Looking to take the leap....

Hercs74

Hercs74

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:) Hi All,

I have decided to invest in a MH. It is a complete mind field regarding choice. Am looking at 6 berth that has rear lounge. Having looked at loads I have taken a shining to Bessacarr possibly 596. Does anybody have any experiences or anything worth to note.

Many thanks
 
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While approving of your decision it is important to realise that a motorhome is NOT an investment, at least in any monetary sense. It can however greatly improve the quality of life, I have been an owner for getting on for 40 years of a large variety of motorhomes.
 
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If you have a C1 Licence you should be Ok. A complete set of DIY Tools would also be a good investment. They do fall apart rather frequently. You will be making beds EVERY night which is a pain and you also have to store all the bedding during the day.
 
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Remember to look before you leap, thoroughly that is, very thoroughly.

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As you want a 6 berth does that mean you will be carrying a total of 6 people? If so how many seatbelts does the Bessacar have? There are some motorhomes with 6 belts, but they are very few and far between.

The other thing to think about is payload. 6 people and all their holiday gear will be very heavy, so you will almost certainly need to get a motorhome with a maximum weight well above 3500kg. And, as others have suggested, that means that you will need C1 entitlement on your licence.
 
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Thanks for your comments so far. So reason for 6 berth is I have 2 12 year old kids. My thoughts are thus. We can’t really put them in a double bed together now. There beds can be the singles. It gives us a big enough area on days when the weather is poor. When they go to bed it still gives the wife and I the dinette area and we can use the over head bed. This leaves the kitchen area clear should anyone want a drink in the night. We both have C1 D1. There are not that many Bessacarr for second hand re sale. That indicates to me one of two things. Either they are not very popular, or they are good enough people keep hold of them ??
 
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If there is a brand I have missed that fits the criteria, or someone has a different solution I’d be very interested on thoughts.
 
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animated welcome group purple.gif
 
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:hiya2: :welcome4:

As advised above, you need payload and I seem to remember that 12 year olds take a LOT of clobber!

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We bought a Hymer B680, 2 singles or a big double and a drop down double plus a huge payload, about 1500kg (weighs 5500kg rated at 7500kg). The 5500kg is with all our stuff and "come in handy" loaded. Loads of useful toys, very easy to drive and cheap insurance and £160 road tax.
 
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There are lots of other brands available that have 3 beds. Pretty much all of the European makers have versions with 2 singles in the rear and a large drop down double at the front. And given your licences you have you can take advantage of the higher payloads available and the A class layout.

The kids can have the 2 singles at the back, which can often be shut off from the rest of the van by a door. You can sit in the lounge at the front and when you want to go to bed you just drop it down. The kitchen area in the middle is always available.

The advantages are that you all sleep on beds designed to be beds, rather than seats as well. Much more comfortable and no need to put together a jigsaw puzzle of seat cushions and then make the bed at night and vice versa in the morning.

Personally, for the money, I would much rather go for a second hand A class in this layout than a newer British built C class. And you get a decent sized garage to securely store the bikes etc that you will want to use.
 
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Perterc10. Thanks. I have a budget of around £65k. I have a few questions for you all ;

1) What is the resale value like with fixed twin beds ?

2) What are dinette areas like for space, sitting back and chilling out ?? You loose lounge / chill out area with rear fixed beds.

Having already done extensive research I appreciate there is a lot of compromise to have. One reason I looked at 6 berth bessacarr was the fact that when kids decided it’s no longer cool to be in s MH with folks we still have luxury of a nice lounge area to chill
 
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The twin bed layout is very popular, probably most popular in Europe, so keep their value more at the moment. In my experience the better made European vans keep their value more than the British ones anyway and that is especially so with the A class ones. We had a second hand twin bed Adria C class before our present Hymer and had it for 2.5 years and put on 15,000 miles. We bought it for £30k and p/xed it for £28k, and that was against a very discounted new Hymer. The motorhome market has been very buoyant for the last few years which have kept resale prices high, but who knows how long that will last?

