Bying first motothome

[Motorgnome]

Hi,I'm thinking of buying my first motorhome,I'm all new to this and don't no much about them really so just trying to work out what I need to look for.I should have about £30,000 ish would need 4 berth,4 seat belts,ideally fixed bed,and a reasonable garage.im not sure what make or model, manual or automatic to go for.I would probably be using it for long weekends mainly at first,I'm not rushing into bying one but would like some advise please.thank you

 

[Go_buddy_go_]

 

[Burge]

I think a good idea is to Rent one first ....find a similar Van to what you require, they aren't cheap to Rent out BUT you won't be wasting £0000s on something that's not right for you.

 

[Bernie P]

Visit local dealers a sit/lay/move about in as many different ones as you can. Does one person like to go to bed early? If so a bed in the sitting area is a pain!
Ask yourself "what do I want to do in it?". Eg visiting Cornwall, don't go for a huge van.
Personally I'd avoid a French bed (or nutcracker as we call them).

 

[rosalan]

Over the years many experienced motorhomers have discussed this topic at length. Without doubt almost all agree that nothing is more important than layout.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MisