2003
Everyone has aspirations and ours was to own an "A Class". Looking back on it now I'm not quite sure why, but it seemed a good idea at the time.
The children had left home and we decided we needed a little more comfort. Our last van had served us well, although bed making had started to feel too much like a chore. A pull down bed and more lounging area was just what we wanted. We still carried sailboards and two bikes, so underfloor storage also seemed a good shout!
A Pilote Galaxy fitted the bill perfectly and the dealer in Bath was relatively local. The new van was ordered, with loads of extras, air con, fixed bike rack, tow bar, safari room and satellite TV. After all this van was going to be a keeper.
The start of a new adventure. Lovely van to live in with loads of room inside, a dinette and comfy seating. The large windscreen gave the inside a very open airy feel. I did love the shower in this one, huge with a proper shower door and I could even wash my hair! Easy to live in, relatively easy to drive and not too long.
Always up for improving our set up, we bought a gazebo. Not a good idea, ultra heavy and a pain to put it up, Looked good though and was handy, though a bit too big. Another purchase from a motorhome show, strange how you get caught up in the moment. We reverted back to the large awning and the gazebo went into the loft! Years later we sold it to someone who wanted a covering for their swimming pool, so it went to a good home and we got most of our money back.
Our next "improvement". "Let's get a road legal buggy". So we did, a Chinese import on a very heavy fold up trailer. It was supposed to fit in the garage but I guess our measurements were a bit out, so it lived on the drive. We justified the expense by using it at home. Den drove it to work. Great fun, it struggled up hills with two of us in it, but always attracted attention. It even had a roof rack which the sailboards fitted on. We enjoyed it for a few years and it was great fun, but totally impractical.
Ever "upwardly mobile"!
" I know let's get a car to tow!" Something a bit more comfortable for Den to drive to work in the winter.
The next "improvement". A convertible soft top Smart Car, on a lighter weight trailer and so it came to pass.
Great to have a car to find all the hidden spots we had missed. Painful to tow around park and reverse! But it gets worse.
Our Pilote Galaxy after 10 years was just beginning to show her age. The final straw was having to change the windscreen when we were hit by a stone chipping. It took ages to wait for a new windscreen and eventually after three attempts it was fitted, though never perfect. 'A' Classes were out!!
The next folly would have a fixed rear bed. Could 25 feet fit on the drive....just! Our poor neighbours. Billy was about to arrive.
2013
Our Bailey Autograph, called Billy was a lovely van. Masses of space and sleeping arrangements made it feel like we were sleeping in a nice hotel. The bed was super comfy and there was loads of lounging space and a dinette. Lots of extras including air con and a satellite TV. We had a tow bar fitted so we could take bikes but preferred to take Smartie on the trailer. With hind sight total over kill.
Lovely, if you were parked up and didn't move but painful to park when on the move. Also the van was wider than usual so useless on country roads. We found we needed to plan all our routes. Billy also had a safari room, again almost unused 3 years later. I think our surname should have bee "All the extras!" Yes, it was the next forever van........ sadly NOT.
OK Billy and Smarty looked good but 12 wheels take a lot of looking after. I was always anxious about getting the car on and off the trailer. When towing it was always of slight concern that other vehicles would not realise we had a car on tow.
Time for a radical makeover.
2015
Our next van was a panel van by IH a Leeds company specialising in high class makeovers. We went for an IH630RL who we christened April. A rear lounge, shower and loo, with a front end kitchen. A good part exchange for Billy sealed the deal at the Malvern show.
A lovely looking van in slate grey. The back doors were removed and fitted with a fibreglass pod, which gave us a boot with a hatch door. Nicely finished inside though the doors all emblazoned with the IH motif was a bit over the top. The van on a Fiat bae drove really well and was so much easier on country lanes and camp sites. We had abandoned the TOAD but put our two bikes on the back which worked really well. We had a large pull out awning on the side and loads of lounging room inside the van.
April did well taking us on loads of trips but we had loads of issues with the build quality. Sadly we had to return to the dealer and then the factory numerous times, mostly things wee fixed but we were never really happy with the quality. The final deal breakers for us at the time were small niggles like a kitchen tap that I struggled to lift up, lack of kitchen work space and the drop down bathroom basin which we hated!!
Despite all the niggles we did loads of European trips and enjoyed the whole concept of a panel van which really suited us. 4 years on and time for a change!!
2019
A Vantage Neo next. Identical layout to the IH van, except it had a longer kitchen worktop and a fixed bathroom sink. With and extra solar panel and the addition of a small pantry behind the drivers seat. A compressor fridge made life on the move a whole lot simpler. This van was also an automatic which was so much easier to drive. Everything about our new van, who we christened Krystal, was perfect for us. We had an inverter fitted and a tow bar on the back for our bikes. This time we opted for silver grey.
We really enjoyed Krystal doing 32 000 odd miles in her over 6 years. 429 nights and the bed still really comfy.
On an 180bhp engine she travelled very smoothly with extra power when needed. Vantage were a lovely company to deal with and we did an annual pilgrimage to Leeds each year for the habitation check. Very few niggles with this van and any minor problems were sorted out very easily. However, all good thigs come to an end and we have finally almost said goodbye! Krystal has gone for sale and we have just ordered a new van arriving any day soon!
Another panel van from a local dealer ( the round trip to Leeds was becoming a bit of a chore!) This time we have gone for a Knaus Boxlife 600MQ. Exciting times ahead. A slightly shorter van, just under 6m with a fixed rear that goes up and down and a front dinette. Can't wait to pick her up!
