Top 3 Manufacturers

[calculad]

I know this is a very simplistic question, but who would you put in your top 3 motorhome manufacturers.
Reviews on another forum based on an overall score give:

Autotrail, Swift, Compass with not much between them.

I own an Autosleeper Symphony 1994 Peugeot Boxer 2.5D

K

 

[scotjimland]

I do wonder about the price of the Rapido, its not the 2010 price as far as I know, Martin at Caravannes Rapido was saying massive price increases coming.

Very nice van though.

Peter

Hi Peter.. maybe last years model ? .. you are better placed to give new van prices .. and comparisons. It was just an illustration.

No doubt the price hike is due to the poor € / £ exchange rate..

jim

 

[calculad]

I just knew this wouldn't be simple

To elaborate.
I'm looking for a motorhome. The choice is collosal so the only way I can get my head round starting is to get a feel for manufacturers first, maybe 3 just to narrow down the search a bit.
That's why i was deliberately vague. Then I would make a start on specification
Of course I could go the other route and go all specific on you and tell you what I want.
I just thought that would be a bit boring for you.
oh alright you twisted my arm.

We have an Autosleeper Symphony which we love but we have filled it up with everything we are ever likely to need.
I am leaning towards another slightly bigger Autosleeper with at least one extra forward facing mid-ships (not rear)belted seat and a nice big bed.
Maybe there is a better way to go about choosing.
K

 

[jezport]

I would not narrow it down to 3 manufacturers. I would narrow it to:

1. What you can afford
2. Layout
3. What is on the market
4. Condition
5. Location

 

[scotjimland]

I would not narrow it down to 3 manufacturers. I would narrow it to:

1. What you can afford
2. Layout
3. What is on the market
4. Condition
5. Location

That makes sense ..

For my criteria I would add

6 Base vehicle, engine preference.
7 Made in Germany.

For Example .. I'm looking for a mh ..

1. Up to £20k
2. Rear U lounge, 3/4 berth, max length 6.5mt. C or A class.
3. I've researched the market.
4. Used, age unimportant, service history a must.
5. Nationwide
6. Mercedes or Fiat engine
7.German manufacture.

Hymer B534 or S 550
Karmann Colorado or Missouri

There are other marques that fit the bill, so I will keep an open mind and probably end up with something totally different but it will be German

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[JayDee]

That is a good point Paul, you can't, you do need to compare like for like.. so, lets compare a new Swift Kontiki with say a new Rapido A class.. not quite the same but it does as an illustration .. both sub £60k

What would you choose ??

Fiat Ducato Swift Kontiki 665P Vogue.
Engine: 2.3 JTD 130 Multi-JEt
Layout Type: Fixed Bed
Prices from: £57,565.00

Link Removed


For £2.5k more ...


23359 Mercedes Rapido 990M 2.2 CDI/150BHP Motorhome
Manufacturer Mercedes
Range Rapido
Model 990M
Colour SI
Trim Cloth
Cabin Trim Malaga
Chassis/Engine 2.2 CDI/150BHP
Engine CC 2148
Berths 2
Fuel Type Diesel
Transmission Automatic
Price £59995.01


Link Removed

Rapido, no question.


John

 

[haganap]

That is a good point Paul, you can't, you do need to compare like for like.. so, lets compare a new Swift Kontiki with say a new Rapido A class.. not quite the same but it does as an illustration .. both sub £60k

For me Jim the Rapido every time. There are those that love swift and Ive hollidayed with them. For many they are good vans with very good after sales service. For me though? well its French, German or slovenian of course... they just suit me better and I have more confidence in them

To elaborate.
I'm looking for a motorhome. The choice is collosal so the only way I can get my head round starting is to get a feel for manufacturers first, maybe 3 just to narrow down the search a bit.
That's why i was deliberately vague. Then I would make a start on specification
Of course I could go the other route and go all specific on you and tell you what I want.
I just thought that would be a bit boring for you.
oh alright you twisted my arm.

Thanks, me? I would not by an autotrail why? well because I dont like them... Although a good motorhoming friend of mine has bought new,,, he loves it. each to their own you see,,,I think Jezports advice below is the best bit of advice on the subject.

I would not narrow it down to 3 manufacturers. I would narrow it to:

1. What you can afford
2. Layout
3. What is on the market
4. Condition
5. Location

 

[jezport]

That is a good point Paul, you can't, you do need to compare like for like.. so, lets compare a new Swift Kontiki with say a new Rapido A class.. not quite the same but it does as an illustration .. both sub £60k

For me Jim the Rapido every time. There are those that love swift and Ive hollidayed with them. For many they are good vans with very good after sales service. For me though? well its French, German or slovenian of course... they just suit me better and I have more confidence in them





Thanks, me? I would not by an autotrail why? well because I dont like them... Although a good motorhoming friend of mine has bought new,,, he loves it. each to their own you see,,,I think Jezports advice below is the best bit of advice on the subject.

Another thing I have just remembered is

For our first van....

When we first decided on what layout we wanted, we went out and bought it, and it was a good decision but not great. We bought a van with 2 rear bunks. We put the kids firstoh: . Then we decided a rear lounge would be nice and looked at a few, to decide that we didnt want the hassle of putting beds up and taking them down every day.

