Quality Built Motorhomes??

Okta said:
The Hymer I had was well built and the Carthago I now have seems even better finished.
Click to expand...

Now your just posing Okta. :)
looked at a 7 m Carthago at the NEC lovely van.
If they built a 6m A class we would have considered it.
 
I have a Carthago and it’s truly outstanding, although it had minor faults but all very minor. I am quite active on the fb owners group and vast majority love them. Having said that a member recently sold after 12 months saying it was a nightmare. That is the only member I know off who has had serious faults and we have around 500 vans or roughly 1000 people as members. Bar going Concorde/Morello I don’t think there is a better built van. This is our 4th van, all German and happy with our previous Burstners and Globecar.
 
2cv said:
Wingamm make lovely vans, but of course you pay for the quality compared to more mainstream manufacturers, who these days are just badges on vans made by large groups.
I‘m also impressed by the finish on Moto trek vans, though this can be at the expense of payload in some models.
Click to expand...
Have to agree on wingamm purely on mono construction moto trek are made a couple of miles from me I had a look at them was put of by short warranty 12 months then passed over to insurance warranty. I was also concerned about slide out side problems.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2cv
I've had four motorhomes to date, two Italian and two German, the two German vans were without doubt far better quality, the Hymer A class didn't really give any trouble over the eleven year I owned it, the Geist (built by LMC, now part of Hymer Group) I think was the best motorhome I've owned, it was virtually rattle free and gave no problems at all in the three years I owned it, I only changed it due to the high mileage 50,000 miles and wife falling in love with the Hymer.
 
Our first van was a IH and it's build quality up there with the best of them,but it does come at a cost. Would have love to buy another one but cost was not in our budget.😪
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2cv
We‘ve had a Burstner and a Frankia and are now on a Hymer. All good well built vans, keeping each for around 5 or 6 years before parting with them for reasons other than being disappointed with them. I consider that the Hymer is the best built of them all, with Frankia fairly close behind and the Burstner a bit behind that.
 
How does it work when you buy a new van. I would not be happy to pay more than a small deposit until every system had been fully demonstrated to me. I would want to check the charger voltage on landline , the voltage on the habs with the engine running. Electrolyte level. The hot water on all taps. The central heating. All hob burners, cooker oven and grill , fridge cooling. All door hinges and catches. Toilet flush. All window fits. All external doors and hatches. Fit and locking and seals( visual). Also I would go over with my damp meter( I am lucky enough to have a pinless one). Visual inspection on all cushion seams and upholstery. Window operation, blinds and flyscreens. Roof hatch operation, flyscreen and blind. Ditto roof vents. Bed operation, if not fixed. Tv if fitted. Van base checks as usual. Lights indicators horn wipers heater radio lighter socket etc . Then exterior visual check. Date code on tyres and proper rating. Cab doors, windscreen and glass, Visual cab to body join. Window fitting from outside visual with windows opened and closed. Visual check landline socket and waterfill. Gas locker. Regulator vis check and gas system working with bottle fitted. Position of gas valves inside van Visual check of body hatches and door alignment and colour. Secureness check of anybother fittings. (Bike rack etc)
Road test at least a couple of miles
Then and only then would I pay the balance
So often do you hear " it wasnt till we got it home that we noticed"
 
When i was in the motor trade folks came in to buy a used or new car,they never ask for the hood to be opened or anything else for that mater,the hubby got in and sat a while while the sales team gave his wife a big bunch of flowers,deal done and dusted,fact is 99% of people no nothing of the second biggest asset they buy in there life next to a home,and they buy them blind to.
 
