Newbie - trying to decide on type of MH (1 Viewer)

[John R]

Hi all,
Entirely new to this so any help/views would be appreciated.
Me and the missus are looking to buy our first MH after having rented one last year and loved the whole experience. Our budget is £20k and we’re considering something around 2002/3 age, with a rear lounge layout (I prefer U shape, the wife likes the L version), either an Autotrail Cheyenne or Swift 590.
Any thoughts on these two vans in terms of build quality, best engine size 2L or 2.8........or any other thoughts on the subject really!!
Many thanks,
John

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from West Kent

 

[Jim]

Hello John, exciting times. There are lots of nice vans in your price range. Right now you should concern yourself only with the layout you want first. And be sure about what you want. U shaped lounges are a great option for families but people without kids often gravitate toward a fixed bed option. It might only take 5 minutes out of a day that you do nothing else in, but for many, making beds up is a pain and comfort always a compromise. You might think the two sofas a good U-shaped lounge gives is worth the compromise, there might not be a compromise, there are vans with comfy drop-down beds and a u-shaped lounge. There really is so much choice. Once you are sure about the layout, you can look for who makes what you want. When you look at vans nearing 20, you might find German vans are doing a bit better than British, but not always and if you find a good Brit van it will likely be cheaper than the German. Best of luck

Have a look at this, it will help. Subscribers can download The Motorhome Buyers Guide for Free The Definitive Guide to Buying the Right Motorhome at the Best Price

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[Nanniemate]

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[138go]

We much prefer the European motorhomes. We’ve bought British and bitterly regretted it.

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[Bailey 15]

As previously said seriously lol at how the beds make up as the more cushions the more uncomfortable, if no fixed bed then the two side sofas are best when pulled together great king size
Also sofas are nice to lounge out on rather than dinette imo
Welcome

 

[138go]

On the subject of beds, we’ve found out how important it is to have comfortable beds. We’ve tried sleeping on sofa cushions and they aren’t comfortable.

You just can’t beat having a proper bed, with a proper mattress.

 

[jollyrodger]

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[Shrimp]

I agree with Bailey 15.
Our previous van we had to make the bed every night, it wasn’t that comfortable as you (can) get ridges & hollows with the combo of cushions, also you need storage for all the bedding (I made covers for the pillows so they were cushions in daytime)
We now have a pull down bed over driving seats and that stays made up so need for bedding storage!

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[Peg Star]

Morning, how exciting, thought I’d just share our experience - we had our first van in 2012 after 2 years of looking, a Bessacarr with U shaped loung. 6 berth. Absolutely loved it. On one of our first trips we left the New Forest campsite early and parked up on a beachside car park in Dorset. Made scrambled eggs on toast for family breakfast, all sat in rear lounge looking out the windows at the fab views and couldn’t understand why anyone would not have a rear lounge. Its a moment that engraved in my motorhoming memory.
We now have a Burstner with fixed rear beds (be glad when kids start stopping home so we can have the posh part of the van) and drop down bed over dinette.
Times & needs change and I do agree that comfort wise our current beds far outweigh the one we made up from the lounge. We had mattress topper, which then has to be stored somewhere. It got to the point when out and about or weather good and not actually in the van a lot we just left the bed made up anyway!! Just beware of damp. We were aware of Swift damp problems and kept an eye on our underfloor however this did not prevent a £2.5k bill to have it fixed after 5 years.
Absolutely love our current van but would still change a couple of things if we bought it again but the more perfect it is for your needs the more pricey it seems to become. Same as everything, maybe small compromises. No compromises on the lifestyle though, freedom to stay or move on from good / not so good places. It’s a adventure - can’t wait to start travelling again.
Enjoy the searching too, love it...
Take care.


******* sorry initially posted on wrong thread, apologies if I’m repeating myself ******

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[Wendo55]

 

[Bill and Tracey]

Don't fall in love with the first one you see. We did and 5 years later we are still fixing it.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Morning, how exciting, thought I’d just share our experience - we had our first van in 2012 after 2 years of looking, a Bessacarr with U shaped loung. 6 berth. Absolutely loved it. On one of our first trips we left the New Forest campsite early and parked up on a beachside car park in Dorset. Made scrambled eggs on toast for family breakfast, all sat in rear lounge looking out the windows at the fab views and couldn’t understand why anyone would not have a rear lounge. Its a moment that engraved in my motorhoming memory.
We now have a Burstner with fixed rear beds (be glad when kids start stopping home so we can have the posh part of the van) and drop down bed over dinette.
Times & needs change and I do agree that comfort wise our current beds far outweigh the one we made up from the lounge. We had mattress topper, which then has to be stored somewhere. It got to the point when out and about or weather good and not actually in the van a lot we just left the bed made up anyway!! Just beware of damp. We were aware of Swift damp problems and kept an eye on our underfloor however this did not prevent a £2.5k bill to have it fixed after 5 years.
Absolutely love our current van but would still change a couple of things if we bought it again but the more perfect it is for your needs the more pricey it seems to become. Same as everything, maybe small compromises. No compromises on the lifestyle though, freedom to stay or move on from good / not so good places. It’s a adventure - can’t wait to start travelling again.
Enjoy the searching too, love it...
Take care.


******* sorry initially posted on wrong thread, apologies if I’m repeating myself ******

I'd second this, we had a front lounge which converted to a bed and while it was a massive king size width it wasn't quite long enough for me, we also had a topper, but all the bedding, topper and additional cushions had to be stored under the settee, there was very little storage for all the bits and bobs needed for overnighting - cables, hoses etc. Plus the settee wasn't that comfortable for sitting on, the back rest had absolutely no give in it and felt like leaning on a board!

Wind the clock forward and we're now in the same size van with dinette, small double fixed bed at the back which we added a topper to as we have one at home, we sleep as well if not better than we do in our own big bed at home! No bedding to store, masses of storage room under the bed, and we don't miss that lounge, not with the most comfortable seats for lounging turned round to face into the van - the captain's chairs.

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[John R]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and advice, I really appreciate it.

Our only experience so far was in a rented one year old Burstner - I was going with the principle of hiring the newest, biggest thing I could. It had a fixed bed but we preferred the drop down bed over the cab so the "bedroom" seemed a waste of space (although our 1 year old spaniel loved it).........therein the birth of our strategy to buy our own MH with overcab sleeping and a rear lounge.
Very exciting to think we can finally buy our own MH but with so much to think about I feel like a small child with a box of matches - this could be great fun but I may get burnt in the process!!