# Chausson welcome 88



## greygit

Does anyone own a Chausson welcome 88?
We have more or less made up our minds to buy a new one.....never had a new motorhome before so very apprehensive to say the least.
Any feedback on Chaussons would be welcome.
Gary 8O


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## SPACEFLOWER

We have had a Chausson 85 from new (over four years now ) and still happy with it.


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## Chausson

Hi 
we had a welcome 74 from highbridge caravans, found it very good would recommend no problem, that said I don|t like some of the models on offer today.

Ron


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## mikebeaches

We had a Rapido 709F, probably circa around about the same age as your 742F. Changed it last year for a new Chausson Flash S2.

Very happy with the new van, which of course is only the entry-level range, compared to the more upmarket 'Welcome'.


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## rayc

I had a Welcome 75 from new for two and a half years and had no complaints with it. I had no need of warranty repairs or ideed any repairs after the warranty expired.
I am more of a fan of their 2008 models than the current ones but that is only personal taste.

One thing I am suspicious of is the MIRO and what actual load limit there is. The 2012 Welcome 88 model appears to have 'lost' 300kg or so from previous years and is I think due to standardisation of how MIRO is specified due to a new EC directive.
Check how MIRO is specified as the Welcome 75 is a very similar layout to the 88 and I was always running close to the MGW of 3500kg.


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## Pet12

Hi 
we have the Welcome 76, nice van no problems on a 59 plate, good storage and equipment for our needs. pete


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## greygit

We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe. 
Gary


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## mikebeaches

greygit said:


> We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe.
> Gary


Nice one! Hope you'll enjoy. You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).


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## greygit

mikebeaches said:


> greygit said:
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe.
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> Nice one! Hope you'll enjoy. You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).
Click to expand...

I agree when we road tested it I was very impressed with the new engine.
Does anyone know, is the 2.3 still using that terrible cam belt?
Gary


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## rayc

greygit said:


> mikebeaches said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> greygit said:
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe.
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> Nice one! Hope you'll enjoy. You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I agree when we road tested it I was very impressed with the new engine.
> Does anyone know, is the 2.3 still using that terrible cam belt?
> Gary
Click to expand...

Yes the 2.3 is cam belt driven


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## greygit

rayc said:


> greygit said:
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> mikebeaches said:
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> greygit said:
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> 
> 
> We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe.
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> Nice one! Hope you'll enjoy. You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I agree when we road tested it I was very impressed with the new engine.
> Does anyone know, is the 2.3 still using that terrible cam belt?
> Gary
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes the 2.3 is cam belt driven
Click to expand...

B****r!

Gary


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## greygit

rayc said:


> greygit said:
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> 
> 
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> mikebeaches said:
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> 
> 
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> greygit said:
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't get the Chausson welcome 88 in the end, we actually chose the welcome 64 as it was just that bit shorter so more suited to the small lanes and villages in southern Europe.
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> Nice one! Hope you'll enjoy. You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I agree when we road tested it I was very impressed with the new engine.
> Does anyone know, is the 2.3 still using that terrible cam belt?
> Gary
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes the 2.3 is cam belt driven
Click to expand...

B****r!

Gary


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## geraldandannie

Like Spacerunner, we had a Welcome 85 (it's their fault we bought one :roll: ) and we had it for nearly 4 years. It was a great van, and we did around 22,000 miles in it, including a number of continental trips.

When we were looking for something more suited (in our eyes) to longer-term touring, we needed a larger bathroom and more storage. In this, our Welcome 76 fits the bill beautifully. We would have liked more lounge space, but that's the only compromise.

I did find the build quality different, especially on the cupboards. Like many manufacturers, they buy this in from outside, and some of the door hinges needed to be re-sited to stop them squeaking (I did this myself). We started to make a list of ways in which this van was 'better' than our old one, and got to around 12, I think. We love the more spacious feeling the panoramic Heki at the front gives. The smaller table allows easier access to the passenger seat when parked up. The TV is much better in its little cupboard. The bathroom is more spacious. There is dressing room at the side of the bed, and the curtain at the end of the bed means we can close off that section in the morning. There are more internal lockers. The tall, side locker is fantastic for storage. The bed is slightly wider. The cab area is better finished (fake wood looks a bit prettier than grey plastic). And some other things.



mikebeaches said:


> You will certainly notice the difference driving the new X250 cab, compared to the earlier Ducato base. Personally, I think the driving is a transformation (for the better).


Although ours isn't the Euro 5 engine, it's still better than the old one. The dreaded reverse gear thing is fixed, as the old one was (under warranty), but it 'feels' smoother in reverse.

All in all, we've spent 2+2+4+45 nights away in it since we bought it this summer, and have really enjoyed it. We'd recommend Chausson to anyone, if there's a layout which suits.

Gerald


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## jud

greygit said:


> Does anyone own a Chausson welcome 88?
> We have more or less made up our minds to buy a new one.....never had a new motorhome before so very apprehensive to say the least.
> Any feedback on Chaussons would be welcome.
> Gary 8O


hi greygit. i am not a continental m/h buyer but meeting people on our travels they are or was 2 problems with some of the chaussons which i witnessed for my self was leaking windows & gas fumes coming in the habitation area( not sealed around the fridge) we buy auto trails which have problems of there own and come to it so does all the other makes .jud


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