PVC Prices!!

[Nanniemate]

No matter how hard I tried there's no way my 7.5m van would fit in a standard 5.0m long parking bay so always look out for back to back bays. Can't see how a 5.4m+ PVC would be made to fit either. Width isn't a problem although I do tend to aim for end bays as a part of the exit strategy

I usually park where the back can overlap the grass verge or up to a building when the bike is on , without the bike easy no issues I also look for easy exit as the turning circle on my old van is pretty poor

Only time I've had an issue was Lidl last week that had a tiny car park and the only overhang bays had trees in them or a car but I went to the farm shop instead win win

 

[PaddyM]

Our iH on order has a habitation door , no whoosh bang for me !

 

[seasideBill]

PVC all day long for us. We eventually got to our ideal layout after 3 different vans. First was a 5.6, size was great for touring but messing about making up the bed each day became a faff. Next was 5.9 with transverse fixed double bed and dinette utilising cab seats. That was near perfect, but shower wasn’t well designed, in particular we disliked using a curtain and climbing over each other at night to use the loo. Next van we’re about to order is 6.4, all the features of the 5.9 but added bonus of a proper shower and 2 single beds. Maybe harder to park? Time will tell. IMO LWB gives better handling but reduced clearance can catch you out.

 

[Minxy]

We have no intention changing our panel van, but this being our second one, it would be another panel van without a doubt.
We have had C class and A class, and for us Panel Van's are prefect for us. Bob.

That's what we thought and had 3, but I have to say that having a compact Carthago which is only slightly wider and longer but with loads more space, storage, and to be honest comfort, I'd need a hell of a lot of convincing to go back to a PVC.

 

[Minxy]

I usually park where the back can overlap the grass verge or up to a building when the bike is on , without the bike easy no issues I also look for easy exit as the turning circle on my old van is pretty poor

Only time I've had an issue was Lidl last week that had a tiny car park and the only overhang bays had trees in them or a car but I went to the farm shop instead win win

The turning circle on our Carthago is a lot better than a PVC as it's on a shorter wheelbase and also means we can stick its bum over more at the rear so are able to use some spots that our PVCs couldn't.

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[mofurt]

Only time I've had an issue was Lidl last week that had a tiny car park and the only overhang bays had trees in them or a car

That's one of my old man grumbles. You can pretty much guarantee that in any car park, the one or two wide/long spaces with a straight approach will be taken up by a badly parked Fiat 500 or Aygo sized tiny thing that would fit anywhere.

For costs, unless base vehicles drop drastically I think prices will probably stabilise and sit where they are for a while, whilst inflation catches up to them. I'd be quite surprised if prices ever went down again unless some disruptive companies come along. If everyone is selling everything they can build, why would they? And then once that demand tails off, people will be used to the new pricing but it'll be harder for companies to increase them.

 

[hja]

Never really got the PVC thing. Brother has one but it's just got too many compromises compared to our 7.5 low profile coachbuilt.
The things that would bug me:

Having to make up a sort of bed from cushions and some scaffold tubes
A shower that you also have to do No. 2's in
A kitchen that blocks the doorway
Headroom that is only fit for smallys
Having to use 2 bays to park it anyway
Poor insulation
No real dining area
No easy way to carry anything
Small gas cabinet
Small water tank
Small sinks
Small cooker
Small fridge/freezer box
The feeling the whole van would blow over if a satellite dish was erected
Nowhere sensible for the telly
and other things..

But the real show stopper would be

Nobody waving at me when I'm plodding along


Oh.. and the tutting when it woosh bangs

Only recognise the non waving rom this list in our pvc

 

[SpeedyDux]

That's one of my old man grumbles. You can pretty much guarantee that in any car park, the one or two wide/long spaces with a straight approach will be taken up by a badly parked Fiat 500 or Aygo sized tiny thing that would fit anywhere.

