buying new chausson 616

[kcy]

Have found a new motorhome that has all the things we want, got a good deal in part exchange. Any pros and cons on the chausson 616 please

 

[kcy]

Are there any chaussom owners out there?!!!!

 

[Welsh girl]

We looked at the 666 model, Seems a nice van. Have to wait for them to age a bit though. Don't like the price.

 

[Puddleduck]

We have a Welcome WS and Irnbru has a Chausson as well.

We love our van!!!! Downside is the galley is a bit cramped but we have an outside kitchen to cope with that. The gril was next to useless so we had it taken out and will get a microwave to replace it. At 5.99 metres there is going to have to be compromise.

When the time comes for replacement we will look at the models with drop down beds but that will not be for a long time. We did consider the Best of 10 but I wasn't sure how reliable the bed motor would be. Once they've been around for a few years and the kinks have been sorted it might be time to change.

The parts for the Chausson are expensive and not so easy to find but there are always alternatives!

 

[kcy]

the drop down bed had me wondering what if the motor stops working. yikes, so maybe there is a manual way as well. When we go back for second look and 'make your mind up time' it'll be top of the question list.
These MHs are so expencive, want to get it right second time round. Absolutely nothing wrong with the CI, we don't need a six berth MH. Its taken us round europe two years for three months at a time, hope the next MH is as reliable.

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[Puddleduck]

Check out all the seats and the comfort factor when it comes to lounging. I use a small cushion for lumbar support as I find the dinette seats a bit too straight for comfort.

Also check how easy it is to take the table out if you need to.

I'm sure the bed can be wound up and down manually. Our easy bed over the garage is a manual but we tend to leave it as is. I would miss the garage if we were to change for a drop down bed.

Also if you are going to have a reversing camera fitted check how easy that would be as Dave Newell said it wasn't so easy to fit the cameras if there is an end bathroom. The Chausson might be okay because of the mouldings though.

We used to have a huge Hymer and when we decided to get another motorhome I said I wanted something much smaller so it wouldn't be used as a caravan or just too much effort to take away for a weekend. If we were to do a long tour it might be a bit small but that's what an awning is for!

 

[bluebob]

We have a Chausson with the drop down bed. Only once had a problem and manula wind down was easy took us more time to get the handle in place as it is a bit tight getting it in place.

Bed is really comfortable and kids love it.

Just had its second service and has a slight leak at one of the windows. Local dealer would not fix as we did not buy from them, called Chausson direct and brilliant to deal with and authorise my local NCC guy to do the re seal work.

 

[kcy]

thanks puddleduck, All good advice,the bed is at the front and open both sides, thought it might give us more room than a static bed,it has a good sized garage, which was on our 'list'

 

[Wombles]

We have Chausson Best Of 04 - 3/4 berth on Ford Transit chassis, 6m, Easy Bed (manually winds up & down with belts to increase size of garage but can be left down) - & so far very happy with it. Looked at secondhand motorhomes for years & after a very long weekend at the NEC show found this was the only layout that worked at anywhere near what we could afford. Build quality is good but easy to damage soft internal panels, upholstery more comfortable than other makes in its price band, lots of clever storage, grill is very slow, table is heavy & cumbersome if need to make up 3rd/4th bed but does work well, love the garage as can fit 3 bikes in on Fiamma rack & lots more, MPG around 28 but hopefully more now Ford software upgrade done, reversing camera is essential, mattress is comfortable enough but could be a little deeper, love the Ford cab & captain seats. Overall lots for your money especially if you can get a special edition model loaded with extras (like Best Of range) & negotiate hard on price until the salesman is nearly crying Ours was the NEC show model as new stock was sold out (anything that wasn't as new was replaced by Chausson) so no big delay to get it but understand lots have had problems. Also any parts that have to come from Chausson take ages although most working bits are big standard brands so widely available. Hab door is on the continental side behind drivers which doesn't bother us but some may not like. Best advice to anyone buying is to try loads & loads before you commit so much hard earned cash & lie on the beds, sit on the seats, try everything you can for useabilty. We were going to buy a van conversion (would still like a small one of those as well!) but ended up with a compact coachbuilt so looking at the web & brochures is only a starting point & you might be surprised what suits you best is not what you planned...

