American motorhome: car or truck? (1 Viewer)

[hotchocolate]

Hi,
We're new to this whole motorhome thing but I've got the traveling bug. There are 4-6 of us (mostly 4 but we need to accommodate the others too ) and we'd like to travel through Britain and Europe. So far we looked at the European motorhomes and decided we'd kill each other within a week. The american ones look good but sooooooo wide. Are they a pain to drive in Britain on the smaller (not teeny) roads?
Are they a problem to park overnight somewhere? What mileage compared to the European ones of the larger size? Etc, etc......
Any other tips?
Btw, I'm female and will be doing the driving, so not that strong or large!

 

[dj motormouth]

Hi

Driving is not a problem. Americans are laxy sods so are as easy as anything. Join the sister site rvoc.co.uk.

It is the same as here but only deals with eople who are fanatical about rv's.

You will find loads of help - and be convinced that is the way to go.

Michael

 

[chatter]

Hi and welcome, I drive the unit in the avatar and im female

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[vwalan]

no. get a mini artic like mine . hee hee . much better.
thats mine in my avatar and i,m childish . getting younger by the minute . ha ha .

 

[Larrynwin]

Hi Hot chocolate, the first thing to consider is your licence, did you pass your test prior to Jan 1997, if yes you are OK to drive a motorhome or RV up to 7500kg gvw , with a trailer up to 8250kg gtw. If not you will need to take and pass a test for C1 group.
As far as driving in this country and Europe , no problem, if buses and emergency vehicles can get there so can an RV.
There will be limitations but there are with most motor homes.
Have you the nerve and skill to drive an 8ft wide lhd vehicle, its not that difficult with practice and you dont need brute strength with power steering and an auto gearbox.
Parking is not difficult, if no room at home you will probably find local storage .
Most are petrol with large engines and it is best to find one with LPG conversion to keep fuel costs down. On LPG would equate to around 18mpg, on petrol just 10/12mpg so not cheap to run.
RFLicence £165 at present , insurance variable.
If you are still interested take a look at the dealerships, lots to look at. If you were to go for one get proof of gvw as 7500kg is possibly critical.
Might be worth logging on to our sister site for advice www.rvoc.co.uk which is dedicated to RVs.
Good luck

 

[pappajohn]

Generally takes me around 10 minutes to become accustomed to the width, length and driving position (LHD) each time out.
I spend most work days in a Citroen Berlingo van so its a big difference.

lane 'guidance' is helped if you have a couple of reference marks on the windscreen....i have a sticker on the near side which, from my seating position, should line up on the verge, this puts me around 12" from the edge.
when the centre screen pillar is on the white line i'm around 12" off the line....some narrow roads mean i cant see the centre line so must be over, or very close to it.

main thing to watch for is white van man coming the other way in a 7500kg truck (bread delivery trucks are the worst) ......his mirrors will be replaced by his employer and he'll get nowt more than a bollocking....you pay for yours, at maybe £250/£300 a time, and he may well take yours off and wont stop.

i have a 6.8ltr Ford V10 on petrol with an LPG conversion and get around 8MPG on gas, 10MPG on petrol.

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[vwalan]

to be honest if you are thinking of getting a big rv or anything like it have a chat to your local hgv school its woth a few days out with them even if you never take the hgv test. its a different world in a big vehicle .you do have to think totaly different to small vehicles . placing yourself in the right position for sharp corners or reversing is easily taught but you may never work it out if you dont get the training.
if you go on the rv site have a word with rick . i,m sure he will do you a good deal at his driving school . you will thank him for sure.
you might even like it and end up taking your test . another string in the working bow .

 

[hilldweller]

There are 4-6 of us (mostly 4 but we need to accommodate the others too )

Not easy to carry 6 in safety. 6 adults would overload most European motorhomes so you are probably going to have to look at RV.

Not much privacy for 6 in such a small space. European toilet would not last long.

 

[vwalan]

hi you can get an iveco daily now thats upto 7ton .they drive very easily and are a big one in the euro campers league.
the world of campers is changing all the time .there wasnt so much choice at one time but euro builders have been making big motor homes for several years now.
course if you go 5er you can go up to about 11ton with the right tow truck. keep looking and have a go in as many as you can .you will know when you get the right feeling.
power steering is very common . you can drive most bigger vehicles now with one finger.

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[hotchocolate]

Thanks

Thanks for the input! I joined the other site and will have a browse around there. Just found out my driving licence does not cover these....
Sigh

 

[Dodgey]

Thanks for the input! I joined the other site and will have a browse around there. Just found out my driving licence does not cover these....
Sigh

That's going to make any decent sized van an issue, on the bright side talk to Rick, motorroaming here and rvoc as he does driver training and DOES know his stuff:thumb:

Good luck.

 

[slobadoberbob]

seat belts for 6 .. not common

In my RV = American Motor Home.. I have 7 belted seats .. 4 forward facing one rear and two side.

As mentioned it is a question of your driving licence entitlement.... do you have a C1 entitlement or have you a B licence? if you have a B you will not be able to drive even the smallest RV. Some are small.. mine is 23'9" and still comes in at 5 tons... most are around the 7.5 tons.. under you are OK on a C1 entitlement over and you have to go for a C which is an HGV... cost up to £2k ish to take that sort of licence so I am told.

I also jump from RHD to LHD drives with no problems.. and if a dust cart can get along a road then an RV can.

Suggest you go to a few shows and have a look about and see what is available.. Also it all depends also on your budget.

Bob