Time to say goodbye to our van? motorhome trade in 

Glad you've decided to keep your van, it's poles apart from the rubbish on the market today!! Another cracking vlog 👌

You've done the right thing, damp problems in chaussons, garage door damp issues and water ingress, brittle door locks on lockers etc , had one and learnt from experience, probably very good ones out there, unfortunately ours was not one of them xx

We had a chason welcome....4 words.....keep what you have.....love your van😊

Oh young Redders's , well done for doing a body swerve . You've got a brilliant van , you've enjoyed it , we've enjoyed it , and you've still got £22,000 in the bank . We're all winners . Love from the old Redders's xx.

Got to the end of your video. 3rd comment. Love our dethleffs too. Glad you still love yours. ❤

We have had out Carthago Chic C ,line for 8 years from new. Prices have gone up in the last 8 years and if looking to change to a newer year buy we would have to pay a lot of money to have the same if we bought like for like. So when you look at your van, yes things need TLC/replacing and cost to do. You are in control. Everything can be replaced if it breaks and things do. Just before we set off to Spain last month the mother board on the fridge /freezer went, £250 but thats small compared to say £30K to change and then the mother board could go on the new van. Unless there is a big I NEED item ie Garage for scooter say, stick with a reliable van you know . We have added no end of things over the years, Lithium, extra solar Alarm Tracker Inverter wired up The van has Air suspension - Thoee do not come on a new van so thats more cost once traded. Good luck happy travels

Glad you are keeping the old girl, we love our old Bolero, it's solid and dependable..Martin Sarah n the Boyz🐕🐕

I like your way of thinking. You can fix & repair your motorhome as things break or need repairing. Like you said, it’s a solid built unit.

Good choice I love it too yes it’s not auto no garage but it’s good quality and you can make improvements.You two are so down to earth and honest it so refreshing. Happy travel xx 🐾🐾🐾🐾 My update I found my gas/bunker keys in the peg bag …another senior moment 😊

Very interesting to read everyone’s comments. We are awaiting delivery of a 22plate carthago. I am so pleased to see everyone thinks German engineering is good. Like you say Corrin, the Germans are not as fancy as other makes but fingers crossed we will have bought a solid vehicle. Thanks for sharing

Its nice to see other peoples take on what van layout works for them, we like the fixed bed , mainly as we get up at totally different times , glad to see sense prevailed, at least for now

Well done. I agree.stick with what you know.I’ve just updated our 16 year old autotrail with new curtains etc .we are 70 years old so hopefully it will see us out (as my grandmother would say )enjoy

Your dog looks very cute love him

Right decision for sure.Your van is lush and plus you've not long had it. Invest in it as you said and enjoy more adventures.

Hi both 🤗 really interesting vlog and we have thought about changing our van at times, but we love the old style sturdy builds as well, like you we would be breaking things left, right and center! You've got a brilliant van, it's robust enough for almost full time living and it looks comfortable, definitely the right decision to love it!! ❤❤

Interesting vlog guys. Fully understand why you decided to stick with what you have. Quality is everything! When Nicola and I were looking back in 2022 we looked at so many layouts ,brands etc before settling on the Wildax brand. It was then deciding which model. We looked at Chausson and it was an amazing van but the model we saw didn't have the finish that we have with our Constellation 3XL. It won't get the same amount of use as you guys but once Nicola has retired it will hopefully be fully utilised for 2 or 3 months at a time. Stay safe guys. Sid and Nicola, Rugby

We have a 2003 Challenger Eden 602, like you, we once thought about buying a new one recently, but decided against it, despite ours being old it still remains as solid as a rock and all its original fittings/fixtures all work as they did the year it was made. The only thing to go wrong recently after all these years is one washer in the bathroom tap that needed replacing and a new water pump. When we visited a motorhome dealers, the vehicles on show all had broken clips on draws/doors and blinds that had issues along with broken fridges etc. Yes it would be nice to have a more modern cab area, but we just could not compromise on the build quality of the caravan side of things. We found the new models tended to also make more creaking/rattling noises on the test drive, whilst our solid wood cupboards make no noise at all when on the go. So we decided to keep with the old as it will last our life time needs.

