Vanlife UK - Introducing Star the 1995 Hymer B564 motorhome

If you've been following my story for any amount of time, you're probably aware that I have been trying to sell my house for almost years.

Finally, on the 10th of June 2021, I completed on the sale of my house!

To put myself in a position of being able to make a lifelong dream of travelling as much of the world as possible I had to make this massive life decision. Sell up my home and the majority of my possessions.

But what is the point of having a dream if you're not going to do what it takes to chase it or make it a reality?

Selling my home has allowed me to now be in a position where I am debt free and also freed up the money required that has allowed me to purchase 'Star'

A quick overview of 'Star' the 1995 B564 Hymer

I had actually resigned myself to not purchasing a campervan or motorhome until AFTER the English summer holidays because the prices of motorhomes and campervans have just gone totally insane. Prices have risen from between 30%-60%+ from a year ago!

This insanity in prices is down to COVID and people wanting to have 'staycations'. Demand, therefore, pushes prices up which isn't great for those with strict budgets.

I saw the Star the Hymer advertised on Facebook marketplace and was compelled to go and take a look at her.

The good bits

Star is a 26-year-old Hymer coach built motorhome. However, she has been really well looked after by the former owners and the interior units, hob, toilet and shower area are all in surprisingly good condition given her age.

She has a large LPG tank underneath which will be used to run the hob, fridge and central heating.

On the roof, she currently has a single solar panel, although I'm not yet sure what wattage this is and I may decide to put another panel on the roof following some initial test runs in her.

She has a good-sized freshwater tank and a wastewater tank on board which I hope will mean that I can go for at least a week without having to worry about emptying anything.

I'm surprised by just how much storage space there is available in the van and certainly don't think I'm going to struggle for storage at all.

The bad bits

The upholstery is really bad on both the drivers, passenger and dining area seats. I am therefore going to have to find a local upholsterer who can recover these.

She has 180,000 miles on the clock. Whilst this is obviously a big number, these Fiat Ducato engines are known to get 500,000 miles if looked after and maintained with regular servicing. So I am crossing everything that I will get at least another 150,000-200,000 miles out of her. If the engine does go, then I've set some money aside for a refurbished engine but hoping that isn't going to be needed any time soon!

There is no oven onboard. I didn't actually even notice this when I looked at her. It is a bit of a big deal for me as I am known to use an oven a fair amount for my vegan meals and pizza. So I'm planning on taking her to some local campsites to test her out properly and also see how I get on without having an oven.

Test outtings

The first thing I did after purchasing Star is to book her in for a full service and checkup. Once this is done and she's given the all clear, I will line a couple outtings in her to local campsites to fully test everything, including the awning, gas, water/plumbing etc.

I need to get a feel for how long I can go without needing to check into a campsite or worry about filling up with LPG, emptying the waste water and toilet cassette etc.

It is not my intention to stay in a campsite every night once I set off full-time so it's imperative that I have a feel for how long I can 'wild-camp' or be 'off-grid' for.

An interior walkthrough of Star the '95 Hymer B564

In this video I give a brief walkthrough of Star to show you the vehicle in which I will be spending a good few years in (all going well of course).

See you on the road!