Best motorhome brand for semi full time touring? Possible warranty issues with Roller team?

[SweetPotatoFries]

Hi everyone! I'm considering selling my van conversion and buying a motorhome for long trips around Europe and the UK. I've spent hours searching and looked at what feels like every brand and model on the market already. My head is spinning so I'm looking for some advice regarding which brand to choose for reliability and good warranty service.

Ideally I'd like something compact (less than 7m) with a garage and enough space on the roof for a big solar panel as I'll be working remotely. I'd like it to be as off grid as possible while not too much bigger than my 6.4m van.

I've narrowed it down to the Roller Team Zefiro 665 and the Benimar Tessoro 440 up. The Benimar doesn't seem to be available anywhere in the UK. The Zefiro I can get quickly but the warranty seems poor. They don't like you staying in it full time which might be a problem depending on how they define "full time". I've also heard nightmare stories about long delays with repairs.

I'm struggling to find anything else that fits my needs under 7m, so might have to look for something larger.

So I guess the question is, which brands should I look at for reliability and good warranty service considering I'll be spending 3 months at a time in Europe plus long trips around the UK? Am I right to be concerned about the warranty?

 

[Ridgeway]

Small and heavy duty = Bimobil

 

[ontheroadagain]

Sun living is Carado under a different name (same factory) we sold our Carado after 1 yr after we realised it would fall apart with “reasonable“ use. OK we are a family with pets, more like a circus really but those vans just weren’t built for long term use or anything heavy.

I think you will find Sun Living are indeed made by Adria.
Edit - I think you are thinking about Sunlight.

 

[VXman]

A lot of the budget brands like Roller Team consider trips of over 2 weeks to be long term use so invalidates the warranty.

Absolutely mad. Surprised they can get away with that. I would have thought there as something in law about basic rights in terms of warranty?

 

[VXman]

For your intended use I would be looking at German A Class van.

Why A class? This bumps the price up a lot and doesn't give much more in terms of space and wouldn't be any different in terms of quality/durability I wouldn't have thought?

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[Lenny HB]

Why A class? This bumps the price up a lot and doesn't give much more in terms of space and wouldn't be any different in terms of quality/durability I wouldn't have thought?

Better insulation because the cab far better insulated, most have double floor, again much better for insulation and storeage. Cab is a nicer envioment especially if you are spending a long time away. Easier to drive & lower noise levels.
Once you have had an A Class most people wouldn't want any other type of van so they must have something going for them.

 

[Carpmart]

What is ‘semi full time’, just so I understand please

 

[Lenny HB]

What is ‘semi full time’, just so I understand please

Whatever you want it to be. For me I would say over 6 months a year in the van.

 

[Carpmart]

Whatever you want it to be. For me I would say over 6 months a year in the van.

I didn’t realise that we are ‘semi’ full time then… should I do anything differently now i know?

 

[Sapper520]

I think you will find Sun Living are indeed made by Adria.
Edit - I think you are thinking about Sunlight.

Yes, Sunlight is part of the Hymer family.

My ‘budget’ Sunlight PVC is reasonably robust with less snappy off things than the posher kitted out vans.

However, they are commonly used by some of the larger hire companies so I’m assuming they think they are fairly robust as well. Looking behind the pretty fittings of other vans, they’re much the same.

If I was on my own I could easily full time in our model, but as a couple I don think it would work for us.

By the way, I really do like the nicely fitted out vans, but they were £20k more than we paid for ours.

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[Pausim]

Why A class? This bumps the price up a lot and doesn't give much more in terms of space and wouldn't be any different in terms of quality/durability I wouldn't have thought?

I am with Lenny HB on this, there are many advantages to an A class. I would also highlight the advantages of having large amounts of underfloor storage. All my heavy items like tool box and Quest Screen House are stored well forward of the rear wheels which makes a big difference when keeping within payload/axle limits. A big garage is great but you can’t keep piling heavy stuff in it without transferring an exaggerated load onto the rear axle.

 

[MisterB]

One of the better things about this site is the advice.
Unfortunately your advice runs out after your next post and it may be wise to join up then you can ask as many questions as you want and also have the ability to search eg search engine for "665" will bring up all posts with those numbers in them and many of those will include your roller team. Other searches are available !

