Hobby 750 series. Your experience please. (1 Viewer)

  • Thread starter boygeorge & nikki
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boygeorge & nikki

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We like the look of the 750 series & have been finding information on the internet with quite a bit of now gathered. We intend to holiday & tour UK for our first year, progressing to a grand tour through europe over posibly a couple of years. This will be our first motorhome so much to find out. Our main problem at this stage is viewing these larger motorhomes - so it is dificult to narrow down our search. Any comments or advice - please. Look forward to hearing G.::bigsmile:
 
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black rat

Deleted User
Hobby 750

I have owned a Hobby for a while now and find that it has all positive signs
Previosly had most vans and by far the best equipt, stability and room ever.
Can prove a little long for "Rustic" stop overs but you soon get used to it
MPG great with the Fiat engine, smooth due to the 3rd axle and a real eye catcher.
Go for it as you will not regret it apart from the price, but then even resale value is better that most.
Have a great time when you decide
Black rat
 

Kontiki98

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Mar 31, 2008
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Hiya - we purchased a Hobby 725 nearly a year ago. Love it. Roomy, comfy living, excellent beds, loads of storage for the adult toys (canoes, bikes, skis). You soon get used to the length but we've fitted a reversing camera as it has no back window. Previously had a 1998 Kontiki so the size was not really an issue. Let us know what you decide. We have no regrets:thumb:

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stadds

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Mar 13, 2009
1
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Hobby 750

Hi like you been looking at the Hobby.We went to the NEC in Feb looked agreat motor home for the money good spec,storage and spacious.
 

DESCO

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Hi Boygeorge & Nikki.

Hobby are great motorhomes but in view of the transmission problems at present, with Fiat especially on the larger motorhomes that has been ongoing now for 2 years, with still no answer in sight I would take care.:RollEyes:
See Base Chassis section of this forum Fiat section this is a small sample of the posts that I have read but other forums, have a great deal more. Look for judderists.

I would hate to see another person landed with a Fiat that is trouble.
Most dealers still say there is no problem, why are Fiat attempting to find an answer to it then. What I would like to know is why are they still building on a known faulty chassis.

Dave:thumb:
 
Last edited:
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Starman

Deleted User
Hiya i had the pleasure of owning a Hobby 650 V plate left hooker, buildwise i dont think you could buy a better van, the only problems i had in 3 years were, they tend to eat rear shock absorber bushes, also everyone seemed to have paintwork problems, on both 650 & 750 models, where the blue paint blisters on the lower 2ft between the front & rear axles along its entire length, it does not seem to penertrate down to the alloy just the top blue coat problem not sticking to the white base coat. Did notice that this was still a problem on some 2007 models & i would recommend getting it remapped costs about £250 it makes a world of difference
mick

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smarthobby

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Mar 23, 2009
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Hope this helps

Hope this will help your decision,
We have lived in our Hobby 750 since buying it new 7 years ago and have never looked back.
We love its looks, the way it drives and how roomy it is, everything in the right place for living or holidaying.
Lets just say after 7 years we have not found anything better.
 

Truck Man

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Mar 29, 2009
2
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Peterborough
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6,095
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Five
Hobby 750

Hi
We have owned a Hobby 750ELC for 2 years now and have been very pleased with it so far. 3 axle version drives well but an engine re map, as previously said, is well worth the cost.
With regard to "paintwork" blistering, the blue around the bottom is actually a transfer/decal. ours has "blistered" a little and faded slightly but we have decided to "live" with it.
Have had a battery charger replaced under warranty which was a major issue for Brownhills (surprise, surprise). Also had to have a gas regulator replaced which Brownhills refused so I went direct to Hobby caravans at Derby who were very helpful.
Lowdhams are now agents and I believe others are coming on board slowly.
Hope this helps a little.
Truck Man
 

landyacht

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Apr 8, 2008
5
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2,097
Hobby 750

Hi Boygeorge & Nikki

I have owned a Hobby 750 for 4 years ..
In Spain at present having just returned from Morocco agree with all the previous comments.

I would add that its the build quality inside ours is as good as when we bought it plus its like driving on rails little sway when been over taken due to the tag axles.

We have owned several motorhomes over the years this is by far the best one for us We tow a car on an A Frame take everthing with us as we live in it for six months in the UK

Regards :thumb:

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blazezak

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Apr 30, 2009
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Bought a brand new Hobby Toskana Exclusive 750 flc a month ago (( never again )) biggest waste of £60k + , the amount of problems would take too long to tell you on here , wish I stuck with my Swift Kontiki , and the new models are even better , loads of extra,s , you get nothing at all in the Hobby , just a bare van , to me , it,s just a step up from tenting , look around and spend your money wisely , hope this helps .
 

