Help! Advice for a MH virgin... (1 Viewer)

[Kenteagle]

Hi all,
Me & the wife are about to take the plunge & buy our first MH. We have been looking for a few months now & have finally agreed on the layout we want. We have found one we really like, it's a 2012 Bentley Mallory. Does anyone else have this make? My concern is that the company who built these no longer trades so would I have a problem buying parts i.e. body panels etc. It's a lovely looking vehicle with some nice touches that you don't get in others. But as I say, I have this nagging doubt in my head that there could be problems getting replacement parts if needed. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sdc77]

Don't have that make but in my view the most important single thing about buying is a layout you like or that suits you.
Build quality and fittings
Base vehicle
If the big attraction to you is that lovely bright U shaped lounge then there are other current makes with that layout.
If that lounge is the bed then have you considered making it up every night .. when you may not feel like it ..
What extras does it offer over other makes?
Have you spent any time in a motorhome ..
That van has a maximum weight of 3500kg.
That can often not leave enough payload
I hope you make the right decision for you.
Good luck

 

[The Dudess]

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[138go]

Payload at 360Kg is very very low. Personally I would take it down to a weigh bridge and find out how much it actually weighs. You could look at upgrading but you may well be limited with the rear axle weight. Upgrading may include changing tyres etc. A lot of this is quite easy on Ducato based MH's as they are the most common. Don't know about Renault but someone will.

You will not have the benefit of a Manufacturers water ingress warranty and external panels may well be unavailable although a number of companies can weld the plastic ones back together again.

Most of the other bits are available from various sources.

Don't let your heart rule your purchase there are hundreds of other MH's about.

 

[DBK]

Welcome! The company only traded for about two years so their MHs will be scarce. A factor to consider is if you are having doubts so will a buyer when you come to sell it.
If you can get it for a lot less than an equivalent model from someone more well known then it could be a good buy, otherwise I suggest tread warily.

 

[chaser]

all the internal stuff will be the same as other makes of van , if the outside and damp check is ok and its exactly what you want and the price is right i cant see a problem

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[Lenny HB]

As mentioned the payload is going to be the problem unless you can uprate it, assuming you have a C1 licence is not fit for purpose.
From the initial pay load you need to take off any manufacture and dealer fitted extras which can amount to 100-200kg reducing the payload to 160kg. From experience for 2 people a reasonable payload to aim for is 700kg.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

As mentioned the payload is going to be the problem unless you can uprate it, assuming you have a C1 licence is not fit for purpose.
From the initial pay load you need to take off any manufacture and dealer fitted extras which can amount to 100-200kg reducing the payload to 160kg. From experience for 2 people a reasonable payload to aim for is 700kg.

Lenny
I cant understand why one would normally need 700kg for just 2 people!
Full timing maybe, but otherwise....?

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny
I cant understand why one would normally need 700kg for just 2 people!
Full timing maybe, but otherwise....?

Take an average van with 500kg payload add manufacturer & dealer fitted extras of say 200kg that has reduced the payload to 300 kg which is nowhere near enough if you are going to carry bikes and run run with full tanks you need 450-500kg. To get the 500kg you need a payload over MIRO of 700kg to allow for the extras.
Another thing worth mentioning is most vans come out of the factory around 100kg overweight so that is another 100kg of payload lost so you really need 800kg unless its a Hymer as they are only vans I have found to come out at specified weight. I've had 3 Hymers first two 30kg under current one 16kg over, 2 friends with Carthagos both 130kg over.

I speak from experience our last van had 580kg payload and we found we were 100 - 150kg overweight so we upgraded. Judging by what we see other people carry I would say we travel light.

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[DaveandJen]

Hear what you are saying but just walk away from that Motorhome - you want a company that’s still in production otherwise you will have big problems selling in the future and if you need help in the meantime.

 

[Kenteagle]

Thanks for all your responses guys. I think I'm going to listen to my head & look at more mainstream models. A shame as the Bentley ticked a lot of boxes but we need to be 100-110% sure before shelling out our hard earned money.

 

[hilldweller]

Thanks for all your responses guys. I think I'm going to listen to my head & look at more mainstream models. A shame as the Bentley ticked a lot of boxes but we need to be 100-110% sure before shelling out our hard earned money.

Wise. Since the first purchase is so fraught with the possibility of failure you don't want one with a doubtful resale value.

Having said that we kept our first van 10 years.

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[DaveandJen]

Thanks for all your responses guys. I think I'm going to listen to my head & look at more mainstream models. A shame as the Bentley ticked a lot of boxes but we need to be 100-110% sure before shelling out our hard earned money.

Its by listening to your head that you made the correct decision. Not many people are looking to buy a second-hand Bentley Mallory.

 

[big map]

@Kenteagle
Have you seen this one?
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/autotrail-imala-615-only-5-months-old-150-miles.181556/

 

[DreamMachine]

as others have said tread carefully on this - Bentley only survived 2 years before going belly up.
So any spares / repair / support for the habitation side is non existent

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[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.


Wyn