£70k budget, perhaps they should spend £69980 on the motorhome, join the fun and probably get all the info, answers they are looking for Inc the guide that the big one has produced, PLUS access to buying a preloved motorhome from a forum member that is likely to come with extras and all the niggles sorted out/resolved .....

 

[Shropshire lad]

We have Cathago Malibu 430 LE. It is 6.9m long and extremely well built with a brilliant garage. I think it would serve your proposed plan really well.

 

[Minxy]

As Lenny has said if your license permits I would certainly be looking at a Heavy Chassis Compact Line second hand, if you by from a reputable dealer you will in most cases get a warranty of around 2/3 years.

I agree however we have the light chassis Compact Line and by uprating the rear axle it has given us the capacity we need for up to 3 months' touring, with 3 dogs and loads of cr@p kit with plenty of payload to spare, so getting a light chassis version which has had the rear uprated can work just as well.

 

[L' Hobo]

Older Hymers upto 2006 are nice quality.

Like you, I would be looking at an, easily self-fixing, older Hymer etc but, not sure if I would want one with a 3.5ton limit.

Not knowing his licence situation and maintenance abilities, everything he wants, seems a big ask?

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[barsteward]

I agree however we have the light chassis Compact Line and by uprating the rear axle it has given us the capacity we need for up to 3 months' touring, with 3 dogs and loads of cr@p kit with plenty of payload to spare, so getting a light chassis version which has had the rear uprated can work just as well.

I have the Super Lightweight so it is only upgradable to 3.65t without a great deal of expensive modification. I'm sure your right about the upgrading of yours giving you adequate pay load but with 3.5t it is very hard for just me alone to run legally.
In my case I applied for my C1 (70 last February) still waiting

 

[Lenny HB]

I have the Super Lightweight so it is only upgradable to 3.65t without a great deal of expensive modification. I'm sure your right about the upgrading of yours giving you adequate pay load but with 3.5t it is very hard for just me alone to run legally.
In my case I applied for my C1 (70 last February) still waiting

That's why I've ordered mine on the 4250 chassis 1300kg payload with decent rear axle loading. Also it is 16kg lighter than if I'd had on the light chassis so if I lost my C1 I could down plate.

 

[Minxy]

I have the Super Lightweight so it is only upgradable to 3.65t without a great deal of expensive modification. I'm sure your right about the upgrading of yours giving you adequate pay load but with 3.5t it is very hard for just me alone to run legally.
In my case I applied for my C1 (70 last February) still waiting

Your 141 is about 26cm longer than our 138 so the extra length will add a fair bit of extra weight thus I'm not surprised it's difficult to run at 3500kg.

 

[Minxy]

That's why I've ordered mine on the 4250 chassis 1300kg payload with decent rear axle loading. Also it is 16kg lighter than if I'd had on the light chassis so if I lost my C1 I could down plate.

How can it be 16kg lighter than the light chassis version?

 

[Robert P]

Nobody seems to have mentioned cooking. Do you need a proper oven? Small details make a huge difference!

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[Andrew B]

For your intended use I would be looking at German A Class van. The two vans you have mentioned are both budget vans and not really up to the kind of use you are going to give them.
You don't say what your budget is, assuming it's in the range of the vans you are looking you would be better off looking at second hand German Vans.
If you want a small van with good storage & a garage have a look at the Carthago Compactline they have a lot more storage and are better built than similar size Hymers.
If you do want a new you are looking at over a year for delivery a lot of manufacturers now quoting 2024 deliveries.

I completely agree with Lenny HB. German means quality. I have a Carthago and can’t fault it. I also looked at Hymer which is similar but is now a large big brand whereas Carthago is still family owned. Two warranty issues with mine were sorted straight away. Also when I visited the factory in Germany in my van for a factory tour I mentioned a couple of niggles I had and I was asked for the keys and by the end of the tour the niggles had been put right and I was told I owed nothing! That sort of attitude can’t be bought!

 

[Lenny HB]

How can it be 16kg lighter than the light chassis version?

