Which LWB high top !!!!

[Lovemycamper]

Hi everyone

Which long wheel base, high top would you recommend.
I have multiple conditions and I really need a fixed bed when we are away. We have a VW T5 with a pop top right now and we are finding it a little small for us now. We put out the rock n roll bed when we are away and it never goes back. And I find it a little cramped. Anyone with fibromyalgia knows you got to be able to move around.
I really need somewhere to lay at different times of the day and we really want a fixed bed now. I would also love a full cooker and some kind of shower.
Basically we are going to be living in it most of the time.

 

[gasgas]

LWB vans all have one of two layouts:
1) Fixed double bed / 2 single beds at the back (either one double across the van , or two singles lengthways). The former has more habitation space for a bigger shower /toilet and wardrobe / kitchen and storage, whereas the latter is obvious, the beds run lengthways along the van and so take up some of the washroom / wardrobe space
2) rear or front lounge which you have to make up as a bed at night.

We have had both and I see you want a fixed bed in which case your choice is across the back or lengthways. Across the back is better as you have more washroom and kitchen space, provided that your significant other half doesn't need to get up in the night or you don't mind them crawling over you if they do.

I would definitely go for the 'extra long wheelbase' version as it is the same width as the standard or LWB van but you get more storage and moving-around space inside. They are park-able in supermarkets.
If mobility is rearing its ugly head take a look at the Globecar range https://globecar.co.uk/models/campscout/
Their unique feature is the electrically closing side door. You slide the door towards its closing point and instead of having to slam it shut, it detects where the door is, grabs it and pulls it shut by itself. They are German made.

My last bit of advice is to go for a German make. I am ashamed to say that having owned too many motorhomes and campervans I will never buy a British made one again, the quality is abysmal compared to the German ones. My last motorhome was a 2018 Autosleeper and the build design was appalling, the Truma heater is installed 180 degrees out of orientation with the manufacturer's (Turma) instructions and the wiring to the rear lights underneath is jointed right behind the rear wheels and not protected in any way from water and salt spray, so the connections just rust away.
Now I have a 2009 German motorhome and the quality is fantastic, although I can afford any new motorhome I cannot see one which matches this.

 

[Lovemycamper]

LWB vans all have one of two layouts:
1) Fixed double bed / 2 single beds at the back (either one double across the van , or two singles lengthways). The former has more habitation space for a bigger shower /toilet and wardrobe / kitchen and storage, whereas the latter is obvious, the beds run lengthways along the van and so take up some of the washroom / wardrobe space
2) rear or front lounge which you have to make up as a bed at night.

We have had both and I see you want a fixed bed in which case your choice is across the back or lengthways. Across the back is better as you have more washroom and kitchen space, provided that your significant other half doesn't need to get up in the night or you don't mind them crawling over you if they do.

I would definitely go for the 'extra long wheelbase' version as it is the same width as the standard or LWB van but you get more storage and moving-around space inside. They are park-able in supermarkets.
If mobility is rearing its ugly head take a look at the Globecar range https://globecar.co.uk/models/campscout/
Their unique feature is the electrically closing side door. You slide the door towards its closing point and instead of having to slam it shut, it detects where the door is, grabs it and pulls it shut by itself. They are German made.

My last bit of advice is to go for a German make. I am ashamed to say that having owned too many motorhomes and campervans I will never buy a British made one again, the quality is abysmal compared to the German ones. My last motorhome was a 2018 Autosleeper and the build design was appalling, the Truma heater is installed 180 degrees out of orientation with the manufacturer's (Turma) instructions and the wiring to the rear lights underneath is jointed right behind the rear wheels and not protected in any way from water and salt spray, so the connections just rust away.
Now I have a 2009 German motorhome and the quality is fantastic, although I can afford any new motorhome I cannot see one which matches this.

Wow thank you for this, so informative, I really appreciate you taking the time x
The only thing I worry about with an extra long one is fear of getting stuck somewhere, I am the only driver and just thinking about it sets my anxiety off.
But I totally see where you are coming from and if we are going to be in it for the majority of the time, it would be worth it.

I think I need to go drive a couple and see how I feel xxxx going to look at your recommendations xxx

 

[mistericeman]

Wow thank you for this, so informative, I really appreciate you taking the time x
The only thing I worry about with an extra long one is fear of getting stuck somewhere, I am the only driver and just thinking about it sets my anxiety off.
But I totally see where you are coming from and if we are going to be in it for the majority of the time, it would be worth it.

I think I need to go drive a couple and see how I feel xxxx going to look at your recommendations xxx

Never had ANY probs when we had the transit Jumbo (extra high top extra long wheelbase)
And frankly it felt like a smart car compared to the C class we have now

Self built with a raised double at the rear and loads of storage/Dogpod under the rear...
Never fitted a shower/toilet BUT would have been possible with though and sacrificing some of the open feel it had...

