK version has everything reversed to have the door on the near side.

 

[thebriars]

My phillophosy is that if you buy new and sort out any problems yourself and get it how you want it to be you have the satisfaction of knowing it’s been done to a good standard and will last if looked after properly and as long as you have the right layout and payload you have a keeper.
However I’m in a position that I am lucky to be able to do most jobs on the van myself whereas others may not know where to start.

Well yes I can do almost everything, however I balked at repairing the microwave cupboard which was falling off the wall and the roof collapsing on our soon-to-be-departed caravan.

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[Rosemary1]

I recently changed my car from an ageing Vauxhall Zafira with a torque converter to a year old Citroen Cactus with the 'auto' transmission. The Citroen's automated manual transmission was appalling, both from the mechanical and from the driving experience aspects; taking nearly 2 seconds and leaving me exposed whilst changing up a gear just after I pulled away into traffic at a T junction or on a busy roundabout or changing up as I began to climb from the bottom of a steep hill. Rarely in the right gear unless I'd been travelling on the flat at a constant speed for a mile or two. I only kept the Cactus 9 weeks and that included 6 weeks spent deciding on a replacement.

We had one too - loved the look of it and how cheap it was to run but the “auto” transmission drove me mad - originally took it back to the dealer (test drive was in a manual as had just come out) as thought it was faulty! Soon as we finished paying for it hubby put his foot down and got rid and we went for a proper automatic even though much heavier on the fuel usage.

 

[Viennese]

Benimar has been part of the Trigano group since 2002. The Ford option is far better than the Fiat as far as I can see. It has a lower chassis, a 170BHP engine as standard, and the auto box which we would want is a proper intelligent torque converter not a mechanised manual one as in the Fiat.

If it's a Transit it might get stolen. 1 in 7 vans stolen in UK is a Ford Transit. Apparently they don't have enough anti-theft features. Apart from that welcome to the Fun!!

 

[Jonno1103]

The MK7 Transit had a steel cage built into the door latch which made the lock more or less impregnable to remove but was easy to pick. Ford tried to solve that problem on the Mk8 with vastly improved lock although now removing it is far easier, the C clip holding it is too flimsy. For thieves it's then just a simple matter of drilling the ignition, plugging into the industry standard OBD port and away they go.

The Sevel platform is different especially if it's a cab only model such as a motorhome base. It's the van conversions which have a particular weakness on the rear door lock, you can gain entry through one of those with minimal effort with a screwdriver and leave hardly any evidence.
The cab door issue is the flimsy steel the door itself is made from, prising the whole mechanism away is easy. There are many aftermarket solutions out there for this.

I think many fellow funsters have fitted them themselves easily enough.

Once inside though they are particularly difficult to steal due their high end transponder chips, you need the keys basically.

Yes most stolen vans are Transits but that stat is skewed a little by the amount of them on the roads, the new Renault and Vivaro are weaker.
Sevel's are hardly ever stolen as a whole van, as said you basically need the keys for that.

Also remember that illegal entry in 97% of cases is by professional tool thieves but the first paragraph explains why it's usually motorhomes on the ford platform which are driven off your driveway.

Personally i'll never have one regardless of who make it.

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[Debs]

We did, of course, look at their full range, whether on display or not.

The Benimar we like is the Tessoro 486 which has a Ford 170 bhp engine, and 5 year warranty, has a drop down double bed with no cutouts so we can sleep either way depending on a slight slope. We also want a separate bathroom with its own shower cubicle. It needs to have a decent sized lounge area for sprawling out. We don't want a rear fixed bed where one has to squeeze round the shower and toilet to get into bed, but we do need a decent sized garage. Finally we want a wood free construction, and something not made by any of the UK manufacturers.

Other than one Chausson motorhome, we could find no others that had that layout.

This is the layout, except the UK version has everything reversed to have the door on the near side.

@andy63 think this is the same layout as your Chausson Andy, not sure if you've any comments...

 

[andy63]

@andy63 think this is the same layout as your Chausson Andy, not sure if you've any comments...