Great choice !

Same here we have a Knaus Sun TI 700 MX and absolutely love it we’ve looked at others and have decided nothing matches this so we’re keeping it , same thing things break but we’ve repaired everything, it’s taken us all over Europe and the UK Decided we love it and it’s had everything done, upgraded everything to suit us so why change 😊 Ours will probably see us out it’s a 2017 but we’re a lot older than you two 😊 Enjoy 😊

When we watched your video, we were practically shouting at the screen …”Don’t do It”. We’ve got German van and our last 3 all German vans. Once you start looking, you get very disappointed regarding the quality of other brands. It’s all in the quality, we love your videos, keep it up,

Hey lovelies glad you decided to keep your van the newer motorhomes just don’t seem to have the build quality, I think you would spend your life looking for parts !! 🤨Redders has put the van through its paces by dropping it into some massive sink holes and it survived nicely so think you made the right choice 😝😍 xxx

I think you made the right decision.Sometimes it’s better what you have,than maybe regret after the deal.Stand by what you decided.Stay safe,take care.J

You are absolutely right not to buy the Chausson. We went from a Dethleffs to a Chausson (same model) which was big, loads of room, great bathroom, wardrobe we called "Narnia", but build quality was not good. We are now back to a Dethleffs in the form of a Sunlight. Good decision reds. 👍

what you have to think about is it doesn't matter what you buy or how much money you spend motorhomes are not meant to be lived in full time. Things are going to go wrong thinks are going to break.ive had my swift bolero 722fb for 6 year's now I've replaced the Aldi boiler 3 times at £2500 a time.im now having to replace the shower room walls because they have cracked.but i love the bolero so im not going to replace it.

Glad you decided to keep the quality Guys. As you are eeking out storage space I wondered if you had considered parking your wonky oven that you don't use. Seems an ideal space for the powerbank and cooky gadgets.

Personally would always go with an A class, the driving space and view from the huge windscreen is lovely to have.

Take a look at what the brand you trust can offer - take a look at Dethleffs T6762, 7m, garage, large washroom, drop down bed - and solid build

Good luck with the best choice for the dogs and yourselves. Needing room for them to travel is important. Drop down beds we love in ours. Good look 😊

Are you on MotorhomeFun? Best you do, a search, those automatics are mentioned a lot. They are trouble waiting to happen. And the Welcome? Our friends have one the same. Insulation leaves a lot to be desired, the storage in the bathroom was sooooo cold, even when in Spain, he had to insulate the garage wall behind it. Keep looking.

Nice😊

Think you are right in keeping the van. Suggest you have a diesel heater fitted, apparently a simple fix 👍😎

I would say no matter the make or model there is always something that needs fixing or replacing & the more the miles mount up then there is more chance something will break. So if you like your van & the layout suits then sticking with what you've got is the best way?

The Chausson you looked at was the model we were going to buy at the NEC show just before covid hit - it's an awesome layout however, when we went looking again after covid the models we saw had not aged well. The fake leather peels off, the catches as you demonstrated fail and the drop down bed has been know to have issues. I would also point out that "welcome" is the entry level model, "Titanium" is better specified and given the use you would have given it would have been more comfortable. We spent 2 years looking and swift caught our eye as a great layout, less issues than most - ended up with an Elddis, not even on our radar but too good a deal to turn down. You've had great use out of yours, upgrading it is a great move and if and when you change it sticking with a German brand is a wise move.

Hi both, we’ve recently changed our Swift Escape 694 for a Swift Bessacar 597 comes with huge garage , separate shower and single beds which can be made into one king size bed, yes it’s 8.1m long but having that huge garage has really changed it for us, like you said bikes, power packs, awning, thermal screen cover, walking boots, wet gear, spare wheel and still loads of space for more.

