Buy British, why not?

[Skez]

Just how much of a British van is manufactured in Britain - from the base vehicle to the internal components?? Not a lot in many cases I suspect.

I bought a van designed and constructed by a British company but realistically apart from the design ,cabinetry and 'putting together', I'm under no illusion as to how British it is. I'm happy to have supported a smallish British based manufacturer however.

 

[RubyOptics]

Well a BMW comes with no toys as standard and the Mondeo will get you where you need to go in comparative luxury. By the way, Mondeos are made in Spain. but my point is can anybody justify to me whether they think say German cars and motorhomes are worth some 50% more than British.

I think it completely depends on the owner and their perspective. Prior to our Challenger, we owned a 17 year old Burstner. For the time, it would have been a pretty "pimped out" spec, and it was still pretty damn solid when we both owned and sold it on. Do i think our Challenger will be in a similar state after so long? Not at all to be honest with you.

 

[Folkranger]

Just how much of a British van is manufactured in Britain - from the base vehicle to the internal components?? Not a lot in many cases I suspect.

I bought a van designed and constructed by a British company but realistically apart from the design ,cabinetry and 'putting together', I'm under no illusion as to how British it is. I'm happy to have supported a smallish British based manufacturer however.

Some would say it's the 20% British content that is less durable, of course, they may not be right.

 

[Folkranger]

We seriously considered buying a new british motorhome to export use and eventually sell in NZ (very restrictive rules for what you can register) but having re-examined a few they just don't offer what we want in terms of layout or quality.

Tbf there are crap foreign mhs as well but you can also buy at an upper level that is only available in UK from RS which don't have the layout/configuration we want.

Good company RS.

 

[Al n Val]

Think the Germans are still trading on their old reputation, cannot see the quality of new one getting better unfortunately think it only going to get worse.

They are all bragging about how many vans they build/sell but would be better bragging about how they have improved quality and customer care.

I agree with this tbh, German quality is not as good as it used to be but nothing is imo.

We bought our first and only van just over 3 years a go, an Autotrail Comanche and have absolutely loved owning it, its had its niggles but certainly none too serious and if i'm being honest not all Autotrails fault either, i'm referring to Dometic here btw, junk comes to mind.

Its taken us the 3 years to finally, and this literally happened last weekend at Burrs, to "get it sorted", when I changed the cable between the Sargent unit and the 3 way charger, once again not an Autotrail issue, and everything works exactly how it should. Autotrail themselves have been superb, I have nothing but praise for them even fixing faults I didn't even know I had. Danum Leisure, the dealer have once again been great, nothing too much trouble and only being around 20/25 mins away I think has been a fantastic bonus, I personally think this is the "KEY" to owning a motorhome.

Would I buy another Autotrail, yes and from the same dealer no question............ if they'd make them the same quality as the Rapido i'm buying. The new Autotrail GF88 is £116k, the Rapido is £132k and from my limited viewing of it is on another level for £16k difference.

Moving forward, i'm hoping and preying the Rapido and Brownhills give me the same buying experience we've had with the Autotrail and Danum

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[Folkranger]

Do I think that German kit is better made and more reliable? Than Chinese, yes. Than French? Yes. Than British? Not necessarily.

My experience with Rapido would lead me to think that there are French motorhomes which beat all British contenders. But that's just my small sample.

I made the mistake of buying another British caravan a few years ago. What a disaster that was! It was riddled with serious structural faults, and was so bad I eventually rejected it after just a couple of week use. First of all was a 5ft chunk of plywood that fell off the ceiling, followed by cupboards falling off the wall, 7 cupboard doors all with hinges coming loose, the roof collapsing in the middle, so you could push it back up with one hand, I could go on.

3 years with a Spanish motorhome and no problems at all. For some strange reason I've now got a British van. Its actually not badly built, but there are a few niggles which I am fixing as I go along, but not at all bad for the price.

I went from caravan manufacturer to manufacturer, swearing never to use the same again, all British. That is until I got a Bessacarr (before Swift took over) Great quality van, but yes it needed extensive damp repairs after 3 years but I forgave it as it was soooooo nice.

 

[Gellyneck]

Well a BMW comes with no toys as standard .......

or indicators!

 

[Folkranger]

or indicators!

?

 

[Folkranger]

Moving forward, i'm hoping and preying the Rapido and Brownhills give me the same buying experience we've had with the Autotrail and Danum

Loved our Rapido. Tried to get a new model from last year but the ones we wanted were never in stock and we would not buy without seeing and feeling how things worked for us. That's us in the picture changing the Rapido for the Hymer.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

BMW/Mercedes will be more luxurious and have more toys...all for a cost of course!

