Had been tossing up between a caravan and motorhome to do northern Australia during the Tasmanian winters, then did a 1 month house sit in France mid 2018. I thought 'sod that, I'll come over here instead!' Bought a UK registered 2002 Hymer Classic B584 motorhome in early 2019. An Australian bloke that lives in London checked it out for me and I bought it sight unseen (by me anyway). Turned out to be in very good condition and low mileage.
It's an A-class, 5.85 metres long. Easy to fit in a parking space, but still pretty wide (for Europe). Built on the fwd Fiat chassis with a 2.8 litre engine, 3400kg max weight. Air con in the dash. Tremendously roomy inside thanks to the double bed being above the cab (called a drop down bed). Full sized couch (which converts to a King single) and a third travelling (belted) seat. Great bathroom and kitchen in the back. I managed 9.9 litres per 100 km over 8800 km. Mostly max 90 kmph as back then country B roads in France were 80 kmph max (90 now). A great speed for those roads, sight seeing and economy. Lots of arduous and steep driving in the Alps too so I was surprised to get such good fuel economy. I wouldn't claim it's a beautiful vehicle, but you don't look at the mantlepiece while - er sleeping inside.
I only wish I could get one here. I've considered buying a RHD one over there and importing it as you just can't get such a good layout here. Just not sure of how it's done and the costs (I think about A$20,000 all in).
As I first found it. Pretty clean. Just a bit of grot in the crevices. Gas and storage locker on the right.
Drivers door on the left (it's LHD). Front wheel drive (which was never a problem).
Wardrobe on the left. Very comfy drop down bed up in travelling position. Good windows all around. Ok for driving LHD in the UK.
Kitchen on the left rear (of pic), bathroom right rear. Couch is super comfy for slobbing out watching TV.
I even had a guest working via mobile internet at the desk back to her office in the UK while driving through Switzerland!
Cupboard in foreground left. Stove (under glass cover) with fridge under that on the left rear, double sink (under covers) on right. No idea why they put in a double sink. Upper cupboards all around.
Shower is manageable once you get the knack. 120 (or maybe 150) litre water tank. Central water and air heating. Very warm in cold weather.
E-bike on the back (well locked up). Might have gone for an E scooter if they'd been around though may be legal hurdles in some countries. No habitation air con, but good insulation and ventilation.
Bought a TomTom Camper sat nav which you can enter your dimensions in so as not to get led down a garden path you can't get through and this is what you end up with! Yes, I can fit, but God forbid meeting someone coming the other way. Way up in the French Alps.
French Alps driving (not on the motorways). Almost every little wiggle is a hairpin turn. 30-40 kmph stuff.
and you have to drive under this kind of stuff without peeling the side of the van open. Nerve wracking until you realise tourist buses are doing it too.
One of quite a few isolated and beautiful aires (free no frills camp sites) in France. Strictly speaking hanging out washing and even having the awning out is not allowed on these, but there was no-one around. Also it got surprisingly hot so everyone was stretching the rules. France is far, far better than the UK for motorhomes.
I installed a refillable LPG system which can be filled at a standard car LPG pump straight into the side of the van (wish we had this in Australia) instead of having to exchange bottles. 200 watts of solar. The 3way fridge died just in the last week of the 4.5 month trip. Can't be repaired, so I'm going to install a domestic 240 volt one, even more solar, B2B charger and a lithium battery for it when I go back.
-- Edited by wfdTamar on Wednesday 14th of July 2021 06:14:12 PM
Great, informative story and nice clear pics. ....I enjoyed it all. Thanks.
Overseas " Road Trips" (and there are many ways to do it ..) are not hard and do not need to be expensive - and are always rewarding . One thing you learn is that Australia is not a "cheap" place to travel......
Interesting post - Costs would most probably be similar to a new Australian built unit but I imagine better quality on OS Model. Depending on shipping costs and allowing another 2 grand for Engineering certification, importing may be worthwhile. If I were doing it though I would opt for a ford or such base with rear wheel drive.
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" be repaired, so I'm going to install a domestic 240 volt one, even more solar, B2B charger and a lithium battery for it when I go back."
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With "when" being the operative word. Bit of a bugger you being here with a perfectly good motorhome there and no way to get both in the same place. We know the feeling.
Few of us discovered your system years ago and the whole world becomes your oyster.
and you have to drive under this kind of stuff without peeling the side of the van open. Nerve wracking until you realise tourist buses are doing it too.
We have done these roads in France & it is even a bit nerve wracking in a car if you are not accustomed to it, & then there is an oncoming tourist bus.
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Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
Haven't got back to this for a while. Yes Jon, I'm on the Motorhomefun forum (a good UK based one).
Just an update. I did the trip in 2019, then it was locked up in storage in the UK for 2.5 years during covid. I got back in 2022, 23 & 24. It just needed a good wash. Started first pop as it always does.
Once you've paid the airfare and the vehicle insurance (which was pretty high initially, not so bad now), it's actually pretty cheap there as I only stay on free sites and you don't need to drive far. Getting over the English channel isn't too expensive (about A$180 each way for me and the van). I do find that long flight a killer. Last trip home I was awake for 58 hours (I can't sleep on planes) what with waking early, the train and the flight and I caught something going each way (at least flu, if not Covid). I think it's still worth wearing masks. I'm thinking maybe to have a couple of days stopover halfway to get some sleep next time. BTW, I buy carbon credits to counter the flights and driving the motorhome. I'm not convinced they're legitimate though.
I installed the 240 volt fridge, another 300 watts solar, a 30 Amp B2B charger and a 100Ah lithium battery to run it. I've been in up to 39 degrees with it and it works great. Turns out that was plenty of power capacity, so I also use the battery as a second one to run all the other stuff that needs charging and TV. Added another 100Ah lithium battery so I can run some larger 240 volt things. Changed the main 100Ah leisure battery for a 110Ah lead carbon gel one which is a good option for older vehicles that don't have lithium capable charging.
I've since managed to find an even older Hymer in Queensland. Bought it back to Tassie early 2023 and been fixing/updating a few things on it and some maintenance. It's a 1996 B544 with a 2.5 litre engine. A bit less power and more noise than my UK one. It has a different layout to the B584. More suited to a family as it's actually a 6 belted seat, 6 berth layout. I've altered that to reduce seating & beds and make it more spacious and suited to one or two people.
Beefed up the electrics (which were a bit of a mess) a lot - 626Ah DIY lithium battery with 710 watts solar, B2B charger, 3300 watt inverter to run an air fryer, microwave, portable AC, pretty much anything I want. Put in a 5G modem/router and a 4k 43" TV. A decent diesel heater (the original heater had been removed). It had a few faulty taps (which were on a micro-switched system), so I converted it to an 'on demand' pressure system.
I'll be going over to Victoria for a few months soon on the first decent trip in it. Not the most sensible time weather wise as it'll be hot.
