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Hello Everyone,

We are hoping to buy our first Motorhome when I retire in November and have pretty well decided on a Low Profile, fixed bed. We like the Bessacar 760 or the Swift Kontiki Vogue about 2 or 3 years old. Has anyone got any comments or can give any advice on buying etc.

Cheers

Al and Jan. 

Hi Voyaguer

Interesting your comments about the Swift shower tray. I had a similar problem with my Kontiki (1999) and on speaking with Swift I weas advised that when a new shower tray was fitted strengthening beams are placed under the tray to stop the flexing and alleviate the problems of the tray splitting around the edges. I am surprised if your dealer was unaware of this and would certainly contact Swift Customer Care by phone who on getting the right person can be very helpfull.

This apart after 6 years with my current Swift apart from routine consumables I have had no problems with the conversion at all. In fact I can only commend Swift for there action in recalling 100's of vehicles without any legal obligation to ensure and if not modify the chassis to compl;y with forth coming seat belt laws.

So sennen 523 its a case of looking at what suits your needs and taking an overall view of peoples opinions on differsnt vans. I know several owners who have had German vehicles only to be dissapointed by unfriendly layouts, lack of basic equipment as standard, high cost and long lead time spares. Then again a service agent tells me of a British builder who he feels would be better off making collinders. All considered make a full apraisal of a vehicle if buying private get it damp checked etc. If its from a dealer insist on a habitation service with a full report before purchase. Always check the vehicles service history as a comprehensive history usually means a looked after van

Gooid Luck and Happy Motorhoming

Happy motorhoming.  Make sure you have the car sticker and pennant so we can come and say hello when we see you at any sites!!!!!. I like coffee but prefer red wine.

We are also considering a change from caravan to motor home but can't find the layout we want. Spoke to a dealer this afternoon who advised me to go to the show in Birmingham in October armed with my digital camera and look at them all.

There are some new low profile Swifts coming in September and he reckons they are completely different. 

As far as I can see the British ones have good kitchens and bathrooms and the foreign ones have different layouts and some with better build quality but rubbish kitchens. We are looking for a low profile with single beds and an end bathroom.Have found two so far but hopeless kitchen area.

The search continues!

We found the right caravan after buying 3 but I can't afford to get this wrong.

Hi there,

I know what you mean about the rubbish kitchens, we knew we wanted a fixed rear bed and also an over cab bed as well as seating area and all in something 21 feet max length....... I also have to have a proper oven as our son has dietry requirments making it easier to cook for him when away. We finally decided on the autotrail cheyenne 632 hiline. We dont always stay where there is electric and so the huge fridge freezers and microwaves were pointless for us also a lot of vans from the continent only have 2 - 3 ring hobs and some dont even have grills not my idea of a kitchen, all the dealers we talked to about poss having a proper cooked retro fitted said that mainlad europe do most of their cooking outside so dont need cooking inside, even if ordering brand new there was no flexibility on the layout.

We have had 3 vans now each time we have loved them but found things which were not totally right, this time so far we have got it perfect.

We went to loads of dealers and a couple if shows and got toally brain boggled and still went back to the one we saw right at the start.

Take photos of the vans you like remembering to photograph the model number to remember which one it is, and happy shopping

Tina

Hi Al & Jan.

We had a 2003 Bessacarr 745, 6 months old & 1800 miles when we got it. The van was brilliant, everything worked perfectly & it suited our needs to a tee. We were going to keep that van and have aircon fitted instead of getting a new one, as it was great, especially after 10,000 miles, when the engine started loosening up & the fuel economy started rising nicely. Unfortunately, due to an accident on my motorcycle in January, I was no longer able to use the overcab bed, so the van became unsuitable for us.

Whilst on site at Dunnet bay on our first trip since the accident, we reluctantly conceded that the van had to go. As I said, we were so happy with the van, that we decided that the same van, with a different layout was the way to go. We immediately phoned Brownhills on the mobile( from the site) to get us a Bessacarr 765, as we knew supplies were short & they rang back within the hour with just one available in the country. We'll have it!!! when can we pick it up? so after 14 days of wondering if the 765 would be as good as ours & had we done the right thing? we picked up our 765 & set off for an immidiate trial.

We have now been all over in it, already clocking up more than 2000miles in a couple of months & we love it just as much as the 745, so fortunately no regrets. We love the Bessacarr E700 series & they seem to offer the layouts to suit most needs.

So my advice would be to go Bessacarr or Kontiki (depending on which colour scheme you prefer) if they have a layout which suits you.

On 2003 Bessacarrs, check the stitching on the upholstery (ours was ok, but some had problems with it opening up on the seams), we had no issues with ours & used it summer & winter. We even wintered in Scotland for New Year, snowed in, but very comfortable.

Hope this is of some help with your dilema, but you will know when you go into a van when it's right for you, so go visit as many as possible and enjoy looking.

Regards

Mark

Hello everyone, thanks for all your replies.As we are still looking for a unit we are still asking questions and the info you have posted is very useful. 

Mark, we are deffinitely interested in the Bessacars. Have you had any problems with the Fiat Ducato 2.8 td? What was Brownhills like to deal with?

Thanks again,

Al & Jan.

We've got a much older Bessacarr (a 1998 E695 with rear lounge and front dinette) and it's great. Having said that, the kitchen is pretty small, but then there's the dinette table opposite to add some much-needed worktop. Best of all is the ability to get all comfy in the huge rear lounge, which takes only seconds to convert into either two singles or a massive double. The chest of drawers-cum-fold-out-table between the two settees is brilliant, we wouldn't be without it. Build quality can't be that bad as it's still all holding together after more than 70,000 miles with no problems other than the usual consumables. That was until a wheel bearing seized up on Sunday - currently at the menders but can't wait to get it back!

This one runs on a Ducato 2.5TD which is fine, ample performance and 28-30mpg. Previous van (Riviera 181) had the 2.8TDI and which that was a little faster, it was also a good deal less economical.

No experience of dealing with Brownhills, but they certainly have plenty to choose from. Judging from other posts, their after sales service can be patchy though.