Decisions decisions ?

[Twm Siôn Cati]

So the adventure begins, and the task of selecting the right MH for us begins. I know this takes a bit of time, and I'm more than happy not to rush this. We've decided on our layout, which is a 2 berth fixed single in permanent beds. We shall be touring as a couple, without the need for any extra berths. I've come up with a bit of a provisional short list, although it's not in any way conclusive.

Knaus Sun Ti 650MEG, Hymer Exsis-t 588, Hobby Optima De Luxe V65 GE.

These offer a layout we like, although they push the budget hard. Would rather something used, but there doesn't seem many of these around, apart from new?

Another concern we have is servicing and warranty work should we purchase from a dealer. Living in Mid Wales, I would prefer to buy as local as possible ? How do people manage when your dealer is hundreds of miles away ? Is that a real inconvenience, especially if the work needed is over a few days ?

Lots to think about and consider, any hep and suggestions much appreciated.

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey.

 

[Lorryman100]

We stay outside Glasgow and bought our new MoHo from Brownhills in Newark. We make a trip out of going down for warranty and servicing which is aided by the facilities Brownhills gives its club members, free overnighting including ehu, swimming pool, showers, toilets and onsite restaurant. They have bungalows on site if you require one when your van is in for a service which is really helpful when you have a dog. If the work requires a couple of days you get the van back at the end of the day to overnight in. Not sure what other dealers offer in regards to the above so would be a consideration for us if we went elsewhere next time.

 

[Theonlysue]

Its worth choosing a good dealer rather than the nearest. Hymer have a few in the uk but also a pan european warranty.
So if anything goes wrong broad you can still get it fixed.
Whats the budget?

 

[Twm Siôn Cati]

Its worth choosing a good dealer rather than the nearest. Hymer have a few in the uk but also a pan european warranty.
So if anything goes wrong broad you can still get it fixed.
Whats the budget?

Up to £70k at a push. The Hymer is very appealing tbh.

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[Twm Siôn Cati]

We stay outside Glasgow and bought our new MoHo from Brownhills in Newark. We make a trip out of going down for warranty and servicing which is aided by the facilities Brownhills gives its club members, free overnighting including ehu, swimming pool, showers, toilets and onsite restaurant. They have bungalows on site if you require one when your van is in for a service which is really helpful when you have a dog. If the work requires a couple of days you get the van back at the end of the day to overnight in. Not sure what other dealers offer in regards to the above so would be a consideration for us if we went elsewhere next time.

Thanks. We'll have a look at that, and what different dealers offer.

 

[MillieMoocher]

I agree with the comment about finding a good dealer - which might not necessarily be the nearest nor the cheapest.

For Hymer, I think Travelworld (Telford area) are superb, I'm nothing to do with the business but am very happy with the service I have received from them. They have a good reputation on the Hymer Owners Group on Facebook too..

They have a good selection of new and used vans, last time I looked on Internet they had 104 Hymers listed...https://www.motorhomes.co.uk/

 

[Alistair33]

We have the Hymer Exsis 598 I. Fixed island bed A class, had problems with it but only with added extras,no problems at all with the base van, seven weeks in and loving it

 

[chaser]

With 70 grand I would think you can pretty well take your pick, but remember most people don't get the right one till the third, so be prepared to lose a lot of that if you get it wrong, and going for new 20 grand will disappear as soon as you roll off the forecourt

 

[Alistair33]

With 70 grand I would think you can pretty well take your pick, but remember most people don't get the right one till the third, so be prepared to lose a lot of that if you get it wrong, and going for new 20 grand will disappear as soon as you roll off the forecourt

Yeh ............and the best drivers pass their test second time ! Think it through pause (very important) and like with life's important decisions GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

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[chaser]

Yeh ............and the best drives pass their test second time ! Think it through pause (very important) and like with life's important decisions GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

I didn't make it up, it's been on here hundreds of times, we actually got ours right on the second one but only because we liked the first one ok but it fell to bits around us

 

[Northernraider]

I didn't make it up, it's been on here hundreds of times, we actually got ours right on the second one but only because we liked the first one ok but it fell to bits around us

I've had 9 motorhomes not including over ten vw campers I dont think there's ever the perfect van there's always a compromise somewhere, lucky to have never bought brand new I don't think I ever would even if money was no object. The van I've bought now I'd say was 80% perfect to my needs there are things that worry me and things I'd change about it but in viewing lots of different vans all had things I'd change.
Even building one yourself from scratch I think there are things that once lived with a while would throw up better ideas.
Or it could just be me lol

 

[Podney]

I'd think twice,well actually a hell of a lot longer,before spending 70k on my first motorhome.
My advice would be...don't do it. Spend maybe half that,or less, see how you get on with the layout,size,vehicle etc. Then,when you have the benefit of that experience,go for the ultimate goal.
Probably not what you want to hear,but there it is. Good luck.

