Tam & co the great winter escape

[Carol]

Northernraider you would almost certainly not loose much upgrading a standard Motorhome to your speck you would recoupe most of it but 25K plus labour and worry on the self build could end up a money pit, a lot to think of. Sometimes the dream and reality are different.

 

[Minxy]

Tam, take a breath and chill. You are thinking about a lot of things at the moment and need to calm it all down and then concentrate on what you really require from a motorhome and/or camper. Go back to basics and start as a newbie would, ie what you need, would like and don't want, then think about how you can get this ideal, or as near to, vehicle. This may mean building it yourself, or adapting one that mostly meets your criteria. Jumping about from one thing to another is just muddying the waters and you could end up with something that still doesn't and won't ever meet your requirements. Chill dude, chill!

 

[Just smiffy]

Minxy has some wise words there….

My sentiments too…

 

[Northernraider]

All very sensible - but what about the log burner?

Yes thats my biggest quandary .

But mostly because im tired of being cold in motorhomes. Maybe if i could fit a diesel heater in the next one as back up to the truma it might work.

I couldn't fit one in the hymer

 

[intokenny]

Minxy said it well. I think just back from your hols & thinking car & work & the dogs etc, it's a build up. Relax, take a week or two & then it may all come together. Also you might have some warmer weather which always helps. As Minxy says "chill dude chill". I'm sure it will come right in the end.

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[Dutch 68]

Yes thats where a lot of these thoughts are coming from.

To be honest when i decided i wanted to change the hymer my first thought was to buy another motorhome with a different setup. When i couldn't find anything at a price i wanted to pay i then thought about building my own ....on the biggest van possible. Hence the vario.

But to build it how i want it will cost me around £25k not counting the hours i put in to it. Which is why im now thinking i might be better buying a motorhome again and simply adding more solar , better batteries and a diesel heater to it.

Very true , and you will not loose any money on it either, for full timing in comfort you need space, never got enough of it really , and you can still tweak it, wood burner will still be possible, just get something with a huge payload

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes thats my biggest quandary .

But mostly because im tired of being cold in motorhomes. Maybe if i could fit a diesel heater in the next one as back up to the truma it might work.

I couldn't fit one in the hymer

Wasn't the reason you were cold in the Hymer down to batteries & the Truma not firing up?
A diesel heater as well as the Truma I would have thought essential for your use.
We have never been cold in any of our Hymers with Truma heating but we do use a lot of gas.

 

[Northernraider]

Tam, take a breath and chill. You are thinking about a lot of things at the moment and need to calm it all down and then concentrate on what you really require from a motorhome and/or camper. Go back to basics and start as a newbie would, ie what you need, would like and don't want, then think about how you can get this ideal, or as near to, vehicle. This may mean building it yourself, or adapting one that mostly meets your criteria. Jumping about from one thing to another is just muddying the waters and you could end up with something that still doesn't and won't ever meet your requirements. Chill dude, chill!

Yep i know ...i did say earlier im conflicted and undecided what to do for the best. I won't be doing anything rash .

2 years ago i thought id have the hymer for a lot more years. But i got fed up being cold, problems with batteries , heating and not the ability to carry a scooter or small motorbike on the back etc . So i considered a frankia again or something similar but not wanting to spend 40k on one.

Im comfortable around the 25k mark , and that's why i thought i could build one for that.

But im fussy and if its not just right id not be content with it. And paying more skilled people to do it would increase that budget a lot.

Ive made no decisions either way but sounding it out with others helps to bring things up i might not have thought of.

 

[Northernraider]

Wasn't the reason you were cold in the Hymer down to batteries & the Truma not firing up?
A diesel heater as well as the Truma I would have thought essential for your use.
We have never been cold in any of our Hymers with Truma heating but we do use a lot of gas.

Yep and that's what made me fed up with the hymer. I could never rely on the heating. I seem to have that problem with every van ive ever owned. And when full-time off grid it soon gets you down.

 

[Minxy]

Yes thats my biggest quandary .

But mostly because im tired of being cold in motorhomes. Maybe if i could fit a diesel heater in the next one as back up to the truma it might work.

I couldn't fit one in the hymer

Sometimes it's a mental thing ... If you can see a log fire you'll feel warmer even if there's no heat from it sooooooooo ...

Broken Link Removed

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[Lenny HB]

Sometimes it's a mental thing ... If you can see a log fire you'll feel warmer even if there's no heat from it sooooooooo ...

Broken Link Removed

I knew you were weird.