Not quite that layout... mine has the seperate bathroom but its tranverse not down the side.. the seating arrangement in mine has a central island seat and the two side seats , and my bed is an island bed the one shown appears to be tranverse...
The chausson also has a rear locker door to access the garage as well as the two side access doors..

A very general view without going into all the detail...
Love the design features.. they look great , but the quality of materials is imo poor.. all driven by the need to keep the weight down..
Mine is the chausson but as said the benimar is from same stable and same sort of budget so im sure very similar...
I bought new and had endless small niggley faults... i didnt bother returning to the dealer ...i wanted the van on the road not at with the dealer..
The chausson or at least mine does have timber in its construction..and unless something has changed in the construction method over the last 2 years i would have thought the benimar would be similar..

Andy..

 

[Deleted member 29692]

thought that buying a NEW motorhome would be the safest and most secure bet.

Not from a British converter.

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[ABZSteve]

Swift: Caravan had major damp repair after first year. Not good to deal with (long story), three years later, damp down both sides and a write off.
Bailey: First caravan damp round window after 1 year, second one, water poured through roof join at 9 months, and lining at front delaminated and had to have major repair at first service.
Elddis: Where do I start?
Stargazer skylight surround fell off (1.5metre long chunk of plywood) after first time out. Repair unsatisfactory.
Microwave cupboard started to fall off wall after first time out.
Both repaired under warranty.
Within a month of this repair:
Microwave cupboard started to fall off again.
8 cupboard doors came loose due to screws overtightened
Both bed frames came loose due to using screws too short
Wiring prevented drawer closing properly
Alde heating badly fitted with screws pulled out of wall
Nails protruding from woodwork where you can catch fingers
Front locker retaining straps came loose
Seat cushions already compressed
Brakes squeal when going slowly (fault with Alko brakes)
Finally the roof has started to collapse, with 20mm dip outside.
All this before the van was 7 months old.

Sounds like your Elddis was built in Germany .................

 

[Christoph]

we bought our Chausson new nearly 3 years ago. no dramas at all and like the fact its been our place from new.

 

[Pekepal]

we bought our Chausson new nearly 3 years ago. no dramas at all and like the fact its been our place from new.

Likewise with our Burstner nexxo Sovereign. At least we know its full history. Peace of mind!

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[jezport]

We adore our used Rapido. We wouldn’t ever buy new. Don’t see the point as you lose too much money.

I said that about our Frankia, but sold it and now have had a new Globecar for 2years. It is still worth almost what I paid for it as the new price has gone up so much. BTW had no major issues yet.

 

[thebriars]

If it's a Transit it might get stolen. 1 in 7 vans stolen in UK is a Ford Transit. Apparently they don't have enough anti-theft features. Apart from that welcome to the Fun!!

Probably 1 in 7 vans on the road is a Ford Transit!

This MH one comes with a cat 6 tracker, and it will be stored at home behind locked gates, with security cameras, and it will be linked to our already elaborate house and garage alarm system wirelessly. I might well fit a Ford OBD port protector at £150.

In any case, with a coach built motorhome, the weak link are the windows, these are always easy to open, just as they are with a caravan. The side door, however, is much stronger than some doors with double locking points, and the garage doors have decent locks on them too.

At the end of the day that's why you pay for insurance.

 

[thebriars]

Sounds like your Elddis was built in Germany .................

Nope, it was built less than half an hour from where we live.

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[thebriars]

Not quite that layout... mine has the seperate bathroom but its tranverse not down the side.. the seating arrangement in mine has a central island seat and the two side seats , and my bed is an island bed the one shown appears to be tranverse...
The chausson also has a rear locker door to access the garage as well as the two side access doors..

A very general view without going into all the detail...
Love the design features.. they look great , but the quality of materials is imo poor.. all driven by the need to keep the weight down..
Mine is the chausson but as said the benimar is from same stable and same sort of budget so im sure very similar...
I bought new and had endless small niggley faults... i didnt bother returning to the dealer ...i wanted the van on the road not at with the dealer..
The chausson or at least mine does have timber in its construction..and unless something has changed in the construction method over the last 2 years i would have thought the benimar would be similar..

