SUVs

pete75
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Re: SUVs

Post by pete75 »

Mick F wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 6:56pm
richardfm wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 9:19am The Escort van was replaced by the Ford Transit Connect
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Transit_Connect
.......... and it's huge.
Far too big.
The chap who does our building and maintenance had a Transit Connect. He got rid of it because it was too small.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
pwa
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Re: SUVs

Post by pwa »

PedallingSquares wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 6:45pm
pwa wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 5:55pm
Bonefishblues wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 12:45pm
I can't help feeling that a motorhome plus a couple of e-cycles will be the optimal setup for Mrs BFB and me in our greater dotage.
If you did do that, I would recommend having the bikes on a tow-bar carrier rather than one held onto the back by screws penetrating through the otherwise watertight rear wall.

Our motorhome is the just about shortest we could find, and requires us to make the bed(s) each evening by moving around the fitted furniture in the lounge. It is a small inconvenience but makes a neat package that includes a toilet, a shower, a kitchen sink, a proper cooker, a small fidge with freezer compartment, a microwave, a TV, and heat reflecting blinds + curtains on the windows, plus heating and other little comforts. All in a package under 6m in length. But it is wide, so you don't want to be on narrow roads for too long. I try to confine our narrow lane excursions to the minimum required to get us to our site for the night. Basically, if you can get a Tesco delivery down a lane, we can get down it. Slowly and carefully.

I did worry that we might need a supertanker following us to satisfy the fuel needs, but it turned out not to be nearly as thristy as I feared, and we are pushing out a lot less greenhouse gases doing UK holidays with this than we would if we were flying abroad. And we are not staying in cottages required by local people who have been priced out of the market.

This one is simialr to ours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpYY7xAE38U
Whilst I was having our cars MOT'd I was chatting to a bloke who was waiting for his American Dodge campervan to be MOT'd.It was on an old 'P' plate(95/96?) He'd had it about 15 years and it was a 5.8L Petrol V8!!He said it got 15mpg on the motorway if he stuck to 50mph!!!They'd been all over Europe in it but he was selling it for a newer/bigger American Camper.I can't remember what he said it was but it was the widest American camper that's legal on our roads and it was a 6.8L V10 :shock: :shock: Must have money to burn...literally :lol:
The biggest are the width of a coach, which seems to me to be a bit limiting with regard to where you can go. As well as thirsty. I went for the smallest package that would give us a bit of comfort, a cosey den we could snuggle in on a rainy day.
Bonefishblues
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Re: SUVs

Post by Bonefishblues »

pwa wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 5:55pm
Bonefishblues wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 12:45pm
pwa wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 11:38am Our motorhome has a satnav that has the vehicle dimensions and weight factored in, so in theory we can't be led down roads where use of that vehicle would be illegal. Naturally, we have to drive with a high level of caution when we have to use a narrow road to get to a site. And once we get there, we tend to spend a few days with the vehicle going nowhere, and us doing a lot of walking. When we do move it, we tend to slow faster traffic down, so perhaps we perform some sort of public service. It gets about 36mpg, which isn't bad really. And of course we use a small economical car when a car is what we need.
I can't help feeling that a motorhome plus a couple of e-cycles will be the optimal setup for Mrs BFB and me in our greater dotage.
If you did do that, I would recommend having the bikes on a tow-bar carrier rather than one held onto the back by screws penetrating through the otherwise watertight rear wall.

Our motorhome is the just about shortest we could find, and requires us to make the bed(s) each evening by moving around the fitted furniture in the lounge. It is a small inconvenience but makes a neat package that includes a toilet, a shower, a kitchen sink, a proper cooker, a small fidge with freezer compartment, a microwave, a TV, and heat reflecting blinds + curtains on the windows, plus heating and other little comforts. All in a package under 6m in length. But it is wide, so you don't want to be on narrow roads for too long. I try to confine our narrow lane excursions to the minimum required to get us to our site for the night. Basically, if you can get a Tesco delivery down a lane, we can get down it. Slowly and carefully.

I did worry that we might need a supertanker following us to satisfy the fuel needs, but it turned out not to be nearly as thristy as I feared, and we are pushing out a lot less greenhouse gases doing UK holidays with this than we would if we were flying abroad. And we are not staying in cottages required by local people who have been priced out of the market.

This one is simialr to ours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpYY7xAE38U
I rather like the look of these: https://www.motorhomes-chausson.co.uk/t ... mbination/

Precisely because narrow - and because I couldn't justify the eye-watering price of one of these: https://www.wingamm.com/en/camper-caravan/oasi-540/
pwa
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Re: SUVs

Post by pwa »

Bonefishblues wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 9:00pm
I rather like the look of these: https://www.motorhomes-chausson.co.uk/t ... mbination/

Precisely because narrow - and because I couldn't justify the eye-watering price of one of these: https://www.wingamm.com/en/camper-caravan/oasi-540/
Very nice, and I prefer the modern colour schemes to our old fashioned brown/beige, but ours ticks all the boxes for practicality. The first one you linked to is a bit more compact than ours, the second isn't. Are both based on the Peugeot/Fiat van?

