How come we cannot build a decent Motorhome in the Uk ...

QFour

QFour

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Went to Lowdhams for a coffee at the weekend and decided to have a look round the Motorhomes. Had a look in a new Swift and not that impressed with the finish especially the door that would not shut as the frame was in the way. Next we looked at a Bailey. Same habitation door as the Swift. Even had the same cooker with the redundant hot plate. This one had trim that was falling off round the front. A cupboard door that was hanging at a funny angle and a habitation door stay that was loose where it fastens to the door frame. Heard a salesman going on about the quality of the German products pity he could not say the same about the Uk built ones. Thrown together by workers who get paid on the number they churn out.

Distinct shortage of A Class MH's

..
 
there are loads of quality m,homes in the uk.
they are called self builds , they have cookers with ovens and grills . they have instantanious water heaters 240v fridges or fridge /freezers . lots worktop areas for good cooking made easier. also have gas lockers for sensible sized 19kg gas bottles .
you can build yours ?????? or can you????????
germans etc have always built horrible conversions with poor kitchens etc .
years ago j,p, white made the best conversions later called devon . shame it got sold when he died it slowly got not so good . but in truth have the germans ever made a good conversion?
i dont think so. the french no better . just look ok but dont work very well.
 
Not just UK vans, I've been shocked by the very poor finishing of lots of vans at shows.
 
2cv said:
Not just UK vans, I've been shocked by the very poor finishing of lots of vans at shows.
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Unfortunately it is not just the finish , it's the quality of the components and electronic systems and wireing ,gauges that cannot be relied on .panel joints that are bound to leak after time .and dealer's that don't want to know once they have your money .But they do look nice and shiney in the showrooms .
 
On Sunday the wife and I went and looked at new and used vans ,swifts churned out ,Elldis churned out ,a fair amount out chausson s ,frightening ,what goes through my head is the qaulity is not there ,how much will they be valued at in six years when most are taking them over ten yearsu .my old Hymer I wouldn’t swap for them ,
I keep going back to German made vans .mmmmm,dilemma? Me thinks not ,my head is now sorted!!
 
IMO UK manufacturers are stuck in the caravan mode with some still using wood as a framework while Europe has left them behind. Although it's down to personal preference no UK manufacturers offer anything that appeals to us.
 
davep10000 said:
Its a real shame that the Japanese motorhomes arent readily available in UK as the quality of them is phenomenal.

I have an old vantech one, and the materials used, and attention to detail are those of traditional craftsmen.

Have a look at this webpage (use google translate) to see what the Japanese get...

キャンピングカー ラインナップ | キャンピングカーのバンテック

Dave.
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They do look well made but still pricy that first one 10,000000 yen £76000 then the import stuff tax vat
That’s probably why we don’t get them I’ve seen a couple here small4x4 type they look the part like wee tanks probably bought second hand due to the Japanese escalating tax on older vehicles after 3 year old they charge a bomb on emissions tax I’d love to see inside one
 
...Or can we?

Has anyone on this forum with the huge wealth of information and knowhow available, thought of forming a consortiom to build the ideal motorhome which looks stunning and distinctive, is well built, reliable, durable, functional, enjoyable and above all affordable? :idea::idea::idea:
 
Looser cruiser said:
They do look well made but still pricy that first one 10,000000 yen £76000 then the import stuff tax vat
That’s probably why we don’t get them I’ve seen a couple here small4x4 type they look the part like wee tanks probably bought second hand due to the Japanese escalating tax on older vehicles after 3 year old they charge a bomb on emissions tax I’d love to see inside one
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All with built in GENERATORS hehehe.
 
the new wildax are built with thinner materials and tamber doors i am happy with mine ok it needs some little jobs doing on it but it is 2003 and has been used well
 
loulou said:
Has anyone on this forum with the huge wealth of information and knowhow available, thought of forming a consortiom to build the ideal motorhome which looks stunning and distinctive, is well built, reliable, durable, functional, enjoyable and above all affordable? :idea::idea::idea:
Click to expand...

Can you imagine what this lot would come up with.
4X4 and forty tons to accommodate everything that they have in their house,
and more that's needed on the road.
 
Bigusdickus said:
IMO UK manufacturers are stuck in the caravan mode with some still using wood as a framework while Europe has left them behind. Although it's down to personal preference no UK manufacturers offer anything that appeals to us.
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I have always thought this, they build them with a caravan mentality which is not the same.
 
As someone who has only just come to motorhomes I can offer a different view. For folks who are buying a motorhome for odd weekends and their yearly holiday the caravan mentality is probably about right. People with caravans seem to love what they are like or at least the ones who I work with do. You can pay £40k or more for a caravan now so realistically build quality has to be influenced by what people want to pay.

I hadn't considered a motorhome until fairly recently as at this stage in life and needing an automatic I could not afford even the cheapest new model unless I sold the house and used that money to buy it (dont want finance as I am not intending working past this year). Initially I hadn't thought of second hand past a couple of years because I thought they may be high maintenance (probably right there but time will tel :) )

What I didn't like in a lot of new ones wasn't the build quality but the colour schemes or layouts. I didn't look at many though and not at a show, could part of it be that they get mistreated at shows with masses of folks pulling and pushing at fittings to test?

If we were all willing (and able) to spend £160k or upwards I am fairly sure we would be able to find something we were happy with, but then we probably wouldn't like the size :)
 
It needs to be remembered that most of the market are people that visit campsites and the use is occasional weeks and weekends, the manufacturers probably serve that segment quite well.

Everything is built to a price, and quality is remembered long after the price but that is the stumbling block consumers aren't prepared to pay that along witt he cartel mentality of the caravan industry

Channa
 
loulou said:
Has anyone on this forum with the huge wealth of information and knowhow available, thought of forming a consortiom to build the ideal motorhome which looks stunning and distinctive, is well built, reliable, durable, functional, enjoyable and above all affordable? :idea::idea::idea:
Click to expand...

Good idea, let's call it Hymer. ;)
 
the biggest problen i think is so many do buy m,homes but think with the campsite dweller /caravan club mentality.
i use a m,home to try and get away from that sort of person .
as it is i do tow a caravan . well living van.
but i can say there are lots of nice campers out there that function well are strongly built and have been used and lived in for years .
there are loads that we see every year driving around abroad . but i also know they usually think like me and avoid the campsite dweller mentality folk . there does seem to be alot transfering to m,homes as they get older . could be the end of it all soon.
 
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