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what are the best makes to go for? or different experiences of the different motorhomes? looked into an eldis  which was quite good but how do they compare?

we are particularly interested in solar power and it being at least 4 berth.

thanks in advance.

There are so many and most are really good it just depends how much you want to spend and the type of interior you require.

Best way is to go to a big show York is coming up next month but think there is one at Newbury? similar time.  Just go in and out looking perhaps taking photos as it becomes a blur but at a show the salesmen aren't so troublesome. Read the magazines and look at all the dealer websites. 

Big dealers are ok to visit but they have time to pester you.  One we went to wanted us to sign the dotted line in order to get a test drive. 

not a straightforward answer to this, depends what you like, some people swear by Ford - but not a base vehicle that is used that often, do you want coachbuilt or A class - 'at least 4 berth' would rule out most hitop conversions. Some vans are better made than others, but it really is a personal choice, some hold their price better than others eg AutoSleepers [tho I for one have never understood why ] one with a wide dealer network makes it easier to get little things sorted while you're out and about, small manufacturers can give more personal attention.

I always thought Elddis used cheaper materials, and I've heard poor reports on workmanship on one small mainly hitop converter, excellent on others.

Suggest you do as much leg work as you can, visit dealers and shows and give any van you're interested in a good going over - do the doors fit, is any trim falling off etc.

as for solar power - that is generally an added extra, presumably fittable by the dealer I would think.

any good??

Many of the smaller manufacturers have more time for their customers. Autocruise do factory tours and open days when you can go in and watch the production line, really quite impressive.

Some of the bigger manufacturers fall down in their customer care. I have heard bad reports about the Explorer Group, their customer service, willingness to supply parts, etc. But, they have more dealers who can help you out locally, so it can often work both ways.

I agree with the other answers that alot depends on what you want in regards to the layout and size. 

We are now on our third motorhome, which is a Lunar Roadstar.  This for us has been the best so far due to the fact that you can pick your layout..we wanted a fixed bed, and in the living area we wanted  two seats at each side and front and passenger seats that swivel to give us maximum lounging space.

We have had a Elddis but found there was no storage space which could be accessed from outside, though they may have changed that now.

We have also had a CI which I wouldn't recommend to anyone, they are very cheaply made and the layout isn't very good. We found during storage in the winter we had a bad case of fungus growing on the upholstery!!

Tracy

So many out there to choose from. Like everyone says - it is a personal thing. We have a Swift and are very happy with it. From what I can gather from the magazines etc - Hymer has a very good reputation and seems to be amongst the top 10 and I know my hubby likes the A class Hymers.

Just look around the dealers and decide when you see the one that feels right. Good luck in your search - we really enjoyed the looking around - just got spoilt for choice in the end though. However, like I say we bought a Swift Kontiki and I got good vibes from the moment I sat it in and knew it was the van for me and I don't have any regrets at all. My hubby would have liked an A class but the ones we liked were over our budget - but if ever we change in the future I think an A class will be top of our list.

 We love our choice though and I personally can vouch for Swift, the attention to detail in ours is excellent and the quality of the fixtures is very good and I just love the layout. We have a rear end lounge that doubles as a bedroom and a front seating area in the kitchenette too with swivel passenger and drivers seats. It has an over the cab double bed and it is all very roomy. You can get a fixed bed version of ours too with a garage under but we preferred the extra seating space - but for those wanting a fixed end bed it would be ideal. The bathroom is quite roomy and has a seperate shower cubicle with slide around shower door.

So go and have a good look around before you choose and you will eventually come across one that just feels like home.

All the best.

Sonesta

Post last edited on 07/08/2005 09:19:39

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SONESTA'S MOTTO IN LIFE ..... LAUGH AND THE WORLD LAUGHS WITH YOU. CRY AND YOU CRY ALONE!

My experience with CI differs from the posters above. We wanted a bunk-bed motorhome as we travel with our kids (9 and 13) and after a few abortive attempts to locate a used van ended up purchasing a new Carioca 656. It's now been with use just over a year and so far it's been excellent. At £25K new it wasn't expensive but it's well equipped and seems pretty well built. It's got a lower cab spec than UK vans tend to (no electric windows or cab aircon) and no oven (we use a little electric one which has been great) but the layout is great (even has a nearside caravan door) and the has a better kitchen and washroom than most of the more expensive vans we looked at.

The only downside is that the 2.0JTD engine isn't ideal for such a big van (6.5m/21ft) but I see that this years model has the 2.3JTD engine and costs slightly more. Even with the 2.0 engine I've found 70mph on the motorway no problem (I've even seen 85mph on the clock!) but it could do with more grunt when overtaking. It's also handled Scottish and Lake District mountain roads with no problems at all, including tough roads like the Lecht ski-road.

This was our first motorhome (we haven't even rented on before) so I didn't want to spend a fortune until I was sure we'd use it a lot (and we have). I've seen vans that would probably be better than ours but they're all £10K more so I think we'll probably stick with this van until my daughter stops holidaying with us and we no longer need the bunk beds.

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Do you think I like Hymers then?

Phil

Hymer thinking that you do!

Sonesta

In terms of the best quality as opposed to a quality/value balance I'd say I've been impressed by the Hymer and Laika vans. Generally I've not been as impressed by UK built motorhomes though, but perhaps that's because I appear to have a more continental outlook, or because I'm younger than the market the UK manufacturers are targetting?