We Sold Our Motorhome...........

[Tasng4]

........so we can buy another.
I'm posting here because I have quite a lot of general questions re: life in a MH.

Back in 2016 we bought our first MH, a 1983 Ford Transit Pilote, we wanted a cheap van to try it out and see if we liked it. We did but our van, for various reasons, wasn't right for us and it went yesterday.

We're planning on going from one end of the spectrum to another and buying a new forever MH and have questions for those of you who have newer vans.
We're looking at a Burstner Lyseo 690 Limited Edition.
So in no particular order:

1 - New vans don't have ovens, how do you find life without an oven? Does anyone use/have a free standing gas cartridge type oven?
2 - Base vans vary, does anyone have an opinion as to which is the best? We're thinking that as we live in France a French manufacturer might be best.
3 - Reliability of the pavillion beds.
4 - In our old van NOTHING was automatic, we have to manually switch the fridge from 12V to gas or 240V. Do new vans do this sort of thing automatically?
5 - Most vans now are front wheel drive, as we'd want to occasionally tow a car trailer can this be an issue.
6 - What engine size would be best for this size of van, our previous one was woefully under powered and could barely reach 100km/h but we won't be racing all over the place.
7 - What options are a must have and you couldn't live without?
8 - How do modern 3-way fridges deal with hot weather? Our struggled and the temperature was 15 degrees less than ambiant.
9 - Regarding battery management in our old van we had to be careful not to run out of electricity, battery monitoring etc., is this automatic today? Low battery warnings etc.

I think that's enough to be going on with, I'm looking forward to all the conflicting opinions and advice.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I don't think you need to worry about engine power nowadays.

There are many many threads on automatic fridges selecting the wrong power source, ours was manual with no electronics and I'm glad it was got a compressor fridge now.. Even better.

 

[Brains]

1 - New vans don't have ovens, how do you find life without an oven? Does anyone use/have a free standing gas cartridge type oven?
Get one with an oven. In the UK they are standard, in mainland Europe they are an optional extra

2 - Base vans vary, does anyone have an opinion as to which is the best? We're thinking that as we live in France a French manufacturer might be best.
See number 5
80% of moho's are currently being built on a Fiat Ducatto base.
I'm more of the school of though of matching collar and cuffs,
so if the base is German (Mercedes) then the top should be German as well (Hymer, Detleffs etc.)

3 - Reliability of the pavilion beds.
(No comment)

4 - In our old van NOTHING was automatic, we have to manually switch the fridge from 12V to gas or 240V. Do new vans do this sort of thing automatically?
Yes, with a manual override

5 - Most vans now are front wheel drive, as we'd want to occasionally tow a car trailer can this be an issue.
Get the right sort of van. Iveco and Mercedes both have rear wheel drive, RWD may be an option on others Fiat, Citroen etc.

6 - What engine size would be best for this size of van, our previous one was woefully under powered and could barely reach 100km/h but we won't be racing all over the place.
Most vans come with two or three engine choices, small, medium and large. Don't get the small one!

7 - What options are a must have and you couldn't live without?
Wind out awning, refillable gas, solar panels, aftermarket alarm and tracker, wifi, decent sat nav, parking sensors, tow bar, external spare wheel carrier. You don't need the leather seating, leather steering wheel, the brand bedding and cushions, the expensive peculiar external paint job.

8 - How do modern 3-way fridges deal with hot weather? Our struggled and the temperature was 15 degrees less than ambient.
Ours was struggling recently, but it was 40c in the shade! But it still kept things cold.

9 - Regarding battery management in our old van we had to be careful not to run out of electricity, battery monitoring etc., is this automatic today? Low battery warnings etc.
Yes, as this van is a keeper, you could fit a lithium battery (quarter the weight and 4 times the power) and 6 times the price!

We started the same search as you back in 2017.
We eventually decided to pick the base first and then find matching tops with the right layout.
We started with a Mercedes Sprinter, and then searched all the major German manufacturers, found out which ones had a model that matched our chosen layout, and then started looking at prices and options.

Keep in mind that although many sales people will be promising 2023 delivery today, in reality you will be looking at 2024 at the earliest and the prices can only be an indication, as there will be a lot of changes in the next two years.
You may well be better off spending the winter trying to find a 2nd hand one of the make and model you have chosen

 

[Speve]

I think you should look at A class vehicles as they give a bit more space and also you don’t get the draughts that coach builts have around cab area
we have towed a car trailer for last eight years with Fiats and traveled from Spain to to Finland with it without any problems I think there is very little difference towing with front or rear wheel drive

 

[Roby2008]

........so we can buy another.
I'm posting here because I have quite a lot of general questions re: life in a MH.

