planning ahead (1 Viewer)

[sheilamarsco]

hi there, i am an elderly retired nurse and am thinking about buying a motorhome to travel around the uk for about a year. I don't know anything about motorhomes so am hoping someone will advise on what sort of motorhome to buy. I have a dog and three cats so would be taking them with me. I plan to rent out my house. I would hope to spend around 20k for a second hand MH I have over 40 years experience of driving so am not really concerned about the driving just would like to know what the best type would be for me. thanks. I put "planning ahead" as my title as I am thinking of starting out at the end of 2017.

 

[wigster]

 

[DBK]

Firstly, welcome to MHF! I suggest having a good look around the forum and read up the various posts from folk who are travelling in UK and Europe. This will give you a good idea that there is no "standard" MH, they are all very different and what suits one person perfectly might be loathed by another.
It would be worth thinking about where you want to go (Scotland in winter?) and whether you intend to use campsites/CLs or try and wild camp - that is trying to find places to stay where it is free. The latter can be done but it isn't easy in most of the UK, though it is tolerated in many parts of Scotland.

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[Dawn B]

Hi &

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[hilldweller]

I don't know anything about motorhomes so am hoping someone will advise on what sort of motorhome to buy.

We can't tell you what type of home to buy, we can't tell you what kind of MH.

You really need to visit the dealers, camera in hand, they are a good notebook. Better, take a trip south of the border to one of the big MH shows and sit in dozens of them. You'll see them posted up on this forum.

20K is a nice budget, no problem there.

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[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[magicsurfbus]

I would dare to suggest that the first thing to consider is where do you want to sleep? If you can't sleep comfortably you'll soon stop enjoying your motorhome.

Are you happy to make something else like a dinette or seating area into a bed whenever you need it, or would you prefer the bed to be permanently out and available? Do you want to be able to sit up in bed? Are you happy to climb a ladder into bed, and/or sleep over your cab? To my mind that determines the layout options, and that in turn will narrow down the models you consider.

You'll have plenty of choices of second hand MH for £20k or less.

 

[EX51SSS]

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[Bailey58]

to Fun. Some good advice above. They say it takes three before you settle on your perfect motorhome but even then it is a compromise especially touring the UK. Size matters in all respects, comfort when settled on site and hazards when touring places like Cornwall and elsewhere with narrow roads. Plenty of planning needed in the UK, bus stop to the nearest town outside the campsite if you don't want to head out every day in the van or a walk to the nearest pub. It's great fun searching for that first van though. Plenty on ebay or Preloved but heed any warnings you get about buying from these and other sources which can be dangerous for the unwary.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Hi Sheila in my book you are not elderly until at least 80!
My point is that you need to consider the MH weight if approaching, or over 70. Your current licence will have C1 which allows you to drive over 3500 kg weight but at 70 that entitlement is lost unless you are able to pass a medical. It can be easier to stick to under 3500 kg but many MH that advertise as being within that weight limit have almost no payload left especially as you are intending an extensive trip.

 

[scotzsue]

Hi Sheila welcome from another retired nurse.
Have a good look round all the dealers forecourts, go to shows, make a list of your must haves
No of seatbelts, will you travel alone or take friends/children/grandchildren. Do not consider a van which does not have the required no.
look at payload, have any van you are intersted in taken over a weighbridge, extras like solar panels, awnings bike racks extra leisure batteries will eat into your payload and in some cases exceed the permitted weight for the vehicle, before you even set foot in it.
Water and habitation heating. I like a gas/electric system, electric n hook up gas when off grid, present van has deisel it is good, but i still prefer combi gas and electric where you can use either or both.
Try out any bed for comfort and ease of use. in an older van the matress or cushions may be starting to give a bit.
Will you want it as an everyday vehicle, though as you mentioned a long trip peraps not.
When you find a layout you like hire a van with the same layout, go away preferably for a cold wet, miserable few days with few facilities, if you come back raving about it you're sorted.
Enjoy your search.

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[sheilamarsco]

Thank you so much a lot of good advice. I especially liked the importance of sleeping arrangements I hadn't thought of that so I will put that on my list when I go and have a look at local dealers. I also found the advice to hire for a week and see how things go helpful. trouble is that looking at the websites for local dealers who hire out they either don't allow pets or there is an age limit of 70 which I passed four years ago. I also wondered how feasible it would be to buy from a reputable dealer and then when I decide to sell whether they will buy back from me. the reason I am thinking about this is that I don't have parking facilities where I live so wouldn't be able to take the motorhome back to my home when my adventures were over!!

 

[gus-lopez]

There are places where you can store motorhomes, caravans, boats,etc for a monthly rent with good access generally.

 

[SGNV]

Hello and welcome. I am a single female intending to fulltime from the end of 2017. I have just bought my first motorhome, am collecting it on Tuesday (let's not mention the excitement I am feeling at the moment).

I'll just share some of the things I looked at. Weight, pay load, insulation/winterised (I am intending to stay in the UK). I wanted a proper bed, no settee needing to be made up, also not this drop down business. I have gone for single beds, the second bed will be ideal for storing my watercolour paper. Socialising is not important to me at all, no need for a u-shaped lounge. I looked at the lay-out of the dinette area, didn't want either the door or the kitchenette to be opposite it (this is so I can extend the working surface for painting).

