"Just Looking......"

We do it all the time , we have a Caravan purchased new in 2012 a pretty good 4 wheel drive , but still look ....

Love the Hymers , still we can dream ...

We have always gone for very old and quirky, so completely out of character for us! We gave the vans a miss, all except a lovely brand new Eriba. That just oozed quality. OH would have one like a shot, always been something he liked. Too small for us now with two big dogs, plus have to say we love the MH, used a lot more than our van nowadays.

Before we bought our motohome this year we probably spent several years occasionally looking - NEC, Dealers etc..  We were always attracted by Hymers and I even looked into buying an ex-rental one from Germany.

Eventually we decided that the Hymer was a typical continental design which favours a garage against lounge space. We decided that rather than filling a garage with stuff we didn't really need (loungers, bikes etc.), and rather than not being able to sit up in bed, we would stick with a typical UK parallel bench seat arrangement.  Although we don't tolerate bad weather (we move on) there are times when it can't be avoided and there are times when you are parked in less attractive surroundings and the interior lounge space is an advantage.

Continental versus UK design motorhomes has been discussed endlessly but I can only comment that, based on this year's experience, the quality of our Autosleeper is as good as any Hymer. Time will tell.  2000 miles and 4-5 weeks away is not a lot.

HG, you must be a mind reader! We have an Autosleeper now, a lovely little monocoque Gatcombe. Suits us down to ground at moment, built quality and interior very good, on a VW base. It is the Autosleepers that we really want to have a look at, as having seen one owned by friends, much newer than ours, we were very taken! 

Ah! We have the Broadway low profile on a Peugeot base. Would have liked the Mercedes but they compromise on locker space and fresh water capacity also a few thousand more which was difficult to justify.

The Broadway layout of course is just like a standard two berth caravan so easy to get used to. The big change for us was buying Duvalays and using single beds which makes the whole bed make-up thing much easier. We also have 5cm memory foam and luxury quilts (not the Duvalay rubbish) so very comfortable.

The built-in LPG tanks is another big advantage. Every time you stop the fridge switches over to gas automatically - no gas valves to worry about. 

Good luck!

We're on our third German van in 16 years. None have suffered damp. The lack of damp is the first thing we consider when buying and rules out all UK vans except perhaps AutoSleeper which, in 21 years, hasn't made a van with a layout that suited us. I might be doing Swift and Elldis a disservice as they have both moved to new construction techniques. Always look at AutoSleeper vans though when we get the opportunity. One day ...

We like the Hymers too, good soild build, however no dealers near us, but we've recently been very interested in the Burstner vans they have one range that has 3 models the front end of the van is the same in all 3, but the back end is differant, one has high twin beds and a garage, another has an island bed, but the one we have been interested in is rear bathroom,  with twin fixed beds, the beds are not high ones, but not really low ones either so there is really good storage underneath, the galley is good with plenty of  storage, the lounge is the usual continental style. We like the idea of the fixed lower single beds and end bathroom as the van doesn't have the cramped feel of the garage style so you can sit up in bed, infact the bed has a back support that can be raised to aid sitting up. Really like this model.

Not seen any Burstners yet TG, but would like a look around some. Our AS has the bed behind the cab seats, quite long benches, and they can be made up as singles, but with two big dogs, not easy. Kitchen and bathroom are at rear. As I said, we had a look in a friend's and the rear lounge got us thinking. We don't want to go any larger than 6 /6.5 metres, so that restricts our search. The small Hymer was very impressive, ticked a lot of boxes, and had the raised beds at the back, up two steps. Could be used double as well. Had a tall, slim fridge, oven, decent kitchen, good bathroom. What did impress us was the quality of the fittings and finishes.

Hymer make lovely MH and caravans....they really are well put together...the quality goes much further than skin deep, with little of the bling that some manufacturers mistake for quality.

Definitely should be on anyones shopping list, if only to appreciate really good design integrity, executed properly.

the latest model of the architypal Hymer, the B-class, is a slimmer version (Dynamic Line) and they have a 6m model....decent lounge, huge L-shaped rear corner kitchen (the reason to choose this specific model), pretty good garage under the rear kitchen worktop, nice bathroom and a large drop down bed over the cab seats....compact 2 berth with loads of room...

OH want us to check one out....see Travelworld for their fully loaded example...

oh yes.....the compromise.....? £84k i think......

Yes we noticed a good few now have drop down beds. A good compromise for those who fancy it, but we decided it wasn't one of our selling points. We did like the twin singles at the rear, with two decent steps up, will keep the blasted hounds on terra firma if nothing else! I like them because I often like to retire early and either read or watch something on IPad, while OH will sit up for hours reading. Hence I get grumpy if I can't go to bed! Compromise is the lounge area as you step in of course, nice but not laid out comfort. It's good to look around though, and lots more makes and models to try out. Will be a few years until we change ours, but quite enjoying looking!