We find our front lounge, which fully utilises the cab area and the comfortable high backed driver and passenger seats, very comfortable for two. We can lean back the tall cab seats (which you can't in a rear lounge) and put our feet up on the opposite seats. The rear lounges we sat in were not as comfortable for 2. We can sit 4 around the table with ease and 6 at a push. In reality that is no different to a rear lounge.

But only you can decide what is best for you. Go around lots of dealers and spend plenty of time in the many different layouts just lounging around. Turn round the cab seats to get the best out of the European models.

With your budget I personally would go for a nearly new European A class from a good maker like Hymer, Carthago, Rapido, Pilot, Dethleff, Burstner, Laika etc, rather than a new British van. IMHO the build quality is more likely to be better and you will loose less when the time comes to sell it.

Another thing to remember is that the European models, especially the A class models with double floors, are often better insulated and are designed to cope with colder weather better. Many Germans, French and Austrians use their motorhomes for skiing for example.
 
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BTW Hercs74 you only have one more free post left, after that you will be read only unless you subscribe. I find it is the best value £15 I spend each year because of the great advice you get here.

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We really wanted a rear lounge in our second MH (our first was a 6 berth rear lounge affair). When we actually went to see one, the increased size of the garage meant that the head height in the rear lounge was reduced and we kept banging our heads on the lockers! We ended up with a fixed rear bed and huge garage.

Still, we're only two people (just) and I can see the advantage of the rear lounge to hide the kids away in when you / they want peace and quiet! Definitely go and see as many as you can at a large second hand dealer.

Twin beds would probably work well as you still get a sizeable garage, and I'm sure the kids are just as happy chilling on their beds as they are sat in a U shaped lounge. Just make sure there's enough space for the whole family up front for eating, games night etc. and you'll be laughing.
 
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the layout you like is popular and common on other makes less prone to leaking
 
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TheBig1 said:
the layout you like is popular and common on other makes less prone to leaking
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Ok... So can you or others advise brands to consider, brands to stay well clear of, and advise opinions and experiences with Swift and if you have had experience with Bessacarr.
 
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Also. One of my concerns is with warranty. I could end up buying a motor home anywhere in the country whether it be used or new. What happens if I need to have something dealt with under warranty?? Unlike a car I can go to any dealer, where do I stand with a MH.

Lots of questions and I am very grateful for responses so far... Thank you

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peterc10 said:
There are lots of other brands available that have 3 beds. Pretty much all of the European makers have versions with 2 singles in the rear and a large drop down double at the front. And given your licences you have you can take advantage of the higher payloads available and the A class layout.

The kids can have the 2 singles at the back, which can often be shut off from the rest of the van by a door. You can sit in the lounge at the front and when you want to go to bed you just drop it down. The kitchen area in the middle is always available.

The advantages are that you all sleep on beds designed to be beds, rather than seats as well. Much more comfortable and no need to put together a jigsaw puzzle of seat cushions and then make the bed at night and vice versa in the morning.

Personally, for the money, I would much rather go for a second hand A class in this layout than a newer British built C class. And you get a decent sized garage to securely store the bikes etc that you will want to use.
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Thanks lots to consider. I feel like designing and building my own. I have found things I like on many, but also dislike. If only I could take all the like and put it on one chassis....
 
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Hercs74 said:
Thanks lots to consider. I feel like designing and building my own. I have found things I like on many, but also dislike. If only I could take all the like and put it on one chassis....
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I am afraid you will always have to compromise on something, unless you can design a Tardis.

Hercs74 said:
Also. One of my concerns is with warranty. I could end up buying a motor home anywhere in the country whether it be used or new. What happens if I need to have something dealt with under warranty?? Unlike a car I can go to any dealer, where do I stand with a MH.
Click to expand...

Motorhome dealers will rarely if ever fix warranty problems of a van supplied by another dealer, even if they are agents for the same makers. Some makers suggest otherwise, but you will find you will wait for months to get it fixed. So a close dealer is useful, but, much more importantly, you want to buy from a good dealer, who will sort your problems out rather than swear blind they do not exist. Contrary to some advice on here there are some about, but they are less common that the less good ones.

