# Just when I thought I'd got it sussed!



## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

We've narrowed down our search (we think!) to two vans, the Burstner Argos 747 and Dethleffs A7871, however when I just mentioned Dethleffs to a friend who has an RV she inhaled sharply and said, don't touch Dethleffs with a bargepole, I've heard really bad things about them....she couldn't be more specific but it's given me the heebies.

We are going to see the Dethleffs this weekend, but as it's in Essex I don't want to waste an 8 hour round trip if it's not what I think it is.

Has anyone any experience/opinion on either van. 

We started out wanting bunks, having hired a couple with bunks, but the budget (£70k tops) we have means that bunk models have really small lounge areas. As we don't want to have to be faffing about making up beds every night, and our kids aren't bothered about sharing a big bed. 

We liked the Burstner Aviano, until we stood in it, and the lounge area was way too small as we want to be able to use it over winter, which obviously means more time spent inside of an evening.

Am I chasing a van that doesn't exist (which is why we settled on either the Burstner or Dethleffs) and has anyone any other suggestions?

Thank you


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Not heard any bad things about Dethleffs but what about a Euromobile? Some nice ones out there.

I think it might be a good idea to go round the dealers until you have completely decided what you want. £70K is an awful lot of money to spend on something you're not completely sure of.

Joe & Denise


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks, we've been round lots of dealers, but I'm reluctant to order a model I haven't been inside - I'm not sure if I'm unique but some of the dealers we've been to see seem to think we should be able to visualise what it'll look like if we "look at that kitchen, that bed and imagine it like this" whilst showing me a brochure?! :roll: 

When I told one in Manchester that I needed to physically see it, she looked at me like I'd grown an extra head?!

ETA: I do like the look of the Euramobile machines, but having only seen old used models and can't find any details of a dealer in the UK?


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Greenasthegrass a member on here has a Dethleffs (or Deadlegs as she calls it lol) and loves it. 
Perhaps googling Dethleffs problems might throw up a few hints but be aware there will be horror stories about most marques I would think!!


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

If you are going to Essex to look at the Dethleffs, you could also try Cranhams as they stock Euromobiles.

Joe


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## Twilight (Aug 20, 2009)

Your post heading made me smile. It took two years of looking/searching/sitting in/playing around with beds etc. We thought like yourselves we'd got there but then a few days later....eeekkk!...changed our minds. We luckily never found any dealers...oh maybe except one who wasn't helpful. We were encouraged to try things out etc. We did at times start to chase our tails as it were.
In the end we started narrowing it down to like buying a "house".....if it didn't have "that feel" when we stepped inside. We imagined being in it on a cold wet rainy day...how we would feel etc. Cramped....going stir crazy? Then one day we walked into one looked at each other and said " we like this, we like the feel of it, we like the way it made us feel".....it was a yeureka moment.

So unfortunately cannot help you with make/models etc but hope you find what you like.


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## Mikemoss (Sep 5, 2005)

I've no experience of Dethleffs, but I can't recall having read/heard anything bad about them, whereas there was somebody on here a while ago who had bother with weird cracking in his Burstner 737.

As far as I know, there isn't a UK dealer for EuroMobil at the moment, so you'd need to source one from Germany (and possibly face trouble in getting anything wrong put straight over here).

You're absolutely right that layout is everything (well, almost) and that the only way to judge is to stand/sit/lie down/wash up etc etc in a real, live example or at least to go through the motions as best you can.

I've been in a 737 and they're indeed a lovely machine. One thought though, these tag axle jobs have a pretty cumbersome turning circle - something to be aware of if you're planning to stay on the smaller out-of-the-way CL/CS-type sites with restricted access. Other than that, I'm all for plenty of space.

Hope you find that elusive perfect MH. We got ours wrong first time, and it is a costly mistake to make. V happy with current replacement though!


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*hi*

Try Campers UK near Lincoln, great range of Burstners etc and one of the best companies to deal with around

Regards


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## camallison (Jul 15, 2009)

My daughter and her husband bought a new Burstner Argos 747 a couple of years ago. They have 4 children ranging from 12 to 5 and a nurse (2 of the kids are disabled) to cater for. They have had a superb time with it, even going to Lake Annecy in France and northern Spain on successive summer holidays. Most weekends they are out in it, and have just come back from a couple of weeks touring the UK. The 4 children sit comfortably and watch a DVD or colour in their books during journeys and so are happy to travel.

