Owner Stories | An Unexpected Bürstner Journey

The story of Jane Goodey and Ali Mossalem’s search for a motorhome has plenty of sliding-door moments. You know the ones — those times in life we all encounter, when what could have been wasn’t, and even the best-laid plans can go astray. 

In this case, the retired Christchurch couple bought a new motorhome when they had initially set out to purchase a secondhand one. Their new purchase wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision but rather a series of those life experiences when things just didn’t go to plan.

Now that Ali and Jane are proud owners of a brand new Bürstner Lyseo TD590, they couldn’t be happier that things didn’t work out as they had originally envisioned.

The couple retired in 2021 when they decided to take advantage of a local motorhome company’s cheap rental promotion. It was a game changer for the pair who had hired a motorhome just once — a decade before — and who had never experienced the convenience of a drop down bed.

They were impressed with the convenience, space and the amount of freed-up living space when camping that a drop-down bed allowed them, as Ali explains.

The drop down bed is a comfortable size for us, and we’re both fit enough to climb the ladder to go to bed. Plus, it’s great that we don’t have to make the bed each day.

The couple also began to consider other features that would be important to them when choosing which motorhome to buy.

After looking around at other vehicles, the TD590 was the only one that ticked all of the boxes. They had considered another brand of vehicle that had been converted in New Zealand. But in the end, they didn't think the finish and interior design were to the same level as the Bürstner.

Ali and Jane had also contemplated purchasing a used motorhome, but twice, fate intervened, as Ali explains.

A Bürstner Lyseo of the size we wanted left the Wilderness yard the day we arrived to view it. And then, someone from Auckland who was coming to Christchurch wanted to sell their Bürstner. However, they changed their mind while driving along the Kaikōura Coast.

Having missed out twice on their desired used motorhome, the couple decided instead to order a new vehicle from Wilderness. While there would be a delay as they waited for their motorhome to arrive in New Zealand, it would arrive fitted out exactly the way they wanted it.

Finally, delivery day arrived and in April 2023 the couple travelled to Auckland to pick up their new home on wheels. Once again, however, fate intervened and their best-laid plans had to be amended when the couple unexpectedly could not book a Cook Strait ferry for three weeks.

Instead, Ali and Jane spent their shake-down trip exploring the North Island.

We drove north to stay with friends in the Hokianga, then from Kaitaia down through Kerikeri, Hamilton, New Plymouth, and The Forgotten Highway.

Proving yet again how an unexpected twist of events can be a blessing in disguise, the couple says becoming a little lost along the way led to a highlight of the trip — camping at Whangamōmona and getting to know the locals at the pub.

After their first trip, the couple realised they needed to use the motorhome regularly to get to know all the features well — and they’ve since embarked on numerous trips around the South Island.

We’ve explored many new parts of the country, such as Ōkārito and Gentle Annie on the West Coast — and we loved both places. We even camped off grid for ten days and found that the solar panel works really well.

They say a smaller motorhome teaches you to be disciplined and to avoid clutter, although Jane and Ali found another highlight of the Bürstner TD590 is the amount of storage space. They also say that the after sales service received has been one of the best parts of their entire experience.

We had no knowledge of how everything functioned, despite the fact that the Wilderness handover team took us through the van thoroughly — and we also had an extensive and clearly written manual. We were on the phone almost every day, sometimes just asking questions and seeking advice and panicking about things that didn't work because we hadn't read the manual.

Jane and Ali say the Wilderness team were patient with them, always took their calls, gave good advice and took them through every query, step by step. They even followed up afterwards to see that they were all right.

The overall experience has been full of surprises, which ultimately turned out well for them, as Ali and Jane offer one final piece of advice.

If money is not an issue, then go for a new motorhome. That way, you can shape it the way you like and there will be no unpleasant surprises.

Find out more about Bürstner motorhomes.