choosing...

KoNiT

The choice of shopping in Germany or local (private) doesn't appear to be that different not including travelling to Germany, etc. as the most I wish to spend is €28000. There are massive savings if your spending 35000 + but I dont have to go ahead from the powers that be

My wish list includes

• 6 berth
• U lounge or garage with bed over
• manuf. post 1997
• Blow heating (having been a caravan owner with a truma "radiator" ,blow heating is top of the list)
• Overhead double bunk
• Counter space.
• Storage for 3 bikes & 3 child seats when not in use.

So far I've found the Knaus 685 C camper which appears pretty ok. But trawling through various forums I cannot find anything on them.
I like the Euro mobil too, but I would have to go to Germany for that as they are not too plentyfull here.

has anyone got any ideas on the Knaus or any other Camper of this size?

peasant

try this search site:
http://www.cara-world.de/caraworld/index_gb.php?id_lang=00000002

Tick the boxes for "coachbuilt" and "rear garage" ..that'll give you a few more models to compare.



This for example is a 03 "Benimar" within budget

peasant

KoNiT wrote:

My wish list includes

• 6 berth
• U lounge or garage with bed over
• manuf. post 1997
• Blow heating (having been a caravan owner with a truma "radiator" ,blow heating is top of the list)
• Overhead double bunk
• Counter space.
• Storage for 3 bikes & 3 child seats when not in use.

6 berth

can be had in several ways: 2 beds in the alcove, 2 beds in the back, either as bunks, raised beds over a garage or on the folded down U-lounge, 2 more beds are usually made up from the folded down dinette.
The question here is: how much folding down are you prepared to do before everybody can go to bed?

Blow heating

This really is the standard now. I'd be very surprised if you found a motorhome with radiator only

Overhead double bunk

That only really leaves an "alcove" (or as they called it on that other site "coachbuilt") model.

Counter space

That really depends on where they put the kitchen area and how much they had to squeeze it to get it in there. Rear kitchens (beside the bunk beds for example) usually have very little of it, while side kitchens or L-shaped ones fare a little better.

Storage for 3 bikes & 3 child seats when not in use

This is where your rear garage would come into use. But in order to get three bikes into it, it would have to be fairly massive, which in turn takes away a lot of the inside space (see photo above).
I would recommend an outside bike rack. As it is for three bikes, because of the weight, a frame mounted bike/motorbike carrier would be preferable to a wall mounted cheapo rack (these tend to pull at their mountings over time, causing leaks). Once your bikes are stored outside, you can get a way with a much smaller storage area for the child seats.

You can't really pin all those criteria on one make of motorhome ...there are so many different makes with so many different floor plans out there, that it is really hard to recommend one just off the internet.

Before you commit to anything, I'd suggest that you have a look inside as many motorhomes as you can (see thread on motorhome shows) as you can only really get a feel for the layout of things once you are inside. This should at least give you an idea of what you DON'T want or what would be totally impractical for your situation.

Are you limited to 3.5 tons or can you go higher?

KoNiT

well there's 5 of us in it & I recon 2 up & 3 in rear bed & leave centre table alone.

Good advice on the bike rack, thankyou. The garage is mainly for child seats for when we park up

I have seen the rad in a few vans & was surprised to see them in what I thought was "newer" models.

Driving licience does limit me to .5 t....

peasant

Most heating systems would still have a rad type thing sticking out, but they all have a fan strapped on the back and tubes that disperse the warm air throughout the camper. That fan is usually switchable seperately.
When inspecting one, have a look that the outlets are in aereas where you need them.

With five of you and 3.5 tons you will have to make compromises somewhere.
Most newer vans come in at very near to 3 tons unladen.
Add 5 people (300 kg)
water/gas (200kg)

That leaves nothing for bikes, clothes, food, etc

If you've narrowed down a particular van, make sure to get it weighed, both empty and full, if possible.

stapeler

Mine is a Benimar Europe 5000 and has most of what you're seeking. I initially had a wish list of the following, 2.8L, 6 berth, Garage/Storage and Large fridge.
Fortunately we got them all. The lower bunk bed folds up and allows access from outside through a large door, big enough for several bicyles. There's also a roof rack but I don't fancy climbing up there with bicycles.