# What to buy?



## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

We are in the market for a PVC new or newish.

Minimum Spec

Essentials:

*6m long
Auto
Aircon
2 Air bags
2 Berth
Shower and loo*

Strong wants:

*Compressor Fridge
Diesel Heating
Gas Hob (dont need an oven)
*

Don't wants:

*Fixed bed
'Caravan' fabric, 'fussy' cabinets
Fiat base if it can be helped*

This is to replace our beloved Bongo that is / has all of the above EXCEPT the shower (and its 4wd), but its only 4.58m long and 1.69m wide, and an exercise in logistics for three-week trips away!

Looked at all the usual suspects Murvi, IH, Timberland, Devon, Adria (looking at a Tribute at the weekend). Also considered Westfalia, La Strada. We're willing to order and wait.

Shortlist at the moment 
Devon Provence
Tribute 650

What else should we consider? Thoughts welcome?


----------



## smick (Jun 1, 2005)

*What to buy*

Suggest you also have a look at the Vanmaster Pecos - it's reviewed in Which Motorcaravan for Dec; we've seen it in the flesh, and although it has somewhat "chintzy" material, you do get a choice of what they cover it with.

Quality seems excellent - they build on Renault and Fiat.

www.vanmaster.co.uk

Smick


----------



## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

You could try the guys that supplied our 5m van, Roy Wood Transits, nr Reading.

The link will give you a good idea of what they can do and recent magazine reviews of their vans have been very positive.

http://www.horizons-unlimited.co.uk/index.html

We think ours is great but we're casting around for the next one now and it might just be that we'll go back to them for a second if we can't find anything else that beats their spec.

Andy

PS
looking down your list again I'm not sure why you'd want a compressor fridge. Our van has one and it's stable mate the Cavarno has the absorption type. Apparently there's a vital piece of van structure where vents need to go if ours was to be an absorption type. Compressors are noisy, although you sort of get used to it. Worst of all compressors eat battery power when you're not on hook up, whereas the absorption can be switched to gas. We've run out of juice 3 or 4 times. even after we had a second battery installed and it ain't funny.
A


----------



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Although i've not got one myself I'm still a fan of panelvan conversions and I think you need to go a long way to beat the Germans. No chintz here but the wallet could take a bashing.
I'm not sure if there are any UK importers for the following companies but IMO they are some of the best quality conversions going, might give you a few ideas.

http://www.cs-reisemobile.de/main.htm

http://www.hrz-reisemobile.de/modelle.html

http://www.schwabenmobil.de/modelle.html

Another one that you can get in UK is La Strada....

http://www.lastrada-mobile.de/cms/index.php?id=98

pete


----------



## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

Steamdrivenandy said:


> looking down your list again I'm not sure why you'd want a compressor fridge. Our van has one and it's stable mate the Cavarno has the absorption type. Apparently there's a vital piece of van structure where vents need to go if ours was to be an absorption type. Compressors are noisy, although you sort of get used to it. Worst of all compressors eat battery power when you're not on hook up, whereas the absorption can be switched to gas. We've run out of juice 3 or 4 times. even after we had a second battery installed and it ain't funny.
> A


Ah well, that would be the Bongo background...

Our little Indel in the Bongo runs for four days on the 85ah leisure battery (more maybe, that is as long as we have ever parked up with no hook-up), plus it is actually very quiet ( it is right next to the foot of the rock'n'roll bed) - noise is not a problem even in the tiny space.

My understanding is that they are _far_ more efficient than the absorption type. We want to be camping 'off grid' as much as possible. The idea I have is that you only use gas for cooking, with diesel heating and a 12v fridge.


----------



## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

Just been to see a new Tribute 650.

I'm afraid it is now off the shortlist...

Dangling legs on the settee! What were they thinking of when they 'designed' this? (Yes - I know - tall people.)

Looked at an old model Tribute, too - no problem with the settee height on that, but no autobox so that's not possible.