 

[Northernraider]

I'd think twice,well actually a hell of a lot longer,before spending 70k on my first motorhome.
My advice would be...don't do it. Spend maybe half that,or less, see how you get on with the layout,size,vehicle etc. Then,when you have the benefit of that experience,go for the ultimate goal.
Probably not what you want to hear,but there it is. Good luck.

Have to say I'd be the same, don't think I'd ever buy something brand new without being absolutely sure it was something I was really going to take to, I've bought vans from people who liked the idea of one but after trying it discovered it wasn't for them.... It's an expensive thing to get wrong

 

[Stealaway]

Knaus Sun Ti 650MEG, Hymer Exsis-t 588, Hobby Optima De Luxe V65 GE.

All good but I would go for the Knause or the Hymer depending which has the most extras fitted.

Would this do? -----
Or this? ------

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[chaser]

I'd think twice,well actually a hell of a lot longer,before spending 70k on my first motorhome.
My advice would be...don't do it. Spend maybe half that,or less, see how you get on with the layout,size,vehicle etc. Then,when you have the benefit of that experience,go for the ultimate goal.
Probably not what you want to hear,but there it is. Good luck.

That is perfect advice, a new van loses the most the first day it rolls off the forecourt, whereas if you go for a perfectly good second hand one at half as much you may find it doesn't lose anything when you come to trade it in.

 

[Bailey 15]

So the adventure begins, and the task of selecting the right MH for us begins. I know this takes a bit of time, and I'm more than happy not to rush this. We've decided on our layout, which is a 2 berth fixed single in permanent beds. We shall be touring as a couple, without the need for any extra berths. I've come up with a bit of a provisional short list, although it's not in any way conclusive.

Knaus Sun Ti 650MEG, Hymer Exsis-t 588, Hobby Optima De Luxe V65 GE.

These offer a layout we like, although they push the budget hard. Would rather something used, but there doesn't seem many of these around, apart from new?

Another concern we have is servicing and warranty work should we purchase from a dealer. Living in Mid Wales, I would prefer to buy as local as possible ? How do people manage when your dealer is hundreds of miles away ? Is that a real inconvenience, especially if the work needed is over a few days ?

Lots to think about and consider, any hep and suggestions much appreciated.

Well, my advice would be more money than sense at the moment! 70k on first MH, are you mad?
Seriously we would never buy new again anyway, been there lost £1000's!! Loads of people buy new and don't like it so there's always ample choice
If you got that sort of money to throw away why don't you hire a couple of layouts before buying that would be my input

 

[klaatu]

Your next decision is whether or not to pay for a subscription to Motorhome Fun so that you can carry on posting and getting excellent advice!

 

[chaser]

Well, my advice would be more money than sense at the moment! 70k on first MH, are you mad?
Seriously we would never buy new again anyway, been there lost £1000's!! Loads of people buy new and don't like it so there's always ample choice
If you got that sort of money to throw away why don't you hire a couple of layouts before buying that would be my input

Now I wouldn't have gone that far, maybe he is loaded and it's just a bit in the fortune, but why throw money away however much you have, all these posts are from funsters that have been there , done that , and all good advice regarding his op.
There are thousands of almost new vans about that people have bought n haste and regretted it and probably been put off the whole idea by having bad advice and deals.

 

[injebreck99]

Our motorhome is a classic case of not getting it right, 15 months old, with 1400 miles recorded, we estimate that the first owner lost approximately £13-14K in that short period of ownership, good for us though.

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[nicholsong]

To the OP

I would also join the crowd above who advised against buying new, at any time and particularly first time.

I am pleased you appreciate it takes time, which itself is a wise decision. I maybe took longer than most as I was reading for 2-3 years and then it was 2 years before I found the one I wanted, but I was working and partly because a Dealer welshed on a deal I had put a deposit on, but he saved me 5K when I bought priivately.

