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Hi Folks
We are very new to this and are seeking the advice of seasoned motorhomers. Our background is one of many years camping but we are now at the stage where we are very seriously considering buying a van both to provide a little more comfort to our aging bodies but also to extend the opportunities for year round get-aways now that we have more time on our hands.
Our fundamental requirement is for a relatively small manoeuvrable 2 berth vehicle which would be at home both on Scottish Highland backroads and also continental touring. We would like to stay under the 6m length.
The research we have done so far has led us to complete indecision as to what style of vehicle would be most suitable for our purposes and we are unable to decide whether to go down the route of a small low-profile coachbuilt (Swift Bolero 600 EK or similar) or a panel van conversion (Autocruise Rhythm or similar). We can see real but very different advantages in each option. We also wondered which type of vehicle could be ‘winterised’ better.
We know it will come down to a personal decision at the end of the day but would appreciate any input from those who might have been in this position.
A spanner was thrown in the works recently when we saw an advert for a Hymer Exsis SK – now sadly sold – which took our fancy. It ticked a lot of our boxes but has added yet more confusion. Does anyone have experience of this vehicle or know where might be the best place to contact to hear if any other examples are likely to come onto the second-hand market?
Hi Celina, six years ago we set about and searched for a PVC.
After several months and many hundreds of miles of traveling we ended up with a Coachbuilt with a fixed bed. We soon learned that wherever a delivery lorry could get to so could we. At 6.5 metres it is not to different in length that some pvcs are. The extra width does have major space advantages.
I am sure that if we had been in a swb pvc the first three days of our recent trip to France we would have sold it or divorced.
Weather and space and 550 miles in a couple of days were the problems.
Visit some dealers or maybe look at short term hireing prior to making up your minds.
Dave p
______________________________________________________________ I never wish anyone dead, but I do take pleasure in reading some obituaries
We started off with a Hymer B544 which is actually a 4-5 berth but is perfect for just 2 of you with the drop down bed at the front, dinette & sofa in the middle and kitchen & bathroom at the back. It is 5.99m long.
You don't say what your budget is but if you want a fully winterised MH then you will need to get something post 2000 for a double floor. Ours was 1998 and only had the single floor.
Hi.
Had a PVC,on a Renault Master base,(Renault base super),but it had a rear lounge and at night in the winter months,you could feel the cold coming through the rear doors,one reason was the single pane glass in the back doors. Go around showrooms and sit in whatever takes your fancy for a couple of hours,they cost a lot of money so take your time.
Jented.
my wife and myself are mainly the only ones who use our MH - sometimes our son will come along with a friend.
Despite there being only the two of us I have a Bessacar 6 berth with a rear lounge. Why? The space is absolutley smashing! My idea of hell would be being cooped up into a tiny space watching the rain outside. A full size cooker, fridge, diner, lounge and toilet / shower for me I'm afraid. I'm 6 feet four and can stretch my legs out on one of the sofas to watch the tv as well.
My 6 berth is absolutley no more diificult to drive than was my previous 18 footer. In fact it handles better on the motorways. When I went to collect it I remember saying to friend who is a wagon driver that I was nervous about driving it and he said "Why? It just follows you. If the length bothers you don't look round". Truer words never spoken.
If my wife wants to watch TV and I don't I can sit on the laptop in the diner area and vice versa. If she wants to sit up and watch a film I can go to bed or vice versa. I love her to pieces but sometimes my own space is good. It's also great to be able to prepare a meal without someone sitting right next to you as you do it. The space, comfort and flexibility of that extra 3 or 4 feet far outweighs the slight niggle when it comes to reversing (which I do with with her indoors sitting on the back seat shouting out directions anyway!)
I can understand your desire to go sub 6 metres - we have thought about it but perhaps a couple of observations from our experience will help.
We have had 2 A class vans, both fully winterised (we live in Scotland). The first was 6metres a Pilote galaxy240 that I still think had a pretty good layout, kitchen and bathroom at the back mid lounge with 2 big sofas and drop down A class bed. This one is a Hymer b644 with rear lounge and J shaped front diner again with drop down A class bed and offers more flexibility. As has been said if you want a bit of space to do different things then having 2 areas helps. On the one occaision when our daughter stayed with us overnight we had 2 completely separate bedroom areas.
In terms of size, we drive down lots of narrow Scottish roads with no problem. Having looked at actual widths of PVC compared to our A class there is only an inch or 2 in it unless you go for a smaller short wheelbase model. The main problem with the PVC's we have looked at is the difficulty in winterising them - we have been out in -12 and stayed cosy with no worries about tanks freezing (double floor).
The other massive advantage of the 2 vans we have owned is the payload. Last year we wandered down through the burgundy region of France stopping at Aires and France Passion sites in vineyards. We brought back 110 bottles of wine and still had room for more if needed - can't do that in a PVC
As for driving it - once you are behind the wheel it really isn't a problem
Sit in as many as you can before deciding and perhaps investigate hiring any likely ones first from one of the companies that offers 'hire before you buy'
good luck in your search
Chris
edit: I would highly recommend a reversing camera - takes all the stress out of manouevring in a small space
After caravaning for 25 years, we have had 3 motor homes so far and its very unlikely that we will return to caravaning.
Our first was a coach built. Bessacarr E410, which was well liked.
Faults were - a bit small. Rattles. bit short of power.
The second was a van conversion. Trigano Tribute. Big mistake for us, only kept it for a few months.
The good points, quiet - few rattles, handy to drive, very good heater, narrower vehicle than the Bessacarr.
The bad, not good for lounging in, very draughty in windy weather, poor door seals, both rear and side doors, wash room was much too small, high level lockers poor shape, thing fell out when the doors were opened, water tank inboard - this is not a good idea, no oven, but most of all, there was just not enough space.
Third (current) Elddis Autoquest 140. We like this, (for the price, we just didn't feel comfortable spending more and we wanted a fairly new model van) though its not without faults, few are, we think.
The good - space - lots of it, good for lounging in, comfortable, good level of kit, has everything which we need. Plenty of power, economical 33 - 35 mpg. Good to drive.
The bad - Water tanks (both underfloor) are only 45 litres capacity, should really be 60 litres. Heater is Truma gas/electric one, which works well, but rattles a lot. An underfloor diesel heater would be better, (as it was in the Tribute). The shower and wash room are a bit dismal, though not impossible. Vehicle suspension gives a hard firm ride.
Lessons learnt, for us (2 berths), definitely prefer coach built. Though next time (if ever) we change, we will look very carefully at low line models with a softer suspension
We think you should consider first - your budget, don't go over, think about what you will use it for, your priorities should be that which you do most of and therefore should be higher up on your list.
Be methodical, make a list of your needs, sort in order of preference, make sure everything you expect is included, state the obvious, then go and haggle and haggle, be particular about what you buy.
Whatever the final price the dealer says it is, knock a further £2K off (at least) and then walk away. You might well be surprised. Go back another day. When buying or selling you should never be in a rush.
Hi
We liked the Hymer Exsis SK layout but they are fairly rare though there was one in auto trader and one on fleabay the other day.
We went down the PVC route Sea Sloop 5 and it fits what we want to do. fairly well winterised and a decent build quality.
As others have said get out there and view as many as you can.
Lots of variations on layouts and build quality and cost.
Worth considering 'Try before you Buy' which is offered by some dealers where you have the vehicle of your choice for a long weekend then,if you decide to buy, they refund half(or more) of the hire charge. Sounds like good insurance considering the amount involved, compared to the price you pay for a vehicle
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