# What do you think to the build quality of the Hymer?



## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

Now we are not thinking of changing our motorhome or anything like that and we are very happy with our Auto Trail Cheyenne and we simply just love the layout etc but during a recent browse around a motorhome dealers my hubby commented on the quality of the build of some of the foreign motorhomes on sale in the showroom, the Hymer in particular. He was well impressed with how well finished off the bodywork was and how the manufacturers seem to pay attention to such small and minute details! All around the edges and joins the finish on the Hymer was just perfect whereas most of the UK models, ours included seem to have untidy white sealant filler on show in between the joins and gaps etc. It's really quite shoddy when you look really closely and the difference in finish is quite noticeable when you see the different makes of motorhome side by side! We noticed the same with our previous motorhome a Swift Kontiki and that too had white sealant in-between the joins and we couldn't help noticing when looking around the showroom that most of the UK motorhomes were the same. We noticed the habitation door on the Hymer was really strong and heavy and it seemed so much more robust than its english counterparts. Although as yet we haven't seen a layout that appeals to us. I know my hubby is a great fan of some of the German built vans and I know if we ever came across one that ticked all the right boxes for us he would be highly tempted I think.

By the way where is the Concorde manufactured cos that is another excellent brand of motorhome and one that if we won the lottery would be right up there at the top of our shopping list!

What do others think to the finish on the Hymer and do you think there is a big difference in the quality?

Sue

***EDITED** TO CORRECT SPELLING MISTAKE *


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi Sue

Well being a hymer owner - where shall I start!

Back in October when we were looking we looked every where thousands of vans we had no idea what we wanted layout or make but knew our price range. We saw every make known - we chose ours because of the quality it was the right price and on hindsight not the right layout but we are happy with it for the time being - its not the vans fault its ours we have already outgrown it due to a teenager.

We were very tempted by a Swift Kon tiki but thought they were expensive for the age and condition in comparison. The build quality on the particular ones we saw was excellent and it was a close call but friends of ours had a hymer and swayed us ever so slightly.

When we contemplate changing it next year we have the choices of N&B, Burstner, Hymer and lastly a Swift we are waiting to have a look at Sandj's new one.

We also liked the Hymer because its fully winterised and want to use if for skiing one day and heard they can cope.

So thats our opinion but obviously everyone loves their van.

Regards

Greenie


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

Hi Greenie,

Yes the Hymer's do seem excellently made and the manufacturers seem to pay great attention to such little details when building them but sadly when we were looking around last year we never came across a layout that we liked. Also we noticed that many did not have an oven or a seperate grill. Is this fairly standard in a Hymer or we just looking at the wrong models? Lovely motorhomes though especially the A Class models.

If you do decide to opt for a Swift you will be pleased with it make no bones about that and we really loved our Kontiki but due to wanting a fixed bed we looked around all makes and models when deciding to change and for us the Auto Trail just suited us the best. My best friend Briarose who also posts on MHF has a Swift Bolero and she and her hubby are delighted with theirs and have had no problems (apart from a few niggles) whatsoever and the service they have received from Swift themselves has been exemplorary. Prior to this they towed a caravan and they are real motorhome converts now LOL!

Good luck with your search and whatever you choose why not do what I did and really test the layout out? Lie flat on on the bed both of you and see if it is roomy and comfortable enough for you both, stretch out in the living area and imagine an evening in front of the tv or reading a book, pretend to cook in the kitchen and really give everything a dummy run etc and eventually you will sit in one that gives off all the right vibes for you and you will find it ticks most, if not all of your boxes. God knows what the salesmen would have thought if they had looked in through the door at us two but who cares, you have to be sure don't you? :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Sue


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## catzontour (Mar 28, 2007)

Sonesta said:


> By the way where is the Concorde manufactured cos that is another excellent brand of motorhome
> Sue


Hi Sue

Concorde motorhomes are also German built - and I know where you could get a beautiful example.......... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sue


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

Sue, we might be a bit biased to Hymers as we have one but befor we bought this we actually put a deposit on a Swift. This was about 18 months ago when they were getting bad press on here, so we went and had another look at the Swift and decided that it wasn't for us and bought a Hymer.

We have now had the Hymer for 15months and nowt really has gone wrong with the Hymer bit of the Ford bit. We were wanting to change it recently as we wanted a bigger van. But we could not find out else that we could afford or wanted. We found that a lot of vans we looked at were not as good quality in our oppinion as the Hymer.

But we did like the Auto Trail like yours but with the single beds for the kids, but it was too expensive for us. So we will just have to keep the Hymer a bit longer.

richard..


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

Having had a Pilote A class then looked at AS, Mirage, Hobby, Deleffs and Rapido when we had to change we ended up with the Hymer because no-one could touch them for build quality. They seem to stay looking good too, unlike some other makes (ours is coming up for 5 years old and the bodywork is still in beautiful condition). We had the misfortune to buy ours 2nd hand from HymerUK just when Brownhills went into administration but we have been really pleased with the attitude of Hymer Uk when we have had to phone over any little niggles that we want fixed under warranty. Sadly there were a couple but that was perhaps because they were preping it for us when no-one knew if they still had a job. They seem to take a pride in recognising who you are by name and remember the history of the van like it was their family pet. So the upshot is - yes they are worth the money.
Chris


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## 100004 (Jul 12, 2006)

The BIG difference with the German 'vans, is attention to detail. IMHO the older ones are better in as much as there is less cost cutting, although even the modern ones I've looked at are still better than the best ones of these shores.

eg. Look at an older (15yrs!) 544 and look at the exterior door hinges. They ALL have oil nipples to keep them A1. If they care about hinges, then imagine about the other bits. 

