Weve on gone and done it....

[oblio]

I am buying my first motorhome next Saturday and to say I am excited is an underachievement

She is a 58 plate Bessacarr e795 with 14k on the clock and I am buying it off a friend. I got insurance from motorhomefacts.com with legal cover and full RAC UK/Europe cover for £299. The chap who owes her is a perfectionist and has kept her immaculate. We went for a rear lounge in the end which needs to be made up into a bed. More living room for the sake of 2 minutes each day: no brainer in the end.

She comes with a cover; safari room; generator; spare roof box; bike rack; Sat Nav/DVD info centre; reversing camera; 'Carlos Fandango' satellite seeking system! Also I can take over the place where the vendor stores it

Many thanks for the input on here from everyone who replied to may various threads - it really helped. I have since joined motorhomefacts.com and been plagueing them

She will be getting a Hab Check this week prior to handover next Saturday.

Plans are to
1) Get to know her through the manuals
2) Take her away for a couple of nights early next week to really start to get to know her properly
3) Probably another cheeky couple of nights away later in July
4) 12 day trip all booked and ready to go in August (I had hired one for that but have now cancelled the hire. I lost my deposit but so be it!)

I am currently looking into extra security (on the door and storage areas; a Freesat box; inverters; an electric bikes(for Mrs O); fans/air con.

I have already bought a CADAC Carri 2 BBQ (which can be plugged into the MH) and 2 x Duvalays for bedding (not cheap but eases the bed make up issue).

7 sleeps until handover

Edited by oblio on Sunday 29th June 15:11

[berlintaxi]

Good choice, enjoy it.

[Spuffington]

Having been there fairly recently, I feel your excitement!

Congratulations and hope hab check goes well.

Just bear in mind this is the start of the expenditure - easy to plunder another grand or so on toys / accessories, but that's part of the fun!

[nagsheadwarrior]

Well done, super vans.

Remember if it's the 2.3 they are due a cambelt now on age if it's not been done,3.0 is a chain.

2.3 can be usefully chipped for a few hundred too, this is P.H after all!

[oblio]

Cheers folks

Luckily its the 3.0 so it has a chain.

Hab check Friday and hand over Saturday

I am seriously having to use major willpower to stop myslef buying stuff

I think I will get a Freesat box though for £50 so I can try that out when we take her out

6 sleeps to go

[nagsheadwarrior]

Sod the freesat box, manmaths can be used to justify spanking £300+ on a shiny Avtex tv as you can get them with built in freesat.

Less wires, saves you getting a double adapter for the 12v socket and think of the saving in remote control batteries!

[Spuffington]

How's it gone then OP? Presumably you've taken delivery now and off on your first holiday in it?!

[Rosscow]

nagsheadwarrior said:

Sod the freesat box, manmaths can be used to justify spanking £300+ on a shiny Avtex tv as you can get them with built in freesat.

Less wires, saves you getting a double adapter for the 12v socket and think of the saving in remote control batteries!

I noticed in this months CC magazine that they were doing an offer for the L186DR for £300 which included the proper Avtex carry case (normally £40).

This one: http://www.avtex.co.uk/index.php/tv-dvd/avtex-l186...

I was tempted but for the money I'd probably pay a bit more and get a) a bigger one and b) one with Freesat

[dirty_dog]

gone a bit quiet here, how was it?

[donaircooleone]

Rosscow said:

I noticed in this months CC magazine that they were doing an offer for the L186DR for £300 which included the proper Avtex carry case (normally £40).

This one: http://www.avtex.co.uk/index.php/tv-dvd/avtex-l186...

I was tempted but for the money I'd probably pay a bit more and get a) a bigger one and b) one with Freesat

The Avtex TV sets are the best for use in the 'van, the DRS TV's are the ones with the FTA (Free To Air - not freesat) receiver built in.

You should see the viewing angles on them

[Rosscow]

donaircooleone said:

Rosscow said:

I noticed in this months CC magazine that they were doing an offer for the L186DR for £300 which included the proper Avtex carry case (normally £40).

This one: http://www.avtex.co.uk/index.php/tv-dvd/avtex-l186...

I was tempted but for the money I'd probably pay a bit more and get a) a bigger one and b) one with Freesat

The Avtex TV sets are the best for use in the 'van, the DRS TV's are the ones with the FTA (Free To Air - not freesat) receiver built in.

You should see the viewing angles on them

No, the DR sets are the ones with freeview digital tuner built in. The DRS also have freesat - hence the S for satellite

[donaircooleone]

Rosscow said:

No, the DR sets are the ones with freeview digital tuner built in. The DRS also have freesat - hence the S for satellite

Not entirely, without going into too much detail "FTA" is different to Freeview as the Avtex DRS does not have a "Freesat" receiver as it does not have the 7 Day EPG or downloadable (from satellite) channel listings/updates as the Avtex when you rescan it jumbles up the channel listings.

