PVC on display at the NEC....too cheap?

steve69

steve69

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Browsing the Motorhome show at the NEC Yesterday.
Nearly all the PVC's were priced between 70 and 80 K.
The layouts were almost identical - with only minor variations.
Except one.
The Auto-trail Expedition 67. Pretty similar layout to many others, BUT over 15K cheaper than it's nearest rival.
I gave the van a really good look over and failed to see any obvious difference in quality, with many of the fittings - cooker, sink, bathroom, etc almost identical to those in other vans. Same base unit of Fiat Ducato as the others too.
It seems a really good deal.
I am very tempted to go for this van. Am i missing something?. Why that huge disparity in price?.
Surely no amount of "extras" the other vans might have had could amount to 15K?
 
L
steve69 said:
Browsing the Motorhome show at the NEC Yesterday.
Nearly all the PVC's were priced between 70 and 80 K.
The layouts were almost identical - with only minor variations.
Except one.
The Auto-trail Expedition 67. Pretty similar layout to many others, BUT over 15K cheaper than it's nearest rival.
I gave the van a really good look over and failed to see any obvious difference in quality, with many of the fittings - cooker, sink, bathroom, etc almost identical to those in other vans. Same base unit of Fiat Ducato as the others too.
It seems a really good deal.
I am very tempted to go for this van. Am i missing something?. Why that huge disparity in price?.
Surely no amount of "extras" the other vans might have had could amount to 15K?
Click to expand...
Looks ok to me maybe it's been introduced since they have been struggling to sell them at list prices
 
I watched a couple of show videos the other day and had to rewind one when the chap was mentioning prices of these and I thought he had been incorrect...turns out he wasn't. (I even double checked on autotrader...sad I know)
 
The Expedition does have similar layout to the V-Line but there are key differences to keep the price down. Tiny gas bottle inside rather than underslung tank. Microwave missing (actually I think that's good). No solar. No awning. No panoramic front roof window and simpler ceiling lining withoit the little stowage pockets. Essentially it keeps it all basic rather than the bling of the other vans. That could for some be a good thing, allowing say you to do your own upgrades to say power such as lithium rather than having to pay for a pants system that still wasn't up to it in the more sophisticated van.

But seriously do look at the build quality of any Autotrail vehicle. They couldn't even get good ones to the show. I saw in one V-line 540 the bathroom wall panel mastic seals had already split and that was only the Wednesday :(
 
I understand that the 2025 Rimor Horus 38 PVC is being shown at the NEC. Guide price £55,595.

Having seen a review on Youtube (but not seen the van in the flesh) the quality looks acceptable for an entry-level PVC.

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When I bought my 67, I viewed it as a starter van that I could modify into something that met my requirements. I didn't want to spend money on things I didn't want or need, like TVs, awnings and panoramic windows.

I knew exactly what I wanted it for, 10 -15 trips to Aberdeen a year for the football and short jaunts to France & Spain in summer. I also take it to The Alps for skiing so I was I knew I would have to add an underslung LPG tank, extra insulation and beef-up the electrics (thanks Vanbitz and Autogas2000). I've added a raised fixed bed with a proper mattress which has increased my storage space. I've also added a tank heater and extra insulation to the fresh water.

I've probably spent about 5K on it but it now fits me like a glove.

For me, it's a good basic van with similar build quality to other vans I've owned but I can see that if you like the trimmings, it's probably not for you.

If you're on Facebook, there's an Expedition Owners group who are great for modification ideas.
 
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We saw a nice Giotti on Thursday. We were quite impressed with the quality.
 
I guess some of the savings could be where you can’t see them, such as insulation and cabinet construction perhaps?
 
When I was at Tavira, I managed to obtain a copy of the annual French 'Camping Car' magazine that lists just about every continental PVC.

A straw poll of some of the prices in there would indicate that either, (or both) the manufacturers and)or the dealers are pulling the pants down of every potential UK buyer.
Compare the below prices, new for a Malibu PVC
IMG20241019203922.jpg


IMG20241019203930.jpg
 
We were at the NEC on Wednesday deliberately looking at the VW Crafter / MAN TGE conversions and were quickly aware that none were current 2025 models and were mostly quite basic spec vans although mostly auto transmission. All of that keeps the sale price of those on show as low as possible.
There were just a few high spec 4x4 adventure versions being displayed.
 
It is not just what you can see but what you can’t see that matters. Things such as proper insulation and properly jointed cabinets with good hinges make a difference but you have to pay for it.

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Emmit said:
When I was at Tavira, I managed to obtain a copy of the annual French 'Camping Car' magazine that lists just about every continental PVC.

A straw poll of some of the prices in there would indicate that either, (or both) the manufacturers and)or the dealers are pulling the pants down of every potential UK buyer.
Compare the below prices, new for a Malibu PVC
View attachment 967517

View attachment 967518
Click to expand...
Those Malibu prices will be the basic list price without any extras but you can’t actually buy them in that basic form. The advertised prices for ones in the UK are likely to have in the region of £25,000 worth of extras.
 
