# Hobby or Euramobil - which is best?



## imernsid

Help please! 

We are looking to buy our first motorhome to go touring around Europe for a year but are torn between a Hobby 750 Gel on a Fiat and a Euramobile 866 EBL. They are both 2005 models.

Has anyone any suggestions as to which will be the most reliable of these - all comments will be gratefully received. 

Many thanks.


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## AndrewandShirley

We looked at both before settling on an N&B.

The only issues we found of concern were with some Hobby's which appear to suffer from rusting around the windows. Maybe we were unlucky but came across several of these which put us off.

No doubt Hobby owners will be able to advise.

Could not fault either really, but never found one that met all our needs.


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## raynipper

One reason I personally plumped for our old Hobby is it's a low profile. No wander at any speed. 

Ray.


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## imernsid

Thank you both for your comments - the jury is still out! It would be good to hear from someone with a Euramobil as there is very little that I can find out about them. Thank you again


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## Chudders

I think you will get a positive response from anyone who already owns whichever you refer to.
So to start the ball rolling, I have a Euramobil 810HS, Tag axle. 2006
It has a double floor with tanks between so really well insulated. It is a 5 ton MGW vehicle and I get about 22 to 23 MPG. It is on a Fiat Ducato 2.8 jtd base.
Got to say I love it. Really solid build quality. 
I did think of changing recently but when I looked at some others the build quality was nothing like as good.
BUT< as I said the majority of people will recommend whatever they have at the time. I understand that Hobby,s are also a well built German vehicle but I don,t have personal experience.
Others will be along to tell you about theirs I am sure.
If you are considering a Eurmobil just have a look at the new price of an equivalent and then compare with what you are paying to see if its good value. They are expensive new. (Or at least they are to me)
Dave


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## midlifecrisismil

Hi 
Have Eura Mobil but not the Integra model.

Love the van - it is fully winterised and seems to be built really solidly.

Has loads of storage space cos of the double floor even though it is a rear-lounge model and can fit our walking gears, golf clubs etc with absolutely no problem.

Over cab bed is huge and really comfortable - matresses are quite deep and even the bed made from the end lounge section is big and comfortable.

Have had absolutely no issues with it other than a slightly sticky electric step which was soon sorted out.

Must say however have only had it from new since last November.

Also there have been a couple of threads on here recently about getting spares for Eura Mobils and about servicing and habitation checks. John Cross Motorhomes will do this but he is down south and we are up north so we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

On here have also recently read a thread about some Hobbys being refused entry to campsites because Hobby caravans are associated with gypsies but then someone else comes along and says they have had no problem.

At the end of the day I would go for the one which suits your needs best, has a good service record and habitation check record and which you think is most reliable.

Good luck in your search.

Milly


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## Mrplodd

Personal choice at the end of the day.

Make a list of what you really like and really dislike about each one, then as the saying goes ...........








Go Compaaaaaare Go Compaaaaarre !!!!!!


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## imernsid

Hi and thank you Dave and Milly - that's really useful.  

The Euramobil that we're interested in is on a Mercedes but hopefully the miles per gallon will be okay. We like the layout - twin beds and good seating area, kitchen etc - quite a similar style to the Hobby. 

We are complete novices so I think we're going to have a sharp learning curve once we get set off on our travels. :? 

Thanks again.

Marina


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## Boff

Hi,

we have an Euramobil, but when we bought it in 2002 we also seriously considered, among others, a Hobby. The general build quality is in my opinion about the same. Differences are mainly found in the details:

If that is important for you: Is the Hobby really 100% winterized? Especially: Are both waste water tank, and its dump valve(!), located in a heated area of the van (double floor)? Euras are winterproof by tradition.

I don't know about the one you are looking at, but on most of their current models Hobby uses the simpler, frame-less "caravan-style" windows, while Eura uses Seitz windows with PU frames. Windows with frames have better insulation, and are not so easy to force open.

Look at the capacities of leisure battery, fresh water and waste tanks. Usually Eura has the edge here.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## dct67

Hi

You're comparing two quite different vans; the Hobby 750 is a lowish profile (I think, never looked closely) fiat front wheel drive van, while the 866 is Mercedes based rear wheel drive A Class.

If you use the search function on this site, you'll find information on both the Hobby and Euramobil on this forum. From memory, the 866 is well considered - rear wheel drive is a big advantage. The only criticisms I recall are:
- Rear diff ratio means the engine revs quite hard at cruising speeds
- Some people have noted the narrow track of the Mercedes can make it feel less stable, particularly when passed by lorries
- Possibly less storage (though better payload) due to the impact on underfloor space of RWD.

There have been a few reports of leaky 810s on this forum (very few 866 owners to comment) - but generally older (2000-2003) models.

