First Motorhome (1 Viewer)

sjoyce666

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Hello all, first post here as we are looking to purchase our first motorhome

We are a family of 5. 2 adults and 3 children aged 6, 4 and 4

I have been looking on AutoTrader, eBay, Gumtree and a few local Motorhome dealers websites for motorhomes that would suit our requirements and wondered if anyone could help out with models that may meet what we are after

We basically require 6 full seatbelts and we like the layouts with rear lounges as the children can sleep up front on the dinette and the over cab bed and we can use the rear lounge while they are asleep and convert that to a bed when ready to sleep ourselves

I have read various threads on here about the hassle of making up the beds all the time with a rear lounge but that is going to be a necessary evil with the size of our family. I have also read about the weight limits and fitting all of us in a 3.5ton motorhome. I will do the C1 test if required but I haven't found many motorhomes that use a stronger chassis to require this and understand with us all on board we will not have a great deal of weight left for "stuff"

We will be buying used, probably from a dealer as it will be our first motorhome. Budget up to £30k but would like to be closer to the £20k end if possible. Looking at the ones for sale they seem to be between £20k and £30k and up to 10 years old

The models I have found tend to be Elddis, Swift, Compass and a couple of Bessacarr. I need to do some more research into the build quality of these so if anyone has anything to add please do. I have also found a Bailey and a Dethleffs but these are right at the top of and a little over the budget

Scott
 
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mercianman

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Hi. We were in a similar situation to you an eventually went with a swift 696 which has 2 bunk beds at the back. This has a weight of 3650 though. We also looked at the roller team zefiro 675 (3.5t) which also has bunk beds. We tried the lounge at the back in some hire vans but rapidly lost the will to live mucking about with beds so went for fixed beds instead. They also have an added bonus of a "garage" at the back for kids bikes and other stuff. Try before you buy is my advice :)
 
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TerryL

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Hi and :welcome3:

You really need to go out and look at different layouts "in the flesh" to see what suits, or not as the case may be. A decent sized dealer with a variety of different vehicles is ideal, although the bigger shows are useful too. Imagine yourselves living in each one, sleeping, cooking, bathroom etc. plus storage for necessary gear. When we were looking we made a list of "needed", "would like" "don't want" and kept a note of each one we looked at until we found the right one. It's worth doing because getting it wrong can turn out to be expensive and may possibly put you off.

A good start would be to get a copy of Jim's book "Buying a Motorhome". Go to Jims Shop.

Good luck in your search and don't to forget to ask away - there's no such thing as a stupid question.

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CWH

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Hello and welcome to the Fun
upload_2016-8-4_22-18-19.png
 
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Popeye

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When I first looked around Motor-Homes in your sort of price range I too had occasional need for six seat belts and found one in an Autotrail Scout where a dealership had fitted two more additional seat belts in the rear lounge so I know it can be done. This one doesn't have it and I don't think I've ever seen another one but then I haven't been looking.

How about this then.......

edit. ps. sorry, I see it is now sold.
 
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sjoyce666

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Thank you for all the replies

We plan on hiring one before we buy if possible to try out the layout and check we can all fit in there and keep under weight etc...

We think we are pretty settled on the rear lounge idea as it will give us the maximum space. I understand the fixed beds idea but I think they take up too much space and the children prefer to use their scooters than bikes so we could get away with smaller storage at the rear and under the motorhome

Scott
 
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:welcome4:. Best of luck with your search its all about compromise . Be very wary of dealers telling you van is 3500k though, insist on any van you buy be taken to a weighbridge . Too many vans i reckon are sold not fit for purpose weight wise . Damp is also a concern ,get an independent damp check done, its a van killer . Just my opinion sounds like im a doomsayer im not .

Best of luck you will love the life (y)
 
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mercianman

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Don't forget with the put away beds you'll need to store five sets of bedding somewhere as well as all your other stuff. So make sure there is enough storage space for all the duvets, sheets and pillows and all the other stuff you need. If you need more living space then you could look at an awning. We haven't needed one yet though. Good luck with your search it's been brilliant for us.

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sjoyce666

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:welcome4:. Best of luck with your search its all about compromise . Be very wary of dealers telling you van is 3500k though, insist on any van you buy be taken to a weighbridge . Too many vans i reckon are sold not fit for purpose weight wise . Damp is also a concern ,get an independent damp check done, its a van killer . Just my opinion sounds like im a doomsayer im not .

Best of luck you will love the life (y)

We are very wary of the 3500kg limit so will be checking that on all vans. We will look at getting independent checks carried out and be looking to take someone with us that has several years of motorhome experience to give us their feedback on things which we may miss as first timers

Don't forget with the put away beds you'll need to store five sets of bedding somewhere as well as all your other stuff. So make sure there is enough storage space for all the duvets, sheets and pillows and all the other stuff you need. If you need more living space then you could look at an awning. We haven't needed one yet though. Good luck with your search it's been brilliant for us.

The bedding is a good point and obviously impacts on the weight. We would probably add an awning if the motorhome we buy doesn't already have one and will probably go for a Safari Room

Scott
 
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deleted-member02

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This layout would work well for a family, local to you, so perhaps worth a look ?

