Have We Done Right (1 Viewer)

Cliffy38

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Aug 29, 2013
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Have we done right ,our new motor home is sitting on the drive ready for the off now someone told my husband what a lot of money we have invested for the next ten years ,we had to do fiancé as we did not have that sort of money (who does) anyway this person reckons what with fuel , camp site fees and the monthly repayments it's not worth the investment , now all I can say is we have not gone into this lightly for three half years we have had a much older motor home and along with our beloved 3 dogs we have had some fantastic breaks and for me especially it's where I feel at my happiest , so although I take people opinion with a pinch of salt sometimes there always that thing that twirls around my head that says have I done the right thing xx
 

haganap

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Dec 5, 2007
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No you have not done the right thing. You have truly made a huge mistake and here I will explain why..:pinocchio:

10 years ago nearly to this day I borrowed 20k from Northern Rock and bought a 3 year old MH. At the time I had a child of 9 and one of 7. Many people (even some on here) told me I was mad borrowing such a large sum of money for a MH.

The problems started when we went away and met people and had what was called "fun" we slowly kept meeting these people and soon learnt about touring France with surf boards and Kayaks and skis loaded in the garage, with two small children enjoying themselves too much, just about this time Motorhome fun started.
Then came the big financial crash and that was that. We were forced to change our motorhome to a newer one and a bigger one because the world was due to end and in @hilldweller and @GJH own words the country would be eating bowls of rice for eternity as it recovered.
With the new van being bigger we ended up having to get a big dog to go in it too and this then meant that 5 of us were now having fun. Attending meets and making new friends and enemies on almost a weekly basis was becoming far too much fun and slowly but surely our bank balance was dying.

With more ski trips and more weekends away as a family we started to think to ourself this lifestyle wasn't for us. We were spending way too much time as a family and not allowing the kids the chance to hang out on street corners smoking crack as much as what they should be. This we thought was not right and as the kids kept coming along i often heard others say "I bet you wished you stayed at home every weekend and tended the garden"

The kids started to become young men and that faithful day arrived, the day the oldest one said " I don't want to come any-more" (unless we're going skiing) so 5 became 4 and we were yet again forced to go out and buy a beautiful newer MH by trading in our old one and only raising the payments slightly. But we now had a wonderful couples motorhome, and this presented a newer problem, a problem whereby that when we went away we got the reputation of being fun party people with a van big enough to accommodate 13 "pissed" up funsters. This then led to some very difficult Mondays as we recovered from our weekends.

Soon 4 became 3 as number 2 son opted for a life of studying at home at weekends and that just left me nikki and the bear dog. This then meant more problems, as a couple that love each other so much and worked hard all week, we found ourselves forced to spend quality time together away at weekends as well as trips to Prague, Germany, France, the lowlands etc etc.

We continued to meet people when away and make new friends and catch up with old ones oh and have fun and laughs and still get the ski trip in.

Now though it's nearly all over, as one child prepares to join the army and the other looks to choose a university, in 2 payments time, we would of paid off that big beast outside after 10 years of paying for it. I dread to think of what it has cost us financially in running it and keeping the 3 of them on the road over the years. And yes my house looks like its falling down because we are never at home to repair it.

So as you can see by the above, clearly you have made a huge mistake, stay at home and tend your garden instead and make your neighbours proud.

Hell, I might even go and buy a new one, especially with only 4 Mortgage payments to make too.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:(y)
 
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JackieP

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Mar 10, 2010
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You had confidence in yourselves when you made the decision to buy it. What's changed? A comment from a third party who knows nothing of you, your circumstances, your likes and dislikes? Pfft.

Don't look back - it's not where you're going. :)

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Roadracer2002

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Nov 14, 2014
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I'm in awe of the eloquence of somel the previous replies. We've only been owners for 7 months and have to admit, we've had our doubts too.

But, you only have to read the replies to your post to realise you have made a great choice. Someone told us when we bought our motorhome to use it and not let it sit on the drive. So long as you use it and enjoy it, then you have definitely made the right choice.

Get out there every spare day you have and have a great time.

We do!

Hadrian & Helen
 
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M1ke

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Mar 12, 2012
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I always point out to people that I have not spent X amount of £'s and that's it, it's gone? I have purchased a really desirable vehicle which is fairly unique in that it doesn't depreciate anything like other modern vehicles and should I really want to, I can sell it for near enough what I paid for it. Also, prior to my Motorhome, an average 2 week holiday for 3 would cost in the region of about £4k. The motorhome represents a saving of about £2.5k on that figure!

So in answer to your question, It is a daunting amount of money to spend, but in terms of enjoyment, and potential savings, you have done the right thing.

Mike
 
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Ja63

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Jun 28, 2015
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So Cliffy38......you are more than a month into ownership, have you made a decision yet about whether you did the right thing?

We've had some nice weather so have you been away nearly every weekend or has the van sat unused on your driveway?

I felt a bit sorry for your husbands acquaintance if he felt it necessary to sit down and work out the 'cost' of your 'mistake'. Motorhoming is not a cheap way of doing holidays but for us it offers flexibility that we just can't get by renting/hiring/booking package holidays, it means we can take our two little dogs with us if we wish. If we end up near someone who annoys us, we can move on (you can't do that in a hotel) and we can park somewhere with a view which you have to pay an extortionate amount for.....and still can't guarantee exactly the view you want... in a hotel etc.

I hope (because he sounds like a bit of a nasty piece of work) that he has sat there listening to your husbands tales of your adventures, turning green with envy because the most exciting thing he did that weekend was mow the lawn!!

Most of all, I hope you love your motorhome and get to use it loads so that you can just squash his concerns and tell him, with all honesty, that it was the best waste of money ever!

