PVC Prices!!

[bobandjanie]

Not sure how that differs much from a coach built? One comes with a rigid integral box and the other has the box added with all the inherent problems that presents. Thereafter it’s the same process.

If you have a factory tour, you will see the amount of people working on a motorhome, all the furniture is built and placed on the floor section the plumbing/ electrics is all done before the body is glued on, all the body panels are pre cut , very different building a panel van they work from inside a small space.

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.

I don't think it's down to space, we went from an a class eura mobil that had loads of space and a big garage full of stuff we never used.
Janie has driven many vehicles over the years towing trailers / caravans, and I had 44t articulated trucks, so no problem with how big they are, Janie would often be seen around truck breakers yard with a 4 x4 and twin axle trailer collecting parts.

It's down to personal choice what motorhome we have and how we use them. Bob.

 

[PaddyM]

The one that costs an extra £4-5k?

No pockets in shrouds

The one that costs an extra £4-5k?

Money well spent

 

[big bertha]

Loving our Fifer 5 metre van, we use as second car as daughter keeps pinching our Mini clubman.

 

[Russell's Dad]

I had a 6 meter Globescout PVC, which I loved. It really was a great van. I especially liked having the sliding door wide open to let the outside in. But..... a week in the Algarve in the rain and I knew that it was a bit too claustrophobic for me, at 6"2, and my better half. No room to pass each other and limited lounge space. The shower was a bit of a faff too.
2 years old I traded for a used Compactline Carthago. It is perfect for 2 folk and pretty much the same size as a 6.4 m PVC, except it has a shorter wheelbase. Much more useable space and more storage.
I think I would struggle with a PVC now. This van is my keeper.

 

[Viennese]

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.

My partner is 6'2'' and finds our WildAx Constellation PVC is fine both for standing upright and for sleeping.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Insider]

For anybody in the UK that think the prices are mad(and they are!!) have a small bit of pity for those of us in Ireland. Back in 2019 I bought a 2016 autocruise for £38K which by the time I had it converted to euro and paid government VRT of 13.3% OMSP(open market selling price - determined by revenue on how windy the day is) it had cost me close to €50k. It hurt but all fair so far.

If I was to buy the same van now I would be paying close to an extra £20K for something 3 years old. I would then have the 13.3% OSMP. Then the real pain begins... I would have a further 25% VAT and 10% importation duty on the selling price due to Brexit.

Therefore
€66K purchase price
€9K OMSP
€16.5K VAT
€6.6 Import duty
Total of €98K for a 3 to 4 yr old van

I base the price off a 4yr old Swift Select 184 on autotrader that is selling for £57.5 privately with a spec that is not close to the one I bought. Not changing anytime soon!!!!!

 

[Aly1]

Trade ins have also increased correspondingly.

Ian

It’s getting the van I want though. The converters are not getting the base vehicles.

 

[Jolak]

As a novice motorhomer, can someone enlighten me on exactly what a PVC is please.

 

[ROCHESB]

PVC = Panel Van Conversion.......

Think of a delivery van, with windows and rooflights, fitted out as a motorhome

 

[iandsm]

As a novice motorhomer, can someone enlighten me on exactly what a PVC is please.

Panel van conversion. Just a large panel van fitted outside for camping and much the same as an other camper/motorhome but a little smaller. As in my picture

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Pausim]

As a novice motorhomer, can someone enlighten me on exactly what a PVC is please.

Outside the motorhome world it stands for Polyvinyl Chloride, a common plastic used in things like windows and packaging.

 

[Insider]

As a novice motorhomer, can someone enlighten me on exactly what a PVC is please.

Many on here have a PVC fetish so be prepared for unusual answers!

 

[dash300]

If you have a factory tour, you will see the amount of people working on a motorhome, all the furniture is built and placed on the floor section the plumbing/ electrics is all done before the body is glued on, all the body panels are pre cut , very different building a panel van they work from inside a small space.