You say the budget is tight at 70k, but have you considered what extras you need on top of the basic price - awning, TV aerial, second battery etc. then the moveable equipment - outside chairs, table, levellers, cables, hoses etc. which could bump it up.

If you were to decide the secondhand route you might be able to widen your choice of models at half the 70k budget, i.e. in the 30-40k bracket, especially privately, and get a lot of that equipment included. New owners rarely recoup the money they spent on extras.

I can only offer my own experience of that route, as I bought my first MH a Niesmann+Bischoff Arto 69GL privately for £27.5K 8 years ago with 16,000 miles on it. It now has 43,000 but is still looking in very near factory shape. N+B are considered the top of the Hymer Group range. Ours has a fixed double bed but in their range the ones with fixed single beds are usauslly designated with an 'e' suffix after the number.

I am just giving that as an example of how much the market would open up if you considered secondhand, where there are many MHs near that quality and you might find a greater choice, and with luck in a private sale, which would likey be about 15% what you would pay a dealer. OK no warranty, but many people have found warranties 'somewhat lacking' - read the threads. Anyway 15% gives you a lot of leeway on any parts, which you might not need with a quality MH - I have bought almost nothing in 8 years.

Now for your search, join the forums for manufacturers/models you fancy, to read or ask for comments. Also, unless you only want it for UK use, consider the secondhand market in Germany/Holland/Belgium. mobile.de is a good place to see what is available and you can change language to English at the top of the page.

I hope this helps.

As you say it needs time - and effort.

Geoff

 

[peterc10]

There are plenty of second hand twin singles motorhomes available although they tend to sell quickly because of their increasing popularity. Our first motorhome was a 2008 twin single Adria which we bought for £30,000 in 2013.

We liked the basic layout but realised the newer ones had improved on it. So when we bought our present motorhome in 2016 it had a similar 2 singles layout which we knew was right for us.

 

[Lenny HB]

As all the vans you are looking at are German have you thought about importing even with the current exchange rate you will still save quite a few grand. We are on out 3rd new Hymer all imported from Belgium. For £70k I would have thought you would have been looking at A Class vans, easy to get in that budget if you import.
Hymer's warrenty is Pan european so you can take it to any dealer in Europe, they also advise the dealers responsable for your warranty are the dealer you bought from and the nearest one to your home address.

 

[Jands]

I understand the anti buy new brigade but as someone who is making my mind up is there the MH I want on the used market?
Have been to shows, dealers and read forums so feel I know what I want and the compromises I will accept.
Looking at dealer used and used online have never seen anything that I would be comfortable with.
If I bought a used compromise MH then would end up continually changing it till I got closer to my original spec, is that why people keep changing as they were not sure what they wanted initially?
Could it be that the model, layout and spec I want is perfect for all the people that buy it so never sell on?
The only thing I hadn't experienced is the length having hired a 7m van looking to get a 7.5m one but am sure the extra 50cm won't feel that much different.

 

[scotzsue]

We bought 'our' first van new 6 berth escape 686 ( i had vans before) we hired a few times before buying and were very happy all the time we had it,5 years, lack of outside storage was a nuisance, but easily overcome. We now have a garage model, lots of outside storage, can take motorbike, lack of a cutlery drawer annoys me though as does the fixed table. would advise anyone buying for the first time to hire first, preferably in rotten weather, in the middle of nowhere having forgotten the corkscrew (no we didn't) if you still think it is for you go for it.

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[Spidey]

We had a caravan before buying a motorhome so thought we knew what we wanted. But the lesson we learnt was to stay away from electric beds and tables! Garage space does matter, we wanted to eventually carry bikes on our bike rack and couldn't because we had a storage box on it. I was given advice about that from someone on this forum, saying there is not enough storage if you need a box. They were right, couldn't take our lounger chairs or bikes :-(. Also learnt that length doesn't really matter if you don't go too big. We had bought the motorhome new and were very pleasantly surprised that we lost about 20% only and that was after 2 years. We bought new because the model wasn't available 2nd hand. We changed it for another new one. This time feel we have it right. Also would have been happy with used but again non on the market at that time. Would def look at importing if it is your first van as no part exchange to worry about. Bundesvan do the importing for you at a cost if you don't want the hassle.