Advice on buying our first MH (1 Viewer)

[Sun Seekers]

Hello.

We have just signed up to this forum and we have lots of questions!

We are looking to buy a 6 berth MH which must have rear bunk beds. Which makes and models would anyone here recommend?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

:thanks2:
Kelly

 

[Terry]

Hi & welcome :thumb: ask away The best thing is go out and look at what van suits your needs at shows or large dealers, then shop around for one :thumb:
terry

 

[hilldweller]

We are looking to buy a 6 berth MH which must have rear bunk beds.

Alarm bells ring when I see that.

Some "6 berth" haven't got safe seating for 6 people nor can they carry the weight of 6 people. Absurd but keep your eyes peeled.

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Hello.

We have just signed up to this forum and we have lots of questions!

We are looking to buy a 6 berth MH which must have rear bunk beds. Which makes and models would anyone here recommend?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

:thanks2:
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

This what you are looking for?

 

[Jim]

Alarm bells ring when I see that.

Some "6 berth" haven't got safe seating for 6 people nor can they carry the weight of 6 people. Absurd but keep your eyes peeled.

A lot more are being produced with as many 3 point belted travel seats as there are berths. Our last European had six proper belted travel seats. The problem lies with the sideways facing seats, they don't make good travel seats.

Most 6 berths have a dinette which sleeps two, an overcab double and the main double. so unless the dinette has 4 travel seats then you have problem as you are likely to only have 4 travel seats and no chance of retro fitting any.

get yourself along to some motorhome shows, there are hundreds of models at every show, you will soon find something suitable, Best of luck and welcome to the fun:thumb:

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[scotjimland]

As mentioned before, you will need a lot of space and big payload if six are going to travel and live in a van for up to six months..

I'm thinking you need an RV .. not necessarily a big A class, there are plenty of good sized C class that would fit the bill..

 

[haganap]

I suppose being on my 2nd bunk bed model MH i must count as the expert on here

BY the way you mention 6 berths it sounds like you need sleeping for 6.?

We have an Adria coral 670sk with side bunks. Creates loads of room by incorparating the cab, but only 4 belts and and a payload for 1 (just being uprated to 4.1t to cure this) Excelent van for all season and very well made. :thumb:

Prior we had a CI 656. I recon probably the most underated manufacturer out there for a family. Solid as arock, simply made, sturdy vans. Can travel with 6 belts, but unfortunately the layout does not work for a large family for touring or for winter, (or should i say our family and way we motorhome) but decent payload and reliable enough with plenty of good deals on used.

Autoroller (basically same as CI) have a decent range of side rear bunk model the 7. decent enough but inspect the build quality thouroughly.

Mooveo- another cheaply manufactured MH with rear bunks and in two different models. Available on renault chassis.

All decent vans with there pitfalls, Like Peter says Swift have had a go too.

Of course it depends ultimately on what you want to spend and how plush you want to go?:thumb:

 

[Sun Seekers]

Thanks for those replies :thumb: We are soaking up all the information that we can get so that's been a great start!

Let me explain what we 'think' we are after having been looking around a few dealers so far..

By the way it's all quite confusing..A class, B class, C class, overcab, fixed this, fixed that etc. It's a whole other world!:helpsos:

There are just going to be 3 adults travelling with 2 doggies. We don't want our doggies up on the furniture where we would be sitting so a great idea seemed to be rear bunk beds. I would sleep on the top one while our girls, Honey and Poppy get the bottom one to lounge about on and sleep on at night. Due to the fact that we are looking at being in the MH for 6 months, my mum and dad are wanting an overcab to sleep in rather than having to make up a bed every night. As for the seating we think the twin bench style looked more spacious and comfortable. When I say twin bench I don't know what the actual layout is referred to as but I hope you know what I'm mean? Oh, we also need a large garage.

I know we haven't got a clue but that's what this forum is for, right? We are planning to view lots more MHs and mum and dad are taking a trip to a show in Notts and another one which is happening somewhere in Germany.

Any other comments would be welcomed!!

Kelly

 

[hilldweller]

I would sleep on the top one while our girls, Honey and Poppy get the bottom one to lounge about on and sleep on at night.
Kelly

I have seen pictures of dogs in their own kennels - the "garage" under a fixed rear bed which can be accessible from inside and outside.

This keeps the living area cleaner and they travel with more safety than loose in the back.

 

[Terry]

Hi Sun Seekers,make sure mum & dad are OK with climbing up into the Luton may be all right once or twice but in the middle of the night for a loo break ????Make the dogs sleep on a matt on the floor:Sad::thumb: You all ned somwhere to relax at night and perhaps watch tv /read etc, in comfort and a dining table is not very comfortable
Enjoy your search :thumb: make up all beds and stuff like that before buying :thumb:Things are ok when looking but different once bought
terry

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[scotjimland]

There are just going to be 3 adults travelling with 2 doggies. We don't want our doggies up on the furniture where we would be sitting so a great idea seemed to be rear bunk beds. I would sleep on the top one while our girls, Honey and Poppy get the bottom one to lounge about on and sleep on at night. Due to the fact that we are looking at being in the MH for 6 months, my mum and dad are wanting an overcab to sleep in rather than having to make up a bed every night.

