Which Motorhome Should I choose?

[wildebus]

Day to night and vice versa is very important if you are not fit and bendy, some are truly awful needing infill cushions that live under the bed or in a locker, some are simple slide outs but once one side is done there is nowhere to stand to do the other side.

I have always used mattress toppers to try and eliminate the uneveness of the various cushions if making up a jigsaw bed.

Something you may have found with your Mohican when you had it? If you used both the Overcab and Lounge Beds .... when the lower bed is made up as per the instructions, you cannot put the ladder in place to get to the upper bed. A bit of a flaw and I think is very common in many Motorhomes with Overcab beds?
I moved the position of the ladder clips on mine and also changed how the lower bed works (after doing some measurements, found only pulling one side out and sleeping North-South instead of East-West, the bed is just the same size) and now it works perfectly. And as well as the use of the ladder you have a bench still available for use.

 

[wildebus]

One tip I picked up from an earlier Forum was to sit in the M/Home, and 'walk through' the process of the daily living activites to ensure that a] it does everything it needs to do; and b] that it is easy to make the changes, especially when it comes to the changeover between day and night, and then night and day on the following morning. Can you cope with doing 2 furniture removals every day, and the ceremonial flinging of cushions etc?

Steve

Depending on what I was doing, quite often at a weekend festival, the rear seats would be converted to a bed on Friday night and just remain that way until Sunday morning! much less hassle. Having a Fixed bed in Camper conversion #3 was a must (and one reason why #3 replaced #2)

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I have always used mattress toppers to try and eliminate the uneveness of the various cushions if making up a jigsaw bed.

Something you may have found with your Mohican when you had it? If you used both the Overcab and Lounge Beds .... when the lower bed is made up as per the instructions, you cannot put the ladder in place to get to the upper bed. A bit of a flaw and I think is very common in many Motorhomes with Overcab beds?
I moved the position of the ladder clips on mine and also changed how the lower bed works (after doing some measurements, found only pulling one side out and sleeping North-South instead of East-West, the bed is just the same size) and now it works perfectly. And as well as the use of the ladder you have a bench still available for use.

Over cab beds are inaccessible for us I'm afraid David, so get used for bedding storage and coats etc.

I saw the ladder mod, didn't see the fix for the holes though. What did you do to hide them?

As for the unevenness of the cushions, not really noticed as we have all ways had a 15tog duvet under us.

 

[Norfolk NewBoy]

Day to night and vice versa is very important if you are not fit and bendy, some are truly awful needing infill cushions that live under the bed or in a locker, some are simple slide outs but once one side is done there is nowhere to stand to do the other side.

BUT all the models which are up for consideration have island beds, so at least 50% of the changeover is covered. I assume those with a second drop-down bed over the dining area can also be left made-up?

Having survived caravanning as a teenager and an adult with 4 kids, I am only too aware of what you mention. We have no knowledge of OP and I suspect we are thinking the worst! A VIRGIN!!

Gordon

 

[Pudsey Bear]

BUT all the models which are up for consideration have island beds, so at least 50% of the changeover is covered. I assume those with a second drop-down bed over the dining area can also be left made-up?

Having survived caravanning as a teenager and an adult with 4 kids, I am only too aware of what you mention. We have no knowledge of OP and I suspect we are thinking the worst! A VIRGIN!!

Gordon

Forums tend to stray a bit, not been on one worth being on that doesn't for very long SBMCC for one.

 

[wildebus]

Forums tend to stray a bit, not been on one worth being on that doesn't for very long SBMCC for one.

I don't like SBMCC.
I found it not really that much better than any other forums, plus the monthly fee was a bit much IMO, and if you lapsed as a member you had no access at all to the forum, including your own posts.
I think there are a few members here that used to be on SBMCC and had some kind of falling out with that site? For myself, I just decided to dump it as not value for money.

Over cab beds are inaccessible for us I'm afraid David, so get used for bedding storage and coats etc.

I saw the ladder mod, didn't see the fix for the holes though. What did you do to hide them?

I haven't bothered to date. not very visible at all. maybe I will make up some kind of label to put over them one day?

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yes it was extremely cliquey too, they were so desperate for mods they made me one


But for them though I'd never have finished my self build as I wasn't aware of any other build forums so I am grateful to them for that and there were some good lads on there, such as Listerdiesel (Peter RIP ) another good man for electrics and helped me a few times and we met twice at Steam shows, a very nice and generous chap.

 

[QFour]

Would not bother with the Swift they don't call them Kon Likki for nothing. We had a new Swift a few years ago. What a joke. Everytime we took it out something else fell off or needed screwing back together. Chausson are on a Ford Chassis and seem very easy to nick unless you start adding lots of anti theft devices.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Most of the vans we've had have been Swifts and although not without issues they were okay and easy to fix, but that was the kit the fitted to them not the vans themselves, and as far as that goes they can all have problems, on forums we tend to see the worst of any make, rarely do you hear anyone say that their van is perfect and it had never had an issue, no mileage in a thread like that.


Having said that Barry might go on a good van thread and threaten to go round and break it

 

[TJBi]

I am looking to buy my first Motorhome. I am looking for:

1. Island bed
2. Large garage for 2 E-Bikes
3. 4 berth and 4 belts, however 90% of time will only be just the two of us
4. As a new price looking to keep it below £100K

My current list all Auto is.