And wheels at £950 each!!
Went to have 2 new rear tyres fitted and the alloys had cracks in them one of rear had 3 cracks

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[Richard n Ann]

And wheels at £950 each!!
Went to have 2 new rear tyres fitted and the alloys had cracks in them one of rear had 3 cracks
View attachment 562799

Wonder what steel polished up and lacquered would look like. Got to be a better option than the monkey metal alloys

 

[gpat]

Like Jim says. You have to compare like with like. It seems to me that budget (or maybe better stated 'value') brands like Sunlight and Carado are extremely competitive on price. We couldn't believe the deal we got on the Carado and like I have said many times we (and many others) have been staggered by the quality of construction. When I had last hab service I had to have it done by an independent. He praised the quality of the workmanship and especially the wiring. Its unbelievably neat. Every screw is absolutely square on. Not a single rattle from anything.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Wonder what steel polished up and lacquered would look like. Got to be a better option than the monkey metal alloys

Trouble is they want to make them to light so it affects the strength, obviously our crap 3rd world road system doesn’t help

 

[gpat]

Wonder what steel polished up and lacquered would look like. Got to be a better option than the monkey metal alloys

Those FIAT alloys would take some breaking. They are substantial beasts.

 

[Folkranger]

Trouble is they want to make them to light so it affects the strength, obviously our crap 3rd world road system doesn’t help

On a trip home through Belgium(which we love) we hit such atrocious roads that we couldn't wait to hit British tarmac. The we disembarked at Hull, or was it Hell?

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

On a trip home through Belgium(which we love) we hit such atrocious roads that we couldn't wait to hit British tarmac. The we disembarked at Hull, or was it Hell?

We came back a few weeks ago having been in and out of Belgium, would say our roads have worse pot holes

 

[Richard n Ann]

Some of the town/city roads in France are easily as bad as ours with the broken up, pot holed and patched up surface.

 

[Folkranger]

Like Jim says. You have to compare like with like. It seems to me that budget (or maybe better stated 'value') brands like Sunlight and Carado are extremely competitive on price. We couldn't believe the deal we got on the Carado and like I have said many times we (and many others) have been staggered by the quality of construction. When I had last hab service I had to have it done by an independent. He praised the quality of the workmanship and especially the wiring. Its unbelievably neat. Every screw is absolutely square on. Not a single rattle from anything.

The original question was not about like for like comparisons. It questioned whether people felt that the price difference was justified and why. To buy a plus £100k motorhome on the same base vehicle and chassis as a £60k model gives scope for an interesting discission on the whys and wherefors, each person's reasoning being different.

 

[Speve]

We have owned two Auto Trails a 2004 merc Cheyenne 969 and a new 2013 Tracker FB and two A class Hymers a new 2015 Exsis I 698 and a new 2018 B678DL .
We liked the Autotrail Cheyenne as it was a well built van solid as a rock but did not like having to climb up a mountain to go to bed. The Tracker was great and made a lot of mods to it to suit us however we wanted to tow a car and it was not up to the task even after uprating to 3850 kg no damp problems in either although felt the Tracker was lacking in quality of build due to lightweight plywood not holding doors on as I had to virtually bolt every hing back on as screws would not hold.
We love both Hymers and only moved from our Existing to the B678DL because it has much more storage space and a great garage, I have found very few major problems although one was all the windows on the Exsis developed cracks on the hinge edges just after two year warranty ran out but it was a great van and never let us down as for the B678DL just irritating little snags like the Headlight saga and door hinges not being fit for purpose and the Zenec radio playing up however I really think Hymer are cutting lots of corners with construction materials to get their vans lighter and unfortunately the same old chestnut as Autotrail light weight ply interior cupboards is not up to the task? We love the way both Hymers are toasty warm with good heating and winterisation and pretty much draught free whereas the Autotrail were quite draughty around the cab end of the vans.
On reflection we like the A class for its roominess and draught free accommodation and good storage and will be sticking with what we have but we would certainly consider another Autotrail should our circumstances change we do believe you do get more for your money buying in Germany as both Hymers were self imports and came with lots of extra bits and bobs. and LHD is much better if driving most of the time in Europe.

 

[Ingwe]

I agree with this tbh, German quality is not as good as it used to be but nothing is imo.

We bought our first and only van just over 3 years a go, an Autotrail Comanche and have absolutely loved owning it, its had its niggles but certainly none too serious and if i'm being honest not all Autotrails fault either, i'm referring to Dometic here btw, junk comes to mind.