For costs, unless base vehicles drop drastically I think prices will probably stabilise and sit where they are for a while, whilst inflation catches up to them. I'd be quite surprised if prices ever went down again unless some disruptive companies come along. If everyone is selling everything they can build, why would they? And then once that demand tails off, people will be used to the new pricing but it'll be harder for companies to increase them.

Will demand really tail off? The flow of affordable and suitable EV panel vans entering the market is slow and small. As the 2030 deadline for ending sales of diesel vehicles approaches, the demand for new diesel panel vans could spike. That situation would encourage Stellantis to make a final sharp price rise before they have to chuck away all that expensive tooling and end diesel van production, close the Sevel factory, etc.

Or maybe the tooling and production lines will end up somewhere outside Europe that hasn't banned ICE vehicle sales.

There's a lot of pie-in-the-sky stuff about alternative eco-friendly fuels but where's the evidence that will happen in time?

Lord knows what will happen to the MH converters. End of an era, perhaps?

 

[berni109]

Firstly too old to worry about the next van, this one will see me out one way or another.
Would I spend the ridiculous amounts of money they are now asking - no way!
Our 6.4 mt PVC gives us what we need without too many compromises.
Front dinning and comfortable armchairs.
Rear lounge plus giving 2x 6ft single beds or a huge double.
Must say the bathroom is small but just about functional and a 2 burner is never going to suit a cordon blur chef but we eat out a lot.

 

[mofurt]

Will demand really tail off?

I'm thinking of the backlog being cleared, which will leave the underlying demand (that may be unchanged from pre-covid times) - so those who are working flat out at the moment may have less work, rather than consumers moving away from using motorhomes.

In a similar way, the bicycle industry is struggling at the moment; Covid meant people were buying bicycles for exercise, now demand has significantly tailed off as many people brought forward buying the new bikes that they might have been buying this year, and there are more lightly used second hand ones available. One big UK distributer went into administration this week.

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[Garfields]

Our bed is larger than ours at home and the height is the same as our old Frankia inside.
Dont think Fiat are currently producing the extra high extra long wheelbase for Europe. Its a shame as even though Im not tall I eould find the lower height vans claustrophobic, plus you get bigger high level lockers in them.

Like jezport we have a Campscout Revolution which are fairly rare and as he says you cant get new at present even if you had the dosh.
You would struggle to find a second hand one at present I think I have seen one available in the last year.
No idea what I would get instead if I was to replace it.

 

[BusyBuilder]

I was in VW Van Centre Inverness yesterday and saw a Crafter Grand California with high roof. £90k

 

[Aly1]

We had hoped to trade to a newer PVC every 3-5 years, but that’s gone out of the window with these prices as the gap has widened too. So luckily we love our van so will keep it for much much longer. That’s the benefit of a PVC IMHO as they are less likely to have damp issues. (Having owned 3 new caravans in the past they all have!)

Same here. My plan was to change my van after 5 years, so that would have been this year. That is definitely not happening now, not only are the vans not available but the cost is sky high.

 

[Garfields]

Like jezport we have a Campscout Revolution which are fairly rare and as he says you cant get new at present even if you had the dosh.
You would struggle to find a second hand one at present I think I have seen one available in the last year.
No idea what I would get instead if I was to replace it.

Ok I lied
There is one on AutoTrader just now

Auto Trader Motorhomes - New and Used Motorhomes For Sale

Find your next motorhome with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used motorhomes. Over 7,000 motorhomes online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

£62 000 for a 2018 model
In 2018 they were not that price new
The worlds gone mad I tell you

 

[jezport]

Ok I lied
There is one on AutoTrader just now

Auto Trader Motorhomes - New and Used Motorhomes For Sale

Find your next motorhome with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used motorhomes. Over 7,000 motorhomes online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

£62 000 for a 2018 model
In 2018 they were not that price new
The worlds gone mad I tell you

They have put a smaller fridge in it now and it has the basic seat covers!

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[Brody]

We started out with a coach built Chausson when the 3 kids were small and we absolutely loved it. Loads of room for us all and all their gear, pram, baby bath, steriliser (youngest was 3 months old on his first outing).

