What to do when we got our best motorhome first time?

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Chausson
We bought our third van first and love it to bits - a Chausson 640 Premium. But getting a last chance to raid the pension pot and more time to travel. Ours is 4 years old, so only 3 years habitation warranty left and feel we should sell soon. Getting very good offers for part exchange, as its in 'immaculate' condition and only 14K on the clock.

Have looked & looked to find a rival that gives us the essential things and now considering trading in for same model new, but spec'd up a bit. Are there other suggestions we could look at before we take this easy option?

We love:
  • open plan, light and airy feel inside only 7m
  • huge luxurious drop down bed. Why have 30% of van space unused all day?
  • essential walk-through dog kennel (sorry - garage) large enough for our 2 dogs and all the other bits
  • masses of kitchen space, with electric hob in addition to 2 gas burners, huge fridge freezer and overall storage capacity.
  • low level step in for us and the dogs.

Downsides are:
  • only 1 x 6kg gas locker
  • low grey waste drainpipe can snag on kerbs in car parks

We usually go for EHU, but would spec a new one up with lithium battery, larger solar panel and air con unit. Rapido 606F looked in the running until we realised the solid hinged bathroom door invades kitchen and makes van feel small. Roller door is much better. Adria Matrix GT looked good till measured up storage space, and then had to move & store the lounge seat pads to get the electric bed down. We want a fairly local dealership rather than long treks to get a tiny part fixed, so rare breeds are not an option.

Any ideas?
 
If it works don’t fix it.
We came across our (nearly) perfect van about 5 years ago. It suits us and our lifestyle.We’ve made a couple of upgrades and accepted a couple of compromises but enjoying what we’ve got is better than always seeking something better.
 
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Why sell?

We got our perfect van first time 3 years ago. Not completely perfect as you don't know exactly what you need - but we upgraded stuff - particular batteries/solar. I don't think we will sell for a long time. For a start buying and selling vehicles you will always lose out financially.

4 years old is nothing. I wouldn't worry about warranties - just pay for any repairs as you go along. it will be cheaper in the long run.
 
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My gas locker can only fit 2x6 kg Calor cylinders, but it can fit 2x11 kg refillable. Have you looked into refillable cylinders and their size?

Doesn’t read like you need to have lithium from what you’ve written.
 
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I would be keeping the van you have and upgrade gas to refillable and batteries to lithium set up you could spend a lot more changing for a new van that you hate.🤔😊

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We found our ideal van first time too - 15 years ago! It still ticks all the boxes and, yes, a few things have had to be replaced. But the cost of a replacement, if we could find one that does everything as well, far exceeds what the maintenance has. You may, of course, be thinking about depreciation, but they don't depreciate like other vehicles provided you keep them properly service and maintained. Ours has now done almost 150,000 miles and performs beautifully.
Keep it!
 
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We also bought our third van first and love it to bits - a Chausson 630 Premium in our case, we have discussed changing it however we are now thinking of keeping it at it maybe upgrade the solar and leisure battery.
 
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Like many others have said if it's the right van you have I'd keep it and spend a little money changing the things you want. Easy to have an underslung tank fitted for gas and you'll gain a locker. Waste pipe easily sorted. Lithium upgrade to your electrics .

In the end it will all cost far less than a new van and you avoid the chance of buying your 2nd van 2nd
 
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Thank you all - I get the message!

I think we’re getting too hung up on the value of warranties, as we had an engine issue & various small leaks fixed under these in the first couple of years.

Refillable gas cylinder in the locker with an external fill point sounds the way to go. This could well be my winter project.
 
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We had an 11kg Gaslow refillable cylinder fitted to our 2019 Chausson Welcome Premium 640 and now only have to fill it up once a year when we go to Spain as it lasts all year (we usually have EHU). A very good upgrade.

I have replaced the waste pipe with a flexible 90 degree connector to the broken off one under the tank - total cost was about £5 with new length of plastic pipe, but frankly it worked pretty much as well without the pipe to the side of the van anyway.

I have not seen a van with any improvements in features over the 640 - which we have on a 170bhp Transit Auto (no injector problems yet over 22k miles 🤞) - and we can fit our semi-recumbent electric tandem in the garage - so we will be keeping it.
 
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We've also got a 640 Titanium and love it and wouldn't consider changing. You always want a bigger van but that costs a lot more money.
We fitted solar but yet to fit lithium. Just had gaslow fitted in the locker with the fill valve in the door. Thought about aircon until I saw the price and would I actually use it. Funny that you should talk about the grey waste pipe! We parked up this week in a parking bay with a curb. Thought I'd copy another m'home and straddle it so I could fit in the bay. Suddenly heard a crack and got out and found a dangling grey pipe. I had broken at the first bend from the tank but after the shut/open valve. I was about to get stressed but then realised that it was better that way as the waste would now come out in the middle of the van. I've always thought it coming out of the side was harder work getting over the drain. So I'm just going to leave as is and just remove the pipe bracket.
We've also fitted a full alarm and tracker system from vanbitz. They did the alarm, battery master and gas in one day. We stayed free the night before at the their campsite so we were on time.
We're happy for now.
 