 

[mikebeaches]

Another satisfied Chausson owner - we have a nearly 4-year old Flash S2, which we've owned from new. Have travelled all over the continent and the UK and find it meets our needs well. I would prefer if it had a spare wheel instead of an electric pump and a can of gunk, and space for 2 gas cylinders instead of one would be useful.

But otherwise at 5.99m long, it's like a tardis inside, with a particularly large shower/dressing room right the way across the back. No electric drop down bed, but an innovative semi-fixed bed, made by simply lowering the hinged dinette seat squab. Bed is made up all the time and takes between 2 and 3 seconds to prepare for sleeping! Big advantage of the hinged seat squab is that it can be reclined at any angle - just like the cab seats - for greater comfort when relaxing. There's even an adjustable armrest!

Mike

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[sdc77]

We have a 2009 welcome 58 top...
Love it. Stacks of room.. Wouldn't be without our fixed rear bed.. Shower is great.. Only problem we found was mounting a decent sized TV.

 

[philw111]

Can't comment on the newer models but we've had our Welcome 27 for 9 years now and love it. Yet another satisfied Chausson owner

 

[Puddleduck]

If you find the mattress a bit thin put a memory foam topper on. I just cut a standard topper to shape and adjusted the cover. We always sleep well when we are away although it is a bit of a bind having to climb over or be climbed over if the inside person wants the loo or a drink during the night.

 

[peter marshall]

Have found a new motorhome that has all the things we want, got a good deal in part exchange. Any pros and cons on the chausson 616 please

Hi We had a Welcome 76 59 reg, lovely van which was well made, end shower room and plenty of internal storage, we only swopped for a big garage and larged lounge area we found the continental type loung much to small, but a good van. Pete

 

[kcy]

chanson d'amour ra da da da da am I showing my age.

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[Puddleduck]

chanson d'amour ra da da da da am I showing my age.

Yes, Puddledrake sings this every time we go away. If you heard him sing you would realise this is not a good thing unless you want to clear a room fast.

 

[kcy]

good one. Manhatten transfer, ok i googled it.

 

[peter marshall]

Ps If you look up Chausson in a French dictionary it say's it a light shoe or Ballet Shoe, so if you get caught in a tutu thats your best excuse. Pete

 

[irnbru]

Have found the downside to our Flash 14 is the folding shower screen, the seals come apart where they join the folded sections. Cost of a new strip seal £65. I have just repaired it using clear gaffa tape.

 

[jonandshell]

Had ours for four years from new.
Nothing to complain about and it copes with the worst of the winter weather the French Alps can chuck at us.
All straight out of the box!

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[Minxy]

Hi sioux, another E Yorkshire dweller here! We used to have a Chausson Flash 04 (2010) which was a great van, but I must admit the boarding used for the cupboards etc wasn't anything like as durable as the Rimor we had before it, however, that aside it did us proud for the 2 years we had it before downsizing to our current PVC. One of the main things we didn't like was the width - ours was 2.3m and the 616 is listed as 2.35m - as we found it restricted what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, hence our changing to a narrow PVC instead but which has a virtually identical layout as the Flash 04.

One thing I've also noticed is the payload is less than 500kg - our Flash 04 had a payload of over 700kg and we now have just over 500kg which is just enough, so make sure that the reduced payload meets your needs.

If you like to sit up and read/have a cuppa in bed think about if this is feasible in the 616 as a lot of these type don't really have anywhere that you can rest against. On a personal note, one thing I don't like is how dark the 616 looks inside, with no central roof light over the lounge and the lower ceiling I don't think I could live with it, but that's just my view.