PVC recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[yorkiebar]

we really like our Summit Prime 640. Agree with what other Globecar owners have said. We swapped from a 6.4m Autosleeper. But the Summit Prime is much more manoeuvrable, has more space and we certainly do not miss the oven and microwave. We upgraded to one 230ah lithium battery. We use the shower and loo. Our short list of facilities included two longitudinal beds which we have, as we both get up several times during the night. If that wasnt essential I would consider a 6m with transverse bed - just a bit easier to park. But we have no regrets with this van. I think the most annoying thing is the washbasin tap which is right over the basin and not swivel. Just gets in the way a bit.

Lots of 6m vans with longitudinal beds available.

 

[hja]

Lots of 6m vans with longitudinal beds available.

Yes, but you loose a lot of other benefits like good sized work area in the kitchen.

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Has anybody bought a pvc after a A class and not liked it and returned to a larger van.

 

[Pausim]

Has anybody bought a pvc after a A class and not liked it and returned to a larger van.

Not yet and not likely to. We have not had the van long but already we are liking it too much to think of going back to an A Class.

 

[Soycd]

If you don't like the rear lounge models (we dislike them) then you are quite limited in the UK. As far as I know Adria, Globecar, Malibu and possibly a few others have fixed rear beds. We ended up with an Adria Supreme 640 SLB which has longitudinal beds so no climbing over each other to get up in the night. We really wanted a Globecar Summit 640 but the dealer couldn't answer the most basic questions at the NEC in 22 and could not fix a price. Happy with the Adria, however, we ended up with a huge panoramic roof, which I don't like. If you really want to see the full range of PVCs available in Europe, then Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf at the end of August is the place to go. We have had extensive range of motorhomes in the past ranging from a huge 6 wheel Buerstner 747, nearly 9 metres long down to our last PVC which was a Challenger Vany 6 metres long. As ther is only the two of us now the PVC is perfect(ish).

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[Simon Meadwell]

Not yet and not likely to. We have not had the van long but already we are liking it too much to think of going back to an A Class.

Surely someone has. I have looked at pvcs just trying to get another angle. The down side i see is the pinch space in the kitchen.

 

[carolyn]

Surely someone has. I have looked at pvcs just trying to get another angle. The down side i see is the pinch space in the kitchen.

I do know what you mean. We’re collecting our 3rd PVC on the Fiat base in less than 3 weeks now. However before we bought our 2nd we did look at the VW crafter IH and much as we liked the bigger bathroom even thought we’re not large that pinch point was just too narrow even for us. The boxy shape of the Fiat makes quite a difference there.

The kitchen in our new soon to be collected Consort Oslo is much more user friendly than our IH630RD despite me persuading Ian to put a small sink in it which gave me a bit of worktop instead of the huge useless sink and drainer that’s the standard fit.

 

[Brize]

Surely someone has. I have looked at pvcs just trying to get another angle. The down side i see is the pinch space in the kitchen.

Not at all. Kitchen inthe Warwick XL we have is better and bigger than any A Class we have had. No fixed bed = more space.

If there is any pinch space it is storage for larger things such as chairs, but you adapt.

 

[Pausim]

Not at all. Kitchen inthe Warwick XL we have is better and bigger than any A Class we have had. No fixed bed = more space.

If there is any pinch space it is storage for larger things such as chairs, but you adapt.

Even with an A-Class there may be compromises. It is just a matter of deciding what compromises you can live with and which you can’t live with. For us we would rather have a pinch point than sacrifice:
i) Proper fixed beds
ii) Somewhere to store bulky items such as chairs
iii) Shower screen (I don’t like wearing a shower curtain)
and iv) Good quality construction.
However there is no right or wrong it is simply a matter of personal choice.

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Yes always a compromise i was after a balanced view the thread was pvc bias . No problem with that i was looking for the other side to the argument. We are a way off downsizing yet but may do in future.
The main benefit it would fit on my drive and save me storage costs.

