Poor quality in motorhomes?

Oh yes. I'd have to say that ( though my experience is v limited so they might not ALL be like that)....

The 2009 Ducato I drove and poked about in felt very flimsy. Not just in terms if the interior (which gave the impression. Of being very cheap simply cos it was such lightweight material with a veneer on) but in the way it felt when driven.

I could FEEL the thing flexing on its chassis riding over the uneven crap that passes for our A roads. No wonder people worry and complain about coachbuilts suffering from damp and leaks if they wobble about like this one did. It felt about as robust as it would trying to go rallying on an MFI wardrobe!

It's got to be nigh on impossible for the joints between all those sandwich construction panels the bodies are made from to maintain integrity if the whole show is blancmanging about as you drive along surely?
 
GRWXJR said:
I'm guessing WendyWo went to AAA (I think they are called) in Carmarthen. They have masses of coachbuilts there.

Never been in there myself - no point cos can't afford one but have seen a few when they have brought them to the firm next door for MoT. Also my boss has a 2009 Ducato based jobbie that I have clambered all over and driven.

Newer stuff like that is dead easy to drive - just like huge car. But they feel like they'd blow away in a light breeze and seems they have to build them out of very lightweight stuff to make such a big body and cram so much in yet stay under weight limits.

Although faster and simple to drive I doubt there's much better mpg on new stuff. My boss certainly doesn't get mpg to shout about. Part of this is the sheer size of coachbuilts I think, combined with the fact that cos they'll do highish speeds without seeming stressed so they get driven faster and burn the juice up.

Anyway as others have said - the prices mean that if you buy an older decent van then the cost saving pays for a vast amount of fuel!

I have a cheapo and unfancied LDV Convoy selfbuild which won't win any beauty or quality contests but if I was ever to buy a coachbuilt I think I'd be chasing down an older Hymer or similar. Not thrilled by the new stuff anyhow and don't need or want all the toys and gadgets in them.
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:wave:
Thank you for this reply it seems you know just what I am talking about. It was a big disappointment looking around them. I have never before had the money to even enter these places but I have managed to save for this dream and really want to get the best for my money that I can. I am happy to travel and wait for the right one. I am really glad I joined this site because I am getting a real insight to the many variations I never knew existed.
I am glad there are good ones out there I just needed this sort of help to find one Thank you:camper:
 
When Kathy and I were looking we had a budget of £20k, we eventually spend just over £7K and were glad we did, the quality is great and the depreciation will be tiny if we ever sell on. I love driving it because its older and not so sanitized as newer vehicles can be, ours has had a turbo fitted at some point, more for economy than speed apparently, plus it has the luxury of power steering, driving it reminds me on being on a canal boat just sitting back enjoying the scenery at a relaxed pace.
 
I can vouch for the turning circle its better than any of my Alfas, but they have the turning circle of an oil tanker :boat:
 
For what its worth i have a Toyota Hiace, Japan import, Reimo conversion, i know its not a coach built but the quility of build is fantastic. Last year we called at Brownhills in Newark on the way to Waddington air show and spent a couple of hours poking prodding etc etc. If Staff had given us the option to drive away in anything there free of charge it would still have been the one we arrived in. :cool:
 
siimplyloco said:
Here's a review of a Hymer 640 just like ours, except we have a four seat dinette.
UKMotorhomes.net - Owner reviews - Hymer Starline 640

Bought in Germany and driven back by the new lady owner. Her main complaint was about the large table, and we agreed and we have addressed that one. See thread http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums...-folding-dining-table-hymer-640-starline.html for info
John
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Good article....I am staring to love these Hymers they always looked a bit bulky to me but I really want to try one out now:wave: brilliant table well done if I buy a Hymer with a big table can I bring it to you for one.;)...very neat idea:wave:
 
I do have to say that I've liked all the older Hymers I've seen. Despite being boxy and often with acres of beiges and browns I find they have a certain something, some character and charm that I just can't see in other stuff. Maybe it's the fact that they are a bit dated and odd looking that somehow works for them instead of against them. Practical and a bit quirky is how I see them.

Each to their own I guess. I wouldn't rely too much on my taste as an indicator though cos of the fact that I actually enjoy and have a strange fondness for my old LDV that defies explanation. I know a lot of people would hate it and would not be seen dead in it, but I like it!
 
Hi wendywo

I have read this thread with a lot of interest being initially drawn to the initial question of poor quality.

We bought a new burstner from a dealer in Germany and like so many others we have had our problems too it does seem to come as part of the standard "kit". Nothing really serious fortunately.

The problem is not all to do with the end builders though. They do all seem to install products from dometic, (fridges, freezer, sink,) thetford (toilet etc) truma (water heater and heating) and of course fiat, Mercedes ford etc for the engines. When these intrinsic parts go wrong one tends to think it is the motorhome manufacturers fault but it isn't always. And not wishing to create another thread, trying to get the parts sorted out under warranty is a nightmare. Dealers in the uk do not want to get their hands dirty with a problem unless you bought the motorhome from them.....something else that needs sorting out. Europewide warranty... I don't think so.

We keep a defect list on the go at all times and try and resolve each problem as it comes along but being out of the uk for a long time makes getting the parts a bit more difficult.