I don't think it's down to space, we went from an a class eura mobil that had loads of space and a big garage full of stuff we never used.
Janie has driven many vehicles over the years towing trailers / caravans, and I had 44t articulated trucks, so no problem with how big they are, Janie would often be seen around truck breakers yard with a 4 x4 and twin axle trailer collecting parts.

It's down to personal choice what motorhome we have and how we use them. Bob.

The habitation area being 'glued on' was the bit that worried me, so a PVC won out!

 

[David BW]

When PVCs went over 40K many years back I laughed and said "40K for a panel van!!!!" I ate my words and bought a Globecar Campscout Revolution PVC and 6 years on Im still happy with the decision. Having said that the Revolution is as tall and long as many coachbuilts and larger than some.
Looking now at the prices of PVCs I see them at £80K plus and once again Im in disbelief. There are a lot of benefits with a PVC and moving from a tag axle Frankia my change was quite a big jump.
Having a look around at the current offerings on the market I can see that there are no extra high Fiats being built and some converters have moved to the less suitable Merc to fill the gap. I say less suitable because of the body shape and width narrowing with height meaning layouts are sometimes compromised. Plus I still see 2 year old Mercs rusting!
Im not thinking of changing but if I did I would struggle to find a van with the swiss army like versatiliy that the Revolution has. There has not been many game changing changes in PVCs over the last 6 years. The only 2 changes like are the new real auto box and the LCD dash in the ducato.

A higher percentage of PVCs vs coachbuilts are on the road now. What would your next van be?

We're delighted with our Campscout and can't see any need to replace - ideally it would have levelling suspension but that would just be indulgent. We moved to this from a 2014 Hymer Compact (C408) which was smaller with a drop down transverse bed. We much prefer our Globecar's layout. Interested to see the price history of the Hymer since we bought it in 2017 for £40K (negotiated down from £42K asking price) We traded in to the same dealer in 2021 with another 15000 miles on it and it went on their forecourt with a £43K price tag, I see it's now on the market again with another 2K or 3k miles on the clock with a price of £48K!

 

[Van Aert]

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

My whoosh has no bang……..soft close

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Nanniemate]

My whoosh has no bang……..soft close

You'd better get it fixed then

 

[Minxy]

I don't think it's down to space, we went from an a class eura mobil that had loads of space and a big garage full of stuff we never used.

It is due to space for us, the outside of PVCs look great but the inside is certainly more 'cramped' than an A-Class, or coachbuilt, of similar size. The slightly sloping sides, with the vertical support beams mean you have to fit the furniture etc further into the vehicle so loose a few inches of space immediately, the lower height (extra-high top models excepted as they are quite rare) often means less depth to the hab area cupboards, drawers, upper lockers etc storage so more needs to be put in less accessible places like under seats, bed etc. We only take stuff we will use normally, the exception being our electric bikes which we took last time but didn't even see the light of day so they're going to be taken out and replaced with a single smaller bike just for nipping to shops etc if required. If we had a PVC the bikes would have to go on a rack on the rear so the overall length would be greater than our A-class and less secure too.

Also consideration for us was the insulation as no matter how much there's in a PVC it isn't as good as a coachbuilt, this was quite apparent at times, not only in winter but summer too and I actually burnt myself on the exposed metal above the rear doors on a hot day, this of course meant the interior was hotter generally. With dogs even though we took loads of precautions to keep them cool it was a bit of a concern and sometimes meant we couldn't leave them even on warm days, not hot, not a concern with our A-class.

Don't get me wrong, I still like PVCs and the ones we had were great BUT they did have drawbacks and now we have our A-class, the first we've ever had, we appreciate the benefits of the latter.

Janie has driven many vehicles over the years towing trailers / caravans, and I had 44t articulated trucks, so no problem with how big they are, Janie would often be seen around truck breakers yard with a 4 x4 and twin axle trailer collecting parts.

PVCs are a bit nippier than a MH but not massively especially since we put semi-air on our MH so it handles pretty much the same but has a much better turning circle which makes manoeuvring around parking areas, turning in the road etc much easier.

It's down to personal choice what motorhome we have and how we use them. Bob.

Exactly. We've had various MHs/PVC and at the time they did what we wanted, but as our holiday styles changed we changed them to suit.

