Newies in need of help (1 Viewer)

[cdts]

Hi. My partner and I have decided to take a year out and travel Europe as far as we can go. All the nooks and crannies. We have looked at so many motor homes but cannot decide. It has to be big enough to live in for a year but small enough to be practical. Is a TAG too big? Has any one done this and which which which van is recomended??
Thanks

 

[f6c]

newbies

It all depends on how much you want to spend.

Good Luck

 

[cdts]

Thanks.......about £45-£50,000

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Thanks.......about £45-£50,000

I have got loads of choice :thumb:

Separate bedrooms, loads of toys and like brand new, 750 miles only Autotrail Cheyenne 740 se Motorhome 2010

Have a look and come down to sunny (at the moment) Sussex.

Peter

 

[pappajohn]

i can understand the need for it to be practical sized but in my opinion even a tag axle isn't big enough.

living in a 20ft x 7ft 'box' for a year is a big ask.

some folks manage it but many don't....even some of those with large 35ft+ American RV's give up eventually.

 

[JeanLuc]

Have you read any books on the subject in which experienced full-timers give their opinions?

Here are a few:
"Go Motorhoming Europe" published by Vicarious Books. Currently sold out and a revised edition is due in December. There may still be copies of the current edition in some bookstores / Amazon etc. This was our main reference before we started motorhoming (not full-timing).
https://www.vicarious-shop.com/Go-Motorhoming-Europe.html

"Motorhome Buyers Guide" written, I believe, by Jim - Chief Funster
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"How Katie pulled Boris" - one couple's experience of touring Europe in a RV
http://www.howkatiepulledboris.com/

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[Wildman]

Only you know how much space you need, the larger the van the more places you cannot get into or park. Tag axles do attract very high toll charges on some roads. Vans over 3.5T have restrictions in a lot of countries (speed wise). More and more countries are adding their equivilent of the LEZ on major cities so do make sure any vehicle is LEZ complient it may then comply in Europe as well. If you intend taking a toad or M/Cycle use a trailer or proper bike rack, that as well poses parking problems but solves access to smaller places.

 

[The Lobster]

Why spend so much?

We've been researching our first MH for a while and one conclusion we have come to is that a MH approaching ten years old can be just about as good as new - if its been well looked after. We've also seen examples that hadn't been looked after of course - but typically this wasn't obvious from the photos, description - or price!

I'd recommend saving money and going for a good example of a really well built model (e.g. a larger Hymer) that is older - you could get an excellent spec. 7.7m example for £30k - e.g. this one Link Removed which I saw the other weekend (was looking for something smaller but it happened to be there) and which appears to be in fantastic condition.

You probably also want a model/make that is well known in Europe and hence easily maintained if things go wrong - again, like the Hymer.

-- Andrew

 

[JeanLuc]

If we were looking to buy or change today, I would give this serious consideration:
Link Removed

Not too big for easy access / parking, but maximises living space and has a really good bathroom area. Excellent build quality and specification - a premium motorhome. The only downside for long-term use might be the lack of a garage for storage, but there are underfloor lockers at the back, and Hymer's clever pull-out cycle/scooter rack.

In fact, I'm almost convincing myself!

p.s. If that seems too small for you, Peter Hambilton has a couple of really nice S820s as well from the same vintage, but they are rather more expensive.

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[cdts]

Thanks all for your replies.
We have read many books/articles, but I like individual advise and experience, straight from the horses mouth as it were.
We are trying to combine practicalities/enjoyment/life and budget. We have discounted brand new and have looked at motorhomes about 2 years old. Several people have recently said go older as the quality of build is much better?
It must obviously be reliable so we have taken on board the fact that we must stick to 'popular' makes etc.
We welcome any comments/advise from those that have done this and their experiences......and if you have a MH for sale???
cd