Hi ya wise decision keep what you have & make it better regards Peter

Sat outside Belgian vet for our pet passport appointment great vlog and thanks for all the great advice and I am sure you will make the choice that's best for you regarding your motorhome

I went for a new 2024 Knaus on the VW Crafter chassis, had to go for the automatic. Wouldn't suit you as it has a fixed bed and probably a bit big (7m) for your needs. It does have a nice sized garage though, which is so important as I intend to spend at least half of the year on the road when it comes back from the Solar specialist. I'm very excited for you, it's great fun looking around other vans.

I haven’t got a van but watch lots of RU-vidrs and some have new vans. Even they have problems so if you are considering changing think hard and long about it.

I’ve followed you for a while but don’t usually comment. I agree with your choice. We have an old Elddis Suntor 6 berth. But the build is all solid wood. No laminates. It will always be what it is. We’ve looked at new vans. And yes they’re initially attractive. But the materials are all fake and won’t be looking good in 10 years. All the bits that brake in an old van can be fixed. They’d still brake in a new van. But you’d be 10’s of thousands worse off.

Thanks for taking us along on your shopping trip! And thank you commenters for drawing attention to the issues with Chaussons! Your priorities for a moho are so similar to ours so it's really good to hear your experiences and why you considered upgrading but I agree, if you've got a solid unit, you can make adjustments. I know you were saying that you were very glad of the compact size of your Globebus in the little Scottish Island roads and it sounds like you've done the right thing staying compact and investing in what you have. I've been looking for Globebuses with the rear lounge layout that we'd like, to see what we are looking at for our savings plans, and they are really rare, there's often only one or two for sale across the whole UK, so I think you've got a keeper there! Would love to hear about your upgrade and tweaking plans for your bus in future videos.

I thought Chausson which are French I think were meant to be good. I was surprised by the water damage by the kitchen sink. I have a small Hymer with a garage and like it. The build quality is pretty good too.

I don't blame you I would have done the same x x

good !!!!!!

Glad you made the right decision to keep your van,unfortunately it seems the newer models on all vans have deteriated in quality,that's the impression we get.our van is a 2013 Rapido 791 FF and the newer ones are not a patch on ours.our friends van,not mentioning the name or model has plastic rear springs!!! Can you believe that! Hang on to the one you have for as long as you can.

You’ve dodged a bullet with them vans. Comformatics when they go wrong are very expensive. Look at the threads on motorhome fun. I just couldn’t trust it especially with the miles you do. I had dealers giving low exchange rates because of it. Have a look at Adria vans for quality with 9speed automatic if you do go for it. Good luck and hope to meet on the road again 👍

Interesting vlog, I spent two years looking and settled with a tri-axle Dethleffs over 8m on a 08 Reggie plate. It's huge and finding sites up in Scotland that accommodate that size of van, not easy. However, I love it. Like you say, they are solid but I just know ours will last and satisfy our needs having lots of grandchildren, all eager to go with gran and grandad. You mentioned Markinch in this vlog, hopefully you visit in your next vlog as it is where I grew up. I just adore Fife and love living here. Can't wait for your next vlog 😊

Appreciate your videos. Have a coffee on us! Our doggos send wags!

long time you two heard from me ;-) this conversation , just today.... wish i was there and discuss togheter whit you two, today i was a whole day out, to gent, looking for a fiat scudo, 18 years, 100000km, really i don't now what to do... for you, if you have to pay £20000 for the other one, like you say... invest 1/2 of that money on the good camper you have good travels hé , i keep following 🙂 ps: i'm thinking to call the seller in gent tomorrow and spend my savings on the ;-) old car

From watching this video your bed drops down over the cab instead of the seating/dining area. I think that trumps the van you were considering

Thought Redders was going to be regenerate when he got into the shower

There is a place in wrexham that fit diesel heaters called autoterm mid range heater 4kw for around £1200 not chinese i had one fitted they are brill

Stick with what you have, better the devil you know. We have a Defleffs. French bed, there are times, where if we changed, would change to single beds at back, make up to a large double, with a huge garage underneath. ❤ xx

Good decision, you can easily add a diesel heater and up rate your weight, an Auto is very nice but you still have cruise at least.