 

[TheMachMan]

It is due to space for us, the outside of PVCs look great but the inside is certainly more 'cramped' than an A-Class, or coachbuilt, of similar size. The slightly sloping sides, with the vertical support beams mean you have to fit the furniture etc further into the vehicle so loose a few inches of space immediately, the lower height (extra-high top models excepted as they are quite rare) often means less depth to the hab area cupboards, drawers, upper lockers etc storage so more needs to be put in less accessible places like under seats, bed etc. We only take stuff we will use normally, the exception being our electric bikes which we took last time but didn't even see the light of day so they're going to be taken out and replaced with a single smaller bike just for nipping to shops etc if required. If we had a PVC the bikes would have to go on a rack on the rear so the overall length would be greater than our A-class and less secure too.

Also consideration for us was the insulation as no matter how much there's in a PVC it isn't as good as a coachbuilt, this was quite apparent at times, not only in winter but summer too and I actually burnt myself on the exposed metal above the rear doors on a hot day, this of course meant the interior was hotter generally. With dogs even though we took loads of precautions to keep them cool it was a bit of a concern and sometimes meant we couldn't leave them even on warm days, not hot, not a concern with our A-class.

Don't get me wrong, I still like PVCs and the ones we had were great BUT they did have drawbacks and now we have our A-class, the first we've ever had, we appreciate the benefits of the latter.


PVCs are a bit nippier than a MH but not massively especially since we put semi-air on our MH so it handles pretty much the same but has a much better turning circle which makes manoeuvring around parking areas, turning in the road etc much easier.


Exactly. We've had various MHs/PVC and at the time they did what we wanted, but as our holiday styles changed we changed them to suit.

Your Compactline is the only MH that might persuade us to swap from our PVC. Is their much difference in width?

 

[Oldrat]

There are too many 6’6” width restrictions around my London home, so even if I did want one, which I don’t,
unless we stored it elsewhere, a motorhome is out of the question.

Besides, I love my whoosh bang, and repeatedly slide the door back and forth as often as I can just because I love to hear the sound.

 

[Pausim]

Your Compactline is the only MH that might persuade us to swap from our PVC. Is their much difference in width?

2.120m according to the brochure I have.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Minxy]

Your Compactline is the only MH that might persuade us to swap from our PVC. Is their much difference in width?

Fiat Ducato XL is 2.05m x 6.36m, our 138 is 2.12m x 6.41m, so just 7cm wider and 5cm longer however having top mounted mirrors we can get through places that a PVC would sometimes struggle with as they pass over most things whereas a PVC's mirrors would clash, even if folded.

 

[Oldrat]

Fiat Ducato XL is 2.05m x 6.36m, our 138 is 2.12m x 6.41m, so just 7cm wider and 5cm longer however having top mounted mirrors we can get through places that a PVC would sometimes struggle with as they pass over most things whereas a PVC's mirrors would clash, even if folded.

Converting that 2.12m into Feet and inches = 6’11”

If my PVC was that wide I’d struggle to get it home

Sorry - but my mirrors easily pass over all the posts that I’ve come across so far.

 

[Manxcat]

We have just specced and ordered a new Carthago compactline i138. At 6.4m long and 2.1m wide almost the same size as a larger ducato maxi conversion.

Not cheap but full of comfort and space. It will replace our C Tourer 138 which is a bit wider.

 

[Minxy]

Sorry - but my mirrors easily pass over all the posts that I’ve come across so far.

Must try harder!

We've encountered a few tall hedges and other taller stuff which a PVC would have been 'trimming' as they travelled along. . We've also got through gaps between cars when they've parked where they shouldn't and where a PVCs mirrors would have been clipped even when folded.

The only thing we have to watch for are idiots with higher mirrors who forget they have them but that's quite rare.

 

[Oldrat]

I can see that.

My common problem is other vans (Sprinters and Crafters etc) coming towards us in narrow roads with their mirrors at the same height!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Minxy]

I can see that.

