Hobby 600

[Tar Ten]

Hi everyone... I have spent the last 6/7 weeks scouring the net for MH with a £16k budget... Ideally I was looking at a 6 berth upto 3.5t but found a lot of them that I liked to be a lot older with very high miles or cat s.... and some that had been downrated to the 3.5t which left practically no pay load ( had I not researched and bit the bullet at an amazing opportunity, I would be pushing the damn thing everywhere)

I have given up on a 6B and instead I am looking at a 4B but will get the add on awning room for it... Initially there will be 4 travelling at one time so will need 4 belted seats...but I believe the enthusiasm of my teenagers to travel with pops will soon wear off and it will just be the two of us..

So here I am in North Scotland just entering phase 2 of lockdown whilst you lucky peeps in Englandshire are more or less back to mass hugging activities looking for my motorised chariot of adventure...

Whilst perusing my usual web haunts for hope and opportunity I came across a Hobby 600 ... Looks good, mot check is fine, cam belt changed, clean and tidy..... What should I be looking to pay for it?

A long winded write up for such a simple question....

 

[Riverbankannie]

Might be good to post a link to the advert so that eagle eyed detective funsters can take a look. I realise that if it’s a gem, then you will have advertised it more widely but I think it’s worth the risk!

 

[Riverbankannie]

......and, I think your reasoning about going for a 4 berth with awning for additional older children is sound. We found ours suddenly stopped coming with us the first time we said we were going camping after years of taking them on Red Sea diving and USA holidays.

 

[Tar Ten]

I have just been doing a bit more research and found an old thread from 2018 regarding Hobby MH and Caravans..
In the thread it suggested that Hobby MH/Vans were frowned upon and not let onto a lot of campsites due to them being the home of choice for troublesome travellers.... is this still the case??

This is the link for the MH I am wondering about..

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=254632872629

 

[grasscutter]

Having owned a Hobby for five years I am really pleased with it. Superb build quality.
As with all motorhomes check it out for damp.
Check the shower tray for cracks.

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[Tar Ten]

Hi everyone

I have now actually bought this van....

The person selling it ran a caravan and camping park and he would sell vehicles for customers in varying circumstances, hence it looked like a dealer. After talking with him on the phone for a while going through the van particulars he came across as genuine and pretty much said that if I came down and the vehicle was not as he described then he would give deposit back without question, but if this was the type of van I was looking for then I would not be walking away after I viewed it..

Should I really say,.... but it was a 1100 mile round trip.... <Broken link removed> and believe you me I did have big reservations about it before putting deposit down.. However , I can't explain it but after talking with the guy it just seemed the thing to do...

I went through the paperwork and it was all good, proper service history stamps, cam belt paperwork etc etc.. All instructions in English , original Hobby documentation , alarm upgrade paperwork , two sets of every key...V5... Trade sales invoice... Gas valve upgrade paperwork...Tyre bands paperwork... Practically brand new tyres all round with receipt....ohhh the list goes on...

It had been absolutely hoofing it down with rain for hours, which I was happy about as it would give indications of leaks and such...

All the inside was original with no repairs or signs of damp...
I opened every cupboard , under seats and bed... Shower, sinks, lights all ok..
Test station and switches all working...

Outside for its age was brilliant with only slight signs of bubbling on the lower trim on the sides... chassis looked very clean ( however I am used to NE Scotland salty corroded chassis, so everything looks good..)

There are only a few things I need to look at really....
1. Get all the curtains , covers and mattress cleaned/freshened up
2.It only had a normal FM single din radio so that will be getting changed..
3. The temp gauge was over reading when cold at 110 and it had a bit fluctuation, so probably faulty earth, short or sensor ( This kind of game me a moment of ' Oh Sh1t ' about 340 miles back up the road as it decided to slowly climb from 110 uptown 130 where it then decided to put the water overheat indication on....I pulled over, turned off and checked the connections... Left it 20 minutes and turned it back on to find it was still at 130 but light out... Left it another 30 minutes to cool... but needle didn't budge and it should have dropped in that time if reading properly...... Bit the bullet and drove the next 210 miles.... No problem..

So I'm going to test the sensor later once I wake up properly...

The drive was fantastic. It was smooth and so easy to drive with a fair bit of torque.. yes its the 5 speed manual but all the gears have that nice resistance into and lock into position and not sloppy and like water....

4. Upgrade head lamp bulbs to a less yellow glow
5. Put led lamps in van

So now I have just got to get my head round all the functionality of it and its little quirks...

I am sure something may pop up to bite me on the ass with it...but who knows..