H


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## thedoc (May 1, 2005)

Well, we are Hymer owners too, and are very pleased with all aspects of ours except that infuriating long dining table. We looked at hundreds if not thousands of models before we finally purchased (took 2 years and I can show you where all my blisters used to be!!) and came to the conclusion that for us the the German-made motorhomes seemed to be better designed and better constructed than a lot of others. German motorhomes can be a bit austere and 'clinical' but we like it that way and wouldn't swap ours for anything.

I'm just off to get my tin helmet on for the barrage of comments I'll get from non-Hymer owners!!!

Kevin


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

I changed from an 18 month old Lunar Champ to a 10 year old Hymer . . . the build quality is far superior, as for the lack of an oven - we had one in the Lunar but having to bend over to see into the oven was a pain - we don't miss an oven at all [got one of them double skillets] !


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## OldWomble (Jul 6, 2008)

We are now on our third Hymer motorhome and I have to say, we would never go back to a british motorcaravan. Thats how we see the difference! Hymer, Motorhome. Fully winterised, everything working on 12v, good sized water tanks, good payloads and very, very well built. British Motorcaravan, a cheap caravan stuck on the back of a pick-up truck. Rattles, draughts, cold in the winter, needs a mains connection for anything to work and very poorly built. I am not going to name names but I think, from what I've seen at the many shows, most of the british vans are designed to be used on campsites. You may as well tow a caravan and save £20k+!!!


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Well we have owned 2 Hymers

A 1990 564B - A class - about 6m, great little mh, we purchased when 6 months old, it was a repossession - 

In between we had a 32' US - but had a break for a few years and then purchased another Hymer, the 640 Starline (review in reviews). This was about a year old, purchased privately from Germany and looked brand new, with only 10k (kms on the clock)

We sold that last year for a new Rapido 

In our opinion the build quality was much better on the 1990 than the 2001 model...... and Rapido we think is better, or as good as, but we prefer the exterior gel coat.

Our other reason for NOT wanting Hymer, is the way we were treated with BOTH models, (repossession bought from the finance company) and the import LHD..... they were appalling and we would not go back to them.

We did get a quote at Dusseldorf from a dealer in Frankfurt, which was tempting, but we preferred the layout of the Rapido....and it was also a brand new layout to them

I don't like being stuck with Brownhills and nowhere else to go to get your habitation check done in the UK - we ended up going to France to get ours done, much better in the end, and we were always greeted well at the different dealers, so much different.

Shame Brownhills have the dealership for all the UK

Just my opinion of course, and how we have been dealt with by the dealership - it does colour your outlook

Carol


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## snoopy (Mar 23, 2006)

Sue

Interesting that you haven't included Euramobil on your list?

I can highly recommend them, but I am biased!

Stuart


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

OldWomble said:


> We are now on our third Hymer motorhome and I have to say, we would never go back to a british motorcaravan. Thats how we see the difference! Hymer, Motorhome. Fully winterised, everything working on 12v, good sized water tanks, good payloads and very, very well built. British Motorcaravan, a cheap caravan stuck on the back of a pick-up truck. Rattles, draughts, cold in the winter, needs a mains connection for anything to work and very poorly built. I am not going to name names but I think, from what I've seen at the many shows, most of the british vans are designed to be used on campsites. You may as well tow a caravan and save £20k+!!!


 Not to be argumentative but our MH certainly isn't cold in winter..........and I wouldn't want to go back to towing our twin axle caravan :roll: Hymer might be good and I understand that.........but I think your post is a tad unfair to be honest.


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Righto just been having a look at Brownhills new used motorhome section they got nice big pics now since last week anyway.

So for a 2004 Hymer C class its about £24k and for a W reg Laika its £25k ish so whats the difference in these two then relative same spec 2.8 ltr coachbuilt similarish layouts but one alot older but bit more expensive. Are Laika a good build?

Also seen a N&B limited edition A class 04 reg £38k why are A class always that bit more expensive well ok a lot more expensive.

Swift are relatively the same price as a Hymer and often a very similar layout and think they are fully winterised now.

I know its a bit miss mash this post but now you got me looking sooner than I wanted to and am quite envious of the C644 on there and its nearby Southport - where we are going next week - oooh no oh no gotta go have a look - save me !!!!!

Greenie


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## citroennut (May 16, 2005)

we're now on our second, the first being a 680. when we started looking for a 'van the vast majority of the british ones had old fashioned upholstery and cabinetwork. they seemed to be overpriced, dirty and with bits missing - why not prep them prior to putting them on the forecourt? they had what looked like a full domestic oven and hob which took up a lot of space and looked out of place, they still do! the continental 'vans with a smev oven are far neater and take up less space and seem better integrated. i have always worked on the belief - buy the best quality older vehicle rather than newer/cheaper. i do agree the fit and finish is great especially of the body. the 680 was a six berth and had a pullman dinette as we have two teenagers, the excellent thing about the 740 is that although we have lost the double at the back and gone to a single (820 was too long!) it still has the pullman dinette but the seats and the table extend so there is even more seating - seats five comfortably with the extra single seat for the end of the table. suppose i'd better run for cover as well now :lol: 

simon


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## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

Steady Greenie.

