Hymer Or Carthago?

Judgemental said:
Not sure whats your trying to achieve
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Sorry Eddie - no offence intended, but I'm trying to disprove the idea that you can't get a 'deal' on a new motorhome in the UK and that importing is the only option.
Not for your sake necessarily, but for anyone else who doesn't fancy the hassle involved in importing a van from Europe.
I hate the thought of people getting 'ripped off' by greedy UK dealers
I'm sure my 20% discount is not a 'once in a lifetime' occurance and if it isn't then maybe we've found a UK dealer who's prepared to try and compete with European prices?
Furthermore I understand that they can supply left hand drive at slightly lower prices than right hand which might help other buyers
Would be interested to learn what their final offer is and if they will offer better deals than other UK dealers
 
Can you order LHD but to UK spec from a Belgium dealer, or would it put a premium on the price and delivery date. I am thinking of a mph speedometer mainly.
 
Electraglide said:
Can you order LHD but to UK spec from a Belgium dealer, or would it put a premium on the price and delivery date. I am thinking of a mph speedometer mainly.
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You will have to ask the dealer as some more helpful then others, but in theory yes. if they cant you can get one from Lockwood engineering
 
I remember pricing up a land rover disco quite a few years back ,it came to just short of 30 k, I contacted a land rover dealer in Holland and the same spec car was 22 k, he was even willing to put us up in a hotel and pick us up from the airport.
 
laird of Dunstan said:
I remember pricing up a land rover disco quite a few years back ,it came to just short of 30 k, I contacted a land rover dealer in Holland and the same spec car was 22 k, he was even willing to put us up in a hotel and pick us up from the airport.
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A mate got a UK spec BMW 4x4 from Sweden and saved well over £20k. They dont call the UK treasure island for nothing!:)

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You could also look at the second hand ones on Link Removed

IMHO Hymer is an excellent product, exsis is the cheaper end of it . Carthago are generally better quality than the Hymer, Niesmann & Bischoff is the hymer group product that competes/compares with carthago chic but its a struggle to get one that is truly under 3.5tonne, and even the C-tourers struggle to get there. Is there a specific reason that you want 3.5T, they re always a bit of a compromise.

Jon
 
Robert Clark said:
Sorry Eddie - no offence intended, but I'm trying to disprove the idea that you can't get a 'deal' on a new motorhome in the UK and that importing is the only option.
Not for your sake necessarily, but for anyone else who doesn't fancy the hassle involved in importing a van from Europe.
I hate the thought of people getting 'ripped off' by greedy UK dealers
I'm sure my 20% discount is not a 'once in a lifetime' occurance and if it isn't then maybe we've found a UK dealer who's prepared to try and compete with European prices?
Furthermore I understand that they can supply left hand drive at slightly lower prices than right hand which might help other buyers
Would be interested to learn what their final offer is and if they will offer better deals than other UK dealers
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I believe you brought from the same dealer my mate did, (the one in Doncaster), best he could get even after walking away a few times was 5% + Telco sat system thrown in, & that was on a LHD.
 
jonegood said:
You could also look at the second hand ones on Link Removed

IMHO Hymer is an excellent product, exsis is the cheaper end of it . Carthago are generally better quality than the Hymer, Niesmann & Bischoff is the hymer group product that competes/compares with carthago chic but its a struggle to get one that is truly under 3.5tonne, and even the C-tourers struggle to get there. Is there a specific reason that you want 3.5T, they re always a bit of a compromise.

Jon
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Diabetic on insulin for 20 years. I'm only looking at i138 as its compact....dont like large vans:)
 
lennyhb said:
I believe you brought from the same dealer my mate did, (the one in Doncaster), best he could get even after walking away a few times was 5% + Telco sat system thrown in, & that was on a LHD.
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Hi Lennyhb
Was that his local dealer?
Had he spoken to any other dealers (who sold the same brand)?
I'm just wondering if dealers will offer better prices to customers who live further away from them, in fear of loosing the sale to a more local dealer - just a thought?
My local dealer initially offered me 5% on the same model van, and 'twisted' his bosses arm to get an increased discount of 10% when I mentioned that I was planning to buy in Germany - and this was on an van they'd had in the showroom for a year!
 
We have just bought an Exis i698 through Bundesvan.we have had excellent service from them and no hassle with the import.We reckon to have saved around £25000 compared to a dealer price in the UK .Granted the exchange rate was good and it's LHD but we are very happy with it and it's 4250kg GVW.
I weighed her with me and full diesel and twin 11kg gas tanks came out at 2900 so loads of capacity and will be able to down rate her when I turn seventy to save any of the old medicle malarky.
 
