What is the right motor home for me (1 Viewer)

[hamlet]

Hello, I am new here, have created a member ship and introduced myself ( I hope all in the right way !

Ok, I want to buy a mobile home to live in for minimal 1 year,me I am Thelma, and my dog Maia.
I cannot affort a mistake in this, like we all, because of the money side.
The organisation of the legal side is under controle as I have a house ( my resedence) in France.
So I have a Dutch passport ( just renewed for 10 years in Munchen) a french driving licence, a little Hyundai which I will sell on french plates and an at the moment in rented accommodation in Austria.

I will buy my camper van in France, ( I think) in the start of september, when they all return from there summer holidays and the prices go down ( I hope). This means I don't have the (big) problems of importing the van into France. ( And the extra costs ).

I can affort about 8000 Euro (5600 Pounds). It is going to be an old one.
Have been looing first when this idea started here in Tirol, austria, but much to expensive ! Not really a camper van country. Then I looked in Germany, for me just over the border. There is a lot of choice and they make really good motorhomes, but then I was told about the really big problems the french make with the import and costs, so now it has to be a French owned camper van.

That is no problem, I speak the language well as I lived there for over 40 years, the problem is, what to buy. I want a complatly self sufficient one ( so I don't need to hook up all the time ) and if poss not longer than about 5 meters, so I can fit in in moost parking places.

The little old Hymers on Fiat Ducato seem to be the best, but I worry about the Fiat bit. It seams some had gear problems and so on, a merc or ford would be better.
It will be a van from 1993 to 1998 ( if I am lucky ). Some say, better a good bit of miles on the clock than a van that has stood to much to long. I can probably only afford a 1.5 diesel and I think I need at least power steering.

I am not going on motorways, but I will go in the mountain area's of the Alpes and the pyrenees, but just let people pass. I have all the time in the world !

There is enough money for normal live, using free camper places, France Passion, staying on really cheap rural farm camings and sometimes join some others in the wild. The money of the Hyundai will be my extra for repairs ( but it's my home, so than I will have togoin a hotel ) The insurance will be ok, only driver and 50 % bonus build up.

So ,leaking any technical know how, which motorhomes will be the best in my case ?

Any feedback will be much appreciated !

Sorry for spelling mistakes !

Thelma (Hamlet, because there is already a Thelma )

 

[davejen]

Hi, Thelma, welcome to the "club" I would look at as many m/homes as possible to see which layout is best for you, and then decide, just don't jump in at the first one you like.
Hope this helps,
Cheers, Dave

 

[Baycott]

Hi Thelma and welcome to MHFun
WOW that's a lot of questions for your first post
I think you need to decide on a layout first and foremost as you will be living in it full time. Try and imagine the rainy days when you will be stuck "indoors" all day.
You mentioned 50% discount on your insurance. Please make sure this is transferable to a motorhome as lots of companies will not transfer from a car to motorhome.

Good luck in your quest, I hope it all works out for you.

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[Southdowners]

Hello and welcome!

 

[berni109]

Hi, never done full timing but do u want to be making a bed up 365 days a year. Friends told us to go for a fixed bed before we bought ours and that proved to be good advice.
U also need to consider the amount of insulation for the winter months unless u are going south.
We have a 6mtr PVC which is fine for a month but I think u might need a coachbuilt for the extra storage.
Hth

 

[Wildman]

hi and welcome Thelma my concern would be living full time summer and winter in a van too small to hold everything you need and not enough roof space to fill with solar panels. The size of gas bottle the van will hold must be considered. A fixed tank or other refillable tank will be needed to keep costs down. Those are my concerns for you, however you could have a small van and tow a box trailer for additional space. Keep posting, you have 5 free posts after which you must subscribe, but you will save that subscription over and over again.
Good luck.

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[mjltigger]

Hi Thelma.

As soon as I saw the title I thought.. here we go... the question is one we all struggle with to begin with and some long term owners here haven't really worked it out yet.. there are hundreds of not thousands of options and only you will know the right one for you. All the ideas above are spot on but you need to look look look...

 

[Momo]

Hi Thelma and welcome to the Fun!

 

[hamlet]

Hello again, and thanks for all your answers and concern !

I should perhaps tell a bit more about myself. I have grown up in Holland in a very cold house. In winter only the kitchen was heated. To look out of my bedroom window in winter, I had to blow a little round .

In the south of France ( where I have been living for over 35 years now), I lived, very remote, without electricity for 3 years. Water came from a fourage and was pumped up with the generator once a week to fill the tank behind the 3 x 3 stone, two story place we lived in. Lived like that till we had enough money to build the house.

We , my at that time english partner and me, toured through France in an old Cheltenhelm camper towed by a toyota 4 x 4 pickup for a year. That lovely old little camper went to places were no camper had ever been,only little tents.

I have never lived in a house with central heating ( have allways heated with wood stoves) and hate it when I am staying at friends, much to hot and dry. And always have the window open in the bedroom, need the fresh air and the contact with the birds and the sky.

So, what is concidered to be cold by others is not the same for me. I find it normal in winter to ware a thick jumper inside and not go round in a T-shirt.

Stil, I agree, that in the winter months, I will need to heat my motorhome ( not when I am under the duvets), but in the evening and in the morning and sometimes even all daylong.

( Do you know how much heat is given by some tealights and candles ? It's amaizing.)
I am thinking about slowely decending to the south part of Portugal when de days are getting longer. I know from experience that the real cold in the south of France starts after the 21 th of December.

Would like to find a really small camping far away from the coastal reagion, with good walking and hiking and rural unspoiled beauty to make up camp for perhaps 2 months ? Really I have to find it all out, but for me this is all about the freedom of moving, nature, adventure, meeting people and in a motor"camping"home.

With this new trent of bigger and luxer motorhomes with TV's everywhere ( I have not looked for 3 years) and glassy cupboards with champain glasses with spot lights on them, the real camping spirit is lost.

But then, being a big believer in freedom -and very happy with the fact that we are all different -that makes live fun.

But I have to be realistic and therefore are most interested in Motorhomes that are known to have a good insolation, like the old hymers and are now studing all the websides about overwintering, heating, isolating and so on. Some very good info from people in Canada.

My big question remaines, who knows, from experience, what is a good small motorhome, for all year use and only one person and a dog ?

Thanks for any replay,

Thelma

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[Eve]

Hi Thelma
The word Comfortable stands out to me,you will have to compremise on something's as you want a small van!!!
I lived full time in a large van for 10 years,8mtrs and still had to learn to live very basically.

My advice would be a panel van with a seating area at the back long enough and comfortably enough to make in to a bed,with storage under,preferable able to access from back doors.
Toilet and shower,plus kitchen area to the fore,swivel seats??,small table that folds down!!
Last but not least solar panel plus inverter,12 volt system,charges I pad plus phones,Mi Fi for communication.
The world is your oyster,enjoy,everyday is a gift