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Soozywoozy

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Feb 18, 2014
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Get a few trips under your belt and you will have best investment of freedom you've made. We didn't wait for retirement (still at least 15 years to go) but decided to invest in US. And our family. Older kids pick and choose accordingly to location (e.g skiing or fancy bank of mum and dad paying out for a country pub meal). Turn that key on a Friday night and you are instantly away. We have visited more of Europe than ever would have considered before, changed skiing holiday plans last minute to get better snow, glamped at Glastonbury and also stayed just 30 miles away. Oh - and met some really interesting people.
 
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Sue

Aug 13, 2014
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After our first trip just to test out the experience, we are ecstatic....it feels fantastic to have all those choices ( where shall we go next, how long for?)
Then we brought it home yesterday for the first time, all the neighbours came to look, all loved it, all wanted one.....
I have a feeling we just made the best decision ever!
 
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Carol

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Not a lot to add, you have had a van before you knew what you were doing, enjoying yourselves, enjoy every minute of your new van and just feel sorry for the person who gave you their opinion sound as if they have a lot of constraints and a bit of green eye, have to say it made me smile reading through the replies you have had.

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Theonlysue

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Sep 14, 2009
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Not long enough!
You enjoyed your old motorhome, why not your new one? As long as you use it :)
sometimes it just plain jealousy.
As for costs, try to minimise these, it may be cheaper to get a ferry abroad and stay on the free Aires, or just wildcamp a bit more. Perhaps local camping and caravan club meets, or motorcaravanners club are quite cheap, 6 to 10 pounds a night.its a great life!
 
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Shrimp

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It's your life, your money, your MH, they are only jealous.
To get the worth out of your MH just use it and enjoy it. Don't listen to the moaning minnies, it's s..d all to do with them!
Have fun, you only live once!
 
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injebreck99

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As a guide to the value of motorhomes, we were at our M/H dealers last weekend and out of curiosity we asked the salesman who sold it to us what it was worth now after 3 1/2 years of ownership, and were told that it was still worth what we paid for it.
Bear in mind that we did not buy it from new but 18 months old and 4.5K on the clock, virtually new and no big hit on the taxes. We are chuffed about this, and that's before we think about all the trips away we have had so far, and all the others to come.

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Jun 17, 2012
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I had a neighbour that commented I went away a lot (when I had a caravan)
She said she would rather buy new furniture than waste it on holidays. !!

My opinion may be biased, I drive a 21 yr old car but just bought a 3 yr old MH.
I sold a large house I had lived in for 24 ys and bought a Park Home.
I now have spare cash to waste on ME and HER, how selfish is that? :devil::devil:
Last year we had 9 weeks in France, we will do the same in 3 weeks time.
I remind my 2 sons we are off SKI ing.
Spending Kids Inheritance. :LOL::LOL:
 
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CWH

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cash to waste on ME and HER, how selfish is that?
Shocking. Terrible. How could you?
giggle.gif
 
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Jun 16, 2013
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Buying a MH has been the best choice for us as a family. We had always enjoyed camping, but there was an element of surviving the holiday when we camped. Loved the caravan but too much hassle. The MH was expensive, bought from new, but we thought 'why not'!

When we are home at the weekend we spend too much time on computers or doing jobs but when we are away we take time to sit and talk, go for long walks and play board games. Our eldest is 21 and will be coming with us to Europe, our youngest is 15 so have a few more years left with her.

My MIL sats don't you get fed up going away most weekends, i felt like saying dont you get fed up sitting in your house at weekends! My SIL has dogs and hates flying so has been toying with idea of getting a MH, but she keeps trying to decide purely on cost compared to hotels. I said you can not choose to buy a motorhome that way, you are choosing a lifestyle and buying a new MH never makes financial sense. You buy one if you like the lifestyle :)

We don't like holidaying in hotels, but like cruising to interesting ports Baltics etc. We do also own a time share in Florida which we rent out each year and only use it every few years. It majes a profit so no hardship there.

MH has also driven (pardon the pun) to try and retire early in a few years. Ignore the nay sayers they have no idea what they are talking about! :)

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mwark

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Apr 23, 2015
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Well Cliffy38. You already have years of experience in a motorhome while I have two days. We picked up our used Adria Twin camper van a few weeks back and this last weekend went camping down on the south coast. We really loved it.

My plans has always been to buy the van for a single four month trip in Europe, starting soon, and then sell it for hopefully not a huge loss. Far cheaper than renting a van for that time period, far nicer than backpacking around (done that, past that age).

But I now know that when the trip is over, it is going to be very hard to get rid of the vehicle. It opens up such a world of opportunity. Even when we're back at our jobs we can pop over to the continent any time we like, leave permitting.

Well, that's a decision for future me.
 
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Charlie

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There are no pockets in a shroud.

Anyone who points out the costs and anylises them is obviously missing the point. As many have said what price do you put on happiness and enjoying life ?

Of course you have done the right thing but if you need further proof just look in a mirror when you are packed for your next trip. The grin on your face will confirm you have indeed done it right !:D:D:D

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Ja63

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@Cliffy38 hasn't replied for a while......do you think it's because they are away in their motorhome having too much fun?

Hope so! :roflmto:
 
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Apr 21, 2015
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We bought our first MH last year after much deliberation....we searched and investigated and eventually took the plunge!
It was the best decision we have ever made. We have been away as often as we can, and are planning our first trip to France, something we never thought we would do.....
Yes it is a big outlay, and we are still learning how to budget, but it is a fabulous way to explore. As others have said it gives us freedom, esp as we have dogs....
Enjoy .....
 
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