Light chassis - 180 engine & Auto box 55kg
Light chassis only supplied with 16" wheels but you have to pay for them as an option - 16kg

Heavy chassis 40kg (inc 16" wheels)
180 engine & Auto box 15kg

 

[Fishie]

I agree 100% with Lenny‘s comments. My only addition would be that back when we were tugging, there was a time when Adria was the only manufacturer who had never had a recorded water ingress issue. But ofcause they are now owned by Trigano who also own Rollerteam, Autotrail, Benimar, Mclouis, Eura Mobil, Chausson, Tribute, and many more!
But along with the German built vans, I would suggest that Adria are still up there with the best of the built in a day vans. Although there can’t be many now that aren’t, apart from Morello, and such like.
We have a Chausson low profile (which we brought for the accessible shower!) and has been as good as anything else for eight years. Warranty issues, of which were mainly third party products, were sorted efficiently by Highbridge Caravans excellent service department.
But we were originally looking to buy a German built van, just couldn’t get a suitable layout, or price!
But Chausson who often have a different take on layouts came up trumps.
Also worth saying that even if your budget stretches to a Carthago or similar, you will still have third party products such as Thetford, Alde, Dometic, etc fitted. But in my experience these are generally sited and installed in a more sympathetic, and thoughtful manner in European vans, preventing issues down the road.
Much as our van suits us, I’m not sure I would want to full time in it. An A class just has that extra space (or feeling of it) and although ours is very well insulated, it would benefit from wet heating, as fitted to most A class vans now.

 

[Tykes]

We live in our la voyager full time excellent build quality well insulated alde heating with heat exchanger , it's 10 years old don't know if the new ones are built quit has well but worth a look

 

[Minxy]

Light chassis - 180 engine & Auto box 55kg
Light chassis only supplied with 16" wheels but you have to pay for them as an option - 16kg

Heavy chassis 40kg (inc 16" wheels)
180 engine & Auto box 15kg

Is that just with the engine upgrade though? What about the smaller engine?

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[Lenny HB]

Is that just with the engine upgrade though? What about the smaller engine?

Can't get a smaller engine in the UK but the 180 is less than 0.5kg heavier. I believe they have to mod the light chassis for the auto box.
For UK supply 180 & Auto box is standard, you can still get the 140 in Germany, as I've ordered a LHD so I could have had a 140, weights are shown the same on German list for 140 with Auto as 180.

 

[minesapint]

I think his concern around Roller team is that they do not honour warranties on full timers vans which stinks, what they are admitting is that their vans cannot take proper use, I suspect they expect their vans to be parked in storage for days on end

Check out The Rolling Rucks on You Tube they had their warranty rescinded because they had used the Roller Team van more than 80 days.

 

[stevewagner]

Uprated my Carthago Compactline 143 to 4600kg with no extra mods.

 

[Minxy]

Uprated my Carthago Compactline 143 to 4600kg with no extra mods.

How have you done that? The front axle limit is 2000kg and rear 2400kg on the heavy chassis = £2400kg.

 

[stevewagner]

How have you done that? The front axle limit is 2000kg and rear 2400kg on the heavy chassis = £2400kg.

Originally it had a MAM of 4250kg with a front axle weight of 2100kg and a rear axle weight of 2400kg. With the help of VWE it was prated as per the photo.

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[Monty777]

Thank you I'll have a look into A class vans, it looks like there's more within the 3500kg limit than I thought. I expect to be on the move quite a bit, visiting different mountain bike trail centres and Aires around Europe so fuel efficiency will be a concern. Not sure how a similar size class A vs class B would perform in that regard.

Budget is up to £70k. I'm used to long trips in a van conversion, so any MH is going to feel spacious in comparison.

Seems like the general consensus is to go second hand and higher quality rather than brand new.

Unless I have missed it you haven’t mentioned van length-our Hymer Exsis 414 is 5.99 meters long but has 2 double beds, a full oven, large fridge/freezer, huge garage which easily takes 2 mountain bikes or 3 road bikes, 100 litres of fresh water and 100 litres grey, fully winterised and according to Hymer is only 2650kg so at 3500kg has loads of carrying capacity, and it does 31mpg. I guess whether something like that is suitable for you depends on what you are used to and if you travel alone or as a couple-but if you are used to a PVC an A class will give you loads more space and storage.