# Big or small, what item made you choose your van?



## 106573 (Aug 20, 2007)

Hi All,
Just sitting here in deep dark Lincolnshire, rain slatting sideways on portside of the van, noshing on jam sarny's and slurpin gallons of (British Army Type) Tea, I got to thinking about why or what item, big or small made you decide to part with your hard earned "Dosh" when choosing your Motorhome?.
For me it was a silly little thing, but made sense at the time. Just inside the habitation door (in a handy little clip on the wall) is a long handled gadget for opening the roof vents above the fixed beds fore & arft, not easy to reach just by hand, but no problem with said tool.
The clever bit is, it also doubles-up as a "Shoe Horn". Now I'm not saying I splashed out loads of (my Banks) money just because " Herman the German"came up with a useful idea, but my mind reasoned attention to such detail should apply through-out the rest of the van, and so far it seems that way.
How about yours?

Regards
Tinhuttraveler


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Mrs Zeb liked the upholstery.



I won't take me coat off . . . . !! 8O 8O :lol: :lol:


But seriously though, it was the ease of making the bed. Press a lever each side, slide seats to middle, backrests flop down, throw out the duvets.

No cushion wrestling or slat sliding. Nearly as good as a fixed bed - which we didn't want, but that's another story.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Two things for us, the twin beds and attention to detail, but also have to admit it was also the size of the shower, I could get in it. :lol: :lol: 

cabby


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## TinaGlenn (Jul 7, 2006)

It just felt right! 8O :roll: 

Tina


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

Tizwas the layout for me


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

*why I bought our Mororhome*

We bought our Autotrail because of the bathroom being across the back so giving us a seperate shower.
And the large Kitchen area so lots of cupboard space.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

Hi

We went looking for m/h`s with six 3 point seatbelts and this led us to the m/h we now have.So seatbelts I suppose in answer to your question. :lol: Not very exciting I`m afraid. :roll: 

steve


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## baldybazza (Feb 21, 2007)

Island bed!! Definitely the canine dangly bits as far as we're concerned :lol:


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## brillopad (Mar 4, 2008)

the way the ash tray worked, and i dont even smoke


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

The huge fridge/freezer. 

And the way the hob is sited in the right angle of the 'L' shaped kitchen, leaving you with a permanent work surface in the 'toe' of the 'L'.


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## relay (May 9, 2005)

usable worktop space and good storage were the main deciding points. The discount and good trade-in price clinched it! 

-H


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Timeless Monocoque GRP construction and they are produced in the next village, just a few miles up the road ( sorry that's two reasons :roll: ) :lol:


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## hilldweller (Mar 8, 2008)

A motorcycle trip to Loch Ness.

Without any communication we both came to the same conclusion, we are getting too old for all this wet and cold.

We then did the rounds of dealers, on the bike, and noticed there were always other bikes parked.

A month after the Scottish weather I saw a pristine Burstner A530 with 4000 miles on the clock and a totally unused cooker, took 'er indoors the next day and we were motorhome owners. We are still delighted with the quality of it at 19,000 miles one year on.

Now we appreciate the bike even more, it's the only way to travel, except in Scotland.


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

Like Tina it just felt right. Also the slow realisation we could afford it  

Sue


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Layout and chassis options.

peedee


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Headboard*

Hi

After deciding I definitely wanted a motorhome with a garage - the previous one was an island bed variant - I combed the market place and researched everything. I really like to be able to sit up in bed with a neadboard behind me rather than a cold window and a flimsy blind. So, I suppose, amongst other reasons, the headboard was the clincher. Not many garage model motorhomes offer the luxury of a headboard.

Russell


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## 96633 (Nov 3, 2005)

The number one reason was the U shaped lounge which provides two single beds and all the spaciousness it provided. We feel that a bed takes up far too much living space. 

Brian


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Two single beds that need only a bedroll unrolling ( ie feather and down mattress toppers in sheeting case) and a duvet on top to be ready. A separate shower compartment so having a shower doesn't involve a complete wipe down of everything in the bathroom, walls included and the lovely light uncluttered and spacious feel to the van. I like the plentiful worktop too- and the big panoramic overcab window - and the swivel seats which make the cab part of the living area and the dual fuel hob and....how many reasons do you want ?

