Coachbuilt to Van Conversion

David

I am a great fan of my van conversion a Fifer "M" so much so that I have a new one on order and my current one for sale. Its only 5.4 metres long. We have travelled extensively in most European countries including Spain, Denmark Hungary and Croatia and Southern Italy, most trips 8 weeks.

We downsized from a Hymer Van 522 (six metres). The drivability parkability, fuel consumption, performance, rigidity and built quality all justified the change from the comparative fragility of a coach-built. You will be much more relaxed driving the smaller more agile van thus opening up new places such as the outer Hebrides but as you imply that is not the only issue.

To illustrate drivability in 2013 due to illness I drove 1850 miles from the Romanian Border to Scotland in three days.

The lounging and living facilities in our smaller van are much better than the fixed bed Hymer but without a big garage locker you can't carry as much kit. however there is nothing that we need that we don't carry (we hope) and the discipline and planning that is involved in weeding out unnecessary "rubbish" and refining clothing is actually very liberating and has prompted us to do the same thing at home with a massive declutter getting rid of 50% of the furniture and contents in our house.

If you go for the longer van you will lose some of the benefits including possibly lower ferry charges and certain tolls. The 5.4 van can fit within most "normal" car parking spaces.

Bear in mind that any van conversion (despite claims to the contrary) will not be as well insulated as a coach-built. That doesn't mean that for serious cold weather use you cant be comfortable but you will need to be more fussy about silver screens etc and use more fuel heating.

Do your homework very thoroughly and think very carefully what you priorities are because you will be giving up living space. Even the physique mobility and flexibility of the users should be taken into account.

Hope this helps and good luck.

BVM, what a super looking van.  Certainly one we would have looked at if we hadn't needed four seat belts.  We have a autocruise accent which is 6m and we use it every day, we don't have a car.  We moved up from a Tribute which was 5.6m as we wanted 4 seat belts to accommodate the odd bit of childcare!!  When we're away we just use the sofas as a fixed bed and store loads under them and find the dinette just as comfy for lounging.  David, lots of research and thought as to what you want.  We've always found plenty of room in a pvc for what we need to take on hols.

Not done it myself but I can give you the experience of good friends of ours who went down this road.

• Driving - PVC every time
• Parking - PVC marginally easier
• Living area - PVC more or less identical to their previous coach built (that was the attraction).
• Great for a quick long weekend away

But:

• No outside storage at all.  Nowhere for even the basics of ehu lead and ramps.  Everything had to go outside, then come back in again, often damp.
• Using the loo was challenging due to the necessarily tiny compartment.
• Noise of the side loading door was too much for them and most people near them.
• Colder than the coach built
• Unless you're a back packer at heart and like washing clothes a lot whilst you're away you really can't take the gear you want for a decent length trip

After a year they conceded defeat and bought one of the modern coach builts that have a near identical footprint to a pvc but do everything so much better.

As I say, just their experience but I do know a lot of couples who have been down the same path.

Thanks everyone so far for the excellent information, please keep it coming. Whilst the smallest van does have an appeal I think we would be more incline towards the 6/6.3mts lengths. Given that we have a 7.5mt van at the moment even that would be quite a reduction!!! One thing I have noticed is that some vans have either an underslung gas tank of only room for smaller cylinders, any views on this?

David

A big factor is how much gas you use.  If you nearly always stay on a site with ehu, not really an issue.  If however you get through an average amount of gas then there are huge differences. 

A single small cylinder (all you get in many pvc's) is without doubt the most expensive and inconvenient way to buy gas.  Not least because there's no safe storage for a spare.

An underslung tank is the opposite end of the spectrum.  Doesn't take up space from the body and offers the cheapest (and I would argue, easiest) way to get gas in the UK and EU.

The only issue with an underslung tank, (assuming it has been properly and safely located between the chassis rails and axles - beware, some aren't), is corrosion due to a combination of salt and debris.

That said they should have a safe life in average use of least 8 years and possibly up to 10. You can get them inspected and tested at any LPG installer for a small fee.

Our van is an Autosleeper Warwick XL, 6.3m and has an underfloor tank. It's capacity is 20L, in practice 18L because of the 80% max fill rule... I estimate that this is equivalent roughly to a 9kg Calor if such a thing existed.  I could fill our tank for about £10-12 compared to Calor at £25 - 30..

In practice it means you don't worry in the least about using gas for heating, especially at home where I haven't "paid " for the leccy.. I find I fill it up when it gets below half full as the gauge is very pessimistic in nature, and its easier just to top it up when available as you would for your diesel.

I notice some are saying PVC's to be colder than coachbuilt. The coldest we've been away in was minus 4C, the site water taps were frozen solid. Inside the van it was 21C with ease, and with the tank heaters on, no water problems. I think the Autosleeper website spec quotes ability to cope in muchcolder weather.

Having mentioned water, our van has only a 70L fresh and a 45 L waste tank, so quite small by MH standards and needs a fill and empty everyday.

David, i also looked very hard at PVCs (just to understand the other end of the size market) and, being a Carthago owner) naturally looked at the Malibu....

by far the most 'coachbuilt' PVC ive looked at....top quality fittings, a bathroom where the toilet swings away under the bed to give unhindered showering...

BUT, they will be fixed bed vans....not everyones choice....

however, great external storage, peoper full sized bed(s) etc....

but, door on the wrong side for you...

however, some Adria twins have the door on the UK side.....

for front lounge vans....IH probably the nicest (but pricy), Murvi right up there too, but a bit 'carpety' inside....and floor not level, making sofa and cab seats a completely different height...

looked at Fifer but i didnt really see the attraction....

first thing to consider is the layout...

front lounge, rear kitchen/washroom = Murvi/IH style

rear lounge (make up bed) = Autocruise, AutoSleepers etc

rear bed (singles, 6.3m, or double, 6m) likely to be Continental (Malibu, Adria, Possl/Globecar)...

good luck.....its another minefield...

A lot of the newer van conversions now have upgraded insulation and we had very good storage in our Autosleeper van. Some makes don't have the sliding door which is great in the summer but can be a cold spot in the winter. I think you really need to look at the general  design and storage and what sort of things you like to take.We travel light, fold up chairs etc only a bike rack as an extra. There are also some very luxurious vans around and different vehicle bases to consider. The NEC wiil probably be quite an eye opener David!

The Fifer (yes other brands are available  ) has diesel heating and a compressor fridge so gas consumption is not an issue and in fact we have used less than than 2 x 3.9 propane in almost 5 years (400 nights) of use. New models have a 15 litre LPG tank as standard so we will be filling it every other year !!  However in a more conventional PVC an underslung tank or  a refillable may be a better solution. Our new Fifer will have two solar panels and a 240ah battery so being off grid should be easy. 

Having mentioned water, our van has only a 70L fresh and a 45 L waste tank, so quite small by MH standards and needs a fill and empty everyday.Having mentioned water, our van has only a 70L fresh and a 45 L waste tank, so quite small by MH standards and needs a fill and empty everyday.

You will know from your own experience how much was you use but for the two of us (showering in the site facilities) its about 20ltr per day so PVC capacity would allow up to three days before filling/emptying needed.