AND SO IT BEGAN WITH MOTORHOMES IN 2005

 

We decided to see more of England and reserved the Murvi Morello GU05 BYB, realistically a campervan. We chose all the extras and waited 6 months for it to be completed. After a caravan with a fixed double bed it was painfully too small. The bed was a nightmare having to be slid out with the backrest of the bench seat and the front seats forming the bed base. We requested additional padding to be put on the overhead shelf above the sliding door as Di encountered it too many times.

After 6 months of  struggling to find parking places, we were either too long or too heavy or just plane banned in car parks. The idea of packing up every day to go out did not go down well. It was just too much trouble. Disaster, we started looking at motorhomes finding we could have had a better larger coachbuilt one for less than we paid for the Murvi. It had to go, the local converter took it back and paid us in cash, naturally we lost thousands.

This was the answer, tow a small car. Nice proper motorhome with 2 long bench seats which slid together to make a huge bed. and a rear kitchen and shower room. This was the Autocruise Starfire EL HY55 DYT

Oh heck, they've started making motorhomes with fixed beds. Now that sounds just perfect for us. The Bessacar 560 WA07 LSO. Made by Swift who took over Bessacar, mores the pity! Lots of silly mistakes like uneven bed supports, use of white mastic not silicon sealant, leaking gas locker, water from windscreen dripping onto unprotected to of engine, judder in reverse gear, oh I could go on and on!

So then came the Autocruise Startrail HX58 FNR, exactly the same layout as the Bessacar but with a much better build quality. We were very happy with this .... for a while!

Damn, we went to a motorhome show with no intention of buying anything until we saw the Adria Coral S670 SLT WA10 ADX! Twin fixed beds, bathroom across the back, fixed table behind the cab seats, just perfect for us.

The only problem we had in 5 years was a serious leak from the screws fixing the roll out awning due to poor workmanship by the dealer. It was a very good van and served us well.

I was told I'm too old at 73 to be driving a 25ft motorhome and we need something shorter. No, I don't agree but anything for a quiet life and the Adria was getting a bit antiquated. The dealer offered us a ridiculously high trade in, so we bought it, the Dethleffs Advantage HX15 CUV, just 20 inches shorter.

 What a mistake, nice van, well built, twin batteries and charging unit were knackered and replaced under warranty BUT wrong layout for us. Twin beds high up over the massive garage ( as they call it). Everything in boxes with what you need in the bottom one!! Steps up to bed, not good for Di, silly recycling cooker extractor. We knew it had to go!

Ah number 7, the Burstner Nexxo Soverign 720 WJ16 LYG, a cracking van with a damp patch on delivery! We almost rejected it but reluctantly accepted it subject to a roof join being resealed and subsequently covered with a strip of plastic. Lots of nice features and our favorite layout the same as the previous Adria. Clever idea, the TV retracted into a space behind one of the cupboards.

Sadly after a few years I detected damp on a side panel. The dealer needed to examine it to confirm it was covered under warranty.

While the dealer was examining the damp patch on the Burstner Di wandered off to look at some new vans. Disaster, Di found an Adria Coral 670 SLT PLUS  WA18 FZF with the same layout and you guessed, we decided to buy it. The decor was very modern based on a luxury yacht. Even the beds were better being lower. Definitely our best yet number 8! God knows how much we spent over the 15 years, then again it was our guilty pleasure.

The rest of the story is told in the 2 posts below.

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