Which motorhome, and when?

[Pappy]

Hi,

We are ready to upgrade from our Hobby low profile to an A class.

I am over 6 foot and find a low profile uncomfortable to drive. We would like a large garage, probably large enough for 2 full sized bikes as well as fishing tackle and all the usual paraphernalia. We would like a van of less than 7m and preferably single beds with drop down for grandkids/storage. Automatic preferable. Would much prefer a narrower van. Our current van is narrow and I never wish, whilst driving, that it was wider.

We have seen a Hymer b574 DL which we really liked but it was sold from under us. Other contenders are Carthago Compactline or Hymer Exsis.

We also wonder whether we should buy now or wait until next year.

Any advice/comments would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Martyn & Julie

 

[Jev88]

Now or next year - possibly Mystic Meg could advise?
Sorry to joke, but who can tell if prices will fall or rise? More UK holiday folk looking at motorhomes? Or more people selling them due to financial crisis?

 

[dunnah01]

How do you find your current van uncomfortable to drive - is it the size or the seating position? The Hymer 575 is the same base Ducato as later Hobbys and seats and driving position will be pretty much the same.

 

[Pappy]

How do you find your current van uncomfortable to drive - is it the size or the seating position? The Hymer 575 is the same base Ducato as later Hobbys and seats and driving position will be pretty much the same.

Not entirely sure. The seat is raised so I am looking through the wire for the windscreen cover. The seat is soft so i have put a wedge in to make it firmer which raises me even further. After a couple of hours driving I feel very uncomfortable. Our Hobby is on a Ford Transit base.

 

[M-J]

Timing is everything and it’s unclear what will happen with prices. Personally I think the current back log of new MHs being built and lack of people wanting to commit to ordering new ones after all this will create a bit of a boom for the used market although I think this will have more impact on availability (or lack of) rather than prices.

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[Minxy]

The Hymer Exsis models are 2.2m wide I think, whilst the Carthago Compactline ones are 2.12m and one of the main reasons why we bought the latter having had 3 x PVCs previously. Having had fatter MHs we had no wish to go down that route again.

Carthago do 5 Compactline models:

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The ones that would meet your requirement for single beds are as follows (click on the name to go to the website for each one):

• c-compactline I 141 LE Super-Lightweight
• <Broken link removed>
• c-compactline I 144 LE Super-Lightweight

We have the smallest one, a 138, which has a fixed double at the rear but use that and the front instead of singles, ie hubby in the front, me in the back, which works well for us. The advantage is that it keeps the length to a minimum.

• c-compactline I 138 DB Super-Lightweight

 

[Pappy]

The Hymer Exsis models are 2.2m wide I think, whilst the Carthago Compactline ones are 2.12m and one of the main reasons why we bought the latter having had 3 x PVCs previously. Having had fatter MHs we had no wish to go down that route again.

Carthago do 5 Compactline models:

<Broken link removed>

The ones that would meet your requirement for single beds are as follows (click on the name to go to the website for each one):

• c-compactline I 141 LE Super-Lightweight
• <Broken link removed>
• c-compactline I 144 LE Super-Lightweight

We have the smallest one, a 138, which has a fixed double at the rear but use that and the front instead of singles, ie hubby in the front, me in the back, which works well for us. The advantage is that it keeps the length to a minimum.

• c-compactline I 138 DB Super-Lightweight

Thanks very much for the comprehensive reply. There are a couple of 144s for sale so am interested in those. I have been a bit worried by some things I have been told about Carthago spares being difficult to get as well as warranty issues and electrical problems. Should I be worried?

 

[Minxy]

Thanks very much for the comprehensive reply. There are a couple of 144s for sale so am interested in those. I have been a bit worried by some things I have been told about Carthago spares being difficult to get as well as warranty issues and electrical problems. Should I be worried?

We've had ours since October last year so not experienced any issues regarding warranty or spares and we used it for nearly 9 weeks from December to February without any electrical issues. I think the spares issue is the same for many MHs, certainly when we had Globecars it was, and I think still is, very, very slow.

One thing to check is what chassis they are built on - we have the lighter one which has a maximum upper limit of 3850kg and cost us £2,000 to have rear semi-air suspension fitted to be able to up the rear axle from 2000kg to 2240kg, if you can get one on the heavy chassis it will go up to 4250kg without modification at all with a rear axle capacity of 2400kg.

 

[Pappy]

We've had ours since October last year so not experienced any issues regarding warranty or spares and we used it for nearly 9 weeks from December to February without any electrical issues. I think the spares issue is the same for many MHs, certainly when we had Globecars it was, and I think still is, very, very slow.

One thing to check is what chassis they are built on - we have the lighter one which has a maximum upper limit of 3850kg and cost us £2,000 to have rear semi-air suspension fitted to be able to up the rear axle from 2000kg to 2240kg, if you can get one on the heavy chassis it will go up to 4250kg without modification at all with a rear axle capacity of 2400kg.

Thanks for your help Minxy Girl. Following your advice I was going to put a deposit on a Compactline 144LE at Go European. Unfortunately it was sold yesterday before I could contact them. I'll keep looking.

 

[Lenny HB]

You might have more luck looking in Germany. The Hymer DL was only made for about 2 years so not many about. The Exsis I think it's from 2017 they have the internal aluminium walls like the DL & the Carthagos.

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[bobandjanie]

As said the seats are in the same position, what ever body the chassi has on it, ? with an a class you sit further away from the side of the motorhome and the from the windscreen, feels more like in the middle ? but you get more headroom. ? Bob.

 

[Brains]

Ford Transits have always been a problem for tall people.
I have a 6'3" colleague who has the same problem.

Mercedes Sprinter based vehicles allow a lot more variation as the seat not only goes back and forth, but can also go up and down also the rake of the steering wheel can be altered.

I don't know if Fiat Ducato's have the same up/down, back/forth, & rake options

 

[Beltie]

Yes they do, I'm 6'5" and have no problems.

 

[Beltie]

Camper UK have a 2018 model on their website.

 

[Pappy]

Camper UK have a 2018 model on their website.

Thanks Beltie. I have seen it on their website and will be off to look at it when possible. It is on the lighter chassis though.

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[Minxy]

They have a 143 on the heavy chassis, not sure if the layout suits though.

 

[Pappy]

They have a 143 on the heavy chassis, not sure if the layout suits though.

I can't see that one - perhaps it's been sold.

 

[Minxy]

I can't see that one - perhaps it's been sold.

Dunno, it was there earlier as I was looking at the floor plan to see what the difference was between the 144 and 143 ... maybe they've been doing some updating to their website. Sorry.