G


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Murvi's track record in winning awards; and everything else suited


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## framptoncottrell (Jan 6, 2006)

DABurleigh said:


> Murvi's track record in winning awards; and everything else suited


And, as well, Mrs Roy refused to act as auxiliary driver in a full width motorhome, or one longer than 6.5 metres. :evil: She also loved the kitchen (the latest Murvi Morello won 'best kitchen at the show' at the recent NEC exhibition).  And it is perfect for one or two persons touring - we can happily sightsee in small villages with narrow streets, park in normal car bays, and yet not get under each other's feet when inside in the wet or the evening. :roll:

And, from experience, we hate fixed beds, but that is opening a can of worms, I know. :roll:

Dr (musical, not medical) Roy


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

Accepting my needs were different to most, We walked in and ................


Wow.

That was it. over budget, over length, bought it anyway.


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## citroennut (May 16, 2005)

Tinhuttraveler said:


> Hi All,
> For me it was a silly little thing, but made sense at the time. Just inside the habitation door (in a handy little clip on the wall) is a long handled gadget for opening the roof vents above the fixed beds fore & arft, not easy to reach just by hand, but no problem with said tool.
> The clever bit is, it also doubles-up as a "Shoe Horn".
> Regards
> Tinhuttraveler


does that mean the shoehorn mine came with is to open the windows?  
i'll second peedee layout and chassis

simon


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

So many reasons for the new van which will arrive hopefully April 2009, but main reasons were
PAYLOAD I blame Mel Eastburn for putting this on top of the list.
GARAGE to take our two motorbikes. I prefer not to tow a trailer.
SPACE More social space without anything needing to serve more purposes than one.
C.


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## exmusso (Jun 18, 2006)

*Motorhome Choice Reason*

Hi all,

Transverse fixed bed which we prefer from experience and the garage below,

Cheers,
Alan


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## MikeCo (Jan 26, 2008)

High reverse gear as I like to reverse fast and the end bathroom.


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## AndrewandShirley (Oct 13, 2007)

The largest M/H we could afford which ticked out 35 requriements.

She wanted work space
He wanted power
She wanted large fridge and toilet
He wanted power
She wanted beds, U shped lounge, cupboards
He wanted power

Get the drift???


She got EVERYTHING he got nothing - as he's MAN!!!


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## viator (May 1, 2007)

Being able to design, draw plans, give them to converter and get exactly what I wanted.
viator


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Ease of bed making (it's a drop down). Space for dogs. Left hand drive (for European travel).

Pat


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## richardjames (Feb 1, 2006)

Hi
Three star badge and rear wheel drive along with a fixed bed to fall into!!!
Richard


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## citroennut (May 16, 2005)

richardjames said:


> Hi
> Three star badge and rear wheel drive along with a fixed bed to fall into!!!
> Richard


contentious considering four posts up :lol: have to agree though :roll: 
simon


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

Two seating areas. 1 for adults and one for kids!
12 years on and its his and her seating areas...


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Fixed bed for me to have a lie-in while her-indoors gets up early and then becomes her-outdoors.


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## pandalf (Oct 29, 2006)

*Bed size in alcove*

For us it was the size of the alcove bed and the head room that was provided. We started looking convinced we wanted a low-profile, but could only fit a six metre motorhome on our drive. Every decent low-profile was too long and that told us we had to go for a coachbuilt with an alcove bed. Although many vans offered the same basic layout, the Euramobil won the day with the huge alcove bed, which offered great headroom (some are very claustrophobic) and the easy climb up because of the raised floor.


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## Moonlight (Aug 12, 2006)

For us we needed -

Just like _CliveMott_ said - space without anything needing to serve more purposes than one.

So it was for us first and foremost - Living space, with a decent place for the telly.

With a lounge area that you could actually lounge in.

Kitchen area that had a decent work surface.

A bed that was seperate to the Living space, so I could go to bed and leave hubby and kids watching telly.

And a freezer if possible.

Oh and plenty of storage space.


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

The Bird said yes.
Gerry


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## UncleNorm (May 1, 2005)

We bought Our Coral for


One reason only: fixed corner bed.


One reason only: a forward conference suite for 6 or 7 delegates.


One reason only: an oven under the hob, a silly place, I know!


One reason: X2/50 2.3 130bhp.


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## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

We'd got fed up struggling to erect beds when you're cream crackered and just want to flop, so a fixed 'un was essential .

We needed big storage for grooming trolley/dog crate/puppy pen.

It had to be under 6m to get in our drive.