Main thing is to think what you want to use it for, what is important to you. Then I looked for weeks on-line at all the various possible lay outs, most dealers have photos so you get some idea. But once you start adding up things like weight, winterised, your finances, in my case the single fixed beds rather than a double, you will soon find the options get less and less very quickly. As I full admitted I didn't really have a clue, no motorhome experience at all, I decided to use Bundesvan to discuss what I wanted, I then found about 6 vehicles I liked of which he said 4 would not be suitable for fulltiming, I then had him check over the one I liked best before going to have a look myself. I think the Caravan Club also offers the checking service, not sure if they would be willing to discuss with you what vehicle would suit your needs.

My reason for getting it now already is so that I can take it out all year (starting now in the middle of winter) and figure out what it is I need/want in order to actually live in it. I've already booked her in with VanBitz, I have no dog and I want an alarm that I can arm when I am asleep inside as I do want to wildcamp, constant use of sites is just too expensive. I want to test how long the leisure battery lasts in winter, she has a solar panel but at the moment I don't know what that does. But the solar panel and fitted gaslow system were ticks in favour of this one.

You will be amazed at the amount of help you get on this forum. Well worth spending lots of time trailing through threads. Once I had actually decided on which van to get a fellow owner got in touch and has gone well beyond the call of duty to give loads of valuable advice, thank you Tom!

Be prepared to get totally bamboozled by having to learn a totally new language and there seem to be millions of things to take into account. Just take your time over it, at one point I thought I'd never work it all out. To be honest, for me the biggest and scariest decision was actually the one to go and fulltime.

Have fun, it is an awfully big adventure!
Sophie

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[Bailey58]

Following on from @SGNV's post if you want to get the best from the forum pay the £15 to join and it will open up a wealth of advice and information, some of which you have already got. I think you are limited to 5 posts as a "read only".

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi and ,looks like you will have a wonderful time,all the help you need is here,as you already have found out!! Enjoy.

 

[sheilamarsco]

wow! fantastic post thanks. like you I want to travel and wildcamp (learnt a new word already) i'm not into socialising so again my requirements are similar to those you describe. what MH have you bought at least that would give me a start for comparison when I go and have a look. i'm taking my time as I have just returned from living in Italy and need time to readjust to life back in Scotland before starting off again. will be really interested to hear how things work out for you good luck. p.s. bailey I will now join up as it's such an interesting forum. thanks once again.

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[Carol]

Hi Welcome to fun, great way to spend your retirement I would say as you are over 70 be aware of the restriction of weight of vehicle can't be over 3.5tons unless you take a medical, also although the comfort of your bed is important with 4 pets aboard so is floor space, I would visit as many dealers as you can sit in the vans get a feel what it would be like spending time in there if you get wet weather , also make sure you have sufficient storage space (lockers) as you don't want the inside cluttered with out door stuff while travelling.
As had already been said the best thing you can get is £15 full membership as you only have 5 free posts then you won't be a able to ask further questions, best motorhome accessory you can have is fun membership.

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome.....

 

[Minxy]

hi there, i am an elderly retired nurse and am thinking about buying a motorhome to travel around the uk for about a year. I don't know anything about motorhomes so am hoping someone will advise on what sort of motorhome to buy. I have a dog and three cats so would be taking them with me. I plan to rent out my house. I would hope to spend around 20k for a second hand MH I have over 40 years experience of driving so am not really concerned about the driving just would like to know what the best type would be for me. thanks. I put "planning ahead" as my title as I am thinking of starting out at the end of 2017.

Hi Sheila, welcome to the fun house!

Right, back to priorities ... before you go anywhere near buying a motorhome to live in look into the feasibility of renting out your house as there are lots of things to consider there (I'm assuming you haven't done so before), such as where to get tenants and how to manage the letting, insurance (your own home insurance policy probably is unlikely to allow for letting), what happens if the tenants don't pay, or damage the property and more importantly what happens if you need to return home and use it yourself because of illness, or don't want to be on the road all the time. As you've not had a motorhome before you might find that you are happy to live in it for longish periods of time but not ALL the time so it might be better to make a provision for you NOT letting out your home at all and whether this is financially feasible.

Regarding your 3 cats and dog ... they may not like it especially if they've been used to being able to potter round in a garden etc at home ... some people do take them and have them on leads but cats especially don't always like this so something to consider.

Sorry, don't want to put a damper on your plans but sometimes you need to take a reality check first to ensure your dream doesn't become a nightmare.

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[two]

Hello. I’d suggest you list the things you plan to do in your m/h and be as thorough as possible (don’t forget your pets). Then prioritise your list. Now go to a large second hand dealer and look at vehicles within your budget, trying not to be distracted by models beyond your reach. The more you see, the better you’ll get at understanding values. You’ll also discover how different they can be. Study the different layouts and decide which one will suit you best. This is where your list will help to refine what’s likely to work for you. Imagine going through the activities you have in mind to confirm the layout you are looking at (if you swing your cats, you’ll need space for them). You’ll also get to appreciate how well (or poorly) different makes age with time. With luck you’ll find a model that you like and then spend your time searching the market for ones of that ilk. Payload will matter (the amount of weight you can carry), you can never have too much of it and some models are rather restrictive.

Join the forum. There is a lot to learn and you will have more than five questions to ask. Best of luck, I hope you enjoy the result.