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We are hoping to do some travelling in the next couple of years mainly as a couple and occasionally with our small grandchildren and we were considering doing a van conversion next year or the year after. However we have just stumbled across the Exsis which is just about perfect for our needs and gives what appears to be a nice spacious interior.
The SG would be the preferred configuration and if anyone hears about one for sale then we would appreciate you getting in touch to pass on the details. It doesnt matter if it takes a while to find the right one as we currently have a project on the go that is taking most of our time at present. Also if there is anyone on this site that owns an SG that would be prepared to let us have a look around and offer first hand feedback that would be great.
Many thanks,
Jeanette.
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Hi Jeanette
Welcome to the site.
AN SG would be ideal for grandchildren. Our Helga is an SG and our 8 year son loves sleeping on the made up bed, and is safe and sound when travelling with the built in forward facing seatbelts. With the seats swivelled around it makes a great area for eating.
Several of our members are happy for people to have a look at their vans, either in person or virtually via Facebook/whatsapp.
To help people, where are you situated or are willing to travel to?
All the best
Chris
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Hi there,
Yes Helga is the model we would be looking for and it looks as though it is nice and airy. How do you find you get on with your son in the space, particularly if its raining and you need to stay inside?
Are you able to let me know how it configures to a bed on the lower level and how long and wide the side facing seat is. We thought maybe with a bit of thought and creativity we might be able to create 2 single beds on the lower level so that our grandchildren could sleep at the top.
Are there any negatives you have found whilst using Helga or have you been very happy with her?
Many thanks. 😁
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Hi Jeanette
The facing bench seat is quite short around 1.4m long:
The bottom bed makes up by dropping the table, and then arrange the back cushions from the two seats. If you want there is also an infill bit so you can use the side bench as well to make a much bigger bed. We never use this as there is enough room with out for our son.
Never had a problem being inside, plenty of room on table for lego etc. We can also sit in the swivelled round front seats, so makes for enough room to watch TV etc if we need to.
We are in Ipswich, so a bit of a hike for you, but is=f you are struggling you are more than welcome to have a look.
Chris
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Hi Chris, that’s very kind of you, thank you. We might take you up on having a look sometime next year when the weather improves if we haven’t managed to find one closer. Unfortunately the one for sale at the moment on ebay isn’t the right model for us which is a shame.
When you say drop the table and arrange the back seat cushions, I’m presuming thats on top of the table. Can you please let me know how long the bed becomes when you do this and how wide it is. I’m presuming it comes in less than a standard bed length and would need to incorporate the side bench to achieve that sort of length for an adult.
We thought that it might be possible to create a pull out frame that sits below the seat that extends in front of the door to make it longer when required. Obviously this would be a non standard addition, however since you have access to the doors in the front it would still allow access in and out and could be done sympathetically.
Anyway I think the next thing to do would be to have a good look at an SG to make sure it would suit and that it would lend itself in making a few modifications and go from there.
Many thanks once again, Jeanette. 😁😁😁
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Hello Jeanette and welcome to the Forum.
We have owned our 2006 SG from new and have not found anything to replace it with because it is so practical and compact.
You can find more information and photos on a previous thread.
Have a look at Modifications and Enhancements
Page 3, Modifications for Big Year Out- the Lounge by Chris & Susan
They have shown their very substantial mods for their purposes
I contributed to show how versatile the SG is on post no 339 22/1/19 showing our arrangement
Without checking on this cold damp morning I believe that the width of the bed at the body is 54″ and is 74″ long across width of van. The bed tapers into the feet (side bench seat) with use of the infill cushion .
This can be seen on the photos that I posted.
Fred
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Hi there Fred & Gill,
That’s really helpful, thank you. I will take a look.
Yes the weather is pretty miserable and very cold. All I can say is roll on 2021 and Spring.
Interestingly we did see a blue 2006 exsis advertised for sale in Shrewsbury last week, which was literally being advertised on the side of the road. Unfortunately I don’t know what model it was and it was covered in moss, particularly around the seals, trims etc. They also wanted £30,000, and whilst I know they hold their value, I still thought it was on the high side, particularly given its unloved appearance. Therefore the other half didn’t even take a number for us to have a look round as he suspected it hadn’t been looked after terribly well and the price seemed excessive.
However it was good to see the size of it in the flesh and we were pleasantly surprised by how compact it looked and it looked to have really good head room inside. Something which no doubt contributes greatly to how spacious it feels inside.
Am I right in thinking that there is a meet once a year for exsis owners do you know? Maybe that might be an opportunity to get a good feel for the exsis and chat to owners. In the meantime we will keep our eyes peeled for anything suitable that comes up.
Many thanks for taking the time to let me have those details.
Jeanette 😁
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I am fairly certain that there is no other 5.45m long van and narrow bodied that offers the same space and ‘livability’
Can go into the washroom which has wardrobe incorporated and come out washed/showered and dressed whilst the remainder of the van remains completely useable – kitchen / breakfast/ upper bed.
Probably not a good idea to drive by a rare blue one. Many Exsis are owned by ‘ older’ folk and possibly it does not get much use or they may find it difficult to spruce up and maintain- life doesn’t get any easier as the years roll by.
not necessarily the case, but worth thinking about and investigation to get the facts.
Fred
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Sorry forgot to add that we held ‘ Exsistravaganza in 2014 – 16’
I organised them with Barry, the previous website administrator – so that avenue of viewing will not be available unless a newer member takes up the challenge ….perhaps after this lockdown someone will be up for it!
I feel less inspired now in my mid seventies
Fred
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