Its taken us the 3 years to finally, and this literally happened last weekend at Burrs, to "get it sorted", when I changed the cable between the Sargent unit and the 3 way charger, once again not an Autotrail issue, and everything works exactly how it should. Autotrail themselves have been superb, I have nothing but praise for them even fixing faults I didn't even know I had. Danum Leisure, the dealer have once again been great, nothing too much trouble and only being around 20/25 mins away I think has been a fantastic bonus, I personally think this is the "KEY" to owning a motorhome.

Would I buy another Autotrail, yes and from the same dealer no question............ if they'd make them the same quality as the Rapido i'm buying. The new Autotrail GF88 is £116k, the Rapido is £132k and from my limited viewing of it is on another level for £16k difference.

Moving forward, i'm hoping and preying the Rapido and Brownhills give me the same buying experience we've had with the Autotrail and Danum

Not bought a van from Danum but endorse your view of their service. First rate. If I’m lucky enough to afford a new-to-us van (unlikely) Danum would be up there with Oaktree.
I’m not getting drawn into the British v rest of world vans. I think it only becomes meaningful if you have specific relevant comparisons rather than generalisations.

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[two]

All manufacturers are competing in the same market.
It's the punters who decide the value of their wares.
Those that get it wrong don't stay in business.
If you go for quality, you're often rewarded with longevity.
Cheap can be expensive in the end...

 

[Coolcats]

Sometimes its useful to look at the factory, some appear more modern than others and the manufactures can be seen to have invested a lot within the production line, I am not saying which factory looks the oldest you can make your own minds up

Auto_Trail

Adria

Neismann Bischoff

Carado and Sunlight

 

[bigtwin]

The original question was not about like for like comparisons.

Are you sure? From your OP:

Now a typical German model could cost some £40k more than its British equivalent. But £40k more?

Is an Aston Martin really worth £100,000 more than a BMW Mini?

Is a CEO of a large company really worth a few £100k more than his cleaner?

Discuss.

Ian

 

[Folkranger]

Are you sure? From your OP:

I accept that there may be differences. I'm interested in peoples views of the relative worth despite the differences

 

[ceejayt]

Imo UK manufacturers are still building caravans without the towbar, nothing I've seen from a home made brand would make me buy one but I know they have faithfull customers who love them

Ther are good quality vehicles from more than one suppler but the manufacturers are small, have small marketing budgets and become niche

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[nicholsong]

Imo making them down to a price and/or weight is increasingly becoming a problem even with newer N&B etc, the smoves are flimsy beyond belief. We could easily afford new but can't see us ever being more happy than we are with our 2003 clou.

I think there is a very good point here.

We also have 2003 N&B - Arto 69GL in our case which we have had for 12 years and is still in good condition.

There are also experienced MHomers who are buying similar age ones, not only N&B, knowing that the build-quality lasts. CazPaul is an example

A lot of the discussion has revolved around new MHs.

I accept the price difference on the new ones is important, but buying British or German at 6 years it is not so much, and over its lifetime may be cheaper.

How many people would buy an 18 year-old British MH except an RS or IH?.

My Tip: Never go to MH Shows (unless it is to go to the S/H CP. The real information is in the detailed specifications, and if it is not there then dig it out. If the manufacturer won't supply it then walk.

The value is in the S/H market and preferably private, if you, or a trusted knowledgeable friend, know how to assess the target. Even then as long as defects are minor they can be fixed within the price difference between a dealer and private price.

A lot of hard-earned money has been poured unnecessarily into the MH market.

Cynical buyer me? Guilty as charged!

Geoff

 

[Gaston aires]

Remember the Skoda jokes ? Example. Why did they fit heated rear windows ? To keep your hands warm when you push them.
Not like that now are they.
Phil

 

[Gellyneck]

Remember the Skoda jokes ? Example. Why did they fit heated rear windows ? To keep your hands warm when you push them.
Not like that now are they.
Phil

Or, what do you call a Skoda with twin exhausts? A wheelbarrow!
Or, what do you call a convertible Skoda? A skip!

 

[bigtwin]

I accept that there may be differences. I'm interested in peoples views of the relative worth despite the differences

So where do you stand on my question of the relative worth of an Aston Martin versus a Mini?

Ian

 

[steve69]

A VW conversion is always at least 10 grand more than any other van of equivalent size. Is the quality that much better? Of course not. But it's the brand that sells because gullible people are a-plenty who believe they are getting a superior product.....It's a Volkswagon don't you know?

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