I understand Laika's are built like brick s**thouses. MrRob who lives down the road from us has had two and, especially on an Iveco they're like well finished tanks. Although the mock zebra seating fabric must take some getting used to.

I dursn't go into Hymler UK as they'll probably let my tyres down.

SDA


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

Hi Sue,

You have helped me a lot in the past so perhaps I can reciprocate now.

My experience with motorhomes is:

First purchase Compass - drove it to Spain, by the time I got there the furniture was falling apart, creates and groans everywhere, and the fridge fell out! Immediately on return to UK part exchanged for a new Pilote.

Kept that for 4 years but had to part company as they had a batch of body panels which were faulty and started coming out in spots, a bit like measels, due to them stapling a part of the construction which over time contacted the aluminium outer panel causing corrosion. Pilote said they would deal with the French owners first, English would have to wait a year or so!

Bought a Hymer B544 direct from the factory. Kept that for 4 years, only fault was that some of the plastic clips holding the locker doors open broke, Hymer Germany sent me a envelope full of replacements. Damaged a piece of the rear skirt on a peage wall, they supplied a replacement FOC.

Then made a big mistake and went back to tugging. That didn't last long and last year bought a B544SL again from Germany. Only fault since was the Hymer courtesy light which should come on when you open the door was wired incorrectly and on all the time. Fixed without problem by Brownhills. 

I would not consider buying anything other than a Hymer, I asked the fitter for the Strikeback to put an led alarm light in a certain position and he apologised that he couldn't do it, the motorhome was too well built to be able to access that position.

If you don't have a problem with LHD buy from Germany, much cheaper and the dealers are very efficient. Any advice you need on that topic let me know.

Regards,

Mike


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi Sue.

See my post herefor a rundown of my first & only experience of buying a motorhome. I'd rather not comment at any length about the fit & finish of the British vans I looked at, but fuffice to say I don't think I'll ever be in the market for one.

IMO quality falls into categories. The quality of the sub systems fitted. IE the water heater, fridge , stove, habitation electrics & control etc. The choice of materials used to make the van & the way this is brought together at the joins. And finally the quality & standards of workmanship used in assembly. Hymer seem to have consistently high standards in all of the above IMO.

The vans that I personally thought were the best were Hymer & Niesmann. Concorde is another step or two up the quality ladder again, but so's the price.

I bought from Brownhills & have had no problems with any aspect of thier service so far.

I think if you were to buy a Hymer you'd be delighted with the quality. Go on, you know it makes sense 

Dave.


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## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

We have one of the older Hymers and the build quality is superb. 24 years on and she more of less looks the same as when she came from the factory. People who come to see us can't believe the age of her.

The only thing that has happened in the interior is that a window catch snapped (replaced for £2.50). We needed to replace the boiler and have had some work done on the fridge but can't speak highly enough of the interior. Solid wood and quality fittings at installation have seen her through the years.

Have met some people on the road who have said that the more modern Hymers do not have the quality build of the older models, but I'll leave that for others to comment on.

Would agree heartily about sourcing your motorhome from Germany if a Hymer is what you choose. We saved a lot of money doing it this way.


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## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

JackieO said:


> Have met some people on the road who have said that the more modern Hymers do not have the quality build of the older models, but I'll leave that for others to comment on.


Hi jackie and Sue,

Funnily enough Paul Broadhurst of Edgehill (independent Hymer dealers) said exactly that when we were looking over 'OUR' B564 a few weekends back.

SDA


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi Sue,

Hymer is certainly the biggest German MH manufacturer. But regarding quality there are several other players in the same league (and price range): Brands like Euramobil, Frankia and Knaus.

Concorde, mentioned by you, is also a German company, still family-owned, and regarding quality (and, unfortunately, price) ranging at the top of the scale. Their factory is in _Schlüsselfeld-Aschbach_ close to the Autobahn A3 between Würzburg and Nuremberg. And within spitting distance there is Phoenix, another German MH top brand (founded by an ex-Concorde employee).

I have deliberately not mentioned Dethleffs, Bürstner and LMC for two reasons: First is that they all belong to Hymer, second that - in my humble opinion at least - they are just one level below in quality.

What I especially like about Hymers is the way they build the walls and roof of the coachbuilt part. A core of PU foam lined by aluminium on both sides, absolutely no wooden beams that could rot in case of moisture ingress. However, wood free walls are meanwhile also standard with Eura and Knaus. And two years ago Euramobil pioneered with a new way of joining walls and roof, using an adhesive technology from the aviation industry, thus being able to build up a motorhome without drilling any holes for screws or bolts through the outer shell. (Meanwhile, the competition is switching over to the same technology.)

When we bought our van in 2002 (Euramobil), we were also closely looking at a Hymer and a Bürstner. But at that time we did not like the interior design of the Hymer (too many flimsy plastic parts), and the layout of the lavatory.