You have done the right thing. The Chausson looked so cheap in build. It seemed so expensive for the year.

Automatic and garage sounds like a good trade. Definitely need storage. Auto as you know so much easier to drive.

The dogs make a difference too (as well as Redders), like you we need a practical, solid van. I’ve done almost 20,000 miles and 400 nights and this van in less than 2 years, it needs to be a workhorse not a show home (and we all know that they don’t looks like that when your in them a lot!). Some of the newer vans look pretty but wouldn’t withstand heavy use or dogs - good decision team.

I’m shouting out for the Chausson, we absolutely love ours, a 2019 640 Ford , so much space. ❤

German all the way. We’ve had ours rattled within an inch of its life on the roads in Hungary. We’ve not even lost a knob and we live full time 👍 plus it’s warm in winter 👍

Ooh...now I'm not a big social media user but I just Googled to see if you have a Patreon I can join...From what I've seen there is sounds like you have a new little secret to share soon!! 🤫🥰🎉 How exciting!!

Why not swap your fridge for a compressor fridge, defo recommend

We have a 2010 Chausson Welcome 14. We've looked at newer vans .... I wouldn't have one for exactly the same reasons. Our one is made of solid, the new ones are made of flimsy.

Its always reassuring to realise youve already got the van you need. All vans have compromises but build quality is way more important than fancy looks. Some of the brand new vans (in excess of 100,000) are terrible build quality its also worth finding something solidly built.

Hi Both, Really glad you made the right decision if you had traded your home in you would have been saying goodbye to your best forever friend 😢🫣 you have lots more travelling with your true friend all the best Lin 💖👍🦋🙂 PS. & your 2 beautiful furry babies would have been to sad

OMG I haven't been this anxious for a while, worried that you had bought one of them two vans. Unless you've already done so, do some research on the Fiat comfortmatic gearbox and you will see that they are dogged with problems. The Chaussons have massive damp problems, and the drop down beds tend to not drop when you need them. Burstners have a problem with the floors delaminating, hence what you found with the shower perhaps. As you've decided, put some money into yours and enjoy your travels.

good decision re keeping existing van, could i suggest that you underseal the chassis it looked like surface rust when you had the problem with the steadys that broke.

yours will still be worth that in 2 years...

I can't understand why the dealer put two motorhomes on display with obvious faults, and at £55,000 each. If you want that kind of money these faults should have been attended to before going on sale. I think that when you saw these faults you started to realise what you had and decided to keep your van and leave a large chunk of cash in the bank. We have the Chausson Welcome 610 and it is a great van, which replaced an earlier van that did not have storage. Those locks on the garage door are £56 to replace and probably why the dealer hadn't done them.

Dealers always offer much less than it is worth. Can't help with your decisions. But I think German are better built. If you decide to uprate in future go with VWE van weight engineering. Great company cheaper than SVTECH. Good look in your search.

Good decision I was so looking forward to watching this video so I watched it whilst preparing dinner :) I think the two vans you looked at just seemed a bit grimy and scruffy those cracks and faults should have been sorted out and I think if they were in better condition you would have felt more positive but they wouldn't last the test of time for sure, German all the way for me we have a Westfalia Sven Hedin on order on the MAN platform which as we know is a VW Crafter also it's an automatic which I think is just a must have, autos are so good we ordered in January and probably won't get it until end of August possibly September but we fancy some winter escapes especially up to Scotland :) love your videos you two are fun together.