It is very roomy, easy to drive and set up and they wouldn't swap it for the world. I am quite jealous of them to be honest.

Burstner are a first class product - my last one was a Burstner Solano - we only changed because we wanted a specific layout,otherwise we would still have it.

Colin

[EDIT - Campers UK have a 2008 model in their used stock - not too far to travel to see it and check it out.]


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Have a look at Lowdhams in Huddersfield. Definitely nothing wrong with Deadlegs you can have a look at ours if you wish it's not the model you are looking for but you can feel the quality never mind the width!!

Greenie


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

We have a dethleffs, a fortero 6m, u shaped lounge, two berth. Not had aproblem with ours. Ours is solidly built and nothing has dropped off. We have had problems initially with the heating, got replaced under warranty, had the taps replaced and had a minor leak on the back wall. The heating was a known problem with the type of heater and has affected different makes of MH. The one tap, the workman thought was frost damage, so again not unique to dethleffs and the other tap was coming adrift so we got that replaced at same time, although it still worked. The minor leak on back wall was where we had a reversing camera fitted when we bought the van. Luckily found it very early as it happened to be vertical rain one day when I was cleaning the van prior to a trip. All but the taps were done under warranty and at no cost to ourselves. 

Dethleffs have a 6 yr water ingress warranty. Now the van is three years old only this is now covered. Now my MOthe rinlaw bought a new auto trail at the same time, it only has 3 year water ingress and she has minor cracks appearing in the bodywork and has water intermintenly coming in through one of the windows.

Any MH can have problems ranging from minor to major. I would have another dethleffs tomorrow, ours has to date been solidly put together.

You watch, things will start to drop off it now cause I am singing the praises!


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## DC4JC (Sep 19, 2007)

Hi,

Google Burstner Elegance i821g which is an A class. They are twin axle, big lounge, rear bed over large garage and also the dropdown bed at the front.

You could get a really good one for that amount of money.



Janice.


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

DC4JC said:


> Hi,
> 
> Google Burstner Elegance i821g which is an A class. They are twin axle, big lounge, rear bed over large garage and also the dropdown bed at the front.
> 
> ...


Ooooooh I like that one! OH really wants new though, he's got a thing about toilets and beds :roll: I may have to work on him to increase the budget somewhat!


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

greenasthegrass said:


> Have a look at Lowdhams in Huddersfield. Definitely nothing wrong with Deadlegs you can have a look at ours if you wish it's not the model you are looking for but you can feel the quality never mind the width!!
> 
> Greenie


We called there on Monday, after our wasted trip to Bury, they didn't have very much in stock that wasn't tuggable


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

camallison said:


> [EDIT - Campers UK have a 2008 model in their used stock - not too far to travel to see it and check it out.]


Thanks for responding. That one at CamperUK is the one we're calling to see on our way back from Essex (hopefully!), then at least we get an idea of layout before we order :lol:


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

Twilight said:


> Your post heading made me smile. It took two years of looking/searching/sitting in/playing around with beds etc. We thought like yourselves we'd got there but then a few days later....eeekkk!...changed our minds. We luckily never found any dealers...oh maybe except one who wasn't helpful. We were encouraged to try things out etc. We did at times start to chase our tails as it were.
> In the end we started narrowing it down to like buying a "house".....if it didn't have "that feel" when we stepped inside. We imagined being in it on a cold wet rainy day...how we would feel etc. Cramped....going stir crazy? Then one day we walked into one looked at each other and said " we like this, we like the feel of it, we like the way it made us feel".....it was a yeureka moment.
> 
> So unfortunately cannot help you with make/models etc but hope you find what you like.


Totally know where you're coming from. I had that Eureka!! moment in a Rapido, unfortunately OH didn't....but then we do that with houses too. We decided against the Rapido as we don't have a dealership within reasonable travelling distance for problems etc.

We'll keep plodding :lol:


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

May I suggest that the best van has nothing to do with price or marque, it is the one you go inside and everything feels right. Any van can have problems and they can be resolved. The whole joy of motorhoming for me is that when I enter my van, I am at home in every sense.  
Alan


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

Oh dear! I've had one of those "moments" some of you talked about. Walked into it, the layout is perfect and it feels like home. Trouble is it's over budget, but I'm working on OH :lol:

It *is* very beautiful though and we'll be very happy together. And CamperUK are THE most helpful folk we've been to see.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

When we changed our van recently my OH wanted a Dethleffs but we finished up with a Pilote Explorateur with exactly the same layout, twin singles and a full width washroom at the back. We have been away for a few days and OH keeps saying "I can't believe how much more space we have in this van although it is only 4" longer than the previous one. Up to date it is great, no complaints whatsoever.