A good opportunity to see all German (and most European) MH brands in one place is the "Caravan-Salon" show in Düsseldorf/Germany in the first week of September.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

Boff.

Thanks for the link to Pheonix  

D.


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## dinger (Jul 30, 2007)

*Hymer*

Hi Sue,

We are relatively new to this , and our first venture into this past time was with a British built " budget van " that was fine until the colder climes came. No problem, each to their own choice and needs , But WE didn't want to witness our £26k investment sitting on the driveway waiting for the weather to change.

We then visited 2 national shows where MOST brands/ makers were looked at , sat in , and talked about. The vast majority of people whom we spoke to whom participated in this new found hobby ( no pun intended )
had come to the conclusion that the German marks were well screwed together.

Now thats not to say British vans are not well specced or built well , BUT pound for pound i consider the German makes to be superior. Where they are let down is their choice of U,K agent and aftersales service , i say no more.

If anyone is in any doubt of how good the German dealerships are , take a trip over there. Its an education and the choice is mouth watering.

Dinger


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## hannah29 (Feb 13, 2006)

am sorry and not meaning to offend anyone but i have to agree with quite a few about english vans. just looking round the shows you can see quite clearly the difference in build quality. we also would never buy a british camper. we have had a hymer and are now on our 2nd euramobil. we liked the hymer alot but it wasn't the layout we wanted. we wanted 2 singles with an overcab and a large lounge. thats why we ended up with euramobil. we found them to be much more family friendly, although the newer vans that hymer and many others are coming out with are doing more twin singles as opposed to bunks but we cant afford one of them just yet!!!!
alot of the older german vans don't have ovens and are quite often added at a later date. its quite a simple job and not overly expensive. 
hannah


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## 109334 (Jan 20, 2008)

hi sue we are on our third motorhome in three years started with a brand new lunar roadstar 620 now got a eight year old hymer 584...love it.....solid , draught proof..its got a oven , three rings , microwave , and a bed to kill for , what more does one want , if we could afford it we would go mad and buy a brand new one ...but the way this is built i think it will last us for a few years to come...


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

Thanks everyone for your interesting replies and if we ever do contemplate changing our Auto Trail we will definitely be visiting the German motorhome show in Dusselfdorf to see what is on offer. The only thing I would be concerned about would be warranty issues etc but I am sure all you people who have imported from Germany must have solutions to this problem and it certainly does sound like you get far fewer problems with the German built vehicles anyway.

Thanks again and a special thank you to Mike for your kind offer of help if we were to ever consider importing a LHD vehicle and who knows maybe in a couple of years time we will be doing exactly that?


Sue


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

OldWomble said:


> We are now on our third Hymer motorhome and I have to say, we would never go back to a british motorcaravan. Thats how we see the difference! Hymer, Motorhome. Fully winterised, everything working on 12v, good sized water tanks, good payloads and very, very well built. British Motorcaravan, a cheap caravan stuck on the back of a pick-up truck. Rattles, draughts, cold in the winter, needs a mains connection for anything to work and very poorly built. I am not going to name names but I think, from what I've seen at the many shows, most of the british vans are designed to be used on campsites. You may as well tow a caravan and save £20k+!!!


I appreciate your findings re the quality and build of the Hymer and as my original post states we felt the Hymer was beautifully finished off etc and as you know, my husband commented on the difference. However, Old Womble some of the points you raise re the british motorhome are a little exaggerated I think and as much as I respect these are your personal opinions based on your own findings I just have to respond with my own findings!

We can all only speak as we find so I cannot speak about ALL british manufacturers but both our previous motorhome; a Swift and our current one an Auto Trail Cheyenne have been excellent vehicles in many, many ways and we are certainly NOT complaining, far from it I really love our "Winnie!"

Now as for being winterised and only being designed to use on campsites I must disagree with you there as we have wild camped all over, both here in the UK and in Europe. One of our most amazing experiences to date was when we wild camped beneath the peaks of Mount Etna, Sicily last November, in sub zero, freezing temperatures with snow drifts all around us. The strong winds were blowing an icy gale and our only company were the wild dogs that patrolled the area. It was quite amazing to watch them all huddled together attempting to protect themselves from the angry elements - yet there we were, my husband, myself and our little dog Angel all snug as bugs in a rug enjoying the experience safely in the warmth of our Auto Trail Cheyenne. We encountered NO problems with freezing pipes or feeling the cold, in fact we were that hot we kept on opening the window to cool the vehicle down (must confess we shut it quite quickly too as it only took a couple of minutes to bring a icy chill into the air) So as you can see Wobby that is just one experience I can quote where a british motorhome has passed the winterised test with flying colours. Like I say we have wildcamped all over and when we were in Morocco in 2005 (just before they introduced all the new wildcamping laws) we wildcamped in some of the most amazing locations anyone could ever imagine and we enjoyed the experience of a lifetime! Therefore, your claims that british vehicles have to rely soley on campsites has certainly not been our experience ..... far from it and I think wildcamping is really more to do with the preferences of the owners than the reliability and capabilities of the vehicle!