I laughed at the way the blurb for the second talks of being able to park it like a car and just stop anywhere! You'd have trouble parking either of them in a supermarket car park at peak times, and overnight parking is something that needs a bit of care. If you pick a dark place away from civilisation you might worry if you hear another vehicle arrive after dark. Many car parks have rules about not overnighting. Some have height restricting barriers that impede taller motorhomes.
Bonefishblues
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Re: SUVs

Post by Bonefishblues »

Wingamm are marketing it in the USA as an alternative to a hotel for visiting City workers believe it or not!
pwa
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Re: SUVs

Post by pwa »

Bonefishblues wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 9:21pm Wingamm are marketing it in the USA as an alternative to a hotel for visiting City workers believe it or not!
Ours sits on our drive and can be used as an extra room for visitors, so it has potential use without going anywhere. My wife has gone out there to do work on her laptop when she has needed some peace and quiet to concentrate.
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al_yrpal
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Re: SUVs

Post by al_yrpal »

Like many people I regard huge Motorhomes with the same disapproval as big SUVs. Riding my bike I have been cut up by Motorhomes frequently. Motorhome drivers seem to have no idea of their vehicle's width. I remember my old boss buying a massive Motorhome on his retirement and having to trade it in for a smaller model a year later because of the difficulty of tackling narrow roads in remote scenic places.
Our VW Camper is the same width as a normal car and fits in a standard parking place. It doesnt have a bathroom or fixed toilet but that doesnt bother us. However its 1980 vintage means you do tend to accumulate a queue. :lol:
When I read a specialist Motorhome magazine it said that the average length of ownership is 2 years!
I recently got rid of my 2020 medium size SUV and bought a 12 year old Audi A4 clone which I am enjoying immensely.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Bonefishblues
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Re: SUVs

Post by Bonefishblues »

al_yrpal wrote: 24 Nov 2022, 8:22am Like many people I regard huge Motorhomes with the same disapproval as big SUVs. Riding my bike I have been cut up by Motorhomes frequently. Motorhome drivers seem to have no idea of their vehicle's width. I remember my old boss buying a massive Motorhome on his retirement and having to trade it in for a smaller model a year later because of the difficulty of tackling narrow roads in remote scenic places.
Our VW Camper is the same width as a normal car and fits in a standard parking place. It doesnt have a bathroom or fixed toilet but that doesnt bother us. However its 1980 vintage means you do tend to accumulate a queue. :lol:
When I read a specialist Motorhome magazine it said that the average length of ownership is 2 years!
I recently got rid of my 2020 medium size SUV and bought a 12 year old Audi A4 clone which I am enjoying immensely.

Al
I think there's been a wholesale rush to them, so there will be an awful lot more on the s/h market shortly!
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Mick F
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Re: SUVs

Post by Mick F »

pete75 wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 8:23pm
Mick F wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 6:56pm
richardfm wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 9:19am The Escort van was replaced by the Ford Transit Connect
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Transit_Connect
.......... and it's huge.
Far too big.
The chap who does our building and maintenance had a Transit Connect. He got rid of it because it was too small.
That is the "modern" issue.
Everything has got bigger, cars and vans .......... and waistlines!

After retiring from the RN, I took a part-time job up the road from here driving a delivery van delivering car body repair parts. I was given a high-top Escort Mk3(?) van in which I could fit 8x4 sheets of steel, a bonnet or two, wings, sills, headlights etc etc etc.
Later, the company bought a Berlingo van. Just as good, if not better.

Rarely see a Berlingo van these days, and the vans we do see are Connects, Partners, Transits etc.
Mick F. Cornwall
Nearholmer
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Re: SUVs

Post by Nearholmer »

Is there a modern camper that is the size of the traditional VW one?
Bonefishblues
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Re: SUVs

Post by Bonefishblues »

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al_yrpal
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Re: SUVs

Post by al_yrpal »

Nearholmer wrote: 24 Nov 2022, 9:34am Is there a modern camper that is the size of the traditional VW one?
T5 and T6 VWs and...they are going to produce an electric one at an eye watering price.
My T25/ T3 has significantly more space inside than the modern VWs because the engine is at the back under the floor whereas in modern ones the engine is in front.
The other option is a Mazda Bongo, a s/h Japanese import which is slightly smaller in width. These are usually in great condition and fairly cheap.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Jules59
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Re: SUVs

Post by Jules59 »

We had an imported Bongo for a while - a very capable vehicle - 2.5L turbo diesel, auto, AWD and LSD on the rear diff. Very good in the snow so I used to get to work when most cars would have got stuck.
Bongo (4).jpg
Not many around now. The engine was between the front seats and one had to be very careful not to air lock the engine when filling with coolant as the radiator was lower than the cylinder head. There was a special bleed pipe in the cabin - if you didnt use it the engine could suffer terminal over heating.
Bonefishblues
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Re: SUVs

Post by Bonefishblues »

Bongos have their own Bongo subculture :D
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al_yrpal
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Re: SUVs

Post by al_yrpal »

Bonefishblues wrote: 24 Nov 2022, 12:42pm Bongos have their own Bongo subculture :D
As for Dubbers! :lol:

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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