I think for me personally I miss the all round practicality of the transit Jumbo space wise
But with an ability to fit almost anywhere.

 

[Lovemycamper]

Thank you for the photos that really helps, yes I think I will go drive a couple and see how I feel, I really appreciate this xxxx

 

[mistericeman]

Got me thinking now.....

Should I build another ;-)
Reckon I'd go for something like an iveco (bit truck like BUT they seem heavier duty than most others...)

And probably with the 4.7m loadspace rather than the 4.0 the transit had,for maximum space inside.

 

[MrRob]

We prefer the length ways rear twin/huge double (that we leave as a bed (access to singles always available for dogs & day lounging)* with small but comfy swivelling cab seat front lounge with compromises kitchen shower etc in centre.

*you loose under bed storage but gain a big dinette area if needed.

Our daft American van fits a full kitchen wc and shower in the centre (by all three sharing tha same floor space) in a way that no euro van I’ve seen does.

 

[1 Cup]

my problem with upgrading to lwb is parking the thing.
Them small vans are just like martinis/cars any place, any time
Lwb you have to park to get out. Or sometimes you get blocked in. if you park to help others.
Buy the first one, that tickles you. they all have problems evan £45.000 will turn into volkswagon.

 

[Deleted member 84699]

If you're not used to it, the thought of driving a large van is quite daunting, but as usual the fear of doing it is worse than the reality. It's just a question of getting used to it. Millions of delivery drivers drive big vans all over the uk everyday, you are almost certainly as good at driving as most of them. If they can do it so can you.
Before spending big money hire the biggest van you can for a day and drive round in it.
Go to supermarket carpark, housing estates, small roads, motorways etc etc and see how you feel at the end of the day.
Its really not as hard as you think.

 

[MrRob]

Well worth hiring a couple of different type vans to get a feel for each size and model especially if you are buying a new van or conversion.

Perhaps get some LGV driving lessons so you get comfortable in even bigger vehicles. I did.

Transits are almost always my favourite to drive as they feel most car like and have great mirrors so you know exactly where you are on the road. Iveco are my next best as they are most truck like and have good mirrors. Then Renault… then Merc, VW and Fiat.

 

[gasgas]

1 Cup - £45,000? yes, for a 10 year old model. You (that is to say probably not 'you' and certainly not 'I') can pay over £100,000 for a panel van conversion. £65k is about normal for an average new one. In 2018 I paid £38k for a 2017 model, unregistered, new. In 2020 I saw it for sale at a dealer, having had two owners, for £42k.
So T5Mumma if you are looking for a new one you might strike lucky and see a 2021 model that hasn't sold, for a considerable discount. If you like the idea of buying a used van and converting it yourself, you had better spend the rest of this year planning it and then the next two years doing it. Then, it isn't every insurance broker that can insure a self build, and you have lost three years when you could have been using it. Personally although I have all the gear, and some idea, and certainly the time as I am retired, I wouldn't do it. Professionally built models have furniture and fittings that you couldn't match unless you have a factory with laser guided routers and access to quality things like lights - and the electrics would be an absolute nightmare especially if you get a new van with a so-called "intelligent' alternator. Nightmare things, they do not like being attached to a leisure battery.
I have bought a pre-registered campervan from Davan in (near) Weston Super Mare for a significant discount and I see looking at their web site this one which looks like very good value for money:

Roller Team Zefiro 665

We are pleased to offer this Roller Team Zefiro 665, call the Davan Caravans & Motorhomes motorhomes team on 01934 524242 for details.

www.davan.co.uk

I can recommend Davan, since they did one or two things in the warranty period for me that they weren't legally obliged to.

Something to think about is not to discount any vehicle you see at a dealer because they are 'too far away'. Once you have bought it, you will be travelling all over the country and hopefully all over Europe so if you have to travel 200 miles to buy a van you will soon have forgotten that it was some way from where you live. Other people will disagree saying "What if something goes wrong in the warranty and you have to travel back to them?" If they are a decent dealer they will cover the cost of repairs up to about £1000 if done by a local-to-you repairer. Another dealer I would recommend is EH Hartley, one branch near Liverpool and another up in the Lakes. They paid my local garage's bill for a new intercooler on the 2009 motorhome I bought from them, and they supplied a new microwave with the vehicle when I pointed out that there was one in their sales photos but when I bought it, the microwave was missing. I would not recommend Brownhills in Newark because of their abysmal failure to rectify a serious fault on a new Rapido that I bought from them. they left it to me to obtain the workshop manual for the electric bed from the bed designer in Italy, and in a day of searching I found the fault, which they had failed to do in three so-called attempts. The actual fault was one which the idiot who assembled it in the Rapido factory in France MUST have seen when he was assembling it, and he couldn't care less, he just passed the vehicle along down the production line. Any PDI or quality control procedures were not carried out so I will never buy a Rapido again, either.