Hmm ..... "As for a cheap caravan stuck on the back of a pick up truck" now that is just your opinion and as much as I appreciate there are always bigger and better models on the market I am still very satisfied with ours and thank my blessings for being in the fortunate financial position to own what I consider to be a luxury motorhome but if we were to ever contemplate changing our vehicle in the future then obviously we would seriously consider looking at a German make next time and my hubby would absolutely love an A Class!

As for suggesting we british motorhome owners might as well tow a caravan etc then I don't get the point you are raising as towing a caravan is nothing like driving a motorhome for many reasons and I do not quite understand the comparison? If you would care to expand on that statement I am sure many british motorhome owners would be interested to read exactly what you meant by this, as if they are anything like me they may find your remark somewhat confusing? To my mind a motorhome is a motorhome irrelevant as to where it was manufactured etc and the whole point of a motorhome is that you have your little "home" with you wherever you go thus giving you total freedom on the road. For those of us who like to wildcamp etc a motorhome is really the only means of doing this as wildcamping with a caravan is NOT so practical or acceptable. Most modern day motorhomes are totally self sufficient with on board water and waste tanks, roomy outside lockers and strong roofs suitable for walking on and housing such things as storage boxes, solar panels, satellite dishes etc and the manufacturers build motorhomes with total independence in mind whereas a touring caravan cannot enjoy such self sufficiency due to having to be kept extremely lightweight in order to adhere to the legal caravan towing laws etc! Anyway, Old Womble I will leave it to you to enlighten us all as to exactly what you meant and I am pleased to hear you are as happy with your motorhome as we are with ours! 

Sue


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## OldWomble (Jul 6, 2008)

Sonesta said:


> OldWomble said:
> 
> 
> > We are now on our third Hymer motorhome and I have to say, we would never go back to a british motorcaravan. Thats how we see the difference! Hymer, Motorhome. Fully winterised, everything working on 12v, good sized water tanks, good payloads and very, very well built. British Motorcaravan, a cheap caravan stuck on the back of a pick-up truck. Rattles, draughts, cold in the winter, needs a mains connection for anything to work and very poorly built. I am not going to name names but I think, from what I've seen at the many shows, most of the british vans are designed to be used on campsites. You may as well tow a caravan and save £20k+!!!
> ...


As has been said before, comments made here are personal opinions and are not meant to upset anyone or criticise any individual so please take these points as they are meant - my personal opinions - and that's it, nothing else!!!

I am delighted that you are please with your British built van. I am sure there are many, many British vans that are fantastic, reliable and do the job well. Unfortunately my personal experience is otherwise. We bought what was supposed to be one of the best vans built in the UK. I will not name names but it was big and it was built by, what was then considered by the trade to be, one of the top three manufactures. On our first trip to France we froze! I had to insulate around the fridge and the water-heater to stop the wind coming straight into the van (there was a 2" gap between the cupboards and the fridge that, according to Electrolux, should have been sealed) There was also a massive draught coming in through the cab doors.

Also, when looking at the UK's No1 manufacturers top of the range new model at a show last year, with a friend who was going to buy one, we found all sorts of shoddy work from cables and pipes just left loose in lockers, doors that would not shut fully, poorly fitted units and, worst of all, an entrance door that one gust of wind would rip it of it's hinges.

In addition to all the above, I also have several friends who have all changed from British vans to German or French vans and they all say the same, they would never go back. So, as you can see, I personally have no confidence in British built vans.

Re my comment on caravans, let me explain and again, this is just my opinion!

We had a caravan (the old wobblebox) for over 25 years and we loved every minute of it. We stayed on camp-sites all over England and it was great. More importantly, the kids loved it too to such an extent they now have their own. However, here is my point. This is England - a place that seems to have some form of hatred for motorcaravans/homes. You cannot park in most car parks, you cannot stay anywhere overnight - you have to go onto campsites. As you correctly say, most modern day motorhomes are totally self sufficient so why do you need a campsite? We don't use them on the continent! Please, think about this; you go to a nice camp-site and pay through the nose to stay there. You want to visit the many local attractions, but you struggle to park your motorcaravan/home everywhere you go so, why not use a caravan - it's ideal for staying on a camp-site, it's cheaper to buy and a lot cheaper to run! And you can visit anywhere you want in you car or, if you like the motorvan aspect of having everything with you, then tow with a small campervan - you then have the best of both worlds. If we were ever in a position where we could not tour abroad in our motorhome, we would not hesitate to buy another caravan!

We prefer to take most of our holidays abroad where, unlike here, motorcaravans/homes are both appreciated and catered for. We prefer our Hymer as we think it is the best built 'van we have ever found - next week a British one may come along that changes our mind so, there you have it. An opinion. Our opinion. No one else's. You may or may not agree but I'm sure you will agree with one thing though, if we did not all have our own and differing opinions this world and this forum would be pretty damm boring! Good luck with your 'van and most importantly of all, enjoy your travels!