Tony Lee

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Sep 28, 2008
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Bought a brand new Hobby Toskana Exclusive 750 flc a month ago (( never again )) biggest waste of £60k + , the amount of problems would take too long to tell you on here , wish I stuck with my Swift Kontiki , and the new models are even better , loads of extra,s , you get nothing at all in the Hobby , just a bare van , to me , it,s just a step up from tenting , look around and spend your money wisely , hope this helps .

How about some specific details.

We have plenty of time to listen to your problems, and your experiences may assist others.

Particularly intrigued by

it,s just a step up from tenting

Not any tent I've ever camped in.
 

blazezak

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Apr 30, 2009
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re hobby 750

Try to keep this short .
Battery is a gel 80 amp , goes low very quick when your not plugged into mains and my agent cant get another bigger one to fit under the seat , could use outside locker , but then you lose the use of locker , decals coming off already on bonnet and they ordered them ( full set ) 3 months ago ( still waiting ), side door catch broke with first ( puff ) of wind ( badly placed ) door sits quarter open when in use .
Big cupboard in kitchen can only be used for pots & pans , towels etc. as it get very hot when heating is in use , onboard lockers ( nothing seems to fit in them ) also very small lip on shelves to stop anything falling off .
No place in bathroom to hang a towel , no coat hooks anyplace for wet coats when you,ve been out , bits falling off ( woodwork ) in kitchen .
Grey waste must be emptied everytime you move as it comes back up in the shower as it does when you empty kitchen sink .
Cooker we found too small when we tried more than one pan on it , also heat from cooker heats up wall and locker above ( must be used with window open ).
We are not new to motorhoming and thought we got a good van until we used it on our first trip and found quite a lot of the van was not practical in use , but we are stuck with it now at a cost of £60 + and not even one extra supplied with it , take at all the extra,s you get with the Kontiki range .
One very unhappy Hobby owner ........ hope this is enough info .

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bullyfuller201

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Dec 2, 2009
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What you on about ?

I
Try to keep this short .
Battery is a gel 80 amp , goes low very quick when your not plugged into mains and my agent cant get another bigger one to fit under the seat , could use outside locker , but then you lose the use of locker , decals coming off already on bonnet and they ordered them ( full set ) 3 months ago ( still waiting ), side door catch broke with first ( puff ) of wind ( badly placed ) door sits quarter open when in use .
Big cupboard in kitchen can only be used for pots & pans , towels etc. as it get very hot when heating is in use , onboard lockers ( nothing seems to fit in them ) also very small lip on shelves to stop anything falling off .
No place in bathroom to hang a towel , no coat hooks anyplace for wet coats when you,ve been out , bits falling off ( woodwork ) in kitchen .
Grey waste must be emptied everytime you move as it comes back up in the shower as it does when you empty kitchen sink .
Cooker we found too small when we tried more than one pan on it , also heat from cooker heats up wall and locker above ( must be used with window open ).
We are not new to motorhoming and thought we got a good van until we used it on our first trip and found quite a lot of the van was not practical in use , but we are stuck with it now at a cost of £60 + and not even one extra supplied with it , take at all the extra,s you get with the Kontiki range .
One very unhappy Hobby owner ........ hope this is enough info .

I am on my 3rd 750, and my latest FLC is perfect i have almost full timed in it for last 18 months , i have a 120 ah battery under each cab seat, only thing i agree with is stickers on bonnet peeling and looks mottled and a few others stickers peeling slightly but lots of makes have this trouble. I had a Swift but as soon as you cast off from Dover everything freezes! One very happy Hobby owner (Fiat chassis leaves a bit to be desired though)
 
Dec 7, 2009
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We changed from Hymer to Hobby and have the 750 LHD. It is so wonderful to climb into bed without having to make it up and the washroom is pure luxury. I drive ours solo with grandchildren on board cos OH is away a lot and the length does not bother me though LHD in UK is harder (for me) than RHD on continent. Also going thru the tolls in France I hold my breath since there is not much room for error.
Lovely solid and high spec vehicle and double floor, winterised makes it a gem.
PS Just ntoiced have n't updated profile!! In a year we have "MH'd" 6,000 miles incl. Europe
 
T

TomTee

Deleted User
My experience of Hobby is very different from the disgruntled punter above. I have a new Van Exclusive L on a Ford Transit. I have a second leisure battery which is fitted under the seat and battery life is no problem.

However, what is significant is that the build quality of my Hobby is in another league from my previous British 'van.

We bought it new in March and shortly afterwards took it away for a few days to see that everything worked - it did.

We have just returned from four weeks in Italy where some of the roads are like the third world and it had more shaking and vibrating that it would get in a year of British roads.

So far, it has not had one single fault, which is remarkable when you consider the complexity of a motor home! I read on another forum recently about one chap with a new Swift that had 39 faults!

It's a superb motor home with very comfortable beds, a massive garage, a very large payload and the Transit chassis is excellent.