1. Adria Matrix Supreme 670 DC 140 BHP £103K
2. Fiat Swift Kon-Tiki 794 180 BHP £97K
3. Fiat Rapido 696F Ultimate line 180 BHP £96K
4. Chausson Titanium Ultimate 788 170 BHP £82K

which would people in the know suggest and is the Adria worth £20K more than the Chausson? Any advice greatly appreciated

One aspect that appears not to have been broached yet is MAM and payload. You don't say whether you are licensed to drive vehicles over 3500kg (perhaps a factor with the Adria at least). With 3500kg MAM, the Chausson claims a payload of 455kg. By the time you've fitted a few extras, filled up with fuel and chucked in the e-bikes, you may be struggling to legally carry driver and passenger, particularly if you are also looking to carry fresh water, food, clothes, etc. The 10% of the time with 3/4 on board may not be feasible.

 

[Clunegapyears]

Agree with most of the above comments. We started with a Bessacarr ( upmarket swift) from new. After a year full time bits fell off and whilst abroad we usually couldn't source parts. At 5 years old (4 years had been holiday and perhaps monthly weekend trips) we deemed it no longer fit for purpose ... for full timing.

Traded it in for a new Adria Sonic Supreme. It was 6 years old last October. We full timed in it until October 2020. 9 months in it summer 2021. Occasional use during 2022. So it's seen a lot of action and hard abuse ... 2 adults, 2 dogs, nearly 70,000 miles. Yes the interior shows signs of wear and tear. Rattling over dodgy roads means screws come loose, but the build quality is sound. Double floor, heated radiators and under floor heating make it an all year round vehicle. Would recommend.

Others have said ... pick your dealer carefully. Locality and financial stability. Ours went bust and Adria took a while to allocate a new dealer to do warranty work.

And expect some parts to take forever ... but I don't think Adria is alone in this.

Happy to chat on the phone if you want to pm me ... I'll give you my tel number.

Katherine

 

[Geek]

I am looking to buy my first Motorhome. I am looking for:

1. Island bed
2. Large garage for 2 E-Bikes
3. 4 berth and 4 belts, however 90% of time will only be just the two of us
4. As a new price looking to keep it below £100K

My current list all Auto is.

1. Adria Matrix Supreme 670 DC 140 BHP £103K
2. Fiat Swift Kon-Tiki 794 180 BHP £97K
3. Fiat Rapido 696F Ultimate line 180 BHP £96K
4. Chausson Titanium Ultimate 788 170 BHP £82K

which would people in the know suggest and is the Adria worth £20K more than the Chausson? Any advice greatly appreciated

My view is that you should be looking at what they are like before buying. Go to a show or a big dealer and see what they're like. When you have "decided" hire the nearest you can find for a week or two to try it out.

What you are looking for will either be huge or feel very cramped inside. Big boot, island bed, 4 belted seats all use up a lot of interior space.
And then there's the weight and payload: things you didn't mention.

Buying new, £100,000 is still in the budget to middle range. My preference is to buy a better van secondhand. Although that is more difficult, it's probably quicker.

 

[CriftinsCampers]

2 pages of replies and sod all input from the op. Hmm perhaps you’ve scared him off

£100k, 18 month waiting list, diesel £20-50 a gallon post 2030 (to act as a significant disincentive) when new ice vehicles sales are banned. Personally I would be looking very definitively at the second hand market now!

 

[Geek]

Why not put the disincentive in now? Won't happen.

 

[Wrighpm]

Yes! Had great difficulty replacing the first one (when it was stolen) with the same make/model and then adding some of the bells and whistles that had come with the original..

Likewise we lost our perfect moho to thieves. A 2008 Euramobil on a Ford. Great layout - garage bunks, overcab king-size bed L-shaped kitchen, end bathroom, L-shaped lounge, winterised, double floor. Tears are forming........

 

[Ellendale]

I wonder how many motorhomes someone typically goes through (bying or renting) until they find "the one"? Has anyone started off with just what they want from the start?

Yep! Did a lot of research and waiting. In 2011 we bought a 57 plate Autotrail Miami, automatic, and still got it because it still ticks all the boxes

 

[CharlieC1212]

I am looking to buy my first Motorhome. I am looking for:

1. Island bed
2. Large garage for 2 E-Bikes
3. 4 berth and 4 belts, however 90% of time will only be just the two of us
4. As a new price looking to keep it below £100K

My current list all Auto is.

1. Adria Matrix Supreme 670 DC 140 BHP £103K
2. Fiat Swift Kon-Tiki 794 180 BHP £97K
3. Fiat Rapido 696F Ultimate line 180 BHP £96K
4. Chausson Titanium Ultimate 788 170 BHP £82K

which would people in the know suggest and is the Adria worth £20K more than the Chausson? Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[CharlieC1212]

I am looking to buy my first Motorhome. I am looking for:

1. Island bed
2. Large garage for 2 E-Bikes
3. 4 berth and 4 belts, however 90% of time will only be just the two of us
4. As a new price looking to keep it below £100K

My current list all Auto is.

1. Adria Matrix Supreme 670 DC 140 BHP £103K
2. Fiat Swift Kon-Tiki 794 180 BHP £97K
3. Fiat Rapido 696F Ultimate line 180 BHP £96K
4. Chausson Titanium Ultimate 788 170 BHP £82K

which would people in the know suggest and is the Adria worth £20K more than the Chausson? Any advice greatly appreciated

Lakia evoquip 4012. 2022. auto. double floor insulated so you can go to chillier climates.