Weinsberg Carahome 550 MG - Good First Buy?

[Geomore]

Hi everyone, We are a young outdoorsy couple looking to buy our first (and hopefully long term) Motorhome for long weekends and weeks away all year round. I've done a brief bit of research, and found one that stands out as "ticking all the boxes". - Weinsberg Carahome 550 MG. I've found a few 2017-18 models for sale, and they seem good value - my question is, should I be wary them being cheaper than other models? The only thing that stands out is lack of oven and microwave, but we don't need those.

It would be fantastic if anyone who owns this model (or slightly different model) could give me their opinion of day-to-day / any issues to be aware of - this would be hugely appreciated! Especially if anyone knows what the garage height is, as I can't find this info anywhere - I need to get bikes in, ideally with 1 wheel left on.

Link to 550MG Brochure

Of course, I'd love to hear any suggestions of alternatives!

• 4 Berth + 4 Belt
• Garage for bikes / wet kit
• Gas or diesel heating and hot water (not reliant on hookups)
• 3500KG or under GVW (it appears this does restrict options)
• Gas fridge, Hob/sink
• Loo and shower
• Sensible layout (this is where my knowledge is very limited)
• £40K limit.
• Manual Gearbox.
• Cab Aircon.

Any tips, advice, suggestions, hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim]

Hi Geomore
Just to let you know that you aren't being ignored. Your post has only just this minute gone live. We manually check and approve new members first few posts that have links within just to ensure they are not spammers. Your post was just approved; people can see it now Thanks.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Hi Geomore
We have a Ci Coachbuilt cab over but with a side dinette and 4 inertia forward travelling belts and 2 rear facing lap belts. Our van is 20 years old.
Our sleeping is obviously cab over double, converting the side dinette to a double, and a single at the back on the other single dinette.
There are usually only 2 of us, but occasionally 4, and one thing we have found is that even with only 2 of us, we have no real lounging area to put your feet up and slob.
I notice from the very informative brochure that this model has a fixed transverse bed, and looks very substantial van.
Will that be your lounging area for wet and inclement days?
I think that if you should ever have guests or even 4 persons, you may be struggling for a general social area.
We do in our van, as it was primarily made for outdoor socialising in fine and warm weather.
Just my thoughts, and as I am sure many will comment later, layout is the most important factor, closely followed by the payload capacity.
Welcome to the forum, by the way.
You really are in the best place to help you with your choice and decision.

 

[63720]

Hi.
My first tip, as above, would be to confirm the payload weight compared to the mgw to see want you can carry.
Good luck.

 

[gpat]

I am sure the weinsburg will be fine and I have not heard of any issues. We did look at them but I don't remember either being put off for any reason but neither do I remember being particularly wowed. Given your requirements could be met by many many vans, I am intrigued why you have limited yourselves to such a minority brand. Also considering that they don't sell many here, you won't see many for sale.

As had been said many times, and we have learned to our cost....layout is everything. More important than brand, chassis etc.

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[gpat]

<Broken link removed>

 

[gpat]

Rollerteam and rimor also good for family 4 berths with overcabs.

 

[DandG5515]

Hi looks great on paper, but as with most 6m vans they just squeeze to much In. The rear bed is under 4ft wide, the front is your only living space when it pissing down outside. You need to go and look at one, try lying in the beds and moving around the van with both of you in it.

We bought a roller team new 11 years ago after looking at 100 secondhand vans, it’s at the value end of the market and I was scared we bought too cheaply. How wrong was I, been a brilliant van with very few problems unlike friends that have spent double the money.

a lot of continental vans come with just a hob, we removed the tiny grill and replace it with a gas oven. We also have an old microwave in the boot, just in case. We used ours initially for sailing, wet gear hung outside on bike rack when rinsed from salt water, they hung in shower cubical overnight to dry, a plus having a separate shower but can be tight on space.