@Speve We spoke to Bundesvan at the Stratford show. We were impressed with them, and they certainly seem to offer a good service to anyone who wishes to buy from Germany, but feels that they do not want to go through hassle. We're more than happy to do it all ourselves, though.
Glad you're happy with your van - and you've got it while the best of the summer is still ahead! We're missing our weekends away!
We're now looking at the Hymer Tramp CL 614 - and still the Carthago. An Exis or Compactline wouldn't suit us because we need floor space for the dog, so it's got to be a standard width van.
 
bellabee said:
@Speve We spoke to Bundesvan at the Stratford show. We were impressed with them, and they certainly seem to offer a good service to anyone who wishes to buy from Germany, but feels that they do not want to go through hassle. We're more than happy to do it all ourselves, though.
Glad you're happy with your van - and you've got it while the best of the summer is still ahead! We're missing our weekends away!
We're now looking at the Hymer Tramp CL 614 - and still the Carthago. An Exis or Compactline wouldn't suit us because we need floor space for the dog, so it's got to be a standard width van.
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T 414 width 222 mm I exsis 414 212 mm....there is not much in it (if i have correct models)

An A class exsis model for model is lighter, shorter and more roomy. just a thought:)

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We had similar dilemma last year between Carthago and Hymer. Wanted a small van less than 6.5m also favoured a narrow one so it was between the Hymer exsis 414 and the Carthago compact line 138. The head won and we went for the Hymer which we love and it suits us perfectly (well almost - apart from the stupid width of the mirrors) but It came down to price in the end and I still would go for the Carthago if I had another £15k but couldn't justify it. Have had a Carthago chic 147 previously and it was an awesome van but just a bit too big for what we want now. I agree with earlier posts its heart or head decision. Good luck with it, hope you get what u want at a good price.
 
tuftywufty said:
We had similar dilemma last year between Carthago and Hymer. Wanted a small van less than 6.5m also favoured a narrow one so it was between the Hymer exsis 414 and the Carthago compact line 138. The head won and we went for the Hymer which we love and it suits us perfectly (well almost - apart from the stupid width of the mirrors) but It came down to price in the end and I still would go for the Carthago if I had another £15k but couldn't justify it. Have had a Carthago chic 147 previously and it was an awesome van but just a bit too big for what we want now. I agree with earlier posts its heart or head decision. Good luck with it, hope you get what u want at a good price.
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The 504(620m) exsis a better comparison against the i138 (6.4m)

the Carthago still better on lots of things that matter to me. When I got some rough prices the difference was £5K but that by no means accurate...It it ends up at £15k it will be a Hymer!:)

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Oh dear did something wrong above and my comment got mixed in with the quote!!!
Meant to say;

Yes probably is better comparison but I seem to remember discounting it as the bed at the back was very narrow for a double and the main double would have to be the drop down at the front. If only 5k difference I'd definitely go for the Carthago, that looks practically faultless to me.[/quote]
 
tuftywufty said:
If only 5k difference I'd definitely go for the Carthago, that looks practically faultless to me.
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[/QUOTE]

That's my thinking as well hope i'm right re pricing :(

your right bed is narrow on 504..the devil certainly in the detail! I think the garage narrower (and lower) as well so no good for us. The i138 will suit us I think. reasonable length, really nice finish, large garage, standard GRP roof (wish it was all GRP but guess its a weight issue) large fridge and more comfortable I'm assuming....
 
Judgemental said:
A mate got a UK spec BMW 4x4 from Sweden and saved well over £20k. They dont call the UK treasure island for nothing!:)
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Peugeot sell less than 8% of production in UK yet it provides 32% of profits.:(
Says it all.

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We visited Carthago City and Hymer on way to Italy. Did not see all the vans on list as Hymer 474 away for hail damage roof repair:( and Carthago i138 on its way to dusseldorf show along with 80% of showroom content! Showroom as big as a football stadium.but I got a test drive of an A class, handy as was concerned about the strange driving position...but this was no problem so glad i tried one!.

They had the twin bed model compact line which is identical up to beds. Impressed the wife, what was not do impressive were the large number of owners on site Aire awaiting for repairs in the morning... But I guess this true everywhere :)


Mrs not impressed with the hymer visit. Neither was I.......They just look cheaply built in comparison my Globecar, Possl has better built interior, the hymer tables etc .....like a budget kitchen.did nothing for either of us. I'm changing to get better not worse.....

So if we change it will be the I 138. The exsis models just did not sum up as whichever we chose the compromises unacceptable. That said if layout suits it is possible to spec a whomer up....

Yes its whomer not himer:)

Will update report properly when we return from Italy...


Eddie

Edit: just realised this not my original comparison thread.... Never mind ay!:)
 
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Only just found this thread following Judgemental's update today.

If it's any help in the decision making process I can relate our experience of a new Carthago.
We looked at a number of German A Class vans at the NEC last October and thought that the Carthago knocked spots off everything except possibly the N+B. We were quite disappointed with the finish of the Hymers and disliked all the plastic silver tambour doors.

