Downsizing from coachbuilt to PVC

[Sunnyb]

Just found some old threads on this so will look there - don't want to divert from the OP's question, thanks.

 

[Minxy]

There's an Adria with French bed I believe it was the Adria Twin SF but I don't think it's made now.

This shows you that the layout was like:

Campanda

www.campanda.co.uk

 

[Sunnyb]

There's an Adria with French bed I believe it was the Adria Twin SF but I don't think it's made now.

This shows you that the layout was like:

Campanda

www.campanda.co.uk

Oh I do like the look of that ....

 

[Cheshirecat57]

We went from 7.4 m Swift coachbuilt to an Adria Twin Supreme 640 SLB ,sold it after 9 months

Now in a 7 metre Elddis coachbuilt with Big lounge and big bathroom/dressing room

Nothing wrong with the Adria as a product, couldnt come to terms with the realities of a PVC

( and just my opinion, “epic” storage is over-rated)

 

[Andy MacD]

I guess you've checked out the Scottish PVC converter East Neuk Campervans? Their Fifer Touring L has just loads of storage solutions.

Yes, had a quick look but not the layout we are looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though.

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[Andy MacD]

Hi Andy
Did you consider the WildAx range? (British Converion of Citroen Relay Panel Van. (Other base models also available, Merc/Renault)). I drive a Constellation. 6.0 m long without bike rack. 30-35 mpg. sleeps 2 adults comfortably. Lots of customisation options. Shower/wash room/toilet is set up as a wet room. https://wildaxmotorhomes.com/
They are made in Elland Yorkshire but have a few dealers. In my opinin- they are good value for money. I'm happy to say more....

Thanks for the suggestion, thy don’t do one with the layout we want.

 

[Andy MacD]

we love our ih630rl the layout works well for us

Thanks for suggestion. Looking for beds at the back with the large storage under which you don’t get with wrap around seating.

 

[Andy MacD]

Oh I do like the look of that ....

Looked at a pvc with French bed, very cramped and not enough storage. We need to fit a couple of folding bikes, table, chairs etc under the bed hence need for layout such as Twin 649 slb

 

[Sue]

Thanks for suggestion. Looking for beds at the back with the large storage under which you don’t get with wrap around seating.

I know it’s not for yu
But we downsized to a IH 600rl
We like a rear lounge(sat here now in the rain in the Black Forest hills Germany, comfortable and doesn’t feel like we are in a van!)
Storage is Not a problem
We feel confident travelling anywhere and parking is no problem
Making beds every night is the one downside

 

[Andy MacD]

I know it’s not for yu
But we downsized to a IH 600rl
We like a rear lounge(sat here now in the rain in the Black Forest hills Germany, comfortable and doesn’t feel like we are in a van!)
Storage is Not a problem
We feel confident travelling anywhere and parking is no problem
Making beds every night is the one downside

Get your point. Watching programme on Cornwall, been there years ago, remember the narrow lanes and hedges, not good hearing the branches scape down the sides of a coachbuilt.

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[jonsey324]

Not sure if it has been mentioned, have you considered the Rapido Van range, not sure if they have the lay out you want?, I have just purchased the V68, can’t comment on it as not collecting it till the end of October

 

[Andy MacD]

Not sure if it has been mentioned, have you considered the Rapido Van range, not sure if they have the lay out you want?, I have just purchased the V68, can’t comment on it as not collecting it till the end of October

Yes, they do have some nice vans but nearest dealer is 6 hours travel away which is too much if there are any issues or problems.

 

[SueLH]

Have you considered Globecar Globescout? We are very happy with ours

 

[Gary217]

We have just sold our Benimar 202 to go back to a PVC. You mention the only real drawbacks which are the obvious less space, but to be honest unless you are into entertaining in your van that is not an issue. We had a couple of PVCs before and found the coachbuilt just a bit too impractical for the sort of touring we do as the extra width does make back-road driving a real pain. We really missed the ease of using and parking a PVC.
These days PVCs come with very good kit fitted, and you're obviously choosing wisely in terms of layout, check the comfort of seats for relaxing, and then on a 'dark evening' it'll be no less comfortable or more claustrophobic than a coachbuilt. The key thing in our experience to check on a PVC though is size of washroom - it will be smaller than your Beni but make sure it useable - some designers cramp the washroom to make space in the rest of the hab area.
We're going to start our search in couple of weeks...so good luck!