[Rosscow]

donaircooleone said:

Rosscow said:

No, the DR sets are the ones with freeview digital tuner built in. The DRS also have freesat - hence the S for satellite

Not entirely, without going into too much detail "FTA" is different to Freeview as the Avtex DRS does not have a "Freesat" receiver as it does not have the 7 Day EPG or downloadable (from satellite) channel listings/updates as the Avtex when you rescan it jumbles up the channel listings.

I'm not an expert but it says that it has the EPG here?

http://www.avtex.co.uk/index.php/tv-dvd/avtex-l186...

[donaircooleone]

Rosscow said:

I'm not an expert but it says that it has the EPG here?

http://www.avtex.co.uk/index.php/tv-dvd/avtex-l186...

Now and next only

[Rosscow]

Ah OK, cheers!

[oblio]

Sorry folks - been busy busy

Did a handover on the Saturday - 3 hours - but that did involve the vendor having to clear all his stuff out of it. Happy days

Drove her back to mine and put £96 of diesel in her ready for the next day when we went across to a campsite near Newcastle Emlyn in west Wales.

Plugged the electric in - check

Mrs O wanted to watch 2 blokes hitting a little green ball over a net so I tackled the freesat next. Nope, nothing doing However I traced a fault to a dodgy plug and rewired it plus another fellow camper gave me advice on which satellite to seek...and bingo...job jobbed

Next water. We filled up when we got to the site before parking up (clever sod ) but when I put the water pump on it started pissing out underneath . After checking all round I couldnt sort it so a quick call to the vendor and we established that the Hab Check man had left a drain valve open . Valve shut - sorted

Next - gas! Connected up the bottle...nope Anyway to cut a long one short on this, another phonecall made and Mrs vendor suggested the secret little switches in a cupboard that the vendor didnt know about. Hey presto, switch these on and we got gas!

Awning next - no problem.

Then beer and BBQ and relax! (NB Bought a CADAC Carri 2 - awesome!)

Next day a bimble into the local village (Cenarth) for a wander and to suss out which pub for grub that night, then safari room time!

Sort of got it to work first time but not 100%. We were missing some little red plastic bits which have now been bought from Fleabay. When we got home I also located a 'how to...' video on YouTube so am ready for the next assault (this Sunday )

We spent 2 nights away and they were fantastic.

My advice to any prospective buyers so far...

- We spent a big wad on Duvalay bedding...worth every penny for us as I didnt want to compromise on a good nights sleep.

- Have a pad and pen ready to jot down all the things which you forgot to take with you so that you can stock them up for next time.

- If you can, get cruise control. My MH is a great thing to drive - really smooth, great pulling and still wants to go at 70. However...we spent 96 quid on fuel for a 360 mile round trip . Im having CC fitted next Monday and intend to play with some cruising speeds to get some optimum performance. Motorhoming isnt about how quick you get there imho so we will enjoy the journey

- Come up with a checklist of everything you need to do when leaving a site so that you dont have to stop twice like I did to secure the fridge; and secure a cupboard!

Since we have been back I have spent loads (dangerous trap) as we want to be able to leave a set of everything in her ready for fast getaways on Thursday nights (I dont work Friday's). We only want to have to chuck bedding, clothes and some grub/beer in and then get off.

Next steps - Telford area for 3 nights from Sunday (CC and reversing sensors getting fitted on Monday). A couple of nights down on Gower the week after. Then the 12 day jaunt down to the Pyrenees in August.

I cant wait

Best thing I ever did (apart from marry Mrs O that is )

Cheers

[Wozy68]

Sounds great ............. Just found out my M&D have just bought their first Camper. Saturday is pick up day, they are like a pair of kids with the wait.

Hope you enjoy the Pyrenees, a very beautiful area. Maybe next time though, try not to go in August .... It will be very busy and full of French and Germans in their Campers Actually thinking about, what a great way to meet fellow Camperers (Is that a word?)

[oblio]

Cheers

Motorhomists perhaps?

[GlenMH]

oblio said:

Then the 12 day jaunt down to the Pyrenees in August.

How tall is the van? If over 3m tall OR 3.5t in weight then stay off the autoroutes as you will get charged lorry rates. EU42 for a mere 240km did not please me - and that was just one section!

[oblio]

GlenMH said:

oblio said:

Then the 12 day jaunt down to the Pyrenees in August.

How tall is the van? If over 3m tall OR 3.5t in weight then stay off the autoroutes as you will get charged lorry rates. EU42 for a mere 240km did not please me - and that was just one section!

Im aware of this

It is officially 3.05m so over the 3m

Did you spot if they had sensors or measuring equipment at all? I figure with a full load on we'll be there or there-abouts.

We have a liberty-tag so were figuring on using this tbh and seeing if we could get through...

Id love to hear your experiences regarding this if you could

Cheers