After much discussion and bartering we ordered a Chic C-Line 5.0 with LHD (LHD was about £1200 cheaper than RHD IIRC).
Quite a long wait for it to be built but took delivery in March and have now done well over 5k miles.
This is the first caravan or motorhome we have owned that has had no faults or problems to be sorted out under warranty ......so far.
We did have a problem with wiring from the solar panels (2x100w) but that was down to the dealer and was soon fixed.
The quality of the cabinets and fittings are first class and everything seems really well built, as you would expect on an expensive van but in reality don't always get.
Getting used to the LHD A Class on the road took longer than I expected but now I just love driving her and it really is a doodle in France.
To sum up.......we are very happy Carthago owners and although we might be a bit skint it has been worth every penny.

Richard.
 
I will agree the Carthago's a bit better built than Hymer's, we looked long and hard at both, at the time discounts were nowhere near as good on Carthago's and were just not worth the 15k price difference. The Carthago's look very nice but a lot of it is bling, don't really need all their fancy lighting, the Hymer's are more basic and is reflected in the price. Having had one Hymer for six years and the current one for a year there are no problems with the build quality. Also have found the dealer back up excellent even in the UK (I brought in Belgium), whereas my mate brought a Carthago in the UK and has to be persistent with dealers to get bits fixed.

Having said that, now you can get better discounts on Carthago's and with the current exchange rate a Chic C line at around 60k looks interesting.
 
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Thanks for your reply, Richard. We decided to go down the Hymer route, in the end. Just got back from Germany with it, yesterday, and we're very happy with it (so far!).

Although we'd originally been looking at A class, the more we looked, the more we realised we didn't want the A class bed. We preferred to have a panorama roof. We also went for the same lay-out that we'd had in our Burstner ie fixed French bed, because we feel this gives a more 'open feeling' inside the van. We looked at both Exis and Compactline, but ruled them out because we have a Dalmatian who needs floor space to lie down.

We did look at vans, both Hymer and Carthago, with transverse beds and large garages, but in the end felt that we preferred to have the space actually inside the van, rather than under the bed. It's all a matter of preference, I know, and I'm sure that we would have been happy with many of the vans which we looked at. I think that that was a big part of our problem - so many of the vans were lovely and we were spoilt for choice!

I agree with both you and Eddie about the Carthago finish. It's really beautiful, but we weighed everything up, including cost (which was a bit higher for the Carthago), and the fact that we live only about 10 miles from Travelworld (although it remains to be seen how helpful they would be if we actually needed any warranty work - I suspect not very, and I can't really blame them). If we need any fittings like solar panels or bike rack we'll use them, though so we can keep up our Hymer (Whomer!) warranty - likewise for the annual damp check. We had reversing camera, sat nav, awning and TV fitted in Germany.

So, we paid our money and made our choice. First impressions compared to our Burstner Nexxo, on Ford Transit base - It's smooth and quiet to travel in. As a passenger I found the trip back from Germany far less tiring than in the Burstner. I haven't driven it yet, but Graham enjoyed driving it. Although he felt it had less poke than the Transit, the road holding was much better on bends etc, and the whole experience was much less like travelling in a commercial vehicle.

We like the l-shaped seating group, which is very comfortable. I really like the kitchen, and don't care that there's no grill/oven. The sink and draining board are really good. We also like the bathroom and find showering to be a good experience. I do agree about the bathroom door. It's the one thing I've found awkward, but I'm getting the hang of it.

The garage is spacious, and we'll easily get folding bikes in it, if we decide to go down that route.

All we need to do now is get the headlights and speedo changed, then register it. It's a bit frustrating to see it parked out on the drive and not be able to use it, but I've booked a crossing with Brittany Ferries to Santander for the end of January.
 
What model & dealer please:)


A lot of German dealers sort headlights and speedo for you these days... Less hassle

Must admit will miss the open aspect of our french bed van....

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Hymer Tramp SL554 - double floor, which Graham was keen on, and internal floor all on one level (so the dog can lie down, and I don't trip over the steps after I've had a glass or three!)
 
I think whether you pick Hymer or Carthago, you're going to get a good van.
Time spent in the van is also a consideration. Its that which swayed us towards the Carthago, as we spend much of the summer touring and wanted as many as the quality and comforts what we have at home.
It just comes down to personal preference when all is said and done, and which one 'tickles your fancy'.
Having owned a German van, I'm not sure I'd consider English again, which is a shame as I like to buy British when possible.
 
bellabee said:
All we need to do now is get the headlights and speedo changed, then register it. It's a bit frustrating to see it parked out on the drive and not be able to use it, but I've booked a crossing with Brittany Ferries to Santander for the end of January.
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Is that wishful thinking, I suppose there is a slight chance you might get it registered by then, if you prod DLVA with a red hot poker.:LOL:
 
Robert Clark said:
Having owned a German van, I'm not sure I'd consider English again, which is a shame as I like to buy British when possible.
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Having had British build caravans in the past, would never consider anything British built in this industry they only seem to be able to produce leaking junk.
 
lennyhb said:
Is that wishful thinking, I suppose there is a slight chance you might get it registered by then, if you prod DLVA with a red hot poker.:LOL:
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I'm not going to 'like' that post, Lenny!

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