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[lorger]

I watched a video the other day of an Adria twin with a length of 6.8m, not much longer than the 6.4 but did look really nice and more spacious, I’m sure it was on a MAM chassis.

 

[TheMachMan]

Surely someone has. I have looked at pvcs just trying to get another angle. The down side i see is the pinch space in the kitchen.

No pinch point, you just have a one way system!

 

[Guigsy]

PVCs, you have to take turns on who gets to stand up.

 

[Pausim]

Wide range here:

PVC-U-LIKE Plastic and Vinyl Clothing

Massive range of womens and mens PVC and plastic clothing. PVC fashion and fetish clothes. Rainwear, raincoats, PVC clubwear, PVC underwear, fantasy clothes and uniforms. PVC bed sheets and accessories.

pvc-u-like.com

View attachment 922969

Yes the plastics industry got there with PVC a long long time before the motorhome community.

 

[martin2603]

I keep being badgered to downsize to something less than 8.5 m , I have just seen an NB Arto 6.99 meter island bed at 4 Front. 17k on the clock but 2014. Lovely condition but with the shower and loo at the side of the bed and a lovely vanity unit in the bedroom there was a real shortage of wardrobe storage, the under bed was very clever but too small. There were only 4 overhead lockers in total, 1 leisure battery, no solar . Shame , Thought I would be making saving on the shuttle it being 5ft shorter, when I checked. They were the same price!!

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[royandsharont]

I watched a video the other day of an Adria twin with a length of 6.8m, not much longer than the 6.4 but did look really nice and more spacious, I’m sure it was on a MAM chassis.

That’s right, I looked at one last Monday at my dealer whilst I had hab service done, £105k, wow

 

[Badknee]

We have spent every night since last Sept, both here and wintering in Spain in our Vantage Neo and love it. Fabulous build quality as not a single thing has failed on it in the two years we’ve owned it

 

[busby]

We have camped since we were kids. Tents, trailer tents, a few small motorhomes, and since retiring, a 31ft Itasca Sunrise, with slide out, a fifth wheel trailer with slide out, towed with a Dodge Ram pick up, 44ft total length, and have just sold our 31ft 3 slide out Coachmen Concord. Big, comfortable and very roomy, want for nothing American RV's. Loved them.

Now we want to come down a size or two, and maybe go for a panel van conversion this time. Grandkids don't come along anymore, and we wish to do more 'local' touring, so it seems like the time is right to go smaller. Just us two now.

Can anyone give me any pros and cons, best types, any ones to avoid, etc? An automatic is a must, as I am missing the limb that shoves the clutch pedal down.

Many thanks,

Craig

On our third panel van..had three coachbuilt also..Love the one we have now..5 mtrs..22 years old and had a pretty trouble free 8 years 50k miles from it to date..Excellent kitchen..small shower toilet..Good lounge and by fitting storage boxers on rear plenty of storage..BUSBY.

 

[treblid]

As far as I know Adria, Globecar, Malibu and possibly a few others have fixed rear beds

Including the Burstner Eliseo range.

 

[davidroxburgh]

We went from a Hymer B544 to a PVC Westfalia Columbus 6.36 long and like all Fiat Ducato vans the body was 2.05 wide.

With a 180HP engine we could go absolutely anywhere. We stayed with the Comfortmatic robotised auto box which was our third. We always used Adams Morey who know more than most about that box.

Good insulation underfloor heating and the ability to sleep 4 or even 5 people made it a winner.

Narrow lanes and mountain climbing up hairpin bends was for us much easier and more relaxed in the PVC than in the A class.

So for us a PVC - sadly now even shorter than before!

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[lorger]

That’s right, I looked at one last Monday at my dealer whilst I had hab service done, £105k, wow

The one I watched a video of was £84k, it was top of the range with auto box, I just assumed it was new as I’d never seen one that size before.

 

[lorger]

simsy56
Hopefully video works, this is the one I seen, nice looking van in my opinion.

 

[CAB96]

simsy56
Hopefully video works, this is the one I seen, nice looking van in my opinion.