BUT 

The thing that sold it to us was 

THE POLE!

It acts as the support for one corner of the two steps up into bed (no ladder, Mrs SDA doesn't do ladders). 

It's got lights inside the bottom third which guide you on said steps at night so you don't disturb sleepers with a sudden burst of searchlight. 

It acts as a handrail to help you into or out of bed. 

At the top it has a swivel hinge that has an arm with the TV on the end. This means you can watch TV in bed or swing it through an arc over the kitchen and watch it in the lounge. 

You can also opt for the fitted Adria dry ice maker and turn the van into a Disco Inferno :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Beats a shoe horn 8O 

SDA 8)


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

It had to be go anywhere, park anywhere - especially at home, which has an anti-caravan / MH restrictive covenant, so typical of modern estates. That was the main consideration; otherwise we would have bought something a little bigger. So far, the neighbours have let it pass (except for one tut-tutting, head-shaking old cow who lives at the far end of the estate anyway). Someone else up the far end of our road is getting away now with a N&B Arto on their drive, so that's encouraging.

On the plus side, the Westy is useable as a second car and has all the comforts you would expect in a proper modern car, including auto gearbox, A/C, trip computer, cruise control, heated front seats, good stereo with CD autochanger, and factory fitted hands-free phone installation. The ace bits are the comfy bed, the fridge, kitchen, space heating etc. that aren't even on Mondeo's options list! 

Bonus features include a smooth ride, low noise levels, and unexpectedly good fuel economy that gives the Westy a massive range of up to 1,200km on one tank of diesel. Not that I would want to, but non-stop to Prague or Venice ... 


SD


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## EdinburghCamper (Sep 13, 2008)

Having the Rear Bunks and the king Size fixed beds did it for me, no mucking about when its bed time.


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## welshtust (Jun 9, 2008)

Bunk beds for the children
Full size shower for me, 6 ft rugby player
full kitchen c/w Fridge Freezer
and good price


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Choice*

Main reasons were...

ABS
Twin Rear Wheel Drive
Good Payload
6 Berth
Fully Winterised

Trev.


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## 90725 (May 1, 2005)

Sub 20 feet and rear lounge - a must imho


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## oldenstar (Nov 9, 2006)

LOW LEVEL fixed bed... Sorry about the shouting but her indoors can't do mountain climbing, and so many of them these days need oxygen masks.

That leads to huge underbed storage, and I concur with previous poster about the ability to move about the van while madame is still tucked up.

The spacious washroom with properly usable separate shower just about clinched it.

No regrets to date.

Paul


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## Lennondayz (Sep 23, 2008)

For him - the air conditioning

For me - the fridge/freezer and oven - sad eh?

For both of us all the comforts of home in glorious surroundings.


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## tubbytuba (Mar 21, 2007)

The natty pull out waste bin in the cupboard under the sink :wink:


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Layouts*

3 pages and I see nobody else has mentioned any safety feature!.


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

3 pages and I see nobody else has mentioned any safety feature!.

Yes they have Trev

Hi

We went looking for m/h`s with six 3 point seatbelts and this led us to the m/h we now have.So seatbelts I suppose in answer to your question. Laughing Not very exciting I`m afraid. 

And that was one of the reasons we picked ours, 

but things have changed now and we want more space now.

Richard...


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## exmusso (Jun 18, 2006)

*Choice of Motorhome*

Hi Trev,

In my original posting which I subsequently edited, I had down five proper lap and diagonal seatbelts, ABS, traction control, and also a passenger airbag as standard.

It is ridiculous that some manufacturers still have the passenger airbag as an option on vehicles of this type.

How many motorhomes have you seen who have only the driver on board?

The same applies to the base vehicle and can only think of a delivery van where there may only be the driver as sole occupant.

Rant over. 
Cheers,
Alan


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## 108352 (Nov 19, 2007)

*It's low key*

Unlike nearly everyone who has so far commented, I am obviously a glutton for punishment! A VW T4 is far from spacious, and not as comfy as home, but we always get a good night's sleep. The view is almost always better, and if it isn't, at least it's different.

The green colour and lack of shiny bits appealed as it's easier to 'hide' in various places where one probably shouldn't really park overnight. I've never had any hassle yet, and must have done a couple of hundred nights to date. We stayed on a site once but couldn't find any worthwhile benefits, so haven't tried it since!