Back in 2016 we bought our first MH, a 1983 Ford Transit Pilote, we wanted a cheap van to try it out and see if we liked it. We did but our van, for various reasons, wasn't right for us and it went yesterday.

We're planning on going from one end of the spectrum to another and buying a new forever MH and have questions for those of you who have newer vans.
We're looking at a Burstner Lyseo 690 Limited Edition.
So in no particular order:

1 - New vans don't have ovens, how do you find life without an oven? Does anyone use/have a free standing gas cartridge type oven?
2 - Base vans vary, does anyone have an opinion as to which is the best? We're thinking that as we live in France a French manufacturer might be best.
3 - Reliability of the pavillion beds.
4 - In our old van NOTHING was automatic, we have to manually switch the fridge from 12V to gas or 240V. Do new vans do this sort of thing automatically?
5 - Most vans now are front wheel drive, as we'd want to occasionally tow a car trailer can this be an issue.
6 - What engine size would be best for this size of van, our previous one was woefully under powered and could barely reach 100km/h but we won't be racing all over the place.
7 - What options are a must have and you couldn't live without?
8 - How do modern 3-way fridges deal with hot weather? Our struggled and the temperature was 15 degrees less than ambiant.
9 - Regarding battery management in our old van we had to be careful not to run out of electricity, battery monitoring etc., is this automatic today? Low battery warnings etc.

I think that's enough to be going on with, I'm looking forward to all the conflicting opinions and advice.

Wow, some list.....
1. Just sold my own van after 9 years ( Mobilvetta / Miller ) and never had an oven ( German layout) and to be honest, we never needed it, we had a 3 burner hob, a toaster and a small grill (BBQ).... Mostly weekends with a 3-4 week summer trip, did eat out a fair bit but that's why we travel anyway.
2. The majority of the base vans are on the Ducato/Boxer/Relay base, you take your pick but personally we had a 2013 Fiat Ducato which was faultless over 9 years and 98,000km, it was an automatic which I recommend for high mileage/ city use.
3.Can't answer as we had twin fixed beds.
4.We had the Dometic 3 way fridge and on auto it was awesome, from gas to electric to battery automatically.- Q8: 95% of the time they are good, get up past 30 Celsius and the wilt a bit on gas but on electric and battery ( while driving) they are fine...
5. FWD is the norm these days, I don't have an issue with FWD or RWD for towing but if you have a RWD preference then look at a Merc based van.
6. Had a Ducato automatic with 150 hp, you can cruise at the limit ( 130kmh in most of Europe) without any issues, it does hit the consumption though and if you tow a trailer then 100kmh would be your restriction anyway.
My local bit of Autobahn is unrestricted in part, mega fun and did get my MH to 155kmh once just to see but they get very 'floaty' at that point and the automatic speed warning (Wife) cut in....
7: Must haves: Awning, Solar, Air con ( for France and Spain), Outdoor shower, External gas point, Refillable gas cyls - for autumn travel when heating is req or Diesel heating, 240v and 12v socket in Garage ( for e-bike and e-scooter).
8: answered in Q4
9: Battery management is automatic, with solar taking up the slack if you are not plugged in to shore power or are driving.

The Burstner is very popular here in Germany and would be a good choice in my view.

That's my 2 Bobs worth, now lets see the other 200 opinions.

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[steve69]

Seriously consider buying a second-hand model.....new ones almost always have some issues that require a return to the dealer for rectifying...Most problems are usually sorted with a second-hand one.

 

[Spriddler]

In 11 years have only used my oven to store bread and fresh vegetables.
I think that most continentals use BBQ's.

 

[Roby2008]

In 11 years have only used my oven to store bread and fresh vegetables.
I think that most continentals use BBQ's.

Yep, we do.....

 

[Dave7]

........so we can buy another.
I'm posting here because I have quite a lot of general questions re: life in a MH.

Back in 2016 we bought our first MH, a 1983 Ford Transit Pilote, we wanted a cheap van to try it out and see if we liked it. We did but our van, for various reasons, wasn't right for us and it went yesterday.

We're planning on going from one end of the spectrum to another and buying a new forever MH and have questions for those of you who have newer vans.
We're looking at a Burstner Lyseo 690 Limited Edition.
So in no particular order:

1 - New vans don't have ovens, how do you find life without an oven? Does anyone use/have a free standing gas cartridge type oven?
2 - Base vans vary, does anyone have an opinion as to which is the best? We're thinking that as we live in France a French manufacturer might be best.
3 - Reliability of the pavillion beds.
4 - In our old van NOTHING was automatic, we have to manually switch the fridge from 12V to gas or 240V. Do new vans do this sort of thing automatically?
5 - Most vans now are front wheel drive, as we'd want to occasionally tow a car trailer can this be an issue.
6 - What engine size would be best for this size of van, our previous one was woefully under powered and could barely reach 100km/h but we won't be racing all over the place.
7 - What options are a must have and you couldn't live without?
8 - How do modern 3-way fridges deal with hot weather? Our struggled and the temperature was 15 degrees less than ambiant.
9 - Regarding battery management in our old van we had to be careful not to run out of electricity, battery monitoring etc., is this automatic today? Low battery warnings etc.