I'd also suggest Laika 3002 kreos, Hymer 684 or 682.
Rimor make several similar models, although build quality is debatable.

Welcome to fun and good luck with your search !
 
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sjoyce666

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This layout would work well for a family, local to you, so perhaps worth a look ?

I'd also suggest Laika 3002 kreos, Hymer 684 or 682.
Rimor make several similar models, although build quality is debatable.

Welcome to fun and good luck with your search !

Thank you for the reply but we set on the rear lounge layout. The linked motorhome also doesn't have the required number of seatbelts to transport all of us

We will check out the other models suggested

Scott

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EyUp

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We just went through a similar process and settled on the Eldiss 180 as we felt it ticked more of the boxes than any other model. We looked at loads but always ended up sitting back in the 180.
A rear lounge was important for use too and realistically, is it really any hassle moving a few cushions about at the end of the day? Nope :)
Having a fixed bed is wasted living space IMO and most of the ones we looked at have chamfer shaved off the mattress ! Not good if youre tall and sleep on that side.

The 180 has full six belted seats though we dont need that, we just wanted a roomy van and can use that area for a quick pit stop chow downs :) Some of the other vans we looked at had jump seats hidden in the lounge seating. Good idea, but I wouldnt want to sit on one for more than ten minutes. Kids would probably be ok but teens may get fidgety.

Hope you find your ideal van Scott.
 
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sjoyce666

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Thank you for the reply carhil

The 180 has come up in our search too both in Elddis and also Compass guises. The other one that has popped up alot is the Swift 630L

The major worry in all of this is the 3500kg weight limit as with 5 of us and enough for a week away we will be close to the weight limits of the motorhome

Scott
 
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Twins eh? I feel your pain :).

We always said we wouldn't change them for the world but we wouldn't wish it on anyone :D. Ours are in their 20's now and still costing money.

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BONZO

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try Brownhills at Newark they are very good now . They did have a bad rep but have sharpen there pencil we have had two from them . They are very helpful and not pushy . GOOD LUCK .
 
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Scout

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just take your C1 it will give you much more choice...

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Kevan

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It does not matter what you like, with three kids, remember storage is GOD, look at the storage first then work out your sleeping needs.;)
 
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sjoyce666

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I have now subscribed for the year so I can reply to some of the previous comments

Twins eh? I feel your pain :).

We always said we wouldn't change them for the world but we wouldn't wish it on anyone :D. Ours are in their 20's now and still costing money.

Yeah twin 4 year old girls and a 6 year old daughter so I'm definitely outnumbered. They can be a handful at times and I don't think they'll ever stop costing us money

You can get mh with bunk beds as well.

We want the rear lounge to give us added space if we are stuck inside and I think bunk beds take up too much space


Only 4 seatbelts

just take your C1 it will give you much more choice...

I will take the C1 but what extra choice does this give me. It's hard enough to find a 6+ berth with 6 full seatbelts without worrying about the weight. If there's something over 3500kg I'll take the test

It does not matter what you like, with three kids, remember storage is GOD, look at the storage first then work out your sleeping needs.;)

We manage to fit everything we need for a week away in the back of our Alhambra when we holiday here so I don't think storage will be a major problem

Does anyone know if the Burstner A747 can be bought with a rear lounge layout? The one's I have found have a fixed rear bed which is a waste of space as we can use a rear lounge during the day if we needed to but with a fixed bed you can't. I see these are twin rear axle too and have a 5000kg MTPLM which I assume would give us a decent sized payload. I know I will need to take the C1 test to be able to drive one of these but as said that is not a problem

Scott
 
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If you took your C1 then there would be more bans to choose from and more payload. Your girls are young at the moment so you can control what they take and they don't weigh much. I have two daughters the want to take lots and they grow! I would look for layout and payload. Then you also have the option of bike rack etc

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sjoyce666

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If you took your C1 then there would be more bans to choose from and more payload. Your girls are young at the moment so you can control what they take and they don't weigh much. I have two daughters the want to take lots and they grow! I would look for layout and payload. Then you also have the option of bike rack etc

I don't know what else I can say about the C1 test

Find me a 6+ berth motorhome with 6 full size seatbelts, rear lounge, in budget and I will take the test before we buy it. As yet I haven't found anything

Scott
 
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Scout

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have a look at an ararphaho, theres some on ebay to look at, 6 seatbelts were an option so not all have 6 belts, they will carry the wieght you will require with all those kids 4500kg to 5000kg on newwer ones..
if you a c1
 
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deleted-member02

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Dethleffs Advantage A7781-2 is exactly what you're asking for.
However, I do think you're making an error of judgement by ruling out other layouts.
You're assuming the kids will be happy sharing beds for the foreseeable future.
In my experience, they'll want their own space soon enough...
A seven berth would usually have at least five belts, separate sleeping areas for each child and vital storage space that you'll inevitably need.
Kids grow up so quickly, I'd think ahead unless you plan on changing van in a couple of years...
 
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