Life got in the way and we weren't using it enough so sold up. After a few years we did a self conversion of a VW T5 it's been done really well, better than some of the 'professional converters' which we saw at the NEC

It was there that we saw our dream PVC but at that time we needed 5 seatbelts and 5 beds so it was discounted.

The time came when the eldest won't be joining us anymore so we can get back to 4 seatbelts. The PVC we had our eye on was now our go to. The choice becomes very limited when there are 4 of you! We've bought it now and apart from some snagging issues which are about to be rectified we're really happy with it.

2 x 6" 2 bunks at the rear for the kids. Who are 6" and 5" 11, double bed made up in the lounge. Full size oven/grill with 4 rings, full size fridge freezer, it's a galley and doesn't impede on the door opening. Yes, the bathroom is small but it's all fixed in, no drop down basin, underslung LPG so no need for an external locker, surprisingly enough storage for all our belongings without feeling stuffed in. Enough room for 2 x paddle boards in the back and your other usual bits and bobs.

I've still got the original brochure from when we first saw it at the NEC....OTR £46k it definitely didn't cost that!!

We love it and can't see us ever going back to a coach built.

 

[L' Hobo]

When we changed motorhomes 18 months ago we really wanted a PVC.
However, being 6'-2" I couldn't find one that had sufficient head height and a long enough bed.
We purchased a "Compact" coachbuilt which is only 70mm wider than a PVC (actually the same width if you include the mirrors).
Have been very happy with it so far and it feels a lot bigger inside than a PVC due to the square profile and slightly longer length.

I am 6ft tall and have NEVER had any problems standing up in my 2007 LWB Murvi Morello. There must be 6inches of space above my head?

AND, my kitchen, with it's 4 burner stove, fridge/freezer, and microwave does NOT impede the sliding door space, the newer models have an underslung gas tank and it has a decent sized fresh water tank.

Perhaps buyers should look at the, slightly expensive, Murvi range of vehicles?

PS. No scaffold poles or forced cushion moving is required. I travel mainly alone,, so the bed/settee is always in the bed position although it can be moved to use as a 5seater minibus with approved seat belt

 

[bigtwin]

Same here. My plan was to change my van after 5 years, so that would have been this year. That is definitely not happening now, not only are the vans not available but the cost is sky high.

Trade ins have also increased correspondingly.

Ian

 

[L' Hobo]

I was in VW Van Centre Inverness yesterday and saw a Crafter Grand California with high roof. £90k

I have a 1989 VW Westfalia California with, lifting roof & all the bells and whistles that I can sell you for half that price, immediate delivery!

 

[Fantini]

We take delivery of our IH N 680 RL in March 24 , we’ve budgeted for a max of £120K , I’ve battered the options list , currently own a 8 metre coachbuilt .
Looking forward to handover day as it will be my wife’s birthday and retirement day .

A very wise choice we pick up ours next Thursday after a 16 month wait. Downsizing from a 9mtr A class so will have a few things to adjust to but we are sure that it is right for us now.

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[iandsm]

Downsizing from a 7.36m Rapido 866 A Class to a V68 (if/when it arrives ) -
Like the 866F the V68 fixed lengthways singles/double bed
Loo not an issue for us - has a swing wall similar to some coachbuilt (even some A Classes)
Kitchen - I’m the cook so no issue for us
I’m 5’8” so guess I’m a smally
Parking - possibly, but guess it’ll be easier when parking in town in a lengthways space (OK slightly longer than a normal car space but more do-able than before)
Insulation - could be an issue in winter, we will see if missus needs an extra fleece
Still have seats and table to dine on - plenty space for the 2 of us
We carried way too much before
Still fits 2 gas bottles
100l water - only slightly less than our A class did
Similar sized to the A Class
2 ring hob enough - never used the 3rd burner in the A Class and oven/grill is fine, I never made Sunday roast away
Fridge freezer as big as the A Class had near enough (tall slimline)
Not bothering with a satellite this time - sticking with aerial and Wi-Fi thingymajig
TV in ‘normal’ van spot above the rear bench seats
Yes might miss the ‘waves’ but surprising how many coachbuilts occupants never wave back
Looking forward to parking right next to you to try the ‘Whoosh Bang’ technique