I think that's enough to be going on with, I'm looking forward to all the conflicting opinions and advice.

We have a new Burstner on order and it has an oven

 

[hja]

We don’t have an oven, plenty of alternatives . Didn’t use it in previous van. I think there are threads on here about managing without an oven.
We like refillable gas, have had underslung tank and now cylinders. Wouldnt want to be lugging cylinders at our age.
Solar is a must.
We have a compressor fridge which is good, but eats power. If we were buying again I would either have a three way fridge or more battery power as we can only do one night off grid without using the van.
Power point in rear under seat (ours is a pvc) for mobility scooter battery charging.
Build in Wi-Fi (mi-fi)

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[TheBig1]

1 - New vans don't have ovens, how do you find life without an oven? Does anyone use/have a free standing gas cartridge type oven?
Ovens can be fitted to most vans or if you fit a decent battery bank and inverter or use sites with hook up use a modern halogen oven
2 - Base vans vary, does anyone have an opinion as to which is the best? We're thinking that as we live in France a French manufacturer might be best.
Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen are in nearly all respects the same van with different badge and engine options. Mercedes did do rear wheel drive but switching to front on new models. Ford transit, great van but easy to steal and very popular in some places
3 - Reliability of the pavillion beds. No idea
4 - In our old van NOTHING was automatic, we have to manually switch the fridge from 12V to gas or 240V. Do new vans do this sort of thing automatically? Most newer vans have AES automatic energy selection or you can override if needed
5 - Most vans now are front wheel drive, as we'd want to occasionally tow a car trailer can this be an issue. Not had an issue myself, but it will depend on the weight distribution on the tow vehicle and the weight of the load. Essentially with our 8.5m tag axle, towing a trailer with car on, you can barely tell it's there most of the time
6 - What engine size would be best for this size of van, our previous one was woefully under powered and could barely reach 100km/h but we won't be racing all over the place. Modern vans come with small engines with an option to increase the power output
7 - What options are a must have and you couldn't live without? Automatic gearbox and cruise control, solar panels and a big battery bank, think Lithium if you can afford the extra. and a B2B charger
8 - How do modern 3-way fridges deal with hot weather? Our struggled and the temperature was 15 degrees less than ambiant. The basic design of absorption fridges means that they struggle with high ambient heat. Fitting thermostatically controlled fans in the fridge vents increases airflow and solves the problem mostly
9 - Regarding battery management in our old van we had to be careful not to run out of electricity, battery monitoring etc., is this automatic today? Low battery warnings etc. Not so much automatic, but with the right setup solar will keep the batteries charged

No such thing as daft questions, it is sensible to ask if you are unsure and the hive of knowledge available on this forum can answer nearly anything

 

[Tasng4]

Well that didn't take long to get loads of replies. All useful, we've started a list of questions to ask prospective sellers. I won't respond to individual replies except to say thanks for everyone's input, there're some point we hadn't considered.

 

[Puddleduck]

We don't have an oven - not had one in any of our 4 vans. We have a small slow cooker (90w max) which we use on EHU or via an inverter when travelling. I can roast meat or do baked potatoes in it as well as the usual soups and stews.

If we know we will have EHU I sometimes take an electric pressure cooker.

Personally I would not be without automatic / comfortmatic gearbox. I don't use cruise control much but Martin likes it.

Base engine, we've had Toyota, Merc and 2 Fiats. The layout of the van more important than the base vehicle on my opinion. You will hear horror stories about all vehicles.

Solar and batteries are a must (as much as you have space for) if you are off gridding. We are limited for space for batteries so only have a single 135Ah leisure battery and. 100w solar panel - that lasts us 3 days with little sun if we are static & no EHU if we are very very careful. If it is sunny the solar soon tops up the battery

 

[Richard n Ann]

We have a compressor fridge which is good, but eats power. If we were buying again I would either have a three way fridge or more battery power as we can only do one night off grid without using the van.

The battery only has to last from sunset to sunrise, after that the solar runs the fridge and charges the battery, so fit solar... Or more solar

 

[Podney]

Yes,get a Frenchie! I may be a little biased,but our Rapido is superb!

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[Brains]

Interesting someone listed Automatic gearbox and cruise control

Personally, I'd actually pay more for a manual gear box. Automatic is the first thing I'd remove from my van if I could.