Martin P said:
How does it work when you buy a new van. I would not be happy to pay more than a small deposit until every system had been fully demonstrated to me. I would want to check the charger voltage on landline , the voltage on the habs with the engine running. Electrolyte level. The hot water on all taps. The central heating. All hob burners, cooker oven and grill , fridge cooling. All door hinges and catches. Toilet flush. All window fits. All external doors and hatches. Fit and locking and seals( visual). Also I would go over with my damp meter( I am lucky enough to have a pinless one). Visual inspection on all cushion seams and upholstery. Window operation, blinds and flyscreens. Roof hatch operation, flyscreen and blind. Ditto roof vents. Bed operation, if not fixed. Tv if fitted. Van base checks as usual. Lights indicators horn wipers heater radio lighter socket etc . Then exterior visual check. Date code on tyres and proper rating. Cab doors, windscreen and glass, Visual cab to body join. Window fitting from outside visual with windows opened and closed. Visual check landline socket and waterfill. Gas locker. Regulator vis check and gas system working with bottle fitted. Position of gas valves inside van Visual check of body hatches and door alignment and colour. Secureness check of anybother fittings. (Bike rack etc)
Road test at least a couple of miles
Then and only then would I pay the balance
So often do you hear " it wasnt till we got it home that we noticed"
Click to expand...

All very well Martin, but you could do all of this and faults could still develop.
Also even this list does not cover many things hidden out of site, also trying to figure out how things work can take a long time. And until you have mastered much of the equipment these checks would be difficult. On returning home I found that the fresh water pump had been fitted wrong way round meaning the filter cover could not be removed. Also the alarm system should have had a detector fitted in the bonnet, but none was installed. These issues were sorted by the dealer and the alarm company.
We spent a night on a CL close to the dealer before heading home.
 
Absolutely agreed Mr Fisherman
I spent quite a few years building quite complex narrowboats it was a bit of an eye opener for me when we bought our first secondhand motorhome. Yes having specced and fitted various systems to boats gave me a background idea of how things should have worked it wasn't quite as simple as it should have been. The hot water system had a dreadful splutter which as it was a system i had no knowledge of i didn't know if it was normal or not. As it happened the non return valve in the micro switch activated pump had failed which took some time to work out. When you are not sure how things are supposed to behave it can be quite bewildering.
I accept my list above is not 100% comprehensive it represents the minimum i would go through. I have repaired many systems on our mh so now understand quite well how most of them work. For someone with less experience on mh i would advise taking an experienced campaigner with them to help carry out the checks.
As you so rightly say things can still be missed so i would try to buy from a dealer who was reasonably close
 
When you consider what goes into building a modern Motorhome, it would be a minor miracle if nothing was wrong. It’s all about how problems are dealt with, rather than trying to build or buy something which is flawless. I remember buying my first van, I was given a canvas bag full of instructions, it took me about ten days to patiently work my way through all of these. I would carefully read through them whilst using the peace of equipment at the same time.
what I look for is a good warranty, and my roller team comes with a 10 year water ingress warranty and a five year habitation warranty.
Another thing I see on here are comments on dealers. Well I have ran a small business now for 30 years, I will be selling up and retiring this year. I have always tried to be good to my customers, but I know that some will be unhappy. You cannot please everyone, and those that shout the loudest are not the happy ones who make up the vast majority. It’s the unhappy ones some of who are unrealistic and unreasonable.
No matter what you buy a Hymer, chausson, auto trail, Bailey you are almost certain to find somethings wrong, that’s only a problem if the dealership lets you down. And they rely heavily on their reputations, and hope to deal with you and your friends in the future.
 
Fisherman said:
When you consider what goes into building a modern Motorhome, it would be a minor miracle if nothing was wrong. It’s all about how problems are dealt with, rather than trying to build or buy something which is flawless. I remember buying my first van, I was given a canvas bag full of instructions, it took me about ten days to patiently work my way through all of these. I would carefully read through them whilst using the peace of equipment at the same time.
what I look for is a good warranty, and my roller team comes with a 10 year water ingress warranty and a five year habitation warranty.
Another thing I see on here are comments on dealers. Well I have ran a small business now for 30 years, I will be selling up and retiring this year. I have always tried to be good to my customers, but I know that some will be unhappy. You cannot please everyone, and those that shout the loudest are not the happy ones who make up the vast majority. It’s the unhappy ones some of who are unrealistic and unreasonable.
No matter what you buy a Hymer, chausson, auto trail, Bailey you are almost certain to find somethings wrong, that’s only a problem if the dealership lets you down. And they rely heavily on their reputations, and hope to deal with you and your friends in the future.
Click to expand...