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Keep it . Get a gas tank fitted .waste drainpipe might be able to another location.
We have a Chausson 788 with no side drain pipe , I rigged one up ,but as vehicle is low profile the waste tank is fitted low so you can't raise any drain pipe as the tank exit is low and you have to add a 90%bend on it to attach side pipe and believe me it can only come out low
 
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I wouldn’t sell and buy again.
You’ve got the van you love, just alter a couple of things, look at having a gas tank fitted underneath the van and redirect the grey water with maybe a flexible pipe.

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We bought our third van first and love it to bits - a Chausson 640 Premium. But getting a last chance to raid the pension pot and more time to travel. Ours is 4 years old, so only 3 years habitation warranty left and feel we should sell soon. Getting very good offers for part exchange, as its in 'immaculate' condition and only 14K on the clock.

Have looked & looked to find a rival that gives us the essential things and now considering trading in for same model new, but spec'd up a bit. Are there other suggestions we could look at before we take this easy option?

We love:
  • open plan, light and airy feel inside only 7m
  • huge luxurious drop down bed. Why have 30% of van space unused all day?
  • essential walk-through dog kennel (sorry - garage) large enough for our 2 dogs and all the other bits
  • masses of kitchen space, with electric hob in addition to 2 gas burners, huge fridge freezer and overall storage capacity.
  • low level step in for us and the dogs.

Downsides are:
  • only 1 x 6kg gas locker
  • low grey waste drainpipe can snag on kerbs in car parks

We usually go for EHU, but would spec a new one up with lithium battery, larger solar panel and air con unit. Rapido 606F looked in the running until we realised the solid hinged bathroom door invades kitchen and makes van feel small. Roller door is much better. Adria Matrix GT looked good till measured up storage space, and then had to move & store the lounge seat pads to get the electric bed down. We want a fairly local dealership rather than long treks to get a tiny part fixed, so rare breeds are not an option.

Any ideas?
With 14k on the clock it's barely "run in" as they used to say. Keep it, fit an underslung tank, do the battery conversion, get a decent mod made to the grey pipe plus any other mods you really want. I would think again about AC and the number of times you really need it instead of a decent fan. Keep the piggy bank intact and use it for fun things instead of replacing a perfectly good vehicle with something a good deal more expensive, even with a decent trade in. Good luck.
 
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My first van is 10 years old now and still got it, was thinking of changing it earlier this year but it's still perfect. With the new prices being astronomical it would cost an additional 35k for a new one and it would still be a diesel and on borrowed time.
 
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We bought our third van first and love it to bits - a Chausson 640 Premium. But getting a last chance to raid the pension pot and more time to travel. Ours is 4 years old, so only 3 years habitation warranty left and feel we should sell soon. Getting very good offers for part exchange, as its in 'immaculate' condition and only 14K on the clock.

Have looked & looked to find a rival that gives us the essential things and now considering trading in for same model new, but spec'd up a bit. Are there other suggestions we could look at before we take this easy option?

We love:
  • open plan, light and airy feel inside only 7m
  • huge luxurious drop down bed. Why have 30% of van space unused all day?
  • essential walk-through dog kennel (sorry - garage) large enough for our 2 dogs and all the other bits
  • masses of kitchen space, with electric hob in addition to 2 gas burners, huge fridge freezer and overall storage capacity.
  • low level step in for us and the dogs.

Downsides are:
  • only 1 x 6kg gas locker
  • low grey waste drainpipe can snag on kerbs in car parks

We usually go for EHU, but would spec a new one up with lithium battery, larger solar panel and air con unit. Rapido 606F looked in the running until we realised the solid hinged bathroom door invades kitchen and makes van feel small. Roller door is much better. Adria Matrix GT looked good till measured up storage space, and then had to move & store the lounge seat pads to get the electric bed down. We want a fairly local dealership rather than long treks to get a tiny part fixed, so rare breeds are not an option.

Any ideas?
We are in a similar position to you . We have had our van since new and it is just 3 years old . Layout wise it is the ideal van for us and we love it . During our ownership we have had a number of niggles that it’s been back and forth to the dealer under warranty. We now have a van that suits our needs and more to the point has no faults! Usually we would have changed the van at 3 years old , but as many have already said on here , why change it if it works and suits your needs . Yes it is getting older but that won’t affect its use or the enjoyment we get from it . It’s a difficult decision to make. The workshop manager at our dealer says “keep it” as even once it’s out of warranty any repairs needed would be a fraction of the difference in spend for a new van . The other question we keep asking ourselves is would a new van be value for money ? Our van new has gone up nearly 30k in the last 3 years so to change it would cost a minimum of 55k-60k. That’s a lot of money ! Good luck with whatever you decide to do .
 