In helping you choose your m/h you need to be sure what you want it for...is it just a holiday/weekend retreat or are you going to live on board?

Are you going to wildcamp or are you going to only stay on campsites? (We have lived on board since June 2012 and only been on site about 10 nights or so.) if you are going on sites then you can enjoy (lol) 240 volts and buy a microwave. If not then buy a good set of saucepans and a pressure cooker and a BBQ ..that's all you need!

Finally where are you going to travel... Uk or abroad... If the latter then consider a left hand drive.

Think I might start a new advisory business when we get back!

Hope that helps, happy travelling

Channelcrosser
Southern Sicily going round clockwise!
 
Well I am hoping to stay under 7mtr for the cost of ferry crossings plus this will be my first motorhome so not sure how big I can manage yet I want to travel around uk and Europe I started thinking under 6m thinking smaller easier to drive but this is now changing reading through the posts here so this all a learning curve for me as you can see.
Hymer seem to have a big fan club so definitely going to try them out thank for taking the time to add this post very helpful:)
 
most camper vans ,i am not realy including coach built ones but ordinary vans converted into camper vans are basically builder fodder and as such the mechanical s are or should should be up to the job ,but the interior that's where most of the problems are ,and as a normal van can be purchased for a mere few grand new but when its converted to a camper its price virtually doubles in price you would think that decent fittings could be used .in my opinion new vans are a bit of a rip off much better to buy a new van and then if your not up to fitting it out yourself then employ a joiner to do the job for you ,ok you still may be paying virtually the same price as one off the shelf but you will have a better quality van and one that realy suits your needs
 
I bought a 16 year old Hymer Starliner700 in May last year for £22k. Mercedes Automatic (non tiptronic!!) twin rear wheels (not tag) two double beds and built like the proverbial brick S**thouse.

Having never owned a caravan or MH before, my idea was to buy a 'cheaper' MH to see if I liked roaming Europe and then, if I did, I would buy a new/almost new MH.

Having spent almost 6 months in The Beast and having looked around many new MH's on sites in Europe, I have come to the conclusion that I am better off keeping what I have rather than spending at least another £70K on a new 'plastic fantastic'.

The Beast has all the Big Boys Toys a man could need and it all works!! I thought hard the other day about what I could upgrade when I get home and the sum total of my list was to upgrade the interior lighting to LED.

The interior is in excellent condition because the previous owners looked after her brilliantly and all the woodwork is solid wood, not MDF. The only downside is that the engine is not emission compliant, but there is nothing I can do about that. Not being emission compliant has not proved to be a problem in Europe, and of course the only place that goes totally overboard on the Emission Zone is the UK with virtually everything inside the M25 being a no go area!!

I find it very frightening listening to owners complaints about the build quality on £70k+ motorhomes. It almost seems that the more you pay, the worse the problems are!!!

Pleased as I am with my Hymer, I see a lot of the older 'coffee and cream' Hymers which were the previous generation. To see 20+ year old vehicles storming along and still looking good is a tribute to the way the older Hymers were built. Having just had a look inside a brand new Hymer, it all looked a little too plastic for my taste, so I will stick to The Beast.

Anyway, The Beast and I recently towed an Autotrail off some very soft ground and I found out why rear wheel drive through four wheels is a great advantage!! I have been on a steep learning curve since last May, but I would not change it for the world.
 
wendywo said:
Well I am hoping to stay under 7mtr for the cost of ferry crossings plus this will be my first motorhome so not sure how big I can manage yet I want to travel around uk and Europe I started thinking under 6m thinking smaller easier to drive but this is now changing reading through the posts here so this all a learning curve for me as you can see.
Hymer seem to have a big fan club so definitely going to try them out thank for taking the time to add this post very helpful:)
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I have just booked my 8m Hymer S700 on a P&O Ferry at the end of March on Calais to Dover for £54 one way!! My outbound journey last August was £62. One passenger, no dogs.

Own a dog, and the ferry companies rub their hands with glee!!!

I was very surprised (and very pleased!!!) to discover that taking a MH from Dover to Calais was as cheap as it was. I was expecting to pay a lot more when I first thought of buying a MH.

Mind you, if you book Plymouth to Sandanter, you will think you are buying the ferry, not just booking a passage!!
 
My Hymer584 is 6mtrs long and Dover to Calais is £35, because it is a 2002 I don't have a problem inside the M25 so if that is important to you go for 2002 or newer
I have never needed to go London in 12yrs so it would not have mattered anyway
 
Having seen the signs when driving near the smoke I'm aware of there existence, but have just looked at what it means for me, £100 a day mmmm think I will just give London a miss then.
 
K9d said:
Having seen the signs when driving near the smoke I'm aware of there existence, but have just looked at what it means for me, £100 a day mmmm think I will just give London a miss then.
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nowadays london i wouldn't visit if they payed me 100 quid to visit
 
tezza33 said:
My Hymer584 is 6mtrs long and Dover to Calais is £35, because it is a 2002 I don't have a problem inside the M25 so if that is important to you go for 2002 or newer
I have never needed to go London in 12yrs so it would not have mattered anyway
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Yes I had seen the 584 was 6mtrs I was suprized because it looked bigger I am trying to find one to get a good look at it and a feel for the driving:wave:
 
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