Hi Kelly

Now we have a clearer picture ..

I would suggest a garage model with rear fixed bed.. for mum and dad.. ( see previous post re luton bed)

You sleep in the luton which will give you tons of space for your personal stuff, some lutons have lockers .. and let the dogs lie on the floor under the dinette table..

Downside to this is no comfy day lounge .. but you won't have that with bunk beds either..

Jim

 

[Terry]

Or a better solution may be a fixed bed and a single side lounge bed, low profile that way no climbing and all fixed bed
terry

 

[Losos]

Hello.

We have just signed up to this forum and we have lots of questions!

We are looking to buy a 6 berth MH which must have rear bunk beds. Which makes and models would anyone here recommend?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

:thanks2:
Kelly

Hi Kelly, it can be a tad confusing at the start of looking but it will all become clearer after a while. I hope so anyway since I am also looking for my first MH

Have you thought about hiring one (roughly what you want) for say a week just to get up to speed and refine the details. This is what I'm going to do in April and I'll also be visiting as many dealers and shows as I can in my alloted hire period.

Some hirers / dealers also offer a full refund on the hire charge if yo9u subsequently buy a MH from them.

 

[pappajohn]

hi Kelly,

as others have said....take your time.

all to easy to 'think' you've found your perfect van only to be disappointed a few months down the line 'cos it just isnt right for you.

we learnt the hard way, we bought what we thought was right for us but soon discovered it wasnt.

traded in for a much larger van 6 months later at a loss of £5000

the swift kontiki we bought did turn out to be perfect for us and are now on our second one.

john

 

[The Wild Ones]

We recently took the plunge into motorhoming after doing the frame tent > Caravan > Static Caravan thing.

Friends of ours who have had an MH for many years advised us to look, look and look again.

It turned out to be great advice as the choice is huge, even considering manufacturers with similar layouts. Dont forget to check out local dealers as well as shows to find the one you both like, and dont forget the test drive.

Good Luck!

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[Sun Seekers]

Hi guys & gals - it's the Old Man's turn now.

Everything so far is really appreciated and has caused endless discussions in the house - and that's a very good thing at this early stage.
Currently we're favouring (yet another few changes in direction!) a U lounge, some sort of waterproof divide between shower & loo, a dinette, swivel cab seat(s) and an over cab bed. I'll be taking one of the Wee Honda collection but it can travel outside. I think.
The dogs sleep on the floor at home so.......
Since we're looking to hire soon, that lot will probably change by the time we come back!
Being mechanically minded and no great lover of Fiat cars I am genuinely surprised that most MHs use Fiats as a platform. I take it they are more reliable and less rust-prone than their cars? (Fiat used to stand for Fix It Again Tomorrow )

Many thanks again to all,

Norrie
(I think the little one called me Papa Sunseeker)

 

[shigg]

4 berth motorhome advice for beginners....

Hi looking to buy a 4 berth for myself, partner and doggie! Any advice would be great. Have a budget of about 15-17 K and looking for one under 6 metres. Havent decided on over cab or fixed - any advice. We used to have a VW and loved it, but believe it or not UNRELIABLE so we got to know our AA people...towed 5 times.... Want a reliable, comfortable and fuel efficient model..... HELP!! Summer is nearly here....Planning on going to UK over Easter as live in Ireland

 

[Losos]

The dogs sleep on the floor at home so.......
Since we're looking to hire soon, that lot will probably change by the time we come back!
Being mechanically minded and no great lover of Fiat cars I am genuinely surprised that most MHs use Fiats as a platform. I take it they are more reliable and less rust-prone than their cars? (Fiat used to stand for Fix It Again Tomorrow )

We have two dogs, they sleep on an old duvet on the floor and I'm sure the 'young one' can make something for them. As I said in an earlier post I'm hiring next month and expect to change a lot of my 'must haves' as a result

Regarding your comments on FIAT, I can only suggest you have a look at some of the threads here and on other forums, 'more reliable and less rust prone' hhhhmmmmmmmmm.............that's not what I'm reading and there is (allegedly) a design problem with reverse gear, but check it out yourself and decide.

 

[Boo]

Hi and welcome to the FUN side

You didn't mention a budget?

It's just I saw an 8 birth american Ford C class 28ft (with bed over cab) and it had 4 rear bunkbeds.........the lower bunks were double beds, a dinette (double bed) and 4 swivel captain seats (turn into single beds) and a king size bed over the cab.
It is a 1996 (P) and needs cosmetics but a bargin at £6,750 I recon.

It's at a car sales place in Truro Cornwall...........pm me if anyone want the name.

Boo