9 metre A Class - advice please (1 Viewer)

[Dartagnan]

i initially wanted a pvc for our first motorhome for ease of parking and manoeuvrability but my wife who doesn't drive highlighted my flawed thinking
We have now found a new A Class with a totally different layout and is 7.5 metres in length! Whilst I have never driven a vehicle of that size I don't foresee much difficulty.
Whilst waiting for the funds to arrive in my bank account in order to make a firm offer for the vanI have been browsing the net looking at motorhomef for sale. BIG mistake.
I have come across a beautiful van which has clearly been well looked after and has some additions that I would have liked to add to the brand new van when finances permitted.
The problem is it is 9 metres in length (and more expensive at this stage). I would like to research this model further but am concerned about the size. What I would really like to know is how much is a 9m van restricted with regard to wild camping, sites and aires. I have never even seen an aire never mind parked on one so have no idea as to the difficulties that may be encountered. I was hoping some with relevant experience may be able to enlighten me. I know I couldn't park it at home as we live in a cul de sac with a very narrow road so would not be able to enter/exit the dive.
I would also like to know what other considerations I should take into account with a vehicle of this size. I do have C1 on my licence. I want research this vehicle option before I make a commitment on the brand new van and then possibly have buyers remorse.
Thank you in anticipation.
Martin

 

[Paul an Jane MK]

9 metres, that is roughly 29 1/2 foot long (if my calculations correct.) I had an American RV and that was only 27 foot long. It was pretty awesome vehicle and even had a bath all be it half length but great for the kids.

We predominantly bought it for motorsport so it spent most of its life parked in race paddocks but we did use it for a few holidays.

No longer envolved in motor sport we wanted to travel with the dog so bought a Motorhome again but European 6.3 metre long a mere 20 1/2 foot long.

I would say Motorhomes are all about compromise, every advantage invariably brings a disadvantage (e.g. Fixed bed no hassle making a bed every night against longer Motorhome and possibly less spacious lounge) so it is about deciding which things are most important to you.

You will have to plan ahead more with a big vehicle and be more careful where you take it. You will be more limited where you can stay and what car parks you can get in to, but we found sites to stay on and large super market car parks to use for shopping but I would say give it serious thought.

I had previously driven a 7.5 tonne lorry so not a complete surprise although mine was left hand drive as well.

 

[chaser]

i initially wanted a pvc for our first motorhome for ease of parking and manoeuvrability but my wife who doesn't drive highlighted my flawed thinking
We have now found a new A Class with a totally different layout and is 7.5 metres in length! Whilst I have never driven a vehicle of that size I don't foresee much difficulty.
Whilst waiting for the funds to arrive in my bank account in order to make a firm offer for the vanI have been browsing the net looking at motorhomef for sale. BIG mistake.
I have come across a beautiful van which has clearly been well looked after and has some additions that I would have liked to add to the brand new van when finances permitted.
The problem is it is 9 metres in length (and more expensive at this stage). I would like to research this model further but am concerned about the size. What I would really like to know is how much is a 9m van restricted with regard to wild camping, sites and aires. I have never even seen an aire never mind parked on one so have no idea as to the difficulties that may be encountered. I was hoping some with relevant experience may be able to enlighten me. I know I couldn't park it at home as we live in a cul de sac with a very narrow road so would not be able to enter/exit the dive.
I would also like to know what other considerations I should take into account with a vehicle of this size. I do have C1 on my licence. I want research this vehicle option before I make a commitment on the brand new van and then possibly have buyers remorse.
Thank you in anticipation.
Martin

One thing , if you are not certain what you want , I wouldn't be forking out for a new van, with all the attendant problems people seem to have with warranty work, far better get an older van at half the money and try that out, to see if it's what you want, you won't lose out when you sell it either as there is no where near the depreciation of a new van.

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[EuroTrotters]

Hi,

If you could just tell us what brand ?.

Having had four Motorhomes and driven many light trucks up-to 7500kG. I would say, once you get past 7m or 24 foot. Things can get difficult.

But al lot depends on chassis, drive and many other factors.

An 8m two RWD Mercedes sprinter will be a lot easier to manoeuvre than an 8m Fiat 3 axle.

But an 8m Fiat with 3 axles will be more stable, maybe not as safe if not fitted with ESP.

Aires can be very limited and tight !

Try to stay under 7.5 m

 

[TerryL]

I'm with Chaser here, having seen so many make the wrong choice and losing a huge chunk of cash. We took 18 months to find our van, luckily we got it right first time, but many low-mileage vans are sold because they didn't suit. Even hiring for a week is much better; yes it's relatively expensive but if it avoids a mistake then it's worth it.

Don't worry too much about size though, you'll soon get used to it. But as mentioned above there are considerations to make.

But most importantly make sure the layout is right - for both of you.

