Broadwayfb2013 should I get one

 
Hi All
I have been looking at motor-homes 

I started looking at the swift escape 664 fb then loads of others ,and now i am looking at the Broadway FB:smile!:  everything is best i have seen so far, (but nr 20k better)
i have been doing loads of homework, searching the net ect, i have only found mention of MPG in this site 25mpg at 70mph and looks average 30 -34mpg any comments ?
 i am worried on is the gross weight of this Broadway i am eyeing up is 4000kg max ,are they all this weight? as i notice in the auto sleeper book it says 3500kg
or are they referring to the term micro i see mentioned (just a down grade on what it can take)?

I think it seems to have a 2.2k depreciation ?

now seems to be the best time to buy ?

ps i wish i found this forum earlier, great forum
 i have learnt so much, the reversing mirror, and type of fridge will be things ill be asking how they will fix before i buy.  great forum 


 I dont think any comments will turn me off the Broadway, i just want to clear these few niggles before i buy, over 50k it a whole lot of money for me, 



Kirk

Hi Kirk

Welcome to the forum. As an owner of the new Broadway FB I can thoroughly recommend buying one.
Yes there are always teething problems with the purchase of any new motorhome even after spending over £50K as I have found, but with the excellent back-up of Autosleeper you can rest assured.

The van itself is very well appointed and with the Peugeot 2.2 turbo engine is a great drive with plenty of power. My Broadway FB gave me an average of 30/32 mpg on my recent tour of Poland and that was fully loaded with electric bikes on the rear.ttently

My teething problems were as follows:-

Reversing camera failing intermitantly. This was rectified by having it rewired to a live feed. So I can just turn it on with the remote and use it as a rearview mirror.

Control Panel faulty which was replaced by Autosleeper and now functioning correctly.

Thetford fridge malfunction. This is a well known fault which happens also in other makes of motorhomes and is rectified by a replacement control panel.

Please don't let this put you off when making your decision. You are spending a lot of money and the decision has got be the right one.
I am very happy with my purchase

Raybow

 thanks 
Raybow

I've got a 2010 Broadway - love it........... Enjoy it, whatever you get

 Thanks DuxDeluxe, may I ask is yours a max 4000kg ? as is the one i am looking at, the auto sleeper book says 3500kg not that i am concerned with the weight, but would like to know if it makes a lot of difference to the MPG as raybow says he is getting 30 32

I am sure we will be going with the Broadway, part of me is thinking why didn't i get one a longtime ago

Regards Kirk

The loading allowance on many motorhomess is not great and it is possible to legally get the chassis uprated normally to around 3800 to 4000 kgs as a paperwork exercise. It is possible that this one has been done.  
Its not a general thing due to various licence restrictions ie age/diabetis etc that are in force and may prevent someone who wants that particular van buying it.   Provided the vehicle documentation for the upgrade is in order there shouldnt be a problem with the Broadway

:) cool thanks Roli

Kirk wrote: Thanks DuxDeluxe, may I ask is yours a max 4000kg ? as is the one i am looking at, the auto sleeper book says 3500kg not that i am concerned with the weight, but would like to know if it makes a lot of difference to the MPG as raybow says he is getting 30 32

I am sure we will be going with the Broadway, part of me is thinking why didn't i get one a longtime ago

Regards Kirk

 Hi Kirk, mine was a limited edition where apparently Marquis had got hold of a load of FIAT 3 litre cab units - so A/S the parent company fitted Al-Ko chassis and built Broadways on top. So it was 4 tonne from the outset but handles way better than standard and sits quite a bit lower. Payload is huge - even loaded to the gills with everything, heavy Towbar, bikes on the back and full tanks it only came to 3560 on the weighbridge, so it could be downplated to an LGV on 3.5 tonnes. It is the overcab version so plenty of storage up there 

Great van - reliable, very powerful and well built. 26.8 MPG  mostly towing a boat according to my tame excel spreadsheet. 

Edit - fuel filter just started leaking   - a common x250 problem which is an easy fix. Just needs good torque when doing the cap back up

I bought a 2013 Broadway FB in August and am very happy with it.

The model I have is the standard 3500kg low profile and my only concern is the limited weights for additional kit.

If anything, the bathroom/toilet is a bit cramped but I am being picky now.

The only thing of major concern was the way that Auto Sleepers have installed the television and satellite wiring, which is totally illogical.  A return to Marquis sorted that out free of charge with all the TV sockets commonly connected and all the satellite sockets commonly connected.

Am getting about 28 mpg from a new engine so that should improve with time.