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Many people think that buying new is buying safety due to it being new and warranties.
But I think they couldn’t be further from the truth.
The old (to them) van has all the niggles sorted. Is know to the owner, and most issues / problems appear to come in the first few years.
The many thousands of pounds in their pocket are a far better insurance/warranty then any offered my manufactures/converters.
 
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We too have a Chausson 640, now 4 yrs old.(5th time lucky in our case) ideal lay out for us. We're keeping it. We have an 11kg Gaslow refillable cylinder which fits fine in the gas locker. We are usually off grid and this is plenty as the heating is diesel. We've upgraded to Lithium also. Yes the outlet pipe is low, hubby tweeked it as far as poss, but as its the only 'fault', happy to live with it.

Since we've got ours, I've noticed most other brands now doing the same layout, but for one reason or another not quite as good.

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Replacing like for like is going to cost over £30k I would think?
The one you have is proven and although the warranty will be expired, repairs even if serious would be unlikely to exceed £10k unless you are really unlucky.
Spending on modifications and upgrades to your existing van won’t compromise the warranty if there isn’t one and you have already sorted out the niggles that you will end up repeating on a new van not to mention the inconvenience of taking it back and forth while waiting weeks for a simple part.
Unfortunately motorhome warranties from the manufacturer are generally more trouble than they are worth once you know it is watertight as almost everything else is easier to fix yourself.
 
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Our first and best van is now 9yrs old and we love it.
We went to a Motorhome show last year and thought we’d look at the new version of our van, to see what the updated van would be like.

The layout was very similar but not quite as good. And everything felt a bit plastic and cheap.
So in theory we could spend another £50k+ and gain nothing but a newer vehicle.
 
Upvote 0
We bought our third van first and love it to bits - a Chausson 640 Premium. But getting a last chance to raid the pension pot and more time to travel. Ours is 4 years old, so only 3 years habitation warranty left and feel we should sell soon. Getting very good offers for part exchange, as its in 'immaculate' condition and only 14K on the clock.

Have looked & looked to find a rival that gives us the essential things and now considering trading in for same model new, but spec'd up a bit. Are there other suggestions we could look at before we take this easy option?

We love:
  • open plan, light and airy feel inside only 7m
  • huge luxurious drop down bed. Why have 30% of van space unused all day?
  • essential walk-through dog kennel (sorry - garage) large enough for our 2 dogs and all the other bits
  • masses of kitchen space, with electric hob in addition to 2 gas burners, huge fridge freezer and overall storage capacity.
  • low level step in for us and the dogs.

Downsides are:
  • only 1 x 6kg gas locker
  • low grey waste drainpipe can snag on kerbs in car parks

We usually go for EHU, but would spec a new one up with lithium battery, larger solar panel and air con unit. Rapido 606F looked in the running until we realised the solid hinged bathroom door invades kitchen and makes van feel small. Roller door is much better. Adria Matrix GT looked good till measured up storage space, and then had to move & store the lounge seat pads to get the electric bed down. We want a fairly local dealership rather than long treks to get a tiny part fixed, so rare breeds are not an option.

Any ideas?
We found our ‘third van’ first time too. Two years old. We sold it after twelve careful years because it seemed a sensible thing to do. Biggest mistake we’ve made in our entire motorhoming journey. The new van had many fine points but, despite our experience, was not the van for us and much more costly and complicated than we really wanted. We’re now hoping that our third van really will be our third van. A cherished van with low mileage that you know is a good ‘un is not something to part with lightly. I echo the sentiments of others to hang onto yours; it’s only a baby after all.
 
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We have had over fourteen vans in the last 40 years of motor homing, through lots of hours of overtime bought the last four vans brand new. In each case could not wait for the warranty to run out after various dealers fixes. Our current van and probably our last (76) is a 2019 Burstner IEXO 736 A Class fouur and a half. Years old. Done 27500miles. Fitted with most of the bells and whistles as we mostly go away in the winter. Given you vans low mileage I would keep it upgrade what you feel would be beneficial to you Lithium, LPG tank etc taking your payload into account and take it from there and use the money saved for your adventures.
 
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Am another who doesn't think you should change.
We also found the perfect for us at the time van first time round, but needs changed over the years, on our third and hopefully last in nearly 15 years, still hanker after that first van despite it having no garage or external storage 🤣
 
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