 

[gasgas]

Mr Rob, I think I have seen quite a few European vans with the layout you describe. Here is a video review of one that I owned:

 

[MrRob]

Mr Rob, I think I have seen quite a few European vans with the layout you describe. Here is a video review of one that I owned:

Im 10 years out of date with euro van conversion. That is similar but MUCH tighter and more claustrophobic inside, despite being in a wider van. I think Pilote and Hymer have been part of the same group of companies as Roadtrek over the years and copied the layout to some extent.

It’s all about compromise. You want small on the outside and big on the inside. It’s just finding what compromise works for you and how you use the van.

 

[gasgas]

OOOH T5Mumma one thing I forgot which is VERY important. Do you remember the Budget where he raised the road tax to £500 ish per year for cars over £40,000? They applied it to motorhomes and campervans, which of course nearly all applied to the Over £40k bracket. Then there was an outcry from the public, the dealers and manufacturers. After a year or so the road tax for motorhomes was reduced to be the same as cars. The point is, that if you inadvertently buy one of these £500 a year vehicles, the original road tax remains for a period of 5 years, they didn't make it retrospective. So before you buy one, look up the annual road tax rate for whatever you buy.

 

[suneye]

There are a few vans which can fit a full size bed across the back such as a boxer or a relay. We have a LWB relay and have a good sized kitchen, a fixed bed with a full size mattress, seats, table and enough space for two of us to move around. We chose not to have a shower as it is difficult to store enough water and dispose of the waste unless you use campsites and then you may as well use the campsite showers! Like you we had a van but wanted more space, although there are times we miss our old van and for us this van is as big as we would want to go using country roads and rural car parks - but for every van owner there is a different opinion which is the fun of it.

 

[REC]

If you started with a t5 poptop quite honestly most vans will feel bigger! The ability to easily stand up and having a fixed bed makes so much difference. I would say, not to discount a lwb van if you are nervous about the longer size. We went from a swb (L1H1) to mwb (L2H2) and it felt so much better. I was very anxious driving a van more than 6m, parking, narrow roads etc.
If you can wait, another option is getting a van professionally converted. Very much less cost and taylored to your own needs.
Have you considered attending a meet and getting members to show you their vans? Might help you decide what you need as opposed to what you would like!
Post #7 shows a similar bed layout to the van we had briefly which I actually quite liked, with the flexible option of two sofas or two single beds or just make it up as a double and leave it. And converting the bed was so simple. Pull out a slider and drop the back cushion down.
Showers are debated a lot...carrying extra water adds weight and makes waste emptying a consideration. We strip wash, and go to paid site with showers every few days. But we are not full time in the van.
Good luck in your search!

 

[Lovemycamper]

Thank you for the photos that really helps, yes I think I will go drive a couple and see how I feel, I really appreciate

We prefer the length ways rear twin/huge double (that we leave as a bed (access to singles always available for dogs & day lounging)* with small but comfy swivelling cab seat front lounge with compromises kitchen shower etc in centre.

*you loose under bed storage but gain a big dinette area if needed.

Our daft American van fits a full kitchen wc and shower in the centre (by all three sharing tha same floor space) in a way that no euro van I’ve seen does.

View attachment 108223

i was thinking of a motor home but I like the stealth with a van. I like the diner, but I know is lol and again we would just leave it as a bed. Good when you got company though for sure xx

 

[Lovemycamper]

my problem with upgrading to lwb is parking the thing.
Them small vans are just like martinis/cars any place, any time
Lwb you have to park to get out. Or sometimes you get blocked in. if you park to help others.
Buy the first one, that tickles you. they all have problems evan £45.000 will turn into volkswagon.

Yes that’s one of my worries is parking, that and some of the tight turns you get out there in the hills xxx our T5 will fit anywhere

 

[Lovemycamper]

Got me thinking now.....

Should I build another ;-)
Reckon I'd go for something like an iveco (bit truck like BUT they seem heavier duty than most others...)

And probably with the 4.7m loadspace rather than the 4.0 the transit had,for maximum space inside.

Go for it xxxx

 

[Lovemycamper]

If you're not used to it, the thought of driving a large van is quite daunting, but as usual the fear of doing it is worse than the reality. It's just a question of getting used to it. Millions of delivery drivers drive big vans all over the uk everyday, you are almost certainly as good at driving as most of them. If they can do it so can you.
Before spending big money hire the biggest van you can for a day and drive round in it.
Go to supermarket carpark, housing estates, small roads, motorways etc etc and see how you feel at the end of the day.
Its really not as hard as you think.

Thank you xxx all good recommendations there xx I will defo go drive a few xxx I have driven them
In yards but on the road it totally different is t it xxx narrow roads and sharp corners. Scared of looking a plonker doing a 20 point turn