 

[Sheddy]

We have just spent 4 weeks touring France in our 8.5m tag Rapido, with very few problems. We stayed mainly on Aires but with one week on an Acsi site in Avignon. We were refused access to a municipal site on the Loire because we were 3 axles but moved on to a lovely aire nearby. The ' All the Aires Book' does include a suitability symbol for vehicles in excess of 7m, so 'tight' Aires can be avoided.
Cheers
Ed

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[makems]

We have had a 9m Burstner for the last 3+ years and toured much of Europe and Morocco with very few problems due to the vans length.
The main problems are on some campsites where the access roads are narrow. But since we mostly wild camp and use aires this doesn't bother us much.
If you are looking at 9m vans ours is for sale

 

[sallylillian]

I have a 9.2 metre N+B Flair, prior I had a 12 metre. The 12 metre was a problem not insurmountable but another issue is height which was at 4 metres. We decided to downsize to a 9 metre van which we do not find a problem in general, but the skills we obtained with the Yankee has paid dividends. If you are looking at a 9 metre I would suggest that you get some training in large vehicle handling, go to your nearest HGV training company and get some lessons it will be worth the money if you plan to proceed.

 

[Nirvanauk]

I would always suggest renting one as a first step just to see if its what you really want. We did and it paid dividends.

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[BONZO]

We have a 31ft and have no worries about where we can fit . It's common sense. We love our camper. It drives like a dream.

 

[Dartagnan]

Thank you all for the replies. Valid points in every one to give me food for thought.
Decisions, decisions. I used to think I was indecisive but I'm not so sure now

 

[Donkster]

I have a 9 metre motorhome and i'm happy with it had it 10 years now. I would suggest hiring one that size for a week and give it a try because if your not comfortable driving that size it will be to late once you sign the papers. I hope this helps

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[funflair]

We are 8.5 metres and wont go any bigger as it would restrict us slightly, we might try to go down to 8 metres next time but its not a big issue and we dont want to loose the room that we have now so a compromise might have to be made down the line.

Martin

 

[tacr2man]

Mine is 12mtrs and yes the bigger you get the less easy it is from the pov of sites , but it just means you have to do a bit more prep . The average length seems to be going up as people want more payload and space , and expectations of comfort rise. In the end its what you want out of the experience , at 9mts you are still not in the range where restriction on access is a big factor and also with euro vehicles you are also not LGV width which tends to be a factor in ease of travel on some of our narrower roads (A31) . With regard to aires its time of arrival that makes the biggest difference

 

[Littlewheels]

I do think it would help if you simply stated the Make and Model ie: B Class Cab model is completely different to a A Class Coachbuilt in height,weight,etc you would get a much more qualified view on the driving experience.

Additionally you do not state your usage ie: Holidays,Long term use,Numbers 2/4 etc,UK/Europe.

A investment of? I’m guessing £75/100k needs serious consideration and a little more of your future Motorhome lifestyle would bring more beneficial advice.

Me: 9.00+ metre go anywhere stay anywhere without any problems with due consideration.

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[Darcar]

9 meters is quite long, but it’s I don’t find the length a problem,
I’d be much more worried about the width anything to wide is a pain, smashed wing mirrors ! Gets very annoying.
As most of the the advice on here have said, get some experience with a big vehicle before you dosh out your cash...
have fun whatever you do...
darcar.

 

[gus-lopez]

OP has had health problems which has curtailed anything at the moment.
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/time-to-drop-the-dream.160432/

 

[fireblade2000uk]

Very interesting reading. We jumped in very quickly and purchased a E769 (considering that this is our first purchase) and whilst she is a big brute we love her. The only problems we seem to encounter is a limited number of sites in the UK that can take us. Super size pitches fully serviced are our preferred option which further restricts our options. By the time we've hooked our Peugeot 108 on the back we are quite a unit!

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[Donkster]

There are some restrictions but the extra space makes it worth while.

 

[Speve]

One point worth thinking about is if you are unable to keep it at home do you have somewhere close to keep it?and also would you be happy with that? As I know i would be lost if I couldn’t have the van at the house as I’m always doing something on or to it and to have to travel to a storeage facility and remember everything you need to take to do anything would be a bind

 

[Donkster]

One point worth thinking about is if you are unable to keep it at home do you have somewhere close to keep it?and also would you be happy with that? As I know i would be lost if I couldn’t have the van at the house as I’m always doing something on or to it and to have to travel to a storeage facility and remember everything you need to take to do anything would be a bind

Hopefully if you buy a motorhome that big you would have thought about where your going to park/store it.

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[karalal]

View attachment 175712 We have a 31ft and have no worries about where we can fit . It's common sense. We love our camper. It drives like a dream.

What model kontiki is that

 

[Emmit]

Just remember to buy another clock for the rear of the 'van.
It will be in a different time zone to the front

 

[Peter and Julie]

We rented an Autoquest 180 (great van) several times before deciding on an Autotrail Comanche tag axle. Reasons being LOTS more space, no faffing around making up a bed every night. Also it is definitely worth getting HGV lessons as although I have driven 7.5t wagon all over Europe on a C1 initially we were looking at an RV so took the C class test. Also never as yet had a problem with length of van. Living space was our deciding factor.

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[Delboyarapaho]

We have only ever had large vans as we value the space and storage for more than we worry about parking. It can be a problem but I cant imagine going down to 7.5m solves that too much. If you are confident to drive it and want the space go for the larger van would be my advice but as everyone says life is full of compromises and choosing a van is no different