Read the review of the Vanmaster Pecos, that is now added to our list of possibilities, plus reconsidering an Adria Twin.


----------



## 96960 (Dec 15, 2005)

Hi there,

just wondered if you got my original reply re :

Devon Monte Carlo ?


----------



## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

trevd01 said:


> Steamdrivenandy said:
> 
> 
> > looking down your list again I'm not sure why you'd want a compressor fridge. Our van has one and it's stable mate the Cavarno has the absorption type. Apparently there's a vital piece of van structure where vents need to go if ours was to be an absorption type. Compressors are noisy, although you sort of get used to it. Worst of all compressors eat battery power when you're not on hook up, whereas the absorption can be switched to gas. We've run out of juice 3 or 4 times. even after we had a second battery installed and it ain't funny.
> ...


Sorry trevd01 for some reason I never saw your response.

Our fridge is a 50 litre Waeco compressor and it makes a sort of click noise and then a whine each time it operates. We've got so that we don't normally notice it, although the other day I slept on the OH's side of the van with my pillow right against the side of the fridge and it did disturb me a bit.
We ran out of juice at the Royal Highland Showground August Bank Holiday '06 and that prompted us to have a second battery fitted. This year despite the additional battery we ran out after about the same period. However it couldn't have been helped by having left the loo room light on for 5 hours whilst we were at the dog show.
Have you had a look at the Horizons Unlimited vans? They're v well put together and lovely people to do business with. They're desperately waiting for Ford's to bring out the auto Tranny as they'd sell a lot on their disability vans. They do offer the Merc base with an auto although that's around £8K more. They'll customise the van to your requirements, so don't be put off by the fact that most of their vans are well under 6m.

Andy


----------



## fridgeman (Jul 11, 2007)

think the 650 you looked at was old stock same as mine,the new ones of the production line have a lower bed box so not as bad on the dangley legs, also a lot of the glitches will have been ironed out asswell,still a outstanding buy.and that european warrenty :wink: 

compressor fridges are thirsty,noisey at night and of course only run of one power source,i have converted them using the best 12v compressors available,they still can flaten a battery in a few hours.absorbtion everytime on small units.


----------



## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

Fridgeman - I can only speak of my own experience...


trevd01 said:


> Ah well, that would be the Bongo background...
> 
> Our little Indel in the Bongo runs for four days on the 85ah leisure battery (more maybe, that is as long as we have ever parked up with no hook-up), plus it is actually very quiet ( it is right next to the foot of the rock'n'roll bed) - noise is not a problem even in the tiny space.
> 
> My understanding is that they are _far_ more efficient than the absorption type. We want to be camping 'off grid' as much as possible. The idea I have is that you only use gas for cooking, with diesel heating and a 12v fridge.


The compressor fridge is all I know, and I don't find is noisy or thirsty. But most vans come with absorption - it's not a die in a ditch issue.

Anyway tomorrow looking at a La Stada and a Westfalia James Cook (both Sprinter with Sprintshifts). Plus my local Merc truck dealer arranged for a test drive in a new auto Sprinter today, with a proper auto-box. I was deeply impressed - you really feel you could drive across Europe in one of these. So I am thinking German at the moment.


----------



## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

Trev,
The only reason Horizons fit a compressor fridge to the Innovation range is because they can't cut into the van sides for the absorption vents as there's a critical piece of structure behind it. On it's cousin, the Cavarno, the space behind the o/s/r seat is taken by a stove instead and the absorption fridge is fitted by the rear door where vents can be cut in the sides without compromising the structure.
Their Innovation 2 is on a 5.2m Sprinter and the 4 is on a 5.9m one. The 1 is a Tranny like mine and the 3 and 5 are longer Trannys.
If you're anywhere near Reading it's worth giving them a buzz to have a look at their vans. If Tamworth is nearer, that's where the conversions are put together.
Andy


----------