 

[Riverbankannie]

We have the wrap around seating in the IH 630RL. We are able to get 2 Brompton bikes underneath as well as 2 fold up chairs, a table and the levelling ramps.

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[Cidered]

If you could find a la strada, the build quality is excellent. Don’t rule out Hymercar or Westfalia either. We went the whole hog and chose a 5.4 metre. No looking back. Really happy to have the manoeuvrability and being able to leave it on the drive. Can park it anywhere that doesn’t have height restrictions and although taxis have smaller turning circles, we can spin t through 180 very easily.
Our experience with both PVCs and coachbuilts reinforces the belief that German build quality is great. We also have no problem with storage.

 

[Gary217]

Our previous van was a La Strada! Totally agree that build quality in those is excellent, but they are pretty rare in the UK nowadays sadly.

 

[jonsea]

My la strada is on classified

 

[Golden Graham !]

We've just done the opposite. I loved driving my Rapido PVC, but on site was just misery. The climb-over bed with step off, & small bathroom ruined night times. Constant passing each other problems & tiny dinette spoiled it in the day. I've had bigger and smaller, and I'm hoping this one is "Just right" ! Time will tell.

 

[Blue Knight]

Yes, they do have some nice vans but nearest dealer is 6 hours travel away which is too much if there are any issues or problems.

Yes, I for one know where you're coming from Andy when you mention the distance thing.

We opted for the H-Line Globecar in the end but our main challenege was that our closest dealer to us was 120-miles, the next (135) and our chosen dealer being 145.

It can be a bit of an arse when you need to return the van for work or checks etc.

Ideally, we would have opted for a dealer close to us but in our part of the world we are heavily restricted for brand choice so we had no other option than to travel a good distance for something decent.

Good luck,

Andrew

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[ED O'DARAC]

I’m thinking of downsizing from a Benimar 282, a 7.4m coachbuilt, to a PVC and looking for feedback from anyone who has actually done this in the last couple of years. Currently looking at either Adria Twin Supreme 640 SLB or Malibu 640.

Reason for change? Benimar has transverse drop down double and would I prefer longitudinal singles. Length/width can be a pain in B roads and when parking in car parks or at tourist attractions. Finally a PVC will fit on my drive so save on hassle and cost of storage. Both the Adria and Malibu have loads of storage with “garage”areas, avoid the dreaded shower curtain and have dealers on Scotland.

Concerns? Will the small lounge area at the front be claustrophobic on rainy and dark days? Will the width and length reductions be that noticeable in real life? Are there drawbacks to PVCs I’ve not thought of.

I’m taking a hire of a Malibu in a couple of weeks to try a PVC for 4 nights, assuming Sturgeon doesn’t impose travel restrictions on us.

I know there are lots who will have strong opinions on their preference for coachbuilt or PVC, feel free to add comments however what is of interest to me is those who have downsized and how they have got on since making the decision.

Thanks.

You are looking at the same vans as us. We don't want a shower curtain and we don't want to bash our heads on the over cab storage. We have a shortlist of three;
1. Malibu Charming 640,
2.GlobeCar Summit Prime 640 and
3. Adria Twin 640 Supreme.
Adria won it for us as the washroom swing wall is superb and the Supreme has the airy lounge and stand up space at the front. Also, clever kitchen which gets slimmer in the pinch points.
Rear storage is great on all of these 640's.

We just went out to Dusseldorf show and looked in detail at the 2021 versions.

Ours is to be used as the YouTube video demonstrator and exhibition van for Patented Cabbunk childbed systems, so you may see it round and about. We chose LHD as we will be in Europe 90% of the time as the markets are collectively ten times that of the UK.

Don't wait too long as the order time was 8 months on day one at Dusseldorf.

 

[ED O'DARAC]

Are there many PVCs with French style beds? Is there storage under the bed? Any views on these from Funsters?

Rapido and Dreamer make one each. Check you will fit in the bed as a PVC is narrower to start with then you have the shower/wc.

 

[olley]

We have a Swift Autocruise 164 with a French bed, you do get a lot of storage under the bed but loose some depth as the water/room heater is under there as well, as already mentioned the water tanks are small at 59L and 41L for the waste both are underneath, our fresh is insulated and has a heater but not the waste.