Sometimes its best to wait and think, dont make compromises because you cant see the van of choice, just wait a bit longer.

For our next van...

We had our hearts set on a Burstner 747, but every one we saw had lots of faults. So we saw a Frankia advertised and noticed all the things that we preferred compared to the Burstner. So its lucky that the Burstners were all so bad, as we have a van that is better quality and layout.

 

[calculad]

I guess what I'm trying to do is to average out the rogue vehicles that you get from time to time against the users who worship their van.
These individuals at opposite ends of the luck scale are often very vociferous and don't get me wrong i'm still interested in thier replies.
The car magazines do a similar thing with brand reliabilty or just an overall score.
If you ask enough people you get a kind of statistically smoothed opinion of man'fs that
contributes to their all important brand image.

An example in another area is Opticron who make high quality and usually expensive optics.
I was pretty certain that their new budget range was going to be good, and they were.
I'm trying to resist being too specific against the advice of many because i wanted a good broad response based solely on man'fr.
It goes without saying that price is the first criteria, but after this when you are browsing the immense choice online, it is model and
manufacturer that is invariably the next mouse click.
Many thanks to all so far.

 

[Munchie]

Have a look at these they are a budget A class made by......Rapido

Motor home ITINEO 2010

Dealer is Link Removed at Skipton

We bought the owners at 12 months old with a boatload of extras and have never regreted it.

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[ArenqueRojo]

Just because noone ever mentions them and we love ours, what about
LeVoyageur?

Had a Pilote before. Very sound - same company, of course.

Patrick

 

[Theonlysue]

Hi,
Did you say what budget you had in mind?

S.

 

[stagman]

[Probabally these vans came top of the list because they are the most popular in this country , and yes they would also be on top of the list for the same reason for the worst vans . If you take a look at some of the other websites Adria gets slagged of pretty often especially the manufacturer .If they sold more vans in this country they would also be on top of the list .
I bought a Autotrail Miami on a Renault base last year from a local dealer , and any problems they have sorted under warranty no problems . At the same time I was looking at a Rapido and a similar spec would have cost around £10k more . Our local dealer has dropped the Rapidos because they are now over priced . Chausson similar price to Autotrail but they don't come no where near as good .
My mate has a 10yr old Hymer ,and he has had no end of problems with it Electrical and Rust , but lucky we can sort it out ourselves or it would have cost a fortune , (could go on ). So foreign vans do have their problems and they cost a hell of a lot more .

 

[calculad]

Budget £20-25k
Have two models on radar now
Autosleeper Talisman and Pollensa
Thanks
K

 

[jezport]

Our last van was in that price range. It was a Chausson. We has it for 2 seasons and never has a single issue with it. They are cheap but well built.

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[buttons]

I have owned a few of your favourite and would probably have voted for the one that I was driving at that time, a bit like yourselves.
However, I have now found the best and I think the only motorised caravan that is produced solely by a motor manufacture from the concept and design through to the manufacture using the huge resource of a multinational car giant. You only have to look at the interior mouldings to know that this could only be produced in this way. No plywood no B&Q fixings in fact everything looks and acts like it belongs.
This master piece is sold with a full 3 year manufactures warrantee that covers the entire vehicle. Unlikely but this warrantee can be called on throughout the world for anything from a sink tap, electro hydraulic roof mechanism or an engine. It is horses for courses but I would like to add VW to your list of three .

 

[Mr Colpot]

If he is he needs his brains testing and a very large Bank account full of dosh!

Back on topic, the Swift Group are the best for service back up as far as I am concerned, but I do like the Rapidos and Hymers which we are now actively stocking when we can find used ones.

Peter

Peter has quoted my personal top 3. These are the three makes that we have owned in the last 2 years, so if the question arises again in a couple of years I may think differently!

 

[Theonlysue]

Hi, I have seen Euromobiles in that price range - fully winterised down to -20 I think,
But I don't know anything about the make itself,
S.

 

[vwalan]

slightly off topic a little but you could have a really nice truck conversion with that amount of dosh. or a chassis n box converted with lots of insulation and built just as you want. its getting very common on the continent now to have one off builds like this . must be finished to a good standard . there are some very tidy trucks out there with all the skirts etc .give it a moments thought . its worth it could end up with a little left over for that adventure waitng to happen. cheers alan.
ps. i dont like run of the mill plastics ,sorry .always seem too expensive.

 

[spudandpatricia]

Which Vehicles are best

You pay your money and make your choice in these things.

I have just bought a new one.

I have been using a motorhome for 11 years previously. Identified all sort of things to look for when I went for the new one.

Came up with my layout that I needed etc. etc. Looked at practically every M/H on the market up and down the country over a period of years. Crossed some off immediately.

I came up with a short list of manufacturers, some I left out becasue they were too expensive for what I needed and to be truthfull didn't excite or offer the layout that I wanted.

I new I didn't want an RV, nothing to complain about, there are reall beauties around, but decided to look at running costs also.

My short list was Hymer, Burstner, Dethleffs and Rapido. No British unfortunately, they didn't impress, the more I looked into them.

I think the first three are all linked manufacturers.

I actually went for Rapido, but to be truthful, there wasn't much between them. Rapido offered exactly the layout I wanted.:thumb:

Hope this helps anyone looking at purchasing