My common problem is other vans (Sprinters and Crafters etc) coming towards us in narrow roads with their mirrors at the same height!

... And playing chicken!

 

[Feltwell]

I'm still toying with PVC or narrow A class for the next van. PVC's are so expensive now - an IH I liked would be around £100k when spec'd.

So many PVC's are not good for tall people, I'm not that tall at just under 6'2", yet on any Ducato H2 based van (which is all new Ducatos really) or Sprinter base, my hair brushes the roof or I bash my head on skylight surrounds etc. The Transit mid-roof is even worse.

I got my hopes up when Murvi said they would do one based on the Transit XLWB Hi-Top - loads of headroom. Alas they would only do the extra length of the van as a storage area behind the back end of their standard layout, they wouldn't do it with a longer front lounge (and therefore longer bed) and everything else pushed back a bit. The bed was no good, looked a right faff and I'd overhang onto the cab seat! It's a shame as otherwise I quite liked the Murvi.

The MAN TGE / VW Crafter is the only hope - it's just that bit taller than the others. IH with a woosh-bang and rear lounge is nice but very pricey. I'm toying with the idea of buying a 5 ton TGE and doing my own conversion with a decent motorbike rack on the back - hence the 5ton, if it'll give me the rear axle loading. If I can avoid a trailer it would be handy.

 

[Oldrat]

I'm still toying with PVC or narrow A class for the next van. PVC's are so expensive now - an IH I liked would be around £100k when spec'd.

So many PVC's are not good for tall people, I'm not that tall at just under 6'2", yet on any Ducato H2 based van (which is all new Ducatos really) or Sprinter base, my hair brushes the roof or I bash my head on skylight surrounds etc. The Transit mid-roof is even worse.

I got my hopes up when Murvi said they would do one based on the Transit XLWB Hi-Top - loads of headroom. Alas they would only do the extra length of the van as a storage area behind the back end of their standard layout, they wouldn't do it with a longer front lounge (and therefore longer bed) and everything else pushed back a bit. The bed was no good, looked a right faff and I'd overhang onto the cab seat! It's a shame as otherwise I quite liked the Murvi.

The MAN TGE / VW Crafter is the only hope - it's just that bit taller than the others. IH with a woosh-bang and rear lounge is nice but very pricey. I'm toying with the idea of buying a 5 ton TGE and doing my own conversion with a decent motorbike rack on the back - hence the 5ton, if it'll give me the rear axle loading. If I can avoid a trailer it would be handy.

Mines a superhigh Crafter, by Rhales.

I can’t reach the ceiling and I’m 5’11”.

 

[Manxcat]

I'm still toying with PVC or narrow A class for the next van. PVC's are so expensive now - an IH I liked would be around £100k when spec'd.

So many PVC's are not good for tall people, I'm not that tall at just under 6'2", yet on any Ducato H2 based van (which is all new Ducatos really) or Sprinter base, my hair brushes the roof or I bash my head on skylight surrounds etc. The Transit mid-roof is even worse.

I got my hopes up when Murvi said they would do one based on the Transit XLWB Hi-Top - loads of headroom. Alas they would only do the extra length of the van as a storage area behind the back end of their standard layout, they wouldn't do it with a longer front lounge (and therefore longer bed) and everything else pushed back a bit. The bed was no good, looked a right faff and I'd overhang onto the cab seat! It's a shame as otherwise I quite liked the Murvi.

The MAN TGE / VW Crafter is the only hope - it's just that bit taller than the others. IH with a woosh-bang and rear lounge is nice but very pricey. I'm toying with the idea of buying a 5 ton TGE and doing my own conversion with a decent motorbike rack on the back - hence the 5ton, if it'll give me the rear axle loading. If I can avoid a trailer it would be handy.

What you are describing seems perfect for the Carthago compactline. If bot needed get one without the driodown bed. Loads of headroom. Many fit bikes into the garage m but may need uprating to 4 25 tons for that.

 

[GMLS]

No pockets in shrouds


Money well spent

Many on here have a PVC fetish so be prepared for unusual answers!

I made that mistake once when a pub had a vinyl party night

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}