 

[Wissel]

Yes this was something i realised with the iveco and i need to think about with the vario.
Having mostly had german vans with double floors ive no desire to have water tanks etc underslung where they can freeze. So most of the space under the rear fixed bed will be water tank and batteries electrics etc. , No external lockers either. Then theres the barely 6ft headroom , the 2 metre width and needing a spacious bathroom plus comfortable seating and still have room for a full cooker with oven , fridge freezer , wardrobe big enough for all seasons etc. Despite the vario being 7 metres im not sure how to design it and have storage for chairs , table , outdoor cooking etc. I had off course thought id put most of that on the roofrack but not sure it would work. The van looks huge when empty but looking at others conversions on them a fixed bed and a decent lounge is very rare.

I've been looking back at the designs I did when I was concidering a Vario. The only layout that springs to mind would be something like this, sleeping on the pull down cab bed and changing the back to a U-shaped lounge.

Anyway, just an idea before you decide which direction to take

 

[Northernraider]

Sometimes it's a mental thing ... If you can see a log fire you'll feel warmer even if there's no heat from it sooooooooo ...

Broken Link Removed

I just see it as a heat source that requires no electricity lol. And theres wood lying around everywhere. But even that i keep getting negative thoughts on from folk and a few ive seen lately on Instagram etc look very messy so again theres pros and cons.

They look lovely....but ive never had one.

I just think it would be nice cosying up in front of one. But i need a nice comfortable lounge to do that too lol

 

[Minxy]

I knew you were weird.

It was Wissel who started it by wanting to put something in his camper to keep his dog happy!

 

[Northernraider]

I've been looking back at the designs I did when I was concidering a Vario. The only layout that springs to mind would be something like this, sleeping on the pull down cab bed and changing the back to a U-shaped lounge.

View attachment 602766
Anyway, just an idea before you decide which direction to take

See you obviously have a lot of skills i lack ...and that's my worry. I could spend thousands on skylights, tanks, appliances , batteries etc and end up with something that resembles the Beverly hillbillies wagon.

I don't have a workshop or garage, fancy tools etc . But i want a shit hot looking van

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[Northernraider]

It was Wissel who started it by wanting to put something in his camper to keep his dog happy!

He has a lot to answer for does Wissel he's only just started that sprinter build and its got fancy bits in id never manage to do

 

[Mr porky]

In my opinion.
You want what we all want but can't have.The perfect motorhome, no extra bits we don't need but everything we want.
Huge tanks, water and waste so we can off grid for at least a week but the ability to 4x4 to the perfect spot. Solar panals and batterys to back it up etc etc etc.
Unfortunately that costs money if someone else builds it which means you wouldn't bounce it up and down that rough road.
So you have the choice, build it rough and beautiful so it can do the ultimate or buy something off peg and add on, but would it be good enough.
I'm not sure it would be right, but life would be easier and you wouldn't have to spend the next few months/years building it.
I personally prefer the road but I'm a gin palace owner who just buys what I need.
Whatever option you decide it's the right one because its your choice.

 

[nicholsong]

I what to put the record straight as to why I invited Tam to contact me about a suggestion I had for him.

Firstly I did not want to hijack his thread.

Secondly for reasons I shall now explain there is a deadline approaching and I thought that just posting a PM might get missed.

In retrospect Maybe I should have just posted on this thread drawing his attention to a PM.

Some people have commented about investment recommendations, so inevitably this has become a distraction. I had no intention of making an investment recommendation.

Tam had already indicated a sum of money he had on deposit and was unhappy with the return. He did not indicate whether he had this money in an ISA 'wrapper'.

I merely wanted to advise him that every person has a right to add £20K to an ISA in each tax year, which of course ends at midnight tomorrow, 5th April.

The main reason for sheltering ones funds in an ISA is that all interest, dividends and capital gains are free of tax.

Many people are misled by media recommendations for ISAs, whether stocks and shares or cash ISA, that by opening one that one is committing to an investment Manager. This is not true. One can simply put cash into a fund and control the investment oneself.

It is also a misconception that once put into the ISA one's funds are inaccessible - again wrong, as one can give instructions to withdraw some or all of the funds at any time, and there is no tax to pay on whatever profits the funds have made.

I have been putting my annual allowance in every year for about 20 years and now have a fund worth well into 6 figures. In fact, together with my self-invested pension all my investments are inside tax-free wrappers.

Tam may or may not have utilised ISAs, but since he was unhappy with his return I thought he might like to know that even the modest return he got could have been tax-free.

Once one has got the cash into the ISA one has freedom to decide how to invest it, but it is still one's own cash and free to be done with it what you will - Tax-Free.

My advice is about tax-saving not investment.