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

OldWomble said:


> As has been said before, comments made here are personal opinions and are not meant to upset anyone or criticise any individual so please take these points as they are meant - my personal opinions - and that's it, nothing else!!!
> 
> I am delighted that you are please with your British built van. I am sure there are many, many British vans that are fantastic, reliable and do the job well. Unfortunately my personal experience is otherwise. We bought what was supposed to be one of the best vans built in the UK. I will not name names but it was big and it was built by, what was then considered by the trade to be, one of the top three manufactures. On our first trip to France we froze! I had to insulate around the fridge and the water-heater to stop the wind coming straight into the van (there was a 2" gap between the cupboards and the fridge that, according to Electrolux, should have been sealed) There was also a massive draught coming in through the cab doors.
> 
> ...


Hi Womble,

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with your british built motorhome and I can well understand your dissatisfaction with the UK motorhome market and there is no excuse for such poor workmanship whatsoever!

I am sure no one was offended by your comments and as you quite rightly point out they are your opinions and like everyone else you have every right to express them - but as it was you that suggested we british motorhome owners might as well tow a caravan behind us I felt compelled to reply seeing as I am a british motorhome owner!  Like you say we are all entitled to voice our personal opinions and I was simply responding to your post with mine!

To my mind towing a caravan is an entirely different matter altogether to owning a motorhome and in our case for example towing a caravan would be the last thing myself and my husband would want to do! Again, a very personal thing entirely and by no means a criticism of anyone who prefers this mode of mobile holiday home as I am sure caravan owners are more than content with their choice but we personally prefer the freedom of a motorhome, british or otherwise and to change to a caravan would not be something we would opt for! As for towing a small campervan ....... again not something that would appeal to us personally, so thanks but no thanks and for the times we feel like having a little bit of extra transportation with us, we will stick to carrying our electric bikes or if we want to we will tow our Smart car on one of those much talked about and controversial A frames! 8O

As for staying on campsites that again is another personal issue and we ourselves enjoy a mixture of both wildcamping and campsites and to me it is all about having the freedom of choice! Many people, for security reasons, prefer to stay on a campsite regardless as to whether they own a motorhome, caravan or tent and they feel far safer and happier stopping on a secure site with others around them and again, if that is their particular preference and it makes the whole motorhoming experience for them a far more relaxing and enjoyable one, then I fully understand and respect that and would not condemn anyone for choosing to stay on a campsite - it's their money and in my eyes, it's up to them how they spend it! There are no right or wrong choices in this area in my opinion and the beauty and true freedom of motorhoming or caravanning is doing whatever suits you and your family best and it is just another area where people's personal preferences dictate how they personally choose to live their life!

As for all of the other negative points you raise re the parking of a motorhome in car parks, the cost of campsites, the running costs of a motorhome etc etc etc ......... I am sure most people consider all of these aspects before making such a major investment and if money is an issue then they may opt for a caravan as you suggested. However, I cannot say that the things you speak of have proven to be a particular problem for us personally and so we went into our purchase, as I am sure most sensible and mature adults do, with our eyes wide open and we knew it would not be a cheap expenditure or as simple as parking a small family car LOL! I guess we must just be pretty easy to please or just plain lucky - but so far, touch wood, all our experiences both here in the uk and abroad have been most pleasant to say the least and we have found motorhoming to be a wonderful and stress free experience and have enjoyed every single moment! However, surely all the negative aspects you have drawn our attention to in your post will apply to ALL motorhomes, regardless of which manufacturer made them, unless of course the Hymers are exempt from a lot of the obstacles you have come across in the UK?  Like I say, we are very lucky and have not encountered the pitfalls and obstacles you so obviously have during your own travels around the uk and most places we have visited in our beautiful country we have always managed to find somewhere suitable to park and our motorhome is 28.5 foot in length, so it is quite a long un to say the least! :wink: As for hefty campsite fees my view on this is that I think most people accept that they have to pay for the privilege and if they object to the charges then I guess they would probably take all this into consideration before buying a motorhome or caravan in the first place and if they forsee a problem with meeting the costs then they may well choose NOT to buy either! But yes, I do agree Womble, some of campsites are quite expensive, especially the more centrally located and popular ones but for someone on a limited budget then there are plenty of far cheaper sites around that offer some fabulous locations at some very fair and reasonable prices.

However, like you say if we all felt and thought the same way what a dull and uninteresting world it would be and how dreadfully boring too? No we must all do whatever suits us best and leave others to do whatever makes them happy and as long as I am satisfied with my lot in life, I am not too fussed what others choose to do with theirs, unless of course what they do affects me adversely ha ha! 

Happy travels. 

Sue


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## OldWomble (Jul 6, 2008)

Sonesta said:


> OldWomble said:
> 
> 
> > As has been said before, comments made here are personal opinions and are not meant to upset anyone or criticise any individual so please take these points as they are meant - my personal opinions - and that's it, nothing else!!!
> ...


Hi again Sue

I could not agree more with almost everything you have said so lets leave it there as we are all different and will probably never agree 100% on everything.

Ahhhh, but there are now one or two other things you have thrown into the equation: Wild camping in England (I hope nothing illegal), Towing on an A-frame, (yes, thats a bit contentious), Electric bikes, (hope your not overloaded). Hey, don't worry, I'm only joking - enjoy your travels and, if and when we ever meet, we can both enjoy a good old chat and share a bottle of nice wine!!!

Good luck, Womble.


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

OldWomble said:


> Hi again Sue
> 
> I could not agree more with almost everything you have said so lets leave it there as we are all different and will probably never agree 100% on everything.
> 
> ...