If your brother had an Autosleeper Warwick XL I doubt you would have written that. We downsized from a Rapido A class and actually have had none of the issues you mention. Very easy to make the single bunks, nice dining space, three burner hob with full grill/oven, separate shower and toilet, integrated LPG tank, plenty of storage for all our needs. We were a little apprehensive to change. however any fears quickly evaporated. I Would agree that some PVC's are cramped and that's why we were very careful over our choice which we certainly do not regret, and now, after two years of use we would not go back to an A class or anything else.

 

[Teedubyaa]

If your brother had an Autosleeper Warwick XL I doubt you would have written that. We downsized from a Rapido A class and actually have had none of the issues you mention. Very easy to make the single bunks, nice dining space, three burner hob with full grill/oven, separate shower and toilet, integrated LPG tank, plenty of storage for all our needs. We were a little apprehensive to change. however any fears quickly evaporated. I Would agree that some PVC's are cramped and that's why we were very careful over our choice which we certainly do not regret, and now, after two years of use we would not go back to an A class or anything else.

Erm - I don’t have any issues I loved my former A Class and really looking forward to (eventually) getting my V68 PVC

 

[CazPaul]

I have a 1989 VW Westfalia California with, lifting roof & all the bells and whistles that I can sell you for half that price, immediate delivery!

And yours will be more reliable too

 

[L' Hobo]

And yours will be more reliable too

and easier fixable should anything go wrong. It's the 1.6 TD engine 40ish mpg.(emissions exempt)

 

[TheMachMan]

Trade ins have also increased correspondingly.

Ian

Used prices have increased but the gap to trade up has also widened. Similar to the housing market.

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[GMLS]

Our iH on order has a habitation door , no whoosh bang for me !

The one that costs an extra £4-5k?

 

[Pausim]

I see the preference for PVCs is going even higher. Not totally surprising with the thread title being specific to PVCs. I started off with a PVC, progressed to Coach Built and then on to A class. The compact A Class has me hooked. As easy to drive and handle as a PVC, easier to drive than a Coach Built and loads of storage space. I wouldn’t say I would never consider another PVC but I certainly will not be going back to a Coach Built.

 

[TheAleMan]

Our first van was a near 9m coachbuilt, this our second van is a 9.5m A-Class, and now we have a 7m PVC on order. Always liked the panel vans so can’t wait to get our hands on it.

 

[iandsm]

Erm - I don’t have any issues I loved my former A Class and really looking forward to (eventually) getting my V68 PVC

Please ignore my reply I have obviously suffered an digital interface application issue.

 

[iandsm]

Never really got the PVC thing. Brother has one but it's just got too many compromises compared to our 7.5 low profile coachbuilt.
The things that would bug me:

Having to make up a sort of bed from cushions and some scaffold tubes
A shower that you also have to do No. 2's in
A kitchen that blocks the doorway
Headroom that is only fit for smallys
Having to use 2 bays to park it anyway
Poor insulation
No real dining area
No easy way to carry anything
Small gas cabinet
Small water tank
Small sinks
Small cooker
Small fridge/freezer box
The feeling the whole van would blow over if a satellite dish was erected
Nowhere sensible for the telly
and other things..

But the real show stopper would be

Nobody waving at me when I'm plodding along


Oh.. and the tutting when it woosh bangs

If your brother had an Autosleeper Warwick XL I doubt you would have written that. We downsized from a Rapido A class and actually have had none of the issues you mention. Very easy to make the single bunks, nice dining space, three burner hob with full grill/oven, separate shower and toilet, integrated LPG tank, plenty of storage for all our needs. We were a little apprehensive to change. however any fears quickly evaporated. I Would agree that some PVC's are cramped and that's why we were very careful over our choice which we certainly do not regret, and now, after two years of use we would not go back to an A class or anything else.

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