Hi, Advice needed (1 Viewer)

seanroberts037

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Hi All,

Newbie Sean here & after some advice please. Due to circumstances with work etc, we have decided to sell our house & go Motorhome living, mainly it wil lbe for me. My wife due to work will be staying with her mum & very occainsly my 2 step kids wil be staying over, I have been looking at many layouts for motorhomes etc & I want adequate space to comfortably sleep 4, it needs to be a over the cab configuration, fixed beds in the rear & a double to be made up in the dinete area, kitchen wise it has to have 3 burners & one electric, so dual fuel.
We will be looking to buy new & must have the ability to tow a small car, something like a smart car or one of those smart for four size.
We are going to the NEC Motorhome show in February & going to see whats around, I have heard that Benimar are going to be releasing there new range & I have had a quick look & they look ideal, but of course I ask on here for advice, I am looking at about 50 grand roughly.

So that's my first question, the second & I have read on here briefly about stying on a site full time, I am based in Bristol(Portishead) so any ideas on sites etc would be amazing.

Look forward to reading your responses :)

All the best
Sean
 
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When did you pass your test? Reason i ask unless you have HGV licence watch the weight as it sounds like you want something very large. You will know you are allowed 7.5t but less if passed after a certain date in the mid to late 90's i think it was. Someone will no doubt be along to confirm dates and new weight. Cant recommend a van as its all new to me also but you may be shocked at prices if looking at huge and new however good luck in your new adventure and welcome.
 
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seanroberts037

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Hi Notakwak,

I passed my test in the 80's, I don't plan on driving an RV type vehicle as the family won't be with me al the time, but I want something thats a decent size that when we go away in it there is enough space & I think the Benimar suits us down to a "T".

Thank you for the welcome :)

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Badknee

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Hi Sean, whatever you buy make sure there's enough seat belts for everyone on board, you would be surprised how many four/six berths there are out there with only two seatbelts! From what you tell us your requirements are and your budget I would suggest your going to struggle but good luck. (y)
 
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Hollyberry

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Hi and :welcome4:

No idea what other makes are available around your price but my advice would be to go to a large dealership, or a show and try out as many as possible.
 

DP+JAY

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Firstly, I would think you'll struggle to stay legal in a 3500kg van, & don't believe the brochures/salesmen quoted payloads, they lie. Remember everything carried in the vehicle counts, including people, & a lot are overloaded with four people in before you add food/clothes etc. etc. Secondly, Don't buy new. Very few if any get the layout right with their first van, which is one reason why there are quite a lot of nearly new vans around. Remember it loses about 20% of its value as soon as your name is on the V5. That said, good luck with your search.

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May 16, 2014
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When did you pass your test? Reason i ask unless you have HGV licence watch the weight as it sounds like you want something very large. You will know you are allowed 7.5t but less if passed after a certain date in the mid to late 90's i think it was. Someone will no doubt be along to confirm dates and new weight. Cant recommend a van as its all new to me also but you may be shocked at prices if looking at huge and new however good luck in your new adventure and welcome.
If you passed your category B (car test) after January 1997 you will be restricted to a van with a Maximum Authorised Mass not exceeding 3,500 kgs. As said above, you may struggle to get the equipment/layout/size you want n a van under this weight whilst leaving a reasonable amount for luggage etc.
 
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seanroberts037

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Jan 25, 2016
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Hi All,

Many thanks for all your reply's, we are off to the NEC show in February & going to take a keen look at the new Benimar range being announced, have a scope at the layout & this does fit very well, priced from 47 grand & the seat belts it has 4 fitted in the travelling/dinette seats, will keep you all updated as we go.

Would anyone know about full time motorhome pitches in or around Bristol or do you know on a paticular page on here that would be able to answer my question? I'm sure I will be posting many more questions leading up to our buy, please be patient with me :)

Cheers
Sean
 
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seanroberts037

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Hi mpdcymru,

Passed test in the 80's & on my license entitlement I have: -
B/BE/C1/C1E - 107/D1 - 101/D1E - 101,119-fklnp 115

I did look on the Practical motorhome site & there was a link on there a while ago & it seems my license is ok.

Cheers
Sean

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Ambilkate

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Please be careful on the weight side of things we were illegal for thee years . We brought new from a dealer . There is three of us and we carried a mobility scooter . The van was adapted to carry the scooter by the dealer. We knew nothing about weight etc as we had never owned a motor home before and did no research we just relied on the company who sold us the van . Our van was a 6 berth with four seat belts and a large garage suited our needs at the time. We always went to the dealer for services etc for the first 3yrs because of the warranty . It was only when we went to another service provider after the three years was up we were told that with just the driver and the mobility scooter in we would be at 3.500 :( we resolved this by having to upgrade to 4100 at the cost of the company and we were lucky that we had passed out driving tests in the appropriate years to drive that weight . We went to the nec last year and we noticed quite a few people who had children and looking for large vans to carry several people we pointed out the weight side of things to them . The dealers were non to pleased .
Kind regards Kate
 
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seanroberts037

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Hi Ambilkate & others,

This is the spec I have found: -
SPECIFICATION
Berths: 6
Designated Seats: 6
Conversion: Coachbuilt
Transmission: Manual
Engine Size: 2287mm
Year: 2016
Fuel: Turbo Diesel
Layout: Fixed Rear Bed
Width: 2.3m
Length: 7.18m
Unladen Weight: 3214kg
Max Weight: 4250kg
Payload: 1036kg

Sean :)
 

Minxy

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Hi Sean, welcome to the fun house!

