Motorhomes

[al_yrpal]

Its mainly ether, and when she starts theres a fairly alarming rattle until the fuel pump gets going. Very effective though. Perhaps your fuel pump and injectors needs attention. You can usually get exchange ones.Try some injector cleaner too.

Al

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I think the 3 dud heaters were the main problem she started today at about 13C ok.
Will try again tomorrow when its colder or tonight, a new battery is on the cards as its old, this will improve the cranking speed.

Needs anew cam belt so will tinker on the timing after that.

[al_yrpal]

Came back to this thread because there have been some major changes, a complete turnabout actually. I have borrowed my sons 1991 Hymer a few times for Festivals but he is going to move 200 miles away so it wont be so easy to borrow it. Plus we have decided to give up travelling all over the world because long flights and the pace of tours now leaves Mrs Al a bit disorientated. We deliberately did the long haul stuff first after we retired, saving less stressful Europe and UK travelling for when we get older.

So, the Mrs agreed that some sort of Motorhome/Camper would make sense, we both love camping but a motorhome makes it simpler. We dont have space for a Hymer or similar in the drive so a camper makes sense, especially with the odd night in a hotel. So next year we probably wont venture abroad at all. It would be good for some remote cycle touring with a mate too. I had a look at my neighbours 30 grand VW T5 and wasnt impressed by the space but then I looked at a VWT25 and that looked better. So I decided to sell my Triumph Stag which isnt getting used much and bought this....

Kaspar by A_Cockney, on Flickr

Its a 1980 Devon Moonraker VW T25. Its pretty basic. It has a cooker, a sink, 240V hookup but no fridge. Its been spruced up with a respray and the interior trim has been recently replaced. The rock and roll bed is 3ft 9 wide. It has a refurbished air 2 litre cooled petrol engine which being situated at the back under the bed is surprisingly quiet. 20 mpg aint good, and 60 mph absolute max, but it beats spending 30 or 40 grand on something we will only use periodically for less than 5 years. The gearchange is poor so I have taken it in to the local garage where the owner started his apprenticeship in 1980 at a VW dealership and knows all about these buses, he thinks a new clutch should sort it. I should get some change out of the Stag. A decent passive coolbox should serve for a fridge whilst I consider whether to rip out the units and rebuild to my own spec, a nice little woodwork project to enjoy. There is no leisure battery but if I replace the old internal striplights with leds which draw less than 1/2 an amp. I probably wont need one as there is nothing else to drain the battery.

The neighbour with the 30 grand VW T5 looked at it and was a bit envious of the space inside, internally its wider and there is much more space between the extended bed and the seats. The Engine in his is at the front and that cuts down the space in the rear. The side lifting roof which we will never use for sleeping offers oodles of storage space for flat stuff such as clothing and bedding.

I already have a Khyam Rigidome XL tent so I will look at converting it to a drive away awning by making a connecting tunnel to one of the side entrances.

So, its all a bit of a backtrack and compromise. If it doesnt work out I think I can sell it on easily, apparently T25s are appreciating although not on the scale of the crazy prices VW split screens or bay windows now fetch. A couple of shakedown trips are in order for the late summer and autumn and we are making a list of places in Britain to visit next year.

Al

[fausto copy]

Congrats Al, that looks like a lovely bus you've got there and what a fine colour.
I hope you have many wonderful trips out in it,
cheers, fausto.

[softlips]

Nice.

We have Wellhouse Terrier:

Love it and it gets a lot of use.

[PH]

Love the look of these VWs but those sliding doors are the work of the devil, loud enough to wake an entire campsite. I used to think it was the careless owners but having hired one I couldn't find a way to shut it quietly.

[landsurfer]

We have a touring caravan, 18ft, 5 berth.
Its 10 years old now and is used every month, in the summer the whole family decamps from Rotherham to Redruth for the school hols ...
Hanging tents inside the large awning take up the slack when it comes to sleeping.
The caravan never leaves the site.
And all for £25 / month rent and £11 / night with power, on site toilets , shower and swimming pool.
During the winter months a call to the site owners finds the van sited and plugged it to the power on arrival.
If we send them at text at Bodmin the heating is on when we arrive.
We have a number of friends who do the same, and there is no shortage of other sites who will welcome you.

We are now looking for a Camper van, 4 berth with a purchase budget of £10K.... we're spoilt for choice and are off to look at 2 this weekend.
Just avoid Ebay ..
This is in addition to the caravan .... adventures in the UK and Europe beckon, with our bikes on board..

"We will not go quietly into that good night" ... ish ...misquote i expect but you get the picture ...

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi.
10K four berth ........sardines or a brick

An old LT is a brick Don't get me wrong motors were audi.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Nice nick, But four berth four seatbelts

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hymer-B534-Fi ... SwsXVZYlaZ

[landsurfer]

Transit based Swift, 59000 miles, lovely interior. £8K
Fiat based Adria , 82000 miles , FSH, 12 months MOT £9.2 K
Talbot based Swift .... 61000 miles, FSH, 12 months Mot £7.2K
et al.

Maybe you need to visit Yorkshire ?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Transit based Swift, 59000 miles, lovely interior. £8K
Fiat based Adria , 82000 miles , FSH, 12 months MOT £9.2 K
Talbot based Swift .... 61000 miles, FSH, 12 months Mot £7.2K
et al.

Maybe you need to visit Yorkshire ?

Just curious, what about four seatbelts?
That's definitely later models with fixed forward seats?

[bigjim]

Check these older motorhomes out on the MOT history DVLA website. Many of them have rust problems. Especially Transits which seem to start needing welding from about 5 years old, if van conversions. Hymers seem to be immune.
A fellow cycle club member tells me he has sold his motorhome, as he was sick of been moved on in Southern Europe, where he says they are coming down hard on campervans and campercars not sticking to sites. He has now reverted to a caravan and sticks to official sites only.

[georgew]

Had my Fiat Doblo 2008 camper for two years now but only used it a few times due to health problems. After so many cancelled holidays I've decided to sell as it's a shame it's not being used.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/campervans-mo ... 1254784628

[Abradable Chin]

"We will not go quietly into that good night" ... ish ...misquote i expect

I read that as mosquito, and I thought, yes, they can be noisy when near your ear.

I'd like to sort out my living arrangements. If I could find a caravan site that only charged £25/month +£10 night, I'd jump at the chance.
Campervans really are new money for old rope, especially when you know how quickly and easily most have been converted.
I also think there will be a council clampdown at some point, because they are becoming so numerous.
I'm still on the look out for something economical MPG-wise to convert, and that won't be banned from cities/beauty spots in the coming years because of NO2 and particulate emissions. There's still almost no choice if you want a modern, petrol van. In the U.S, you can buy a Ford ecoboost transit, but not here, and I think a Citroen Dispatch can be purchased in a petrol variant.

What are people's opinions on the utility of pop-top roofs? They are a major proportion of the cost of conversion, yet I suspect they are not used much, and a skylight would be a better addition. They are also very heavy (far heavier than the sheet metal removed).
Installing one involves cutting out the roof and three or four folded steel cross beams. A subframe is installed front an rear, but I can't believe it gives anything like the rigidity of the original roof, and I've fairly sure the roof is structural...it is in a car. I bet these conversions are never crash tested.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Just like a tent where its a boon to sit up without your head tight on the roof, its also a very good idea to be able to stand up too, back ache will make you grumpy.