Which Secondhand A-Class (1 Viewer)

[Chris lawrence]

Hi all. We are about to emark on our first motorhome. After months of looking we having whittled it down to an A class with traverse rear bed, garage, 4 belted seats and drop down bed at front. Budget at most is the late 30's, which seems t give us something on 07 or 08 plate. Ie. Burstner aviano. We want to use in Europe as well, but mostly 2 or 3 day frequent trips in the UK. 2 adults, 2 kids and a large dog.

Any advice would be grateful from past experiences u have, or any preferred model/ manufacturers.
Should we be buying an older a class or go for newer c class?

Cheers chris

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Be careful with the weight. You won't find all that many that will do what you want at 3500kg. You need to make sure it has a big enough plated weight to be usable and that you have the correct licence entitlements (C1 or C1E)

 

[jonandshell]

Hard to say which is best for you.

In our experience with travelling with 2 kids and 2 dogs, an overcab coachbuit is the way to go.
The kids have their planet in the overcab, you kip on the over garage bed and that leaves the lounge made up for the dogs!
An A class would mean you would loose 2 lounge seats when the drop down bed is down and have nowhere to store kid clutter.
An overcab makes an ideal den for them which doesn't need parental involvement until after your holiday!
Our 6 berth Chausson Welcome 35 suits us brilliantly for our annual ski trip with our niece, nephew and 2 weimaraners. The large washroom amidships helps with dressing and showers in privacy.

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[Chris lawrence]

Thanks for the feeback. Yes have c1 on my license. The a class we saw had a 4 t chasis weight, which we thought would be adequate.

When u take the mh skiing are there dedicated areas for mh's. That's a trip I would like to do. Snow chains a must I guess. Which resort to u go to.

 

[jonandshell]

We have done a few resorts but keep defaulting to Val Thorens for guaranteed good snow. Plus we can book the parking and it's 100 yards from the piste. The kids know the way round and we can let them go off by themselves if we need a break!
No EHU though, just a heated service point. You need a well winterised van, good heating and batteries, and a means to charge them up again.
Carrying chains is mandatory, although with a RWD Transit on all season tyres, we hardly have a use for them.

Lots of resorts have campsites and Aires (parking). Motorhomeski.com is a good resource.

 

[Chris lawrence]

Thanks for the info Jon. Are kids are 5 and 7 so perfect age to enjoy the motorhome experience. Currently using a vw t5, but they are a bit space limiting and lack the extra space needed for longer trips. Especially when it rains.

Would purchasing a 07 or 08 plate mh be a good investment for resale and reliability. They all seem to hold there value so well. Bit like the housing market, it seems the first purchase is always the biggest jump.

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[Mr Mousy]

My advice - buy an A class. We bought a British made Autosleeper C class kept it for a year. Sold it and bought a German made Hymer. Lots of reasons for us changing but save your self a few bob and buy an A class first time rather than second time! You won't regret it.

 

[ROB1CHELSEA1]

Have you looked at the Frankia motorhomes? Payloads good and double heated floor, a few on ebay are left hand drive with transverse bed last time i looked

Rob
Frankia owner

 

[Jagtazman]

I've just put a deposit down on a rapido a class which fits your requirements you just need to be aware of payloads. Thankfully I have c1 licence so above 3500kg okay for me, but from my research you will be hard pushed to get a family of 4 into a decent a class if you are limited to 3500kg.

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[Chris lawrence]

Yes want and OK to drive a 》3500 one. What about the german a class makes are some better than others (no rivalry just interested in opinions ) or just down to want u can find on the second hand market. From looking all the german a class seem to be good quality. Do any come winterised as standard? What to use to go skiing, and for trips over here during the UK winter time.

Appreciate all the help.

 

[Jenben]

Morning, well worth paying a subscription to join the forum to ask all the questions you want as you do your research. There are lots of very knowledgeable people on here.

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Hi & welcome to Motorhome'fun'
Join us, plenty of very experienced people on here

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[Speve]

I think you'll find most Hymers are winterised as standard we have an Exsis698 and it is winterised water and waste tanks have heating ducts to keep them warm and van is warm as toast the Hymer B (a class) has double floors.

 

[scotjimland]

Have a look at an older Hymer.. pre 2006 , I have.. a B644 G ..

double floor, fully winterised, drop down bed, double transverse bed, large garage, spare wheel, both grey and fresh tanks between floors.. heated if required.. 4,000 MAM ..

I only have three belted seats in an L shape lounge.. but it also comes with a dinette layout and four belted seats..

I have a 2001 Left hand drive model and it cost £21k ..only one careful previous owner .. bought from Becks in Yarmouth ..

there are other models with similar layouts ..
Hymer models and layouts here http://web.archive.org/web/20100706162748/http://www.dmiuk.com/sale_hylay.php

I wouldn't change it for anything else .. even a newer Hymer.. I love it..
I prefer simple electrics, so less to go wrong .. i.e... not an AES Fridge, simple Hymer control panel with just gauges and switches..

Solid woodwork, top quality counter tops and soft furnishings.. no rattles or squeaks .. built to last.. it will see me out.

Some details and pictures of mine here .. Broken Link Removed

with your budget you will get a 2006 model .. or buy older and keep your cash to add extras, like a sat dish, solar panels etc ..


Of course I am biased.. we all are, but have owned many vans .. German, British and American.. some cost a lot more than my Hymer, double in fact.. but it's the best i've had..

 

[Cavs]

I second the Frankia recommendation. We're on our second.

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[Deleted member 29692]

The other thing I would always recommend, regardless of what make/model you're looking at and especially for winter use, is Alde heating. It's fantastic and I can't see myself ever buying a van without it again.

 

[JeanLuc]

If you want a very high quality A-class, here is a fantastic 2002 Hymer S-Class. Possibly the best quality Hymer series ever built - they are solid as a rock.
For sale privately but listed via Peter Hambilton - a private Hymer dealer / service specialist who is regarded as one of the experts in the brand.

 

[eleanor rigby]

Hi. We started with a bongo, easy to drive and park but too small. Then an overcab coachbuilt for a couple of years.

Bought a hymer b674 recently and can endorse Phillips and scotjimlands comments. Quality construction, useable space and drives like a solid unit as opposed to a collection of rattly parts. Ours is a 2004 so far from new, recently had the big service and changed all the belts and she drives like a dream.

our old lab Maggie loves the kennel or is it a garage.

Good luck

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[Chris lawrence]

Thanks for the comments

 

[Chipster]

Frankia gotta be worth a look.