time to go demountable

[bobcat]

Hi club members

I am looking for a demountable (and pick-up) to replace my trusty Hymer Camp which I have owned for 17 years. As we have moved to Greece a 4 x 4 is now essential to get to the many places we have had to forego so far.
A EC6 Leisure Camper by S Karosser has caught my eye but so has the EC7 – can anyone give any advice on these two models?
Also I would appreciate any advice about which pick-up is preferable for a demountable. I would really sensibly like to buy a 4 door, but am rather concerned that the size of the back will compromise the area for the demountable – is this so?

Bobcat

[TrueDink]

The EC6L is the biggest camper you could fit on a mid sized double cab pickup. It has everything you need for off the grid camping and would be my choice. The EC6 ECO is the smallest and is too much of a compromise IMHO as it doesn't even have hot water. The EC7 doesn't have a shower or cassette toilet or waste tank. It's a little smaller and lighter than the EC6L.

As far as pickups go this is a very subjective and often touchy subject. Most pickups on sale in the UK are more than capable of carrying any S.Karosser. Certain manufacturer's pickups however need modification to be able to carry the weight. I personally needed a double cab pickup so I could carry 4 passengers but a single or king (extra) cab pickup will allow you co carry a bigger camper.

[zildjian]

'As we have moved to Greece a 4 x 4 is now essential to get to the many places we have had to forego so far.'

OK you should speak to Rubberrat in that case, He spent part of last year there with his own skarosser that Truedink is referring to,
what made you think of demountabless especially, or is it just the 4WD aspect



and Welcome BTW

[rubberrat]

The first issue is running a pickup in Greece unless you own a business - you may see commercial vehicles, vans, pickups etc with a small painted notice on the side saying Agrotiki (agricutural use) or retail use (shops) etc.

It's pretty much impossible to keep any kind of commercial vehicle in Greece these days unless you are a Greek citizen, have bought the vehicle there and have a registered business or occupation that requires it. Greek bureaucracy it just truly unbelievable.

Where in Greece will you be living? I'll be out there in Feb/March in Koroni (South Western Pelopennese) then a short stay in Ermioni on the Eastern side.


NB when I land in Greece (ferry port), I always hang back in the port for half an hour until the customs guys go off for a smoke as I don't want my truck recorded in my passport. If it was stolen there it would be considered an import (because I cans 'sign it out' when leaving) and I'd have to pay duty on it even though I don;t have it! its a crazy (but fantastic) place.



a simplified overview:-

http://www.ktimatoemporiki.gr/content.php?id=114

[zildjian]

Wow!
Still you say the place is worth it, & I thought French were good at pretending to efficient

[bobcat]

Thanks for the info guys – and Rubberrat your grasp of the Greek system is right on the ball. I first enquired about importing my Hymer and the answer was (are you sitting down) 16,000 euro import tax, this is before any other taxes (I bought the camper in France and imported it into the UK as a 3 year old – it was a doddle) The reason being that here it is classed as a luxury item, even though it is our only vehicle and is an old timer.
Next option was to replace it with a Greek vehicle – the prices here are truly unbelievable so again that was out.
Although we are back and forth to the UK all times of the year for family commitments we are always here for our olive harvest and this is one of the reasons we require a 4x4. Also we now only want to run the one vehicle, so a demountable seemed the perfect solution as we are campers at heart. This set up would give us access to the beaches and forests we are dubious about taking the camper to and it still gives us the independence when travelling back to the UK.
We will be here until April on the west coast of the Peloponnese near Zacharo and have plenty room for parking. We can either put the kettle on – or open a home-brew, just say when you are passing (driving from Patras?)
I did not realise the EC7 hadn’t got a cassette toilet, so thanks for that. After 30 years of camper-ing I am ready and willing to learn from your experiences.

[rubberrat]

Hi, I could write a book about Greek officialdom, it is a world of its own and best either avoided, or do what the Greeks do and just ignore it.

If you are spending around six months at a time in Greece and then coming back to the the UK then a Demountable would suit you absolutely perfectly. Just choose a slightly older truck that can be repaired at a local garage - pre 2007 and make sure your demountable is well fitted. Then you have six months before removing the vehicle from Greece and re-starting the clock. You can then keep up UK MOT & road fund etc. I forget how long you have to be out before return.

For overseas 'part timers' with a holiday home used for half the year this setup works far better than a motorhome as you have the option of taking the camper off at will, and loading up again for forays into the interior of the country.

Definitely try to avoid being officially booked in to the system when you arrive, - if they don't know when you've arrived - they don't know how long you've been there.

We will certainly drop by to you as we pass your door in Greece at least twice a year. But keep this area to yourself - it's the last bastion of real Greece - we don't want the 'Thomas Cook' lot finding it!

[zildjian]

Mark
dropdown menu bottom right Quick-mod tools:
>move topic>choose location>Don't leave shadow topic>that's it

[rubberrat]

Got it - thanks!