If they are the same/similar price, I'd go 866 personally - having test driven to make sure it feels stable, and not too noisy at speed. Having looked at this vintage of motorhomes recently, I'd expect the 866 to be significantly more expensive than the 750. The Hobby 770 I bought used was cheaper than equivalent Euramobil models (though it was in less than perfect condition too).

Good luck!

David


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## imernsid

Gerhard and David

Thank you so much - this is exactly the sort of feedback that I was looking for and so helpful. I'm definately leaning towards the Euramobil - don't think we can go far wrong with it.

Thank you again.  

Marina


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## Chudders

As mentioned above Euramobil servicing has had a bit of a question mark lately but two points are worth considering.
Johns Cross motorhomes and Chelston Motorhomes have both indicated on this forum that they will be more than willing to take servicing/repairs etc although they would not be able to carry out warranty work as not officially EM dealers. The second point is that the base vehicle is easy to find a dealer for (Fiat or Merc) and most of the equipment inside is standard to all sorts of makes e.g. Truma, Omnistor,Thetford, Dometic, Surflo pumps etc etc so all of those items should present no problems. Even the electrics are apparentely made by an Italian company that supplies various makes of motorhomes. (Cant, remember the make now).
I think the new EM equivalent prices are in the region of £80,000
I think all you can do is look at both makes and models and make your own choice based on what appeals to you. I think they are both well made motorhomes.
Regards, dave

Just found an 866 on the web. I see its a twin rear wheel axle (Not Tag) and 8.6M long which is little more than my 810. Mine has an electric front windscreen blind and all cab windows are double glazes. I suspect the 866 is the same. I have not had any problems with the length. I see its got over 1000 Kg,s of payload. Very useful, no worries there of overloading.


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## bobandjane

Hi, we have a Eura Mobil 666hb A Class on a Mercedes chassi with the sprintshift gearbox, we wanted a rear wheel drive and fully winterised van and it fit the bill perfect, we are really happy with ours.  Bob.


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## imernsid

Hi - thanks so much guys. 

Chudders - was there a price on the Eura on the web and what age was it? I'm finding it so hard to do a like for like price as there are so few out there.

Bob - good to hear that you're happy with your motor - it all is sounding very positive for the euramobil.  

thank you again - this is all really helping!  

Cheers buddies.

Marina


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## nicholsong

To all Posters

What a nice helpful set of responses.

Well done everyone - that is the best of MHF!

To Marina

You have obviously identified a couple of good manufacturers and I am sure you will not go wrong. EuraMobil was on my list, although I ended up with a N+B. The market in these quality MHs is small so go for what suits you and is available.

Good Luck

Geoff


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## teemyob

*Eura Mobil*

After years of looking for a motorhome, never seen anything else in the same price range as Eura Mobils so well built, the reason our first MH was a Eura. (pre 2006 models I refer to)

Lift the habitation seats on a lot of motorhomes and they are flimsy slats. Do the same on Euras and they are made of thick, solid ply.

Follow the cabling/piping on Euras and they are neatly trunked/clipped. Look under some and the cables/pipes are thrown in.

The insulation on Euras is as good as if not better than the Hymers of the time.

Eura furniture was framed with solid real wood. Shame they used hardboard for the facias and have now moved on to furniture board.

Beds and foams good quality
Seating strong and well upholstered 
Flooring Strong as are roofs

Hobby I am not so familiar with but the pre 2006 ones I saw seemed extremely good quality too.

TM


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## imernsid

Hi Geoff and Teemyob

Thank you for your comments - really has reinforced my opinion that the Euramobil is probably going to be our best bet.

Thanks again.

Marina


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## Jezport

We looked at quite a few Euramobil tag vans before we bought our Frankia. The quality seemed good, but they all had small fridges and we wanted a large one. Also we prefer a van that the bed over the luton folds up which the Eura did not have. I know they may seem quite small details but my gamily needs a large fridge and I have back problems that would be made worse by having to bend to det through to the cab.

Look around and dont just stick to 2 manufacturers, although we did remove Burstner from our search list because every van we looked at had broken handles, furniture etc. We looked at one Hobby, it had a bathroom with a sliding wall, this van also had plastic parts broken on doors etc.

N & B, Frankia and Carthago do seem to have a top build quality, but this does reflect in the prices.


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## imernsid

Hi Jezport

Thank you for your comments. We certainly haven't ruled out other manufacturers as we've looked at most makes and models of motorhome over the past year but it's the inside configuration of the Euramobil and the Hobby that has made us narrow it down to these two vans. Plus, like you, we've found some makes of van seem to have a number of faults, such as broken fittings, before they've even been driven out of the dealer's forecourt!

A large fridge isn't an issue for us as there is only 2 of us and there is a drop down bed in the Eura which will only be used if family join us for a holiday.

Thanks again.

Marina


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