View attachment 923200

That's a long awning!

Not convinced by the sparkles and hearts though

 

[lorger]

That's a long awning!

Not convinced by the sparkles and hearts though

Don’t know I thought they were a nice touch

The only downside for me is height of bed, why not make it slightly higher and you’d fit bikes in underneath easily. That was the main disadvantage of our pvc, loads of room to raise beds a bit.

 

[Guigsy]

Don’t know I thought they were a nice touch

The only downside for me is height of bed, why not make it slightly higher and you’d fit bikes in underneath easily. That was the main disadvantage of our pvc, loads of room to raise beds a bit.

When I built the rear bed on our previous van, I made it high enough so I could slot the Bromptons underneath. It did make the bed pretty much as high as the worktop, so it wasn't elegant to get into. There also wasn't a ton of space under the cabinets, so we had to lean against the back door or bathroom wall if we wanted to sit up in bed. Worth it, but it was a compromise.

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[royandsharont]

The one I watched a video of was £84k, it was top of the range with auto box, I just assumed it was new as I’d never seen one that size before.

The Fiat 640’s there were all priced at £84k but the MAN was definitely £105, I think it was the SGX with a raise up bed at the rear. The video says they start at £87k I think

 

[Hedgewitch]

The only downside for me is height of bed, why not make it slightly higher and you’d fit bikes in underneath easily. That was the main disadvantage of our pvc, loads of room to raise beds a bit.

All vans are a compromise - for you the bed height means lack of storage for a bike.
For me it is the difference between whether I can sit up in bed or not.

One of my simple pleasures when away in the van is to make a pot of coffee when I wake up and then go back to bed, something that never, ever happens at home. Just half an hour, gently "coming to", maybe looking at the view, maybe browsing online. I have had a van where there was not enough headroom to do this comfortably - it was not something I had factored in until I found I could not do so, very much spoilt the slowing down & relaxing element of trips away.

 

[Guigsy]

All vans are a compromise - for you the bed height means lack of storage for a bike.
For me it is the difference between whether I can sit up in bed or not.

One of my simple pleasures when away in the van is to make a pot of coffee when I wake up and then go back to bed, something that never, ever happens at home. Just half an hour, gently "coming to", maybe looking at the view, maybe browsing online. I have had a van where there was not enough headroom to do this comfortably - it was not something I had factored in until I found I could not do so, very much spoilt the slowing down & relaxing element of trips away.

There's a lot of factors in van layout that don't even occur to you until you actually live in them. And it's almost impossible to learn without trying it. Hence the "third van" rule. The suggestion that you rent before you buy. And that some designs look fancy, but the designer's fancy idea wasn't actually "dog fooded", so in the real world, it doesn't work as intended.

 

[DJIT]

There are only 2 of us, so we had a free choice - not needing 4 travel seats.
We went for a 6.4m PVC and for us it's a big increase in space as we traded up from a VW T6.
Of course, if you are trading down from a bigger van, then there will be some compromises as you are starting with a smaller box, and so you need to consider and decide how you want to use the reduced space.
We went for a rear U shaped lounge, which gives us good storage underneath (a big boot) and makes the total space in the van usable for daytime as well as overnight. The bed in ours is comfy and only takes 5 minutes to convert - so we decided this was a compromise we could live with - but we all have different priorities.
We could leave the bed made up on occasion as the front seats swivel and have surfaces or pop-up tables within reach for cups / plates.

 

[old-mo]

Vantage Neo, Craig.....

Quality through and through....... Bit pricey new but there are some tidy second hand ones about...

The one we had was the solid back, did away with the draughty doors and did not look like a van so much.. And at the back was a reasonable size boot/storage locker...

Loved it and still wish we could use one...

Vantage NEO - Vantage Motorhomes

Get up to date with the latest stock and pricing information from Vantage Motorhomes today. We're based in Leeds & cover Yorkshire & the UK.

www.vantagemotorhomes.co.uk

And plenty of cupboard space for T-bags.... ::

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