Have you ever had a MH before and looked into in detail the pros and cons of living in one permanently ... whilst doing so may be a great idea in reality it might not live up to your expectations so please tread very carefully ... not saying it isn't right for you but not everyone will take to it. Also, when you add in the cost of sites, gas, electric etc it may not end up as cheap as you think it will compared to a house.

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DP+JAY

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Hi Ambilkate & others,

This is the spec I have found: -
SPECIFICATION
Berths: 6
Designated Seats: 6
Conversion: Coachbuilt
Transmission: Manual
Engine Size: 2287mm
Year: 2016
Fuel: Turbo Diesel
Layout: Fixed Rear Bed
Width: 2.3m
Length: 7.18m
Unladen Weight: 3214kg
Max Weight: 4250kg
Payload: 1036kg

Sean :)



At 4250kg you'll have a reasonable payload(don't believe the quoted 1036kg though).
You must have passed your test pre 1979 then.
 

Zigisla

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Only one word of advice don’t be too focused on one brand. I went to the NEC last October to eliminate one particular manufacturer as I had focused on another, but after looking at all together actually went for the one I intended on binning.:rolleyes:
Good luck with your search and remember many dealers give very good deals at these shows. But as advised earlier, unless you know this will be your forever MH, you can lose a lot of money if you buy new and you sell early.(y)
 
May 16, 2014
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Hi mpdcymru,

Passed test in the 80's & on my license entitlement I have: -
B/BE/C1/C1E - 107/D1 - 101/D1E - 101,119-fklnp 115

I did look on the Practical motorhome site & there was a link on there a while ago & it seems my license is ok.

Cheers
Sean
Hello Sean, yes, if you have category C1 on your licence you can drive a rigid vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes. The 107 restriction code on your C1E entitlement means that the combination of vehicle and trailer cannot exceed 8,250 kgs so you seem to be OK (not that it makes any difference but I very much suspect that you took your test before 1997)

Enjoy the show and your future motorhoming.

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scotjimland

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Would anyone know about full time motorhome pitches in or around Bristol

afraid there is no such thing as a 'full time' pitch ... Touring sites have maximum length of stay.. some it's 21 days others 28 days...

best bet is to join the Caravan Club and use CLs ( small 5 van sites) that have an official max. stay of 28days .. ... However, some may let you stay longer .. play that one by ear.. get to know the owner and be a good guest then ask about staying longer.. best not to inform anyone you are full time.. and or using your motorhome as living accommodation while working.. if that doesn't work out.. use two Cls alternating monthly

When we were full time that is what we used when living in the UK....

.
 
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afraid there is no such thing as a 'full time' pitch ... Touring sites have maximum length of stay.. some it's 21 days others 28 days...

best bet is to join the Caravan Club and use CLs ( small 5 van sites) that have an official max. stay of 28days .. ... However, some may let you stay longer .. play that one by ear.. get to know the owner and be a good guest then ask about staying longer.. best not to inform anyone you are full time.. and or using your motorhome as living accommodation while working.. if that doesn't work out.. use two Cls alternating monthly

When we were full time that is what we used when living in the UK....

.

Pretty rubbish considering most sites let you buy and live for 10 month in a static caravan.
 
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If you passed your category B (car test) after January 1997 you will be restricted to a van with a Maximum Authorised Mass not exceeding 3,500 kgs. As said above, you may struggle to get the equipment/layout/size you want n a van under this weight whilst leaving a reasonable amount for luggage etc.
3.5t is pretty mince. I am lucky as i passed in 85 ish but when i worked for Group4 CIT i had a 7.5t motor what took 8 cadges of coin. Each cage was almost a ton on its own. God how that motor went through brake pads :D

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Puddleduck

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Pretty rubbish considering most sites let you buy and live for 10 month in a static caravan.

Pretty sure the planning permission is different.

For a first van I would NOT buy new. Look at the vans around and check out how they would suit you and your lifestyle. There are quite a few vans that might suit you but you will need to look and visit a lot of dealers. Don't be too set on make and model as there are a lot out there and many are variations on a theme.
 
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sedge

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Whichever van you buy - all four of you get in it and pretend to live in it all at the same time - try the beds, try the bathroom, stand in the shower (take your shoes off first LOL) close the curtain or door and pretend to wash yourself - a lot of them don't have a lot of elbow room. Also you always need to be frugal with water in a normal sized touring van since the boiler heats only a limited amount of water. Try moving about when one of you is stood at the stove and sink (cooking and washing up)

Is there enough wardrobe room for ALL your clothes/changes of linen for every occasion year round?

I'm not saying it can't be done but think it's one heck of a tall order for 4 of you full time year round.

Plus of course - what are you going to do about a mailing address? You'll find it difficult with a PO Box or similar to even get motor insurance and in any case it will cost you a lot more than 'just' normal holiday use.

Even if you bought a static caravan on a large 'park' site - with the attendant (usually high, into 4 figures) 'services' costs, requirements to replace whole vans every so often, can't have anything built unless they build it and charge you extra etc - they often close for so long per annum, they are not always truly 'open all year'.
 
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Plus of course - what are you going to do about a mailing address? You'll find it difficult with a PO Box or similar to even get motor insurance and in any case it will cost you a lot more than 'just' normal holiday use.

Bloke who bought my motorbike lives on a barge and uses a mates address. Not ideal but his work around.

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Minxy

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I know a good site at Chapel Hill, Lincolnshire with static caravans ... probably too far for you though!!!
 

Ambilkate

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hI 4250 Is good but check out with water, Gas bottles , all your requirements then each persons body weight and hopefully you should be ok .
Kind regards Kate . just be careful some garages have a weight restriction on them it usually is on a little sticker or a metal plaque .
 

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