Worth buying a Hymer Sunlight and upgrading it?

[ctilsie242]

The Hymer Sunlight, which is sold at CW is an interesting model. First, it has a very low price, likely in the 55k-ish range when all is said and done. However, you do get what you pay for, as per the YouTube reviews.

There are a few major downsides to the van:

Combined black/gray tank, 23.1 gallons.

Trim is "meh" at best.

No onboard generator, it uses a secondary alternator.

Has a funky, folding wood divider between the bathroom and the rest of the van.

No rear backup camera.

The combined tank isn't too bad an item. The backup camera can likely be wired in. The wood divider can be removed, and a shower curtain placed there. Since the van uses an inverter, the A/C hits the inverter with the locked rotor amps, and not the alternator/generator upstream. This means one can get away with using a 2000 watt inverter generator to run it, so when boondocking, the generator can be placed well away from the van to minimize noise and vibration.

The main issue I'm concerned about is how the plumbing/electrical/appliances will last.

The trim level is of an entry level class "C", or a trailer. A concern, because a class "B" isn't something that you keep for 5-10 years then have hauled to the town dump like one does with most new trailer brands. However, it seems decent, especially for the price range.

I wonder what other people think. For me, adding a Honda generator to keep it powered while boondocking isn't that big a sacrifice for a "starter" class B, which won't depreciate much, especially here in Texas, where ten year old T1N Sprinters still sell for for 50k+ at PPL.

[Gsetter]

Check out the Winnebago website or Facebook page for the launch videos Stef and James from the FIt RV did a review of a new Era floorplan, tweaks to the Paseo and Travato 59G.

[Bumpyroad]

I see at the winnie web site that the travato starts at, 102,348, the Era 135,248, and the Paseo in between at 127,595. so the paseo should end up about 25,000 more than the travato. so about 95-100 for it.
bumpy

[Gsetter]

I would bet the Paseo has a similiar discount as the Travato. I dont usually see sale prices on websites for anything new. I think there was a recall on the FOrd Transit transmission or something so they halted production on the vans so a Paseo might be hard to come by until they get rolling again....they are pricier than the Travato so I would expect to pay 95K for a Paseo.

[Bumpyroad]

Gsetter wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

hoosiermark wrote:
When I was at Camping World in Greenwood,IN they wanted $55K for the Hymer and the Travato next to it was $89K if I remember correctly. But the options may have been very different. The Hymer was pretty basic.

thanks, were those selling prices or list?
bumpy

You can get a Travato for around 75K. THe main options are roof rack with ladder and bike rack. TYpically all the Travatos have solar, awnings etc.

thanks, I note that winnie now has a Paseo b van that looks interesting but the Lictinstein ??? site is showing MSRP of $132,??? with no discount.
bumpy

[Gsetter]

Bumpyroad wrote:

hoosiermark wrote:
When I was at Camping World in Greenwood,IN they wanted $55K for the Hymer and the Travato next to it was $89K if I remember correctly. But the options may have been very different. The Hymer was pretty basic.

thanks, were those selling prices or list?
bumpy

You can get a Travato for around 75K. THe main options are roof rack with ladder and bike rack. TYpically all the Travatos have solar, awnings etc.

[hoosiermark]

The Hymer was the advertised price from the internet, the other was the price posted on the windshield on the lot.

[Bumpyroad]

hoosiermark wrote:
When I was at Camping World in Greenwood,IN they wanted $55K for the Hymer and the Travato next to it was $89K if I remember correctly. But the options may have been very different. The Hymer was pretty basic.

thanks, were those selling prices or list?
bumpy

[hoosiermark]

When I was at Camping World in Greenwood,IN they wanted $55K for the Hymer and the Travato next to it was $89K if I remember correctly. But the options may have been very different. The Hymer was pretty basic.

[Bumpyroad]

has anybody determined the exact cost difference out the door between the Hymer and the Travato? and if it is $15,000 K what "standard" items does the travato have that the hymer doesn't, such as power awning, etc.
which would make the actual difference $10,000 etc.?

bumpy

[hoosiermark]

Robert Morehead's company now apparently is called Blueridge Adventure Vehicles (BRAV) Blueridgeadventurevehicles.com. They appear to have the information and products I am looking for. Thank You mumkin for the information.

[mumkin]

That would be Robert Morehead. I heard a rumor that someone bought his company?? or merged with it?? He did sell interior modules I believe. Anyway, here is a website that I had bookmarked:

http://www.moreheaddesignlab.com/id4.html

[hoosiermark]

I keep thinking about this RV, the poor quality, etc. It appears a bare vehicle could be purchased for roughly $35,000. I am thinking that for $10K max you could finish the inside better then Hymer. So my question is, does anybody make a DIY floor plan, wiring diagram for building your own. Yes I know that there are differences between Ford, Dodge, etc. but they are very similar in many aspects also. I am thinking about layout- where to put the batteries, where to buy the tanks, simple wiring diagrams, etc. It seems to me that someone could make some money sharing their knowledge. Point is, I would love to have a road map of how to build an interior similar to the Hymer. I am not interested in reinventing the wheel, I just want plans for how to build it and where to get the parts. I would love to buy an interior from Sportsmobile but they only sell completed units. I remember there is a man in North or South Carolina who builds out vans, I think his name is Robert something. Maybe he is the person I should contact. Any comments?

[hoosiermark]

I went to look at one a few days ago. As previously stated, the fit and finish were poor. There were multiple areas where the plastic screws were pulled loose, I would hate to see the unit after 10,000 miles on today's road. I would be embarrassed to show my friends this unit based upon the poor interior finish. It was also interesting that the area under the passenger side bed did not have any access except for moving the cushions and lifting the wood cover up except when the side door was open. It would have been so simple to add a couple of drawers to pull out in the aisle. They advertise that you have all this storage accessible when the sliding door is open. But seriously, that bed is 76 inches, who is going to access that distance from the opening. We also could not figure out why they did not use a simple curtain to close off the bath area rather then the multiple hinged cabinet panels.
I see from the brochure they offer a generator under the hood 280 amp, 12 v.It would be nice if they had inverter as part of the electric package.
Overall, it seems that if they spent minimal more money on installation, they could have a nice unit.I am hoping they come out with one on the longer van frames. It would be nice just to have some extra storage space.

[ctilsie242]

The MSRP is pretty high at CW, I have been reading about Sunlights coming off the lot in the low 50s range... which is pretty good, as that isn't much more than a decent pickup truck.

After further study, other than a Honda eu2000i Companion generator and replacing the foldy panel separating the bathroom from the rest of the van with a curtain, I don't really see any issues with it, except possibly not much in the way of insulation.

It definitely is no Advanced RV, but it does allow one to get on the road and camping fairly comfortably.

[mumkin]

The basic Simplicity MSRP is almost $84,000... (and most are adding a second battery and solar to that)

That is over $20K more than a Sunlight...

SRT is $72K, which is about $10K more