When you consider the cost of a new motorhome, I would expect nothing but very minor issues to be wrong - and I mean VERY minor issues! You're effectively buying a "mini house" on wheels, and with the prices charged for new motorhomes you can still buy a substantial house in some parts of the country. They are a luxury/leisure item after all, and I'm afraid I would expect it to be fully functional and near-perfect for the amount of dosh you have to fork out.

Guess that would put me in the "awkward customer" bracket! 😉 😂 😁

Yes, some customers have unrealistic expectations and will always nit-pick over things that are neither bad quality nor very important, and a lot is down to personal standards and taste. If the wife wants the latest fashionista kitchen/bathroom in the motorhome to be "this year's colour" and match the one you have at home then expect to be paying through the nose.

For many people owning a motorhome will always remain an unattainable dream, much like owning their own property is now well out of reach for a lot of the younger generation in the UK.

I am just very grateful that we have the luxury of a camper van again, even if it is an old (but quality!) girl.

But even if I became a millionaire overnight I wouldn't spend a single penny on ANY of the new motorhomes out there.

I would definitely self-build (or get someone to build it for me).
It's about time more women got into designing layouts and taught some of these motorhome manufacturers a thing or two! 😝 😂 🤣
 
Marie have you thought about a roof garden and hanging baskets on the w/mirrors.
You are correct and i do think the girls should and could put more in,sad fact is to many would rather be doing there nails as apposed to getting them dirty,my wife can strip a car down and knows what all the parts are and where they go,simply by watching and getting the hands dirty,and why not.
 
Fisherman said:
When you consider what goes into building a modern Motorhome, it would be a minor miracle if nothing was wrong. It’s all about how problems are dealt with, rather than trying to build or buy something which is flawless. I remember buying my first van, I was given a canvas bag full of instructions, it took me about ten days to patiently work my way through all of these. I would carefully read through them whilst using the peace of equipment at the same time.
what I look for is a good warranty, and my roller team comes with a 10 year water ingress warranty and a five year habitation warranty.
Another thing I see on here are comments on dealers. Well I have ran a small business now for 30 years, I will be selling up and retiring this year. I have always tried to be good to my customers, but I know that some will be unhappy. You cannot please everyone, and those that shout the loudest are not the happy ones who make up the vast majority. It’s the unhappy ones some of who are unrealistic and unreasonable.
No matter what you buy a Hymer, chausson, auto trail, Bailey you are almost certain to find somethings wrong, that’s only a problem if the dealership lets you down. And they rely heavily on their reputations, and hope to deal with you and your friends in the future.
Click to expand...

Having looked for a long time for my first (and only) van, I took the risk and bought it new with no warranty. I did see that it looked very well put together so decided to take the risk as it was just what I wanted. As things turned out the only work needed in what would have been the warranty period was a small job on the base vehicle so was covered by Renault. I think that it’s more important to go for a quality build than to rely on a warranty to put problems right, especially if buying a long way from home.
 
Marie you mentioned buying a new home.

www.theguardian.com

More than half of new-build homes in England 'have major faults'

Shelter survey finds 51% of owners of recent new builds experience problems including construction, fittings and utilities
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

And that’s homes with major faults, not a chipped kitchen worktop, or a cracked roof tile. My own home had a leak in my roof due to flashing being to narrow on my dormer. But the fault did not show up for 8 years, luckily within the nhbc warranty.

Also you said you would never buy a new Motorhome, but would buy second hand. Well you are far more likely to get a major fault on a second hand Motorhome than a new one, and possibly with no or a reduced warranty. Many people sell their Motorhomes because they have had a lot of bother with them, or they have a nagging fault when they sell them.

All I am trying to say is it’s better to expect a fault because when buying a new home or a new Motorhome the odds are you will either find one initially or after some use. What’s really important is the back up you receive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top