New Bessacarr E435

Hello and a belated welcome to the Bessacarr fraternity (the cheaper end)
:wink:
We think the 400 range is a great van for the money, and the Bessacarr livery may look a little retro, but it has attracted a lot of compliments.
I think you will find things you are delighted with, and things that disappoint you, but overall I expect you will find the quality to be as good as vans that cost a lot more.

After a year with our 460, we would like:-
A bit more pressure from the shower
Longer curtains and blinds
A habitation door that doesn't need to be slammed
Gas struts to hold the rear seats up when getting the bedding out
External silver screens as the blinds are a bit scrappy
Another 2 weeks holiday

Let us know how you are finding yours

O

Many thanks O and Mike for your replies!

Although I think I'm encountering some teething problems, so far we are generally happy with the van. We have camped in three sites now staying at least four nights each time and the clock now reads a little less than 1,000 miles. We are still adapting to motorhoming but me and my wife are sure that it is a good investment. The children too, they enjoy every second in it! I managed to install a 21" flat screen tv which kept them busy on wet days whilst out. Sometimes, the children will ask to sleep in it just parked in front of our house.

O, you were right mentioning things which could improve the van but to be perfectly honest, I really didn't notice them before I read your post. What I didn't like initially was the hot water switch being under the seat in the dinette. As I have child seats on that dinette seat, I find it a job to turn the water heater on. I've now installed another switch in the wardrobe for this, so heating the water when on EHU is easier. I also experience a problem (very annoying) in reversing but I understand this is a common issue with the Fiat chassis- I still hope this can be resolved! There is definitely a problem with my fridge but I was reassured by my dealer that they will do all to get it sorted (even if it meant replacing the whole unit) in the soonest possible time. I left the van with them today to get it fixed and for an aerial installation. So far, these are the only dissatisfactions I have and I hope not to find any more.

We're going to Perth for a week to visit a friend and try a bit of wild camping. Any suggestions where to camp or park?

Hi Merit

Glad you're enjoying your van
I wish I had the know-how to move the switch from under the seat; I'm not too confident with electrics

We always put the hot water on when we're on site in case the showers are iffy (occasionally tripping out the electrics when we put the kettle on at the same time)

Maybe we're not "serious campers" like some of the fraternity, because we use a domestic kettle, ordinary pots & pans, Wilko sleeping bags we bought for our first camper van in 1990
We haven't really personalised the van or made it feel too homely and we've never bothered buying the bits and pieces that I see others using. In fact we are a bit minimalist (totally opposite to at home)

Our van judders a little when reversing up the drive, but I'm going to use it a bit longer before I knock on Fiats door

For weekends and short breaks we tend to use Camping & Caravanning Club sites as there tends to be some consistency of quality
But we also look at reviews on the UK Campsites website if we are wanting a commercial site especially for longer stays

Otto