# Decisions, decisions.



## andyman (Aug 31, 2006)

I have been looking for the past few months for a A Class, with fixed rear bed and 4 belted travel seats. Something like a Burstner 684. I have now seen a 2009 Swift Voyager 685 FB Vogue. A year or so newer than what I was looking at and less money. The exact same layout but a coach built not an A Class.
Do I stick out looking for a German A Class or keep £4000 and buy the Swift.

Andy


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

No contest! Stick out for the German A-class.  

Sal


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*hi*

your call, however we have a Voyager 685FB and it is a fantastic truck

Enjoy


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## SteveandSue (Aug 25, 2008)

*choices*

Hi we have the i684 and after 2 years we still love it.
Personally I wouls agree with Sal.The build quality of the german vans is far better,and the A Class front gives you much mors space in your van.
Keep looking


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*hi*

most a class have a huge amount of space in front of the steering wheel where it isnt used

That to me is a waste of that space, however it is all about wahy works for you.

Pay decide and enjoy


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## kc10 (Jan 28, 2010)

The German gets my vote.


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## andyman (Aug 31, 2006)

*Re: hi*



Sideways86 said:


> most a class have a huge amount of space in front of the steering wheel where it isnt used
> 
> That to me is a waste of that space, however it is all about wahy works for you.
> 
> Pay decide and enjoy


I can sort of see what you are saying BUT, if you think about it from the back of the drivers seat to the front of the bumber is the same distance on both an A Class or a Coach Built.
I prefere the look of a A Class, but having been M/H less for nearly 3 months I want to spend my money.


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

andyman said:


> I have been looking for the past few months for a A Class, with fixed rear bed and 4 belted travel seats. Something like a Burstner 684. I have now seen a 2009 Swift Voyager 685 FB Vogue. A year or so newer than what I was looking at and less money. The exact same layout but a coach built not an A Class.
> Do I stick out looking for a German A Class or keep £4000 and buy the Swift.
> 
> Andy


My vote gets the German, much higher quality but that's just my opinion.

What I would say though above all else if you plan on taking 4 people really check the payload available. There are many campers on the road, both A and C class that have miserable payloads and the owners are poodling along seriously over weight

We were parked to a couple of Brits last week, one with a Swift Bolero, the other with a Rapido - both carrying massive 650cc+ motorbikes on the back. The bikes alone must have wiped out the bulk of their payload without extras. (Bolero approx 350kgs Rapido 400kgs before awnings etc.)


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## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

*German m/h*

This is a no brainer! Go for the German A Class. Better build quality
etc. Okay I'm a bit biased as I have one.


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## Brock (Jun 14, 2005)

Decide exactly what you want. There must have been a reason why you wanted an a-class Does that reason still stand?

I bought an a-class for the bed over the cab in a short length. I bought German after the shoddy workmanship on my Swifts in the 90's (better product now). A-classes are not as easy to work on mechanically and some garages will charge more as a result. 

My personal opinion is that Swift's have showroom appeal but not necessarily the longevity of appeal as the pricier German vans. A German a-class will hold its value better so whilst you may have to fork out £4k more, over the lifetime ownership, it will not be as much.

Personally, I would choose the a-class but then I have very specific needs such as maximum length.


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## Bob45 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Swift or German?*

We have had our 2nd hand German Hymer for 3 years now and love it. We did loads of research and the German spec came out top every time - build quality, finish and function.

Expensive but...

A happy Hymer owner.

Bob


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## JohnGun (May 15, 2009)

Andy, we have an Aviano 684 2008 model, very pleased with it, had coachbuild before that, good van too, but personally the a class presents alot more useable space plus alot nicer to drive


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Does an A class really give you more space inside as someone mentioned.

Surely all you get is more dash, making it more difficult to judge width on narrow lanes, and space for a drop down bed, which I'd never use anyway, so would there be any point in getting one.


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## cronkle (May 1, 2005)

Just another point for the mix but I've had 3 windscreens go in the last ten years and as the vehicle was a C class the replacements were relatively easy to get hold of. 

I've heard (but not experienced) stories of long delays in identifying and obtaining screens for A classes.

We've also had a number of threads on here about the difficulty in replacing headlight bulbs on Hymers as well as the longer term solutions to the problem.

Neither of these issues may be of any consequence to you but perhaps better that they are mentioned at this stage.


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> Does an A class really give you more space inside as someone mentioned.
> 
> Surely all you get is more dash, making it more difficult to judge width on narrow lanes, and space for a drop down bed, which I'd never use anyway, so would there be any point in getting one.


Not true in all cases. No difference in width, in fact you get a far better view as you have a larger window and can see the extremities more easily. This is particularly true in the case of overcab beds such as say the Burstner 747 or Autotrail Chieftain, where you have a small windscreen with a large bit of body above that you can't see from the cab.

The space means better headroom and with the swivel seats the cab becomes more a part of the lounge. That for me is the main benefit

Not all A classes have dropdown beds and where there is no drop down you get more cupboards or a place to locate the telly.

My point really is not so much a vote for A class per say as any camper is a personal choice and layout, payload, price etc. are more important than type.

Cronkle's point on windscreens is a good one - not so much in terms of availability as from what I have gathered the windscreens are usually available in a few days. The real problem is cost as many insurance companies set a limit on replacement costs and often that is well below the actual cost


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## andyman (Aug 31, 2006)

Thanks for all the comments. 
The reason we decided on wanting an A Class is mainly looks. All the layouts are available in both A Class and coachbuilt. The only difference being overcab / drop down bed.
Just getting fed up of no motorhome, we sold the Apache back in August. Dont really want to give a dealer a wedge of the cash so hoping to buy private. But there is not much around. 
There is an Aviano on ebay at the mo. But it is more than one I was going to look at at a dealers in Devon, that was sold before I could get down the view.


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## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

Just one more point, that with an A class its much easier to clean the front, I have had both.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Andyman, a lot will depend on your budget.

tony


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

Andyman
If you are looking to buy an A-class privately, I am selling my A-class Hymer. Check it out on the classified ads: fixed rear bed and 4 belted passenger seats. All reasonable offers considered. We intend full timing and are going for something a little bigger. Another Hymer though!
Sal


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Gerrof Sal I'm selling him mine :lol: Or you could buy it.  

tony


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

Hey Tony, maybe we should have a Swap-Meet! :lol: 

Sal


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Sounds like a plan, gather together all the sellers for a bring and buy rally.  

tony


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## andyman (Aug 31, 2006)

Well I now have a Burstner Aviano parked on the drive. Can anyone tell me how / if the heating works on 240v. I have these 2 dials.


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## JohnGun (May 15, 2009)

andy, it will have gas heating only, the green button is for the water heater when on hookup. the heating willonly start blowing once it warms up a bit i.e it will not blow cold air. turn on your gas and turn the knob up to number 9, it should have three settings i.e 1: water heater only, 2: water & heating, 3: heating only

any questions give me a shout, you will be pleased with it


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