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lebesset

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May 31, 2009
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you don't say whether you intend to buy new or used ; whereas the vehicles on the current 250 chassis have had the gearbox problems associated with the 2.3 engines , the previous chassis with the 2.8 appear to be bombproof

incidentally , I understand that fiat have now changed the gearing on current production ...does anyone know from what chassis number this change was effected?
 

jules1967

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Go for it!!

Hi there

Hobby 650 owners - the 2001 variety!!! Genuinely we wouldn't consider owning any other van, it has never let us down, the quality is unbeatable and ours is still like new. The new ones (post 2005) do seem to have been 'cheapened' in some respects so I would look at the older ones as you can pick up some real bargains on the 750s. They do seem to devalue more than the 650s but maybe that is because of the size being a little impractical in the UK??:thumb:
 

marjohn

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buying a hobby what do you think

I have owned a Hobby for a while now and find that it has all positive signs
Previosly had most vans and by far the best equipt, stability and room ever.
Can prove a little long for "Rustic" stop overs but you soon get used to it
MPG great with the Fiat engine, smooth due to the 3rd axle and a real eye catcher.
Go for it as you will not regret it apart from the price, but then even resale value is better that most.
Have a great time when you decide
Black rat
hello there we have had ours for 4years its great and it turns alot of heads i have put addition led lights so the battery last longer and in the progress of putting a big fridge/freezer for when we go to morocco wish you look its great marjohn:Smile:

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Mel

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Oct 6, 2012
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As the last post was 3 years ago they might have bought one now:ROFLMAO:

Mel
 

crabwall

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Sep 2, 2013
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hobby 750 fuel consumtion.

Hi I'm about to buy a hobby 750, 2001, can anyone tell me what they are getting to the gal out of them , and what improvement remapping will give ,I have sold the houses and are about to go over to France .and look for a place to live so would welcome any advices. many thanks Phil.

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Apr 27, 2013
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Me and hubby have had a hobby 750 for 5 years now and love it its got every thing we need space and comfort cosy like our secound home never had any problems started to look aged now etc but we keep her going has long has we can we have been all over Europe and the UK we have never found any that we like to replace it
 

spitfire

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Our 750 is 1999 but struggle to find anything to replace her . She is solid, easy to drive and lovely to look at although not as perfect on the exterior as when we bought her lol . Everyone remarks how lovely she is both inside and out.
 

El ETO

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Nov 5, 2018
21
17
Gibraltar
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57,088
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Hobby 750
Exp
newbie
Hobbys last for ever :)

I hope so, just bought our first one. 2001, 40-odd thousand documented miles. Runs great, have kitted it out for long term off grid, previous owner left it bare bones which is a good thing since all the stuff I wanted onboard is now brand new.

Problems so far and extras added since purchasing last month - Small leak with the Truma boiler (I need to investigate) although it works very well as does the heating, replaced the fresh water supply pump in the loo (yuk!), added habitation AC, 350W of solar, tracker, gas alarm, heavy duty door locks on all doors, bike rack, reversing camera, sat nav, 3 new Fiamma vents (only ones we could find that fit), dual tank gas low system and a new starter motor (original packed up first drive home through France...). Also have lots of bits and pieces to fiddle with due to age, looks like the previous owner just lost interest.

Ignition only getting 5V on half the circuit (also measured a few side lights only getting 5V) but this instantly followed the starter motor and solenoid grenade-ing themselves so after much head scratching and swearing, think I've traced it back to a dodgy Relay but had to return to work before further investigation. Also cab fan blower not working but have ordered a new resistor, seems to be a common fault on the Fiat chassis and is not a reflection on the Hobby brand.

All-in-all it's a very solid motorhome small jobs not withstanding but this is down to age, previous owner and slightly iffy dealer (don't ask). Picked it up outside Gatwick after purchase, immediately headed north to Preston, 2 days in Preston at Rhino installs (can't recommend them enough!), back down to Dover than grabbed the ferry to come home to Gibraltar, only stopping outside Cognac for a day for the Solar install. Well that and the day lost because of the starter motor. Over 3000 kilometres in a week and she drove brilliantly. Considering the van is now 17 years old, I'm super impresses at how well everything still fits, still works and the price was a snip; About half what some people are asking for similar aged Hymer tag axels with an identical layout.

Speaking of price, I've found anything over 3500Kgs and 6 meters seems to scare off three quarters of the population which means if you have the C1 or "Grandad Licence" licence, there are some real bargains to be had and I never found the 8 meter length an issue during my first adventure home.

Yes, I've spent a lot on extras for her but after looking around at many others, I've come to the conclusion I would still have been installing all the other aftermarket items anyway. Most motorhomes, especially if they're older ones, the ancilliary items tend to fail or deteriorate enough that they need replacing.

We can't can't wait to start using it more.

Anyway, enough of all that. Yes, I can highly recommend older Hobby Motorhomes.

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