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

*A resurrection*

Hi, I've resurrected my old thread because I'm back - AGAIN!

We hired a Burstner in the layout we though we wanted last year, after bickering back and forth for months about what I wanted and what OH wanted to spend - we weren't quite on the same page 

Loved the Burstner HOWEVER OH decided that there wasn't enough floor space in it with the (now 2) dogs (we have Rhodesian Ridgebacks).

I gave up hope of OH ever deciding what would be the "right" layout and business took a bit of a nosedive, soaking up my budget before my very eyes.

Now, business is back on the up and OH has decided that we need a rear lounge layout. I, at this point, don't actually care what the ruddy layout is any more, I just want to be mobile with my holiday home!

So, the search is once again narrowed down to: Swift Kon-Tiki 649 Hi Line, which I like because it has 6 berths & 2 lounging areas. The Hobby H75UC, which I'm not sure about as the 4 berths are all at the back of the van (like double bunk beds) or the Auto Trail Arapaho, which is a smidge too long but I could live with it.

Any opinions on the after sales/build quality of any of the vans? I think that the Hobby is slightly more in the "luxury" market but until I've seen the layout (tomorrow) OH is very keen - possibly not so keen when he realises that his stinky teenage sons will be sleeping below us!

Thanks again for any input. :roll:


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## Imbiber (May 11, 2007)

If rear lounge models are your preference then also have a look at the N&B range; I think they do a rear lounge model.

Our Eura Mobil is a rear lounge model, but they are pretty thin on the ground.

My preference is for a 'continental' van, due to the excellent winterisation, but this may not factor into your decision criteria.

Good luck with the hunt!

Found this on ebay (not the largest of examples, but it's a start!): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Niesmann-...Motorhomes&hash=item2a12ed6875#ht_1107wt_1344


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks. I've had a look at N&B but don't see a rear lounge layout? OH wants to buy new though so maybe it's an older model? Thanks anyway.

ETA: just spotted the ebay link, sorry! Thank you


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

One of the national shows is a good as place as any to view and try new models. There's the Shrewsbury show this weekend, Malvern in a few weeks, and NEC in October (I think), probably others too.


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## Zepp (May 14, 2009)

We have a 2004 dethleffs A class Esprit I 7870

Never had any problems with it apart from replacing a tap and water pump .

To be honest no matter what make you buy you always get the odd duff one.


Paul


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## Dixi (Oct 6, 2006)

We have a Dethleff 7810 had it 2 years now and not had one problem with it solidly built and a good spec I would reccomend Dethleff to anybody

John


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

We have a Swift Kon-tiki 615 (I think) and although ours is no longer made, it has been a fantastic purchase and we have not had any major issues with it (it's an 03) other than a puncture to the outer skin causing water ingress after the awning was blown up onto the roof in a freak storm and we didn't notice the damage. Swift have been fantastic when we needed replacement parts to repair the damage and whenever we have had a question they have answered it for us. 

At the end of the day, the van just has to feel right and you have to be happy with the dealer or service centre you are going to use. 

Good luck with the search - I hope you soon have the van of your dreams and are able to get away and enjoy it.


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## Madhouse_keyholder (Jun 22, 2009)

*WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

We've found it! The perfect motorhome...well it's almost perfect but the downs outweigh the pluses!

We've put a deposit down on a Hobby D750 UHCC with Go European this afternoon. Pick it up in two weeks when it's had all our extra bits added.

Very happy, and thank you for all your tips.

Just got to shop now to kit it out.....shame


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## simandme (Jan 11, 2011)

Fantastic news - Congratulations 

The rain is due to stop in 2 weeks (allegedly) - perfect timing for your new adventures.

All the best!!


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## Baron1 (Mar 9, 2011)

*Re: WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Just got to shop now to kit it out.....shame [/quote]

Now comes the expensive bit!!!


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## Christine600 (Jan 20, 2011)

The one with the large windows? Congrats!


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