Cruise Control. The speed limiter function I use all the time, but cruise control, really ? I've driven extensively in the USA, there I can see the point of cruise control and have used it driving across the central states, but in Europe I cant really envisage a use for them, the roads have far too many other vehicles, bends, lights and other obstructions.
In very crowded roads of the UK personally I think they should be banned as they are downright dangerous.

I've just come back from 3,000 miles around north west Europe.
Never found a single time when I could have actually wanted to switch cruise control on.

 

[Jim]

We've had an oven in our last 25 years of vans. Saves having to mess about with Double Skillets, Omnias, Remoskas and all those other gadgets trying to be an oven.

Ovens in American motorhomes take some getting used to as they are simply a flame thrower aimed at a piece of tin, but the Dometic oven in our Adria is perfect and is used at least 4 days out of 7.

 

[Aireworth]

Cruise Control. The speed limiter function I use all the time, but cruise control, really ? I've driven extensively in the USA, there I can see the point of cruise control and have used it driving across the central states, but in Europe I cant really envisage a use for them, the roads have far too many other vehicles, bends, lights and other obstructions.
In very crowded roads of the UK personally I think they should be banned as they are downright dangerous.

I drive a manual motorhome, so far solely in the UK. I use the Cruise Control on almost every trip if I'm on a motorway. Very relaxing. Although traffic does limit how much you can you CC at times its dead easy to switch away from it and back again. Using it effectively is a learned skill, like most of driving. The idea that its dangerous is ridiculous IMO.

 

[Roby2008]

We have a new Burstner on order and it has an oven

Interesting someone listed Automatic gearbox and cruise control

Personally, I'd actually pay more for a manual gear box. Automatic is the first thing I'd remove from my van if I could.

Cruise Control. The speed limiter function I use all the time, but cruise control, really ? I've driven extensively in the USA, there I can see the point of cruise control and have used it driving across the central states, but in Europe I cant really envisage a use for them, the roads have far too many other vehicles, bends, lights and other obstructions.
In very crowded roads of the UK personally I think they should be banned as they are downright dangerous.

I've just come back from 3,000 miles around north west Europe.
Never found a single time when I could have actually wanted to switch cruise control on.

This answer needs a thread all of its own it is so subjective.
For me it depends on what you want to do with your MH, we like to tour ( about 12,000km per year ) around Europe including drive throughs and stops in some of the classic cities, this for me is where an auto is a must, the just sold MH was an auto and the replacement will be too.
I am not against manuals, my car is a manual and I enjoy zipping around in it, also living 1 hour from Tyrol gives me lots of twisty bits to play on.

As for cruise control, I agree that the UK is not the place to use it ( we visited in May and it never got turned on), but when travelling across Europe with Autobahns, Autoroutes and Autostradas, Cruise is handy, a lot of Austria is 100kmh, Italy ( over the Brenner) is 110kmh, the ebb and flow can usually be dealt with the cancel/resume function, easy one button driving - as always though it is a matter of judgement/experience/skill when to use cruise.

We don't slog up and down the motorways all the time, just to get to a new or familiar location to explore, usually that means a 3-4hr drive before we get to where we want.

So for me: Auto is essential and Cruise is useful ( outside of the UK).

I don't know about the UK but here in Germany an auto box is an extra on most MHs, just specced a new Fiat based Pilote and it is €5000 for an auto box including the bigger motor, you have to think if you really need it and after 9 years and 98,000km with the previous auto MH, the answer for me is a big yes.

 

[Reallyretired]

It seems ovens are a bit marmite. Many functors don't use theirs ever. Ours in use most days, depends on the cook (who isn't me)

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[Richard n Ann]

We used our thetford oven quite a lot. Baked potatoes, sausage rolls, quiche, pies etc. And good for crisping yesterdays baguette up

 

[VXman]

Oven - we use it but it's a bit rubbish. (Dometic)

A 140 engine in the Burstner is fine. Does 85 mph with ease.

Fridges tend to work to 20 degrees below ambient nowadays.

Cruise Control. The speed limiter function I use all the time, but cruise control, really ? I've driven extensively in the USA, there I can see the point of cruise control and have used it driving across the central states, but in Europe I cant really envisage a use for them, the roads have far too many other vehicles, bends, lights and other obstructions.
In very crowded roads of the UK personally I think they should be banned as they are downright dangerous.

I've just come back from 3,000 miles around north west Europe.
Never found a single time when I could have actually wanted to switch cruise control on.

It takes all sorts. I use cruise control when it is useful. Particularly on long motorway runs in Europe (or any clear roads where traffic allows) I like to rest my right foot. Even use it in UK occasionally.

I love a manual gearbox in a 'driver's' car. I'd be quite happy with an auto in a motorhome. Used to have one in an old Vauxhall Omega Estate. It really depend son the driving style for me. In the motorhome I'm relaxed, not rushing.