Dont rush the layout, we changed our minds a lot during buying. We love the overcab bed great for storing bedding and we are using it as a single bed. Good luck

 

[Geomore]

Thanks for the tips! The plan for 4 berths is predominantly so it's future proof (kids) but also so be can occasionally share with friends in the meantime. I don't intend on it being enough space to socialise in, just enough for 4 people to "shelter from the weather" and eat occasionally, but the majority of the time it will just be 2 of us, later on with kid(s), so enough room to change nappies etc! The main reasons for us buying a Motorhome are:

• Opening up the winter options (we love camping but it has its practical limits)
• Making holidaying with young kids as easy and enjoyable as possible (feedback from friends that have joined us on camping road trip with babies!)

...so whatever we chose needs to have this in mind. I don't intend on spending whole days living inside it during rain, more to have somewhere to come back to to warm and dry.

 

[Geomore]

Hi looks great on paper, but as with most 6m vans they just squeeze to much In. The rear bed is under 4ft wide, the front is your only living space when it pissing down outside. You need to go and look at one, try lying in the beds and moving around the van with both of you in it.

We bought a roller team new 11 years ago after looking at 100 secondhand vans, it’s at the value end of the market and I was scared we bought too cheaply. How wrong was I, been a brilliant van with very few problems unlike friends that have spent double the money.

a lot of continental vans come with just a hob, we removed the tiny grill and replace it with a gas oven. We also have an old microwave in the boot, just in case. We used ours initially for sailing, wet gear hung outside on bike rack when rinsed from salt water, they hung in shower cubical overnight to dry, a plus having a separate shower but can be tight on space.

Dont rush the layout, we changed our minds a lot during buying. We love the overcab bed great for storing bedding and we are using it as a single bed. Good luck

Roller Teams look good, we'll certainly take a look. As well as being more compact, most 6m ones seems to be 3500 GVW with a good payload, I guess 7m might still be an option. a 4/4.5ft bed is more than enough for us, but good point raised. not fussed about sofa areas such as converting bed in the back, and I gather it's not really an option with a garage. Thanks!

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[Setras431dt]

Have you looked at Autotrail? Obviously I’m bias because I have one but they do have quite a range to choose from, layouts to suit your needs. All have can air con etc microwave, oven nice toilet/shower area.

 

[lorger]

The Weinsberg are made by Knaus as their entry level van, certainly not a minority brand as they are very popular on mainland Europe Also same company that make Morrelo, so really good pedigree.
we have a Knaus so can only comment on that. In my opinion they are very well built and even the top spec ones are cheaper than other brands, I think this is why the Weinsberg is cheaper than others.

 

[DBop]

Hi Geamore,
If you guys have your Hearts set on this particular model, have a look at the link below, Its an ex-rental (some folk have reservations on buying ex-rentals) but certainly well within your budget.

New & Used Motorhomes For Sale | The Camperco Showroom

Motorhome specialists, Camperco, offer new and used campervans & motorhomes for sale across the UK & Ireland. Shop our range of award-winning models.

www.bunkcampers.com

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Hello, found this.

Motorhome Buyer's Guide | Out and About Live

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

You might to find out the actual payload for the garage area, from memory some of them are only about 100kg.
We bought an ex rental Sunlight T66. I have found no issues with it yet. Although having done plenty to it, circumstances have dictated little time spent actually out on the road with it.
Regards.
Mike

 

[mapman]

We have a Weinsberg Caracompact 600 MEG and are very pleased with it. Seems similar to the Carahome. Our garage comfortably takes 2 bikes without removing wheels . Well built and thoughtful design/layout. Good payload compared to many 3.5 motorhomes.

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[Geomore]

We have a Weinsberg Caracompact 600 MEG and are very pleased with it. Seems similar to the Carahome. Our garage comfortably takes 2 bikes without removing wheels . Well built and thoughtful design/layout. Good payload compared to many 3.5 motorhomes.

It looks like yours is the next size up in length (6.75m vs 6m) but without the over-cab bed. The floorplan forward of the rear bed looks identical to the model I'm looking at, how do you find the living space, is it practical and not too cramped? As suggested by others, it's on the smaller end of things, but then the van itself is much more compact than many on the market.

Is the garage heated (so it can be used for drying)? Also do you know if the water tank susceptible to freezing? I'm not sure how they are typically set up , but I've read that this can be an issue when using campers in the winter. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bobby dazzler]

Hi just to jump on this old thread can anyone tell me what size gas bottle fits a 550mg I am looking at one but I can't see where the gas bottle fits it's a 2018 model