Andy..

The Benimar has three rear locker doors too. However, there is certainly no timber in the construction of the shell. Sadly there will probably always be a few niggly faults. Provided they are minor, then its not difficult to sort out.

 

[andy63]

there is certainly no timber in the construction of the shell.

Im fairly sure you will find there is a small ammount of wood used in the construction... where the roof meets the side wall im fairly sure there are timber strips and i also suspect that the electric bed hangers will be secured to wood rather than just foam..
Ive tried to do a google as im just basing my thoughts on the work ive done on my chausson which is an identical body shell...
All i found was a referenc to 99%wood free construction which would indicate there is some
If the link works you can have a read..

https://www.themotorhomecompany.co.uk/howtheyaremade/benimar-tessoro

Andy.

 

[thebriars]

I've already seen this. Its in their advertising as being 99% wood free. They use an expanded pvc plastic material instead of the wood in the structure, pretty much like Swift do.

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[nicholsong]

I've already seen this. Its in their advertising as being 99% wood free. They use an expanded pvc plastic material instead of the wood in the structure, pretty much like Swift do.

Uh, Uh. ????

 

[Jonno1103]

Most if not all of the Trigano Group vans are externally wood free in construction, there's no wood where the body meets the chassis or where the rear, sidewalls and roof meet.

They have a wood frame work running through the floor and ceiling between the external GRP, ceiling coating and plywood floor, which is covered in PVC, it keeps the XPS Styrofoam panelling in place.

So all in all the 1% is hidden away and requires a tin opener to be worried about water damage to it and there's more chance of joint problems with Elddis' SoLiD and Bailey's Alu-Tech has been known to part company too.

I don't know if Adria will drop the polyester or wood composite walls now Trigano own them but the rest of the group are all built the same, some on the same production line such as Mobilivetta and Roller Teams A Class & now Auto Trail and Roller Team coach builds.

The Transit based Tessoro is a stronger built MH internally than the Mileo, the latter uses more of a fibre board for internal walls during construction in order to bring the MTPLM down. The former has the luxury of being a lighter platform which allows for more use of 10mm plywood.

The Tessy's engines are bombproof too and one of the reasons why Peugeot stuck with it when Euro 6 compliance came into effect. As you've already mentioned the Selectshift box isn't as reliant on electronics as the Fiat Comfort-matic either... it's a bit of a head scratcher why the Pug isn't offered with it.

With the theft concerns overcome by needing to be a ninja to get at your proposed new girl and your clued up - the OBD cover is a giveaway- She's a top choice.

I say good luck with her and enjoy!

 

[peterc10]

Personally I would always steer clear of any moho that has structural timber in the walls floors or ceilings. Eventually motorhomes will leak, and wood soaks up water like a sponge and rots. Structural sandwich systems with thin sides pressure bonded to closed cell insulation leads to less damage.​

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[Jonno1103]

Personally I would always steer clear of any moho that has structural timber in the walls floors or ceilings. Eventually motorhomes will leak, and wood soaks up water like a sponge and rots. Structural sandwich systems with thin sides pressure bonded to closed cell insulation leads to less damage.​

All depends on what a consumer is "sold" as wood free and what some class as structural. All modern motorhomes have an impregnable outer shell of polyester, fibreglass or GRP.

 

[CazPaul]

All depends on what a consumer is "sold" as wood free and what some class as structural. All modern motorhomes have an impregnable outer shell of polyester, fibreglass or GRP.

or aluminium

 

[peterc10]

All depends on what a consumer is "sold" as wood free and what some class as structural. All modern motorhomes have an impregnable outer shell of polyester, fibreglass or GRP.

I am afraid the word impregnable is inapt. There are a lot of holes cut or drilled through that outer shell and joints in it all of which have the potential to let in water, either because they were poorly sealed or because the sealant has deteriorated. Just read the examples of this happening on this forum to realise that. When that eventually happens I prefer not to rely upon wood to maintain the structural integrity.

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