Hi Womble,

That would be lovely; a nice bottle of Red Merlot would go down a real treat!  Perhaps as we sit there sipping ourselves into a merry haze chatting, you could pass on some useful tips (for the future) about the best place to go to buy a Hymer (please not that place near Newark) as if ever we do change our vehicle we would definitely be taking a closer look at the German manufacturers next time!

All the best and I enjoyed our little debate 

Sue

PS Isn't it nice when you can air your different opinions without offence and still remain friends? Aw you look so cuddly in the corner of the screen that I feel like I want to give you a little hug now


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## OldWomble (Jul 6, 2008)

Sonesta said:


> OldWomble said:
> 
> 
> > Hi again Sue
> ...


Don't ever go near Newark, they can't even supply a simple door hinge (4 years and still waiting!!!) There are lots of others that are much better. Oh, and if you do want parts just email Hymer HQ in germany. They have always supplied the right part first time and (almost) overnight. Brilliant!

Oh well, must go. Got to get the old Dormobile out!


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## strathspey (Oct 30, 2005)

after a long wait, we took delivery of a new Hymer three weeks ago, and have just completed a 1200 mile tour of Scotland as our first trip.
Everything in the van performed as it should and we are delighted with the build quality. 
Some of the roads in the western highlands were very rough, and if anything was going to come loose or fall off, that was the place for it. As it happened, the drain cup below the sink shook loose and will need to be stuck back up when I find out what sealant to use.
The Ford engine and gearbox are excellent (perhaps 2nd gear is a bit on the low side) and we are getting around 30miles per gallon.
Good luck with your hunt for a Hymer.


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## tony5677 (Jul 9, 2007)

Hi
We towed a van for 15yrs, saw the error of our ways and decided to get a MH. We looked for 2 yrs as we tryed to save up for what we wanted.We looked at hundreds of vans at many dealers.In the end we fell in love with our Hymer.Second hand on a 2003 plate, coudnt afford any newer. have been to lots of places and covers thousands of miles. nothing has gone wrong,nothing has broken. what more can you ask.


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

We bought our 644C eight years old from a small dealer in Triviso, Italy. He buys rather beat up campers from Germany puts them back into shape and resells them. So in spite of what I estimate as a hard life in the past ours has been great so far, we have put 4,000k on it. I wonder why most maybe all campers have these crappy plastic rear bumpers. Someone backed into ours and cracked it. His insurance bought us a new one but in the process I noticed several cracks in it from previous damage. It seems the slightest bump will cause major damage.

One small problem was the bottom bracket for the bike rack. It was just screwed on. After a couple of trips the one screw came out. At a campsite a German fellow with a Hymer showed us how he had drilled trhough the wall and put in bolts for his. I followed his suggestion and now carry 4 bikes no problem.


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## halkynhymer (Aug 1, 2008)

*Hymer quality*

Hi, just a few points from my perspective as a Hymer owner. We've had our Exsis for 4 years now, bought with 20kms on the clock from Duerrwang in Dortmund. (I was working in the Netherlands at the time and now work in Germany)We've had a couple of small snags, but thats life - we learnt that no matter what you buy, be it car, motorbike etc and no matter what you pay you will most likely have a few snags. Anyway, we looked at lots of vans, as you do, hired a Hymer 514 for a week to see if this MHing was for us (yes!), went twice in one week to the Dusseldorf show (a must for anyone) came back to the UK for a look at the NEC show. So, we settled on a Hymer. There are IMO, several other manufactures who can produce MH's of top quality, Burstner, Rapido to name a couple, but british MH's don't even come close. Whilst not maybe the "caravan stuck on the back of a pick-up" as one poster claimed (tongue in cheek?) they lack the in depth quality of construction of the Hymers. We were lucky enough to go on a factory tour earlier this year and were amazed at the standard of both design and construction that goes into a Hymer. It was akin to a Mercedes or BMW factory. I read the recent article in Practical Motorhome and saw the film on the Caravan Channel of a visit to Swift, the so called UK market leader - they don't even come close, it looked like a flimsy outdated production line (even though we are led to believe it's actually newish) with a bunch of likely lads on piece work. I know the German vans don't have the big UK style domestic cookers beloved of Brits (why?), ours has a oven/grill fitted and in 4 years we've never used it - a guy from Hymer at a UK show described it as a "500 quid bread bin!", buy a Hymer, of up to 10 yrs old (maybe more) and you won't be disapointed. We've done hot summers and New Year in the Alps, it doesn't freeze like most UK vans would! By the way, there were 4000+ people at the Hymer 50th anniversary do in May, I didn't see any disapointed owners - from all over Europe! Good Luck


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

There seems to be lots of posts from Hymer owners, me included.

It got me to wondering what the owners of other makes of van thought of the Hymer brand, quality of construction etc

D.


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## apxc15 (Dec 1, 2007)

I don't know if the Hymer Coachbuilt is of different quality to the A class. I wanted a coachbuilt and looked at the Hymers and concluded that the build quality just wasn't good enough. Went to look at one and it was leaking through the roof. 
Ended up with an Adria and the build and finish is top quality. My next one will be another Adria.


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## Mikemoss (Sep 5, 2005)

There's a one-word answer to the reason I don't have a Hymer - the layouts.