Geoff

 

[MaidinDevon]

Hi Tam

As you know I have the Hymer B654 as well, and it is blinking draughty. Even with a heavy blanket isolating the cab, it never feels warm and cosy.
Have you had a van with Alde radiators before? In my experience much warmer, although it takes time to get them hot. They manage to stay hot all round the van, where the truma burns your feet in one spot, and doesn't even reach the bathroom.
My 2007 Burstner Argos had Alde heating, including in the garage. So did the Elegance. I remember waking up in Northern Spain, to find a foot of snow had fallen overnight but we were toasty.
So maybe Alde plus diesel stove/heater? And a firepit for satisfying the arsonist impulses outside.
I believe RS motorhomes customise their vans. Maybe there is a second hand one out there with your wishlist spec.

I have no doubt you would be able to find it if outs out there, with your search skills.

What about a composting loo, or the incinerator? They fascinate me. I love a toilet thread! Unsurprisingly, narrowboaters seem obsessed by toilets as well, as motorhomers.

I'm just putting stuff out there, ignore any or all of it.

Karen

 

[Northernraider]

In my opinion.
You want what we all want but can't have.The perfect motorhome, no extra bits we don't need but everything we want.
Huge tanks, water and waste so we can off grid for at least a week but the ability to 4x4 to the perfect spot. Solar panals and batterys to back it up etc etc etc.
Unfortunately that costs money if someone else builds it which means you wouldn't bounce it up and down that rough road.
So you have the choice, build it rough and beautiful so it can do the ultimate or buy something off peg and add on, but would it be good enough.
I'm not sure it would be right, but life would be easier and you wouldn't have to spend the next few months/years building it.
I personally prefer the road but I'm a gin palace owner who just buys what I need.
Whatever option you decide it's the right one because its your choice.

Yep that is it in a nutshell. I resented the Frankia and hymer having drop down beds i didnt need , heating that didn't do the job, batteries that kept going flat etc.

But i did love the space and the storage , a fixed bed is a must , a separate shower , an oven , a good sized fridge and freezer, a spacious comfortable bed i don't have to climb a ladder to get in to. Etc , ground clearance is also handy.

LHD would be preferred for long-term planning as its still the dream to settle somewhere warmer. Or at least spend winters there.

Also want to be able to access places off the beaten track.

But does such a thing exsist for what i want to spend thats the problem.

Although next winter might be back to south Spain and sunshine

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[Northernraider]

I what to put the record straight as to why I invited Tam to contact me about a suggestion I had for him.

Firstly I did not want to hijack his thread.

Secondly for reasons I shall now explain there is a deadline approaching and I thought that just posting a PM might get missed.

In retrospect Maybe I should have just posted on this thread drawing his attention to a PM.

Some people have commented about investment recommendations, so inevitably this has become a distraction. I had no intention of making an investment recommendation.

Tam had already indicated a sum of money he had on deposit and was unhappy with the return. He did not indicate whether he had this money in an ISA 'wrapper'.

I merely wanted to advise him that every person has a right to add £20K to an ISA in each tax year, which of course ends at midnight tomorrow, 5th April.

The main reason for sheltering ones funds in an ISA is that all interest, dividends and capital gains are free of tax.

Many people are misled by media recommendations for ISAs, whether stocks and shares or cash ISA, that by opening one that one is committing to an investment Manager. This is not true. One can simply put cash into a fund and control the investment oneself.

It is also a misconception that once put into the ISA one's funds are inaccessible - again wrong, as one can give instructions to withdraw some or all of the funds at any time, and there is no tax to pay on whatever profits the funds have made.

I have been putting my annual allowance in every year for about 20 years and now have a fund worth well into 6 figures. In fact, together with my self-invested pension all my investments are inside tax-free wrappers.

Tam may or may not have utilised ISAs, but since he was unhappy with his return I thought he might like to know that even the modest return he got could have been tax-free.

Once one has got the cash into the ISA one has freedom to decide how to invest it, but it is still one's own cash and free to be done with it what you will - Tax-Free.

My advice is about tax-saving not investment.

Geoff

I couldn't act on it right now anyway unfortunately as my funds were in a locked account until 14th of April. Then ill be looking for something else with hopefully a better return.

 

[Jamesh]

Lol skodas are different these days.

This particular one has done 259000 miles so far. But still looks in great condition

Nothing wrong with Skoda's?

Octavia I presume? Good car.

I'd love a superb.