The parkability, (relative) fuel economy and reliability were primarily what I was after, and ABS brakes are a potential life-saver I would certainly prefer to have just in case (touch wood... !).


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

It ticked all the boxes on our 'rooky' list but if have to stick to one feature it would be lay-out.

In the spirit of the original post, the one detailed aspect of the conversion would be the slick and reliable adjustment of dinette seats and long side bench for lounging and sleeping. The mechanisms are superb.

If we did a 'list' now it would be different but no regrets with our choice, we're happy to hang on to it long term


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

Compromise compromise, the double fixed bed in back over a full storage area accessable from inside, kitchen across from table so table is available when cooking, lots of drawers/storage space, 2.8 liter engine, fridge you don't have to bend over to access . And most important in a used vehicle the quality of construction and the price.

Compromise, the kids would be happier with bunk beds, dual wheel rear drive would be better in the mountains and winter, few accessories, no awning, no tv dish, no ac, small lounge area, a shower that is not completely separate, no oven, small fridge, only four seat belts, no airbags, no anti lock brakes, no roof rack.


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## 101578 (Oct 28, 2006)

The fact that it was a motorhome  and not a bodged up conversion like our first one we bought a few months earlier  
I think the fitted oyster dish was his reason :wink: 



Leaky's wench.


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## TJ101 (Oct 12, 2008)

Fact that the it was twin wheel, rear drive, and 170 horse power, for the towing job it has to do

In hindsight, also the Frankia build quality


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi,

late comments from me, but here they come: :wink: 

When we were ready to part with the money, we had narrowed down the choice to 3 MHs, all of them fulfilling our essential criteria (winterproof, double floor, fixed wide double bed, at least one more bed, at least 3 seats with diagonal belts, common-rail engine), and were just within our budget: All of them C-classes which had been hired out by the dealers for 1-2 seasons. A Hymer and a Bürstner, both with rear bunk beds, and a Eura with a second dinette in the rear that could be converted to a bed. The Hymer was the newest and had the lowest mileage, the Bürstner the largest van, and the Eura the only one with a separate shower cubicle. 

We soon ruled out the Hymer for several reasons: We did not like the "plastic look" that was en vogue with the 2002 Hymers, it was despite the mileage the most run-down of the three, and the grassroots told us that its dealer would close soon. (Which he did a few weeks later.)

Remained Bürstner and Eura: The Bürstner had the advantage of the two bunk beds, of which the lower could be pulled up to form a large garage for bikes etc. However it had no separate shower cubicle like the Eura, and it was significantly longer, exceeding the 6-metre-limit that makes it very expensive on Norwegian fjord ferries. 

The Eura was, without bicycle rack, just below this limit. This fact, plus the separate shower, plus the extra large holding tanks, plus the robust design, finally made us decide for it. And with the Eura we had already made an "8000-km test drive", as we had hired it for a Scandinavia tour in summer 2002.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## 96377 (Sep 27, 2005)

In 1986 I saw an advert in, I think it was, Which Motorcaravan for my van in 2003 I finally brought one and have not regretted a single moment.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

The Hymer Van 522 ticked ALL our boxes, but if it had not had (eh?) a passenger airbag we would not have bought it.

Safety conscious or what?


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## 106573 (Aug 20, 2007)

Seems we are in general, A happy bunch of Campers, Interesting to see the different requirements people take into consideration when looking for a van. The fixed bed must have/not wanted split must be about 50/50, but I'll bet you in 10 years from now, you'll be hard pushed to find a new Van/Caravan without said item. Any takers ???
Another good thread would be "What do you most dislike" about your present Motorhome. How honest would we be ?!!
Depreciation has got to be in the top 10 (it is for me anyway)  
Regards
Tinhuttraveler


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## tubbytuba (Mar 21, 2007)

Not for me tinhut  

In the size van that we prefer, a fixed bed just reduces the options.
Ok there are advantages, but for us too many downsides.
We would lose the spacious (ish) lounge, my wifes claustraphobia would kick in etc.
We can leave our (very comfy) bed made up when it suits anyhow :wink:


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## UncleNorm (May 1, 2005)

Go for it, Tinhuttraveller!

But please put in some exclusions to avoid any mention of Scuttlegate, Juddergate, Ihatefiatgate, Ihatecertaindealersgate...

Solely as a mobile dwelling space, what do I hate? Hmmm...


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

What do I hate about my motorhome?

That somebody might spray narcotic gas though the vents and rob us!


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