 

[Skaggs]

We moved to a PVC (Adria Twin 640 SPX) in 2015, having had 2 previous larger coachbuilts and I would absolutely not go back. We only ever travel as a couple so the swivel front seats are perfect for us although in fairness we spend most of our time outside anyway as all our camping tends to be in Europe. As we are invariably on sites with facilities the shower never gets used, even though it is very cleverly designed but we do use the loo and there is plenty of room there.
I think so much is not really down to the size of the van, but how well designed the interior is. Unlike many Brits we prefer a permanent double bed and this gives us plenty of storage space, accessible from inside and outside. The PVC`s that I do not like are those with the kitchen opposite the sliding entry door, these just seem dark and claustrophobic.
Like the previous poster we bought LHD as we spend most of our time in Europe. As an aside we bought a 4 month old model from a German dealer and because the exchange rate was much better then we saved over £20k over buying new in the UK.

 

[Blue Knight]

We moved to a PVC (Adria Twin 640 SPX) in 2015, having had 2 previous larger coachbuilts and I would absolutely not go back. We only ever travel as a couple so the swivel front seats are perfect for us although in fairness we spend most of our time outside anyway as all our camping tends to be in Europe. As we are invariably on sites with facilities the shower never gets used, even though it is very cleverly designed but we do use the loo and there is plenty of room there.
I think so much is not really down to the size of the van, but how well designed the interior is. Unlike many Brits we prefer a permanent double bed and this gives us plenty of storage space, accessible from inside and outside. The PVC`s that I do not like are those with the kitchen opposite the sliding entry door, these just seem dark and claustrophobic.
Like the previous poster we bought LHD as we spend most of our time in Europe. As an aside we bought a 4 month old model from a German dealer and because the exchange rate was much better then we saved over £20k over buying new in the UK.

A very good post - and welcome to the forum

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[FrankL0]

We have just sold our Benimar 202 to go back to a PVC. You mention the only real drawbacks which are the obvious less space, but to be honest unless you are into entertaining in your van that is not an issue. We had a couple of PVCs before and found the coachbuilt just a bit too impractical for the sort of touring we do as the extra width does make back-road driving a real pain. We really missed the ease of using and parking a PVC.
These days PVCs come with very good kit fitted, and you're obviously choosing wisely in terms of layout, check the comfort of seats for relaxing, and then on a 'dark evening' it'll be no less comfortable or more claustrophobic than a coachbuilt. The key thing in our experience to check on a PVC though is size of washroom - it will be smaller than your Beni but make sure it useable - some designers cramp the washroom to make space in the rest of the hab area.
We're going to start our search in couple of weeks...so good luck!

Very interesting Gary. We owned a Benimar Mileo 264 from new for only 10 months before we sold it.
We collect our Auto Sleeper Warwick XL PVC tomorrow from Marquis Northants.

Have previously been caravaners, the mistake that we made was trying to find a caravan with an engine!
The 264 came with twin fixed beds. And therein lay the problem. The fixed beds took up nearly half the MH and so during the day, we only had the other half of the MH for the kitchen and living area. So the resultant cramped living area was a disaster through lack of space and the inability to get comfortable.
I took out the over engineered table to try to find a few extra inches of space but to no avail.

The crunch came when my wife declared that a week was the maximum amount of time she was prepared to 'put up' with our Beni.

So we made an expensive mistake. But in switching to a PVC, and the Warwick XL in particular, we hope that our mistake will be recitified.

There are always compromises of course. One thing I'm wondering about is how a water tank that holds 69 litres instead of the previous 120 litres will work out. We shall see. And we are super excited to collect our AS Warwick XL tomorrow.

 

[Pete_drums]

We have looked through what we carry and id say 40% hasn't seen daylight since we put it into the mh.

Just down sized from 7.5tonne Niessman to Carthago Malibu 6.4m PVC and just loving it. We also had mountain of stuff we hardly ever used

 

[Andy MacD]

Thanks for all the posts, too many to individually comment on. At the moment fav is the Adria, followed by the Malibu. Spent some time in a Globecar but it just didn’t do it for us. If the feelings not there from the start it’ll never work.

 

[tinkerbell]

We love our IH too

 

[dodfloss]

Thanks for all the posts, too many to individually comment on. At the moment fav is the Adria, followed by the Malibu. Spent some time in a Globecar but it just didn’t do it for us. If the feelings not there from the start it’ll never work.

We looked at so many pvc , globecar , Malibu , dreamer , rapido and more . Went for the adria 640slb just felt right for us .

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