 

[Northernraider]

Hi Tam

As you know I have the Hymer B654 as well, and it is blinking draughty. Even with a heavy blanket isolating the cab, it never feels warm and cosy.
Have you had a van with Alde radiators before? In my experience much warmer, although it takes time to get them hot. They manage to stay hot all round the van, where the truma burns your feet in one spot, and doesn't even reach the bathroom.
My 2007 Burstner Argos had Alde heating, including in the garage. So did the Elegance. I remember waking up in Northern Spain, to find a foot of snow had fallen overnight but we were toasty.
So maybe Alde plus diesel stove/heater? And a firepit for satisfying the arsonist impulses outside.
I believe RS motorhomes customise their vans. Maybe there is a second hand one out there with your wishlist spec.

I have no doubt you would be able to find it if outs out there, with your search skills.

What about a composting loo, or the incinerator? They fascinate me. I love a toilet thread! Unsurprisingly, narrowboaters seem obsessed by toilets as well, as motorhomers.

I'm just putting stuff out there, ignore any or all of it.

Karen

Yes ive had a 2004 burstner argos and the Frankia 840 both with alde heating and both had issues as well the burstner i only owned for 9 months thankfully and didn't do much winter camping so i never did figure it out.

The frankia the bloody thing kept tripping and required going outside unplugging it and resetting.

I had a few folk look at it including the camper repair place in the Algarve that folk recommended but again it remained unsolved when i sold it.

I've had no luck with heating on vans. Even the diesel heater in the iveco wasnt impressive but that van was very draughty

I was set on fitting a seperator toilet in the vario as ive not used a cassetre the last 2 years while doing Greece etc. But ive got so used to just bagging and binning solids now and using a bottle for the rest its become second nature. So even a cassette toilet set up isn't an issue anymore

 

[Jamesh]

Are you happy with a 20yo fiat ducato base with lots of things to go wrong esp whilst in the continent?

Where as your Merc is simple rugged and repairable?

Perhaps wissel could help out with the interior work! It's the planning manufacturing and electrics stuff that's the hard part the putting it together is relatively easy certainly for you with your proven ability.

 

[Northernraider]

Nothing wrong with Skoda's?

Octavia I presume? Good car.

I'd love a superb.

Yes a 2012 octavia greenline 1.6 diesel

£20 road tax and up to 69mpg

I love the look of the superbs but they don't come in the 1.6 engine sadly and having the 2 Alto's with low tax the last few years im not keen on the £200-300 PA going to the government, especially with the current fuel costs too.

Its also very cheap to insure ...im just over £200 a year fully comprehensive for it

Big boot for the dogs too once ive fitted a guard on it.

Bright silver . It looks nice in photos hopefully the same in person. Ive to go to Lancashire for it on friday. 4 blooming hours on train

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[Northernraider]

Are you happy with a 20yo fiat ducato base with lots of things to go wrong esp whilst in the continent?

Where as your Merc is simple rugged and repairable?

Perhaps wissel could help out with the interior work! It's the planning manufacturing and electrics stuff that's the hard part the putting it together is relatively easy certainly for you with your proven ability.

Thats the thing though ...every other day on the vario group on Facebook theres folk with issues on the varios too and getting parts seems ti be getting harder. The engines are famous for being reliable but it seems when it does go wrong it can be a pain. As can be the electrics.

Again it seems nothing is without its problems

 

[Scotch mist]

I’ve fitted out quite a few race vanes & repaired scrap cars when I was younger & all I could afford
in my experience the rust bubbles will be back through within a few years , no matter what you do to them they are still old vans ! , the hours you put into it are never retrievable or rewarded & IF you are lucky you get your money back BUT never your time , if the hrs you put into the van was spent at work you could probably buy a better van than you can build , ( without the grief ) manufacturers have years of experience & still don’t get it right , I would Finnish the body work & sell the dream to someone else , go buy a suitable S/H moho & start to enjoy a stress free life again

life is far to short , wasted time can never be recouped , i wish you all the best whatever you decide

 

[Littlewheels]

Tam, Have you looked at Niesmann Bishcoff the older ones are built like Tanks solid, they have double floors,Alde heating pretty much everything you are looking for and there are a number that fit your budget on EBay.

 

[Jamesh]

Tam, Have you looked at Niesmann Bishcoff the older ones are built like Tanks solid, they have double floors,Alde heating pretty much everything you are looking for and there are a number that fit your budget on EBay.

Really nice one on the bay ATM.....

 

[Northernraider]

Really nice one on the bay ATM.....

Tam, Have you looked at Niesmann Bishcoff the older ones are built like Tanks solid, they have double floors,Alde heating pretty much everything you are looking for and there are a number that fit your budget on EBay.

Have you got a link?

I only saw one but it was fugly

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