# Thinking about an old 544



## marco_b (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi, hoping you guys n' gals can help out here...

We're thinking about plunging into motorhoming with a nice old Hymer 544 - having been hanging around this forum for a while!

A couple of questions - how important is air-con? That huge front screen looks as though it might turn the cab into a greenhouse on a warm day.

And, has anyone bought one without power steering, then regretted it? It looks a large vehicle to haul around without a bit of help.

Plus - and this is maybe a bit cheeky, but what the heck... I've looked at ebay, autotrader, this site, mobile.de etc etc and seems lots of photos, but I can't find one nearby to get a sense of close up and personal. Is there anyone in northeast England (we live in Newcastle) that would be happy to let us poke around theirs for half an hour? Just so that we can get a proper feel of what looks to be the perfect van for us!

We'd really appreciate it.... thanks

M


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

I have a 1992 544 which I will be disposing of in mid to late September.
It has power steering and I have never felt the need for air con. If you pitch with the vehicles back to the sun. The wheelbase is the same as a Volvo estate car,overall length is just 6metres. My chums call it the Odeon,the driving position is like sitting in the front row!!
The best part about it is the MASSIVE bed you can make up in the lounge.


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## 115609 (Aug 16, 2008)

*Hymer 534*

Hi there,I have a 1987 534,came in from germany in gret condition for age and we still love it after year and a half.Bought two dash fans in LIDL and only use one now and then if driving far,they clip on and no need for air con.Parked up in hot weather[erm?think we had agood day last year?]the silver screen is great.We have rear lounge and often leave bed made up,never found a big deal with no power steering.....Go for it ,the Hymer makes a statement all on its own.


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## 108717 (Dec 12, 2007)

We have a 1988 B544. The heat through the windscreen isn't as bad as you might imagine since the glass is upright. Modern cars heat up fast because the screen is raked so sun beats down on the dash, seats etc.

Aircon? Well you're starting a worrying quest there which won't end until you are broke! Hmm, aircon?..... hmm, air suspension?..... hmmm, electric self leveling steadies..... etc etc. It can get warm inside but you knew that! 

Power Steering is for girls! OK so I'm joking a wee bit here. The steering at parking speeds is really heavy but at walking speed it's fine and anything beyond that you wouldn't really notice. 

Some real world experience. Did 2 weeks in La Rochelle from North Yorkshire with fiance and 4 kids in the 544 this month. It's noisy at motorway speeds but not too hot (open the window). Parked up in baking heat it's not too hot either, certainly nothing like a car and we aren't early risers so this is 10am heat we're talking about. Fiance drove plenty even without power steering. For us it's worth living without these 'luxuries(?)' because we got a great price for it in Germany. Once you've bought it you have to stop wishing and just use it or you'll be changing it every month.

If you wanted my view I'd either go and barter hard (best in Germany) for an oldie in good nick or I'd jump forward to around 1992 where many things became standard and the interior got brightened up, incliding lighter wood (they can feel a bit dark inside). 

The other thing you didn't mention was turbo. Ours is non-turbo (turbo's are for gir.....Oh stop it Jimbo!) and it is slow up hills but I've no experience of the same model with a turbo. But if you sell it it might make some difference. Buyers like the word turbo. 

Hope that helps.


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## marco_b (Jul 18, 2008)

That's really interesting, thanks guys. Sounds like aircon isn't really an issue, and probably neither is power steering. The turbo models seem to be thin on the ground in Germany - I've been haunting www.mobile.de to get a sense of prices and what's out there.

I'm just wavering here before diving in! We had a bad experience on an old Landcruiser a couple of years ago - turned out not to be as bomb-proof as their reputation! So SWMBO isn't that keen on another old vehicle, I'm trying to persuade her that it'll probably be ok. Plus I suspect that bits for what's basically an old Fiat van are cheaper than Toyota, but I could be wrong.

Going rate for a late eighties 544 is around 7000 euros, but maybe less with a bit of bargaining at this stage of the season.

I guess I'm also a bit worried about rust - but am I right in thinking it's basically a van-type ladder chassis underneath the Hymer bodywork, in which case there's maybe less for the tin-worm to attack?

M


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## 107382 (Oct 1, 2007)

Hi 
Bought a 1992 544 a year ago. No need for air con but mine has power steering . Useful when going very slow. The older Hymers were well built and if you get a LHD you will find that the chassis suffers little from rust unlike motorhomes bought and kept in this country. The non turbo seems happiest cruising 55 to 60 mph and mine returns just under 30mpg. Hope this is of use.


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## marco_b (Jul 18, 2008)

Thanks, useful tip about the rust problem. I think you made a good decision on yours - I'm not sure that a van that big with no power steering is a great plan. Don't mind going slow, but I'm not keen on trying to park something as big as a Hymer with my biceps is a good idea...

I'm going to take a look at one at the weekend... and I'll have a good poke about underneath!


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