Yes.
We bought ours new in July this year. After looking at hundreds of different vans ( seemed like thousands!), as soon as we saw the Broadway range we were hooked.
We went for the FB because we loved the layout. Its comfortable, well built and pretty economical, returning about 29-31 mpg, very nice to drive and easy to manoeuvre .

Problems?, well we have had a few minor niggles, but I fixed most of them myself. They were really just loose screws and lubrication. 
The heated towel rail in the bathroom fell apart. Put back together, properly, its been fine since.
Bathroom door wouldn't shut properly. Lock taken apart, lubricated and reassembled.
A couple of cupboard catches started sticking. Remedy as above.
Headlamp beam out of alignment, headlamp taken out and reaffixed into mounting properly.
Water pump chattering and running on. No fix from A/S or the dealer. Fitting a Whale Surge damper, cured it.
Water getting into habitation step footwell. Vents in sides of footwell sealed, water was getting sprayed into one from the back wheel.
Waste water tank sensors telling me the tank was always full. Taken back to dealer and cleaned out, a week later and its happening again. It appears to be a poor design, I disconnected the electrics and empty the tank every time I fill the fresh tank.
Habitation door lock stopped working when we both tried to open the door from both sides at the same time. Took it apart and put it back together. Its worked fine since.

All these were minor niggles that haven't really stopped us enjoying the van. Reading some of the nightmares some other marque owners have had I think we are doing very well.

Overall, it's a great van and we intend to keep it for as long as I can drive! I haven't really seen another van in this price range that I would rather have.

Allan

edit…… forgot about the weight question. Ours was plated at 3500kg. We have the premium pack fitted which reduces the payload. So, I contacted SvTech.co.uk about replating it. It was a paperwork exercise to get it to 3700kg, which is ample for us. A bonus is that it is then taxed as Private HGV and the tax is £165 instead of about £225 for PLG. Cost of the replating was about £312.

Thanks so much for all your replies  

Regards Kirk

No problem, I notice you are in West Sussex, if you ever get to Canterbury, the dealer there, Choose Leisure is excellent and has a good range of new vans. Its where we bought ours from at a substantial discount . If you want to look at a real van being used, we are just down the road in Whitstable. We might even make you a cup of tea!

Allan

 mighty fine offer Allan, we will keep that in mind, Def will look at choose leisure.
regards Kirk

hi Kirk
the only real problem I`ve had is with the tyre pressures, when I first pick my broadway ek crown 4000k up, it sounded like I was running on metal wheels, it shook the camper to pieces, I bought it second hand and think its the reason the last owner sold it.
anyway I`ve reduced my pressures from 80psi down to 68psi, it rides really well , it tracks really good,was noisy and the vibration has now gone, its a pleasure to drive.
the only gripe I have is , the developers who design these campervans must detach themselves from the caravan mode.    

Hello Captain,
I see you joined back in June but this is your first post..
Please take a minute to introduce yourself here.....

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Hi Captain (from an ex seagoing one) - I've got the same model and had the same issue. I contacted Michelin after first getting the individual axle weights - loaded to the gills - on a weighbridge and got an email back with a recommended 57 at the front but still 80 at the back as they said they didn't know how much I would load it. They were playing safe, I guess. Anyway, it is a simple pro- rating calculation and now run at 63 at the back 

The ride is - ahem - somewhat less rattled. Been running like that for over 2 years and would recommend anyone to weigh and check. 

How do you like the van? I love mine -PM me with reply rather than mess up this thread. Cheers 

Edit: I take it for service and the Fiat professional dealer always puts them up to 80 again despite me leaving written instructions not to do so "more than my job's worth, Guv"  

:) i don't mind any replies as long as they are about the Broadway, all are quite useffull to me,
 handy tip re the Tyre pressures 

Highly recommended to get the van over a weighbridge to get the axle loadings, not only for payload but also as above to set the correct tyre pressures. Well worth a tenner

Many thanks again DuxDeluxe, 

Another question

A habitation service is this a yearly thing (compulsory ) , and generally how much do they cost ?

Latest update i missed the 4000kg one  now eyeing up a 3500kg

I think you need to get it done to keep the warranty and after that it is up to you but strongly recommended. I always book mine in at the factory service centre, who know what they are looking at and looking for and very useful for sorting out any issues as well. Marquis are expensive!

 thanks for the heads up, on that one. DeDeluxe

Nobody knows their way around an Auto-Sleeper like the factory service centre........ Nice people as well and very efficient.

I had a chat with a very nice couple who had a new Broadway FB  when I was last there. Unfortunately promptly forgot their names (sorry!)......

The service centre did have a fairly new and apparently very leaky Swift Bolero in for repair as well, which was a bit of a surprise. 

Plenty of fairly local campsites as well