OK, some of the older ones have a sort-of U-shaped rear lounge, but rarely are the two sofas long enough to double as singles (if you see what I mean), and the current ones all seem to have fixed beds of one sort or another. Fine for some, but not for Sue and me.

Having looked at a few of various ages, but never owned one, my impression is that the build quality of older Hymers was pretty solid, newer ones rather less so (in some cases, considerably less so, with flimsy taps, rock-hard upholstery and lightweight furniture).

We all like different things, and the things Sue and I don't like include: lack of 'proper' draining boards, three-burner hobs with no auto ignition, lack of full oven/grill, mock curtains, net curtains, and either blue or brown upholstery. So, sorry, but no Hymers for us thanks. Which is definitely NOT to say that they're not exactly right for others.

We'll stick with our thoroughly British Bessacarr, which is still rock solid after 10 years and almost 80,000 miles and has all the things we like, and none of those we don't.


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## Mikemoss (Sep 5, 2005)

There's a one-word answer to the reason I don't have a Hymer - the layouts.

OK, some of the older ones have a sort-of U-shaped rear lounge, but rarely are the two sofas long enough to double as singles (if you see what I mean), and the current ones all seem to have fixed beds of one sort or another. Fine for some, but not for Sue and me.

Having looked at a few of various ages, but never owned one, my impression is that the build quality of older Hymers was pretty solid, newer ones rather less so (in some cases, considerably less so, with flimsy taps, rock-hard upholstery and lightweight furniture).

We all like different things, and the things Sue and I don't like include: lack of 'proper' draining boards, three-burner hobs with no auto ignition, lack of full oven/grill, mock curtains, net curtains, and either blue or brown upholstery. So, sorry, but no Hymers for us thanks. Which is definitely NOT to say that they're not exactly right for others.

We'll stick with our thoroughly British Bessacarr, which is still rock solid after 10 years and almost 80,000 miles and has all the things we like, and none of those we don't.


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

*Re: Hymer quality*



halkynhymer said:


> I know the German vans don't have the big UK style domestic cookers beloved of Brits (why?), ours has a oven/grill fitted and in 4 years we've never used it - a guy from Hymer at a UK show described it as a "500 quid bread bin!"


Re the cooker question I suppose like anything else in life halkynhymer it's a personal thing and personally I like having a hob, grill and oven and we do tend to use ours regularly. Obviously, some folk like yourself prefer to eat out or live on foods that don't need grilling or baking etc and if that's their preference then that's fine by me and maybe for folk like yourself such a redundant appliance would be considered a total waste of valuable space? However, it must be said that for a lot of people, cooking really isn't a major problem and they actually enjoy this option, I being one of them and for people such as myself a fully operational cooker is a real must have appliance! By the way, just out of curiosity what kind of foods do you actually eat when you are away in your motorhome if you haven't used the built in oven or grill during the 4 years since you've had it?

We also like to BBQ and so carry a Cadac for those ocassions and we enjoy nothing more when touring around in our motorhome than to sit outside in some peaceful location with a glass or 2 of wine enjoying a tasty BBQ and dining alfresco style! We also enjoy eating out too and when we were in Morocco and Italy we ate out more than we cooked but of course you have to sample the local cuisine don't you? 

At the end of the day it's all about having and enjoying the freedom of choice to do whatever the fancy takes you and that's the beauty of motorhoming isn't it? To me it's having the total freedom to do your own thing and not having to conform to anyone else's ideas of the perfect way to holiday or a particular style of motorhome and providing we are all happy with our own choices then what others choose to do or have themselves should be of no concern to anyone else!

We think the Hymers are excellently built vehicles too but so far we have never come across a layout that suited us personally, which is probably why we were not tempted to buy one last year when we were in the market for a new van but who knows what models they may introduce in the future but if ever they do produce one that ticks all the boxes for us, then we may just be swayed as the quality of build does seem excellent. However, from all accounts many other German vehicles are of a similar standard, so maybe a visit to the Dussledorf show would not be such a bad idea!

My dream vehicle is the Concorde Charisma and that is one vehicle that has everything we would want and more besides but we will have to wait until we win the lottery before we can put our order in! LOL! 

Sue


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## nomad (May 11, 2005)

Hi, reading the comments from all the Hymer owners, they are obviously very pleased with their purchases but what I cannot understand is that when on our continental travels we seldom see any later model Hymers with German number plates. They are mainly British and Dutch registrations. 
Colin


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## halkynhymer (Aug 1, 2008)

*German Reg late model Hymers*

I suppose I'm fortunate living in Germany, but I've seen plenty of "new shape" Hymers with German plates about, there were certainly plenty of new ones about at the Hymer birthday do in May. Regarding some of the other replies, you're quite right, each to their own, the problem seems to be that the "ideal" van just doesn't exist, lots of things are compromises, for example I'm generally very pleased with my Exsis, but... I'd love a garage for one thing, but in a van of this length, it just isn't going to happen. We did look very seriously at a La Strada Nova, it ticked all the boxes pretty much, but it was just so expensive and now it's on the newer MB chassis it's grown over the 6m mark. Great shame, but there you are. Still hanker after a new 514 tho'!!


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