Recent subscriber here , enjoying your videos , 😎 Could I ask where you got your sheepskin seat covers from ? Are you happy with them? Thanks Rich 👍

You both are lovely. The bed over your head whilst filming driving is kind of off putting in all honesty, van with fixed bed at the back would likely look better. You look like you’re crammed under a shelf.xx

Keep your German-made motorhome. I was looking myself recently, and a couple I spoke to said buy German. The only thing I would have to have is an automatic; I don't like manual gears. Other than that, yours is lovely. Built like a tank 👍

Can I please make a suggestion try a caravan you can get into smaller towns

Good decision. Three poodles though?! 😱😊

Well done U2 great decision you have a great well built German van. I’m sure the two you looked at nearer enough stick to what you know It’s a great looking van compact economical okay? It’s a manual I ain’t drive a swift Kontiki 669 tag axle 3 L engine. I bought it brand-new nine years ago. My wife was alive then but sadly after 43 years of marriage I lost her to Alzheimer’s nearly 2 years ago now but I’ve kept the van and love it to bits. I know it’s too big for one person it’s done 21,000 miles has all the bells and whistles, just love it sadly just getting back into it. Do what you’ve Gotta do enjoy what you do carry on what you’re doing carry on loving what you’ve got it’s great quality put your max fans in I have one above the island bed fantastic did it myself cut the hole in the roof made a cardboard template excellent I would like a self-levelling suspension. Wonder if they will do a deal on two anyway I’m waffling look on the bright side my road tax is £165 a year for the manual the automatics are getting upwards of £400 a year love what you do so glad so so glad you’re keeping it lovely beautiful motorhome take care xx Graham

Burstners 16-19 suffer with floor problems. And floor has to be replaced.

Personally we think you have made the better decision, we sold our first MH an older and robust build after owning it for 18mths, because it developed damp, what a mistake, 2 more motorhomes later the second a new one, which was a rubbish build, no 3 a Bailey Autograph, lovely van but we were looking to sell recently, Motorhome Depot and dealers are offering us 14k less than what we paid 2 years ago Our very first motorhome is still going so it would have been cheaper to keep it. Wish we had made the decision you both have made, they don't make them like they used to. Wishing you many more years out of your home on wheels. ...Andrea

I'd stick with your German build quality 🇩🇪👍

We saw a Chausson at the Newark Show and thought how flimsy everything looked inside. Stick to German made so much better, great decision yo keep your van.

Chassaun no no had one mate had one both leaked like colanders poorly put together 😢😮

Great decision. Today's build quality just isn't there. 👍

It's your money you can only decide, Mines an old mo ho, But I trust it, My motto, Better the devil you know, Thanks for the vlog guys keep them coming 👍

Can you dismount your add-ons when the time comes to sell? Or more trouble than it is worth?

good move keeping the van .better the devil you no than the devil you don,t👍

Glad to see you were not looking at anything British …..steer well clear 🙈

Never as good as you van self level is £5500 in Bristol don’t waste your money on another one yet

You be silly to change from a solid German built van stick to what you got or get one same make but difference layout you know what you got it not £22000 better

Not much German about it. Seats and the fixtures and fittings might be. Fiat fix it again tomorrow. Is a cheap Italian brand. Van needs to be a Mercedes Volkswagen platform for it to be really German.

You where right not to buy the chausson,they are not good quality.i have an 2011 dethleffs esprit it's built like a tank, very solid.all new motorhomes seem so fragile.

I find at funny how what everyone wants in a van is so different....

You keep mentioning the demise of LPG, we live in Spain and LPG is in abundance so assuming you’re talking about the UK. That said our family are in the UK and have no such problems with L{G supply in the south of the country when Motorhoming

Wouldn't touch an auto before I think 2020 as they are robotic and not really a proper auto and are problematic

Looking to buy a van in a couple of months any opinions on auto trail ?

Correct decision, stay German.

Newer vans are made of cardboard these days

As someone Who used to work for a commercial dealership that also sold motorhomes, just be careful with Chausson vans 🚐, they can be awful build quality, but again it’s all about layout for You Guys which I understand, also tbh make sure it has an Alko chassis or the steel chassis will just rot in years to come, Roller teams are nice looking vans 🚐 but wouldn’t touch one as they have steel chassis’s, I know it’s a difficult decision but German vans are better in the long term, a good second hand Burstner is Your better choice, or a Rapido motorhome, very well made, I think You’ve made the right decision to keep Your van 🚐.