Forums

steadyeddie

Well we have been truly bitten by this motorhome bug - two weekends away in Arthur have convinced us that its the best thing since sliced bread and we are now considering upgrading

Partly this has been brought on by my worries over payload and also by daughters reluctance to travel in arthur cos he's ancient!!! Rolling Eyes

We are actually considering buying new!!! argh scary Confused

- never bought anything so expensive - even house was cheaper than most new vans when we bought back in '85 Very Happy

However the piont of this post is to ask -
A. which dealers offer good service and which dealers offer bad
B. which model/make would you buy - it has to be five birth
C. do you have any other tips

Andysam

If you want to spend as little as possible and try the "budget" market, a McLouis 410 fits the bill well and isn't a monster to drive. It was on our shortlist but overlooked it for a better specced Autocruise (big mistake!).

Don Amott are the importer, who have had some bad press lately, but prior to this I heard nothing but good things. You can get 410's all over the country now, so you are able to pick a dealer near you.

If LHD doesn't bother you there is a company in Bielefeld, Germany which sells very well specced ones on ebay ie. 2.3 engine, sat system etc for about £1000 less than a standard UK one (after vat), but there doesn't seen to be any auctions at the moment, but they are regular listers.

You should be aiming around the (sit down) £22k mark Exclamation

BillD

This is very tricky question to answer - there are a huge number of variables.
I would advise being as sure as possible of the layout that you want as no.1 priority.
Set a budget to spend as much as you can afford.
I may be a little controversial here but Hymer and Pilote build quality is far above most other 'vans. (Look in magazines, etc and see how many faults and complaints you see compared with the huge numbers there are around)
If you intend to use it on the continent go for LHD.
If you do import a 'van you can save a lot of money (between 10 and 20%). My example, I bought a 5 yr old Hymer B644 in Belgium for £17,500 and sold it in this country five years later for £16,000 (easilly!). I have now gone up to a B694 to get that bit more load carrying, update and slight quality and layout improvement.
If you think of importing, contact Nick Legg of Bundesvan, 01803 606335,
www.bundesvan.co.uk I can recommend him - only connection a satisfied customer.
I hope this gives you something to think about,
BillD

BarryandSue

Not that you're likely to travel to the South Coast, but if you were to ask me to recommend Stewart Mouland in Peacehaven, I'm afraid that I could [u:e319645e00]not[/u:e319645e00]. Shame on you

I'll say no more on that.

As far as choice, I'd sit down, and list all the things that you [u:e319645e00]like[/u:e319645e00] about Arthur, the things that you [u:e319645e00]would like[/u:e319645e00] Arthur to have, and finally the things that you [u:e319645e00]don't[/u:e319645e00] like about poor old Arthur. You'll start to get some kind of perspective then (head overruling heart, and all that).

Consider also that we're over half way through "the season" for fine-weather camping, and unless you motorhome all through the year, maybe wait for winter bargains at dealers and shows. Winter is a lean time for dealers, as the most they can generally hope for are orders for next year. Actually moving a 'van off the forecourt in January could be a novelty! So you could get a good deal, particularly on "last year's" model.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Smile

Barry

Motorhomersimpson · Moderator

Try and have a look at the CI Mizar, okay it’s a seven birth but reality is a very comfortable five berth.

Price is reasonable for what you get, and the quality is very good.

We travel as a family of 4 sometimes 5 and the space inside is excellent,
The equipment level is very good too.

I got mine from Davan caravans in Weston, finding a dealer with one can be tricky though.

Good luck and enjoy looking around.

Homer Very Happy

dodger148

Having just done a price to change exercise the one that came out tops is probably your nearest dealer,(to Scarborough) Cleveland Motorhomes. Robsons at Wolsingham also have a good reputation.
What to buy - well that debate will go on for ever