What can you put into a van for £25000?It already has a body, an engine, a gearbox and all the innards.
The article does state that to fit out the 640LE for a family of 4 would cost a further €5035 but that's a long way from £25000.
 
I wonder how much of the cost is based on the "brand" in the case of motorhomes.

We know how it works for other items - you can pay say £ 30 or £ 300 for jeans, simply based on their label.

Cars are somewhat similar. They all do much the same thing, with similar reliability (though some of the very expensive brands are less reliable than others) and for equal service lives.

It is also clear that some manufacturers of motorhomes present themselves as being in the "luxury" market. At the upper end of their ranges they offer fully kitted gin palaces.

In the case of PVC conversions, for this discussion, they all use the same base vehicles. The same bodyshells. And they do fairly similar things to them.

I know that one may pay a bit more to have a continental van done in a RHD version - a UK premium - but that aside what premium do we pay just for a particular badge?
 
PaulW2 said:
I know that one may pay a bit more to have a continental van done in a RHD version - a UK premium - but that aside what premium do we pay just for a particular badge?
Click to expand...
It is interesting looking at a big variety of vans/pricepoints and in particular...at the quality of fittings/furniture etc. From looking at a fair few the other day...there seemed to be little difference between a €55k or €85k moho. My wife and I had agreed that to swap ours, it would have to come with the points we like about ours (twin beds, plenty of storage, garage, diesel heating etc) but mainly that the whole 'feel' would have to be considerably higher quality than ours. They all seemed to have ikea type door hinges...£3 a pair stuff. Very similar carcassing etc etc. Fit and finish looked rushed on many of them.
 
Pausim said:
The difference is easily made up for by the extra for RHD and UK delivery charge.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure if you order a LHD Malibu or Carthago in the UK they reduce the price by about £2000 compared to the same spec RHD. This closes the gap a little.
 
Emmit said:
What can you put into a van for £25000?It already has a body, an engine, a gearbox and all the innards.
The article does state that to fit out the 640LE for a family of 4 would cost a further €5035 but that's a long way from £25000.
Click to expand...
It is not that difficult, take a look at the price list. The 3 basic packages alone cost over £5,000 and by the time you have added on all the goodies that a dealer will want on a display model for a show or showroom you are up at about £18,000. OK the £25,000 included the bits I would choose so it was bit OTT.

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PaulW2 said:
I wonder how much of the cost is based on the "brand" in the case of motorhomes.

We know how it works for other items - you can pay say £ 30 or £ 300 for jeans, simply based on their label.

Cars are somewhat similar. They all do much the same thing, with similar reliability (though some of the very expensive brands are less reliable than others) and for equal service lives.

It is also clear that some manufacturers of motorhomes present themselves as being in the "luxury" market. At the upper end of their ranges they offer fully kitted gin palaces.

In the case of PVC conversions, for this discussion, they all use the same base vehicles. The same bodyshells. And they do fairly similar things to them.

I know that one may pay a bit more to have a continental van done in a RHD version - a UK premium - but that aside what premium do we pay just for a particular badge?
Click to expand...
I think you're right about labels ( said as a Skoda driver!)
 
The Wino said:
I think you're right about labels ( said as a Skoda driver!)
Click to expand...
Skoda badges used to be poked fun at
How things have changed
I've just looked at 2 vehicles similar ages and milage £20,000 on top for a VW badge.

Nothing in either if them that my 17 year old fiat hasn't got

And no tears when I end up down narrow lanes with branches scraping the sides. Something that happens a few times a year when the I wonder where this road goes takes over ::bigsmile:
 
Nanniemate said:
Skoda badges used to be poked fun at
How things have changed
I've just looked at 2 vehicles similar ages and milage £20,000 on top for a VW badge.

Nothing in either if them that my 17 year old fiat hasn't got

And no tears when I end up down narrow lanes with branches scraping the sides. Something that happens a few times a year when the I wonder where this road goes takes over ::bigsmile:
Click to expand...
The thing I've always been too tight to buy is a Merc are they that much better or not? That being said it's the same with clothes no labels on my stuff apart from m and s and Primark!
 
My 2015 Merc based motorhome was ok but it wasn’t as nice to drive as either of the Fiats that have followed it.
 
The Wino said:
The thing I've always been too tight to buy is a Merc are they that much better or not? That being said it's the same with clothes no labels on my stuff apart from m and s and Primark!
Click to expand...

Mercs can be nice, but I'm not convinced they're that much better and you wouldn't want to pay for the repairs.

I had one which developed smallish problems. They cost quite a lot to repair. Then there was an intermittent problem, something a bit odd about the gearbox. Brooklands looked at it and the service guy suggested it's best to part exchange as the repair will cost more than it's worth. So I did, for another Merc which I later got rid of.

(The first Merc in the tale seems to be out of service, with its last MOT at 145 k miles. The second remains in service; last service 144 k miles. So there are presumably, up to a point, economic ways of doing repairs. Nothing like my 207,000 mile car in Portugal admittedly - touch wood - but then that is a Nissan!)

If you're commuting 50 miles a day 5 days a week it's nice to have a comfortable, ergonomically correct vehicle. But many cars offer that.

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