Look at the reviews of dealers on this forum to find some good ones. You do not say in your profile where you live, so we cannot advise who the better ones are close to you. We live in Kent but bought from Becks in Norfolk, who have been very good throughout the process. Many of them start good but seem to change once you have their money, but that does not apply to Becks.

Hercs74 said:
Ok... So can you or others advise brands to consider, brands to stay well clear of, and advise opinions and experiences with Swift and if you have had experience with Bessacarr.
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That is a bit of a minefield, as people tend to often defend what they have bought, unless it is real lemon. But the general rule of economics apply. If it is cheap then it is probably for a reason. Look at the different makes and compare their quality of workmanship and design and decide on one that you are happy with at the price that you want to pay. We are very happy with our Hymer at its price point, but we realise that we did pay more for it. We could have paid more and get better luxury, but we decided not to. However, we did not consider any British vans because none had what we wanted in a layout, i.e. an A class with single rear beds over a garage large enough to take a scooter.

The Swift Group used to have a poor reputation for water ingress (the most expensive to fix problem with motorhomes), but they seem to have got there act together on that in the last few years. At the moment the ones with the largest complaints on here seem to be Autotrail, but that could be because they sell more motorhomes than other British makers.

Just a final point, and make of it what you wish. On my travels in the UK and the rest of Europe I have seen lots of UK registered European made motorhomes, but have only seen one European registered British made motorhome, and that was owned by a British couple who lived in Spain.
 
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peterc10 said:
I am afraid you will always have to compromise on something, unless you can design a Tardis.



Motorhome dealers will rarely if ever fix warranty problems of a van supplied by another dealer, even if they are agents for the same makers. Some makers suggest otherwise, but you will find you will wait for months to get it fixed. So a close dealer is useful, but, much more importantly, you want to buy from a good dealer, who will sort your problems out rather than swear blind they do not exist. Contrary to some advice on here there are some about, but they are less common that the less good ones.

Look at the reviews of dealers on this forum to find some good ones. You do not say in your profile where you live, so we cannot advise who the better ones are close to you. We live in Kent but bought from Becks in Norfolk, who have been very good throughout the process. Many of them start good but seem to change once you have their money, but that does not apply to Becks.


That is a bit of a minefield, as people tend to often defend what they have bought, unless it is real lemon. But the general rule of economics apply. If it is cheap then it is probably for a reason. Look at the different makes and compare their quality of workmanship and design and decide on one that you are happy with at the price that you want to pay. We are very happy with our Hymer at its price point, but we realise that we did pay more for it. We could have paid more and get better luxury, but we decided not to. However, we did not consider any British vans because none had what we wanted in a layout, i.e. an A class with single rear beds over a garage large enough to take a scooter.

The Swift Group used to have a poor reputation for water ingress (the most expensive to fix problem with motorhomes), but they seem to have got there act together on that in the last few years. At the moment the ones with the largest complaints on here seem to be Autotrail, but that could be because they sell more motorhomes than other British makers.

Just a final point, and make of it what you wish. On my travels in the UK and the rest of Europe I have seen lots of UK registered European made motorhomes, but have only seen one European registered British made motorhome, and that was owned by a British couple who lived in Spain.
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Thank you. I really appreciate yours and everyone’s opinion. Having a total of £65k I want to get the right home, obviously with some compromise. I’ll update my profile. I live in Essex...
 
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Hercs74 said:
Thank you. I really appreciate yours and everyone’s opinion. Having a total of £65k I want to get the right home, obviously with some compromise. I’ll update my profile. I live in Essex...
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Not that far from Becks then (y) (y) :D

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We bought second hand from Becks and they were brilliant. We had a problem 11 months after buying and they were happy for us to have it fixed at our local garage (didn't want us to use a Fiat dealer!). Our garage doesn't usually do warranty work but as we said we'd pay if they didn't they did the job and said they'd happily do warranty work for Becks again.
 
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