Motorhome complete newbie - VW Grand California or Merc Sprinter...or something else?

[70321]

Hello all
Never had a motorhome or campervan before (but did have a lovely 3 man tent in our youth!) and the time is right for us now. Husband just lost job and no prospects for at least a year. We think we will use a motorhome quite a lot and are drawn to VW Grand California or Merc Sprinter. They look pretty similar. Any advice most welcome, including who to contact to find out availability etc. We live in Kingston Upon Thames so would prefer local. Thanks.

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands. ?

Wyn

 

[mitzimad]

both over priced as they attract vw twat tax however they do hold there value

 

[Just smiffy]

“Or something else”?

Hymer B544 2012 Comfortmatic

An excellent opportunity to acquire a well sought after motorhome with the layout and accessories for full time living or long periods away with all the facilities onboard for self sufficiency. Hymer B544 Left hand drive 3 berth 2012 6.5m long 2.35m wide 2.9m high. Fiat Ducato Maxi Al-ko...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[70321]

Thanks Smiffy. Nice but too big for us. We will just manage to keep a 600 length motorhome on our driveway.

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[TheMachMan]

plenty of under 6m campervan choices with better value for money and practicality out there. Ours is 6m based on the Fiat Ducato, but you can get a 5.3m length. Rear fixed bed gives the most storage space though. As normally lots of space underneath them. Happy hunting.

 

[rod_vw]

Other VW Crafter conversions...

<Broken link removed> scroll down for the VW models.

https://www.rhalesconversions.co.uk/portfolio/ a number of options including bespoke.

and there must be more.

Rod

 

[dosser]

We had a 2003 VWT5 it was more of a day van, suited us fine but was quite cramped inside went all over Scotland South of France Germany in the summer great for driving no longer or wider than an estate car, we had an inflatable awning on the side which i would say is a must if you go down the T5 route gives you loads more space. The VW scene is great loads of advice mods and meets. Yeah you pay a bit more for the vdubs but i sold mine for the same price i payed for it after 3 years use. I also used it as my car commuting to work and back as well.
Used to drive a Sprinter at work and would often think how much more room you could have in a coverted one or if i was staying in the vdub scene a Crafter which is the same size.
We bought a Fiat Ducato Globecar on the maxi chasis and while it is still a bit of a comprimise in size inside suits us well, it all comes down to what you want from the van, there are pros and cons with them all just comes down to personal preference.
Personally for us we didnt want a coachbuilt as we had a bad experience with a new caravan and damp and didnt want to risk going down that route again, so it was always going to be a panel van conversion of some sort.
Would i have another vdub if i had the cash? Without a doubt fantastic scene..

 

[CazPaul]

Grand California is a good van but Merc Sprinter is just the base vehicle so not sure which converter you mean?

 

[TerryL]

Hi and

As a "newbie" the first mistake is to get fixated on a particular type of make/model. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the VW or Merc but the most important consideration is what suits you. Obviously you have a small pot to spend but once it's gone I'd guess, from what you say, that if you'd got it wrong the first time- and unfortunately many do - it could be somewhat of a financial disaster. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to criticise, just trying to help you get it right first time; it is possible (we did) but you need to do a lot of research first (we did that too). Word of advice - don't commit the lot to a purchase, keep something in reserve for the inevitable extra expenses that almost always arise. Don't forget, too, to budget for insurance

Far and away the most important consideration is layout and what works for you. This will be dependant on how you intend to use your van, where you stay (campsites or more basic where you need to be fully self-contained), what you like to do, is it just the two of you etc. etc. Just as an example, are you happy with making up a bed every night or would you prefer something fixed, double or twin? Are you going to cater for yourselves (I'd guess yes) and if so what sort of facilities are you going to need? In this respect the majority of VW conversions are limited, a PCV (panel van conversion such as the Sprinter) gives many more options. Incidentally Practical Motorhome magazine often has lists of the various layouts for campervans, PCV and coachbuilts - there are around 30 examples and even they have variants! And don't worry about size, it's amazing what can be packed into a 6m length! Incidentally, there are many PCV's about that have been self-converted; okay if the converter knew what they were doing but a mattress and a bucket thrown into the back of an old minibus doesn't quite cut the mustard................!

First off, have you downloaded Jim's excellent publication on buying a motorhome? It's in the Resources section (blue bar at the top of the page) and free to members. Once you've done that you will start to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Next, and unfortunately this isn't going to be quite as easy at present, get yourselves to as many dealers as you can and have a really good look at as many different layouts as you can and imagine what it would be like to live in them. "Cook" a meal, "use" the loo, make up the beds. Imagine it is pouring rain outside - what are your hobbies? If you've got a good imagination you might get an idea from on-line examples but nothing beats a hands-on checkout. However if there is one upside to the current "lockdown" IMO there are going to be lots of good examples around that dealers will want to move on ASAP, just don't be pressurised.

Once you've established something a bit more definite it's often a good idea to hire a van similar for a few days, just to see if you've got it right. We did and found one fairly important point that we hadn't considered. When you've got to that stage come back on here with your choice and there'll be plenty of advice on details to look for - there hasn't been a van made that nobody on here has experience of!

Good luck - you've already made the best purchase in your future motorhoming by becoming a full member of FUN.

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[70321]

We had a 2003 VWT5 it was more of a day van, suited us fine but was quite cramped inside went all over Scotland South of France Germany in the summer great for driving no longer or wider than an estate car, we had an inflatable awning on the side which i would say is a must if you go down the T5 route gives you loads more space. The VW scene is great loads of advice mods and meets. Yeah you pay a bit more for the vdubs but i sold mine for the same price i payed for it after 3 years use. I also used it as my car commuting to work and back as well.
Used to drive a Sprinter at work and would often think how much more room you could have in a coverted one or if i was staying in the vdub scene a Crafter which is the same size.
We bought a Fiat Ducato Globecar on the maxi chasis and while it is still a bit of a comprimise in size inside suits us well, it all comes down to what you want from the van, there are pros and cons with them all just comes down to personal preference.
Personally for us we didnt want a coachbuilt as we had a bad experience with a new caravan and damp and didnt want to risk going down that route again, so it was always going to be a panel van conversion of some sort.
Would i have another vdub if i had the cash? Without a doubt fantastic scene..

Thanks KennyGray. Years ago we looked at the T5 and really liked it (but our plans changed) but for what we want know we realise it's too small. It's the Hymer Merc Grand Canyon Sprinter that is the other model we are considering - looks much the same quality as the VW we think.

 

[70321]

Grand California is a good van but Merc Sprinter is just the base vehicle so not sure which converter you mean?

You can tell I'm new at this! Mercedes Hymer Grand Canyon Sprinter is the model we've looked at online. I'm a bit confused about the Hymer involvement but am thinking that is the company that carries out the conversion while VW do their own conversions...is that right?

 

[70321]

Hi and

As a "newbie" the first mistake is to get fixated on a particular type of make/model. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the VW or Merc but the most important consideration is what suits you. Obviously you have a small pot to spend but once it's gone I'd guess, from what you say, that if you'd got it wrong the first time- and unfortunately many do - it could be somewhat of a financial disaster. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to criticise, just trying to help you get it right first time; it is possible (we did) but you need to do a lot of research first (we did that too). Word of advice - don't commit the lot to a purchase, keep something in reserve for the inevitable extra expenses that almost always arise. Don't forget, too, to budget for insurance

Far and away the most important consideration is layout and what works for you. This will be dependant on how you intend to use your van, where you stay (campsites or more basic where you need to be fully self-contained), what you like to do, is it just the two of you etc. etc. Just as an example, are you happy with making up a bed every night or would you prefer something fixed, double or twin? Are you going to cater for yourselves (I'd guess yes) and if so what sort of facilities are you going to need? In this respect the majority of VW conversions are limited, a PCV (panel van conversion such as the Sprinter) gives many more options. Incidentally Practical Motorhome magazine often has lists of the various layouts for campervans, PCV and coachbuilts - there are around 30 examples and even they have variants! And don't worry about size, it's amazing what can be packed into a 6m length! Incidentally, there are many PCV's about that have been self-converted; okay if the converter knew what they were doing but a mattress and a bucket thrown into the back of an old minibus doesn't quite cut the mustard................!

First off, have you downloaded Jim's excellent publication on buying a motorhome? It's in the Resources section (blue bar at the top of the page) and free to members. Once you've done that you will start to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Next, and unfortunately this isn't going to be quite as easy at present, get yourselves to as many dealers as you can and have a really good look at as many different layouts as you can and imagine what it would be like to live in them. "Cook" a meal, "use" the loo, make up the beds. Imagine it is pouring rain outside - what are your hobbies? If you've got a good imagination you might get an idea from on-line examples but nothing beats a hands-on checkout. However if there is one upside to the current "lockdown" IMO there are going to be lots of good examples around that dealers will want to move on ASAP, just don't be pressurised.

Once you've established something a bit more definite it's often a good idea to hire a van similar for a few days, just to see if you've got it right. We did and found one fairly important point that we hadn't considered. When you've got to that stage come back on here with your choice and there'll be plenty of advice on details to look for - there hasn't been a van made that nobody on here has experience of!

Good luck - you've already made the best purchase in your future motorhoming by becoming a full member of FUN.

Thanks for the very detailed reply TerryL. Lots to think about and obviously would be good to get to a dealers to check out options but we obviously don't know when that is going to happen. I have downloaded the book you mentioned and I'll go and read it later today.

 

[70321]

Does anyone sleep "upstairs" in the Merc Grand Canyon Hymer van pop up or in the VW Grand Canyon? Looks nice and cosy in the brochures but I'm wondering about the practicalities.

 

[TerryL]

You can tell I'm new at this! Mercedes Hymer Grand Canyon Sprinter is the model we've looked at online. I'm a bit confused about the Hymer involvement but am thinking that is the company that carries out the conversion while VW do their own conversions...is that right?

Just for your info, in the motorhome world vans are usually referred to first by the conversion manufacturer then qualified by the "base" vehicle. For example the van you're talking about would be "Hymer Grand Canyon on a Mercedes Sprinter base".

For some reason however, this doesn't seem to always apply to VW's! Probably because the very first "campervans" were VW's and everyone's first thought is the iconic old Vdub conversions.

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[ambulancekidd]

Sprinter every time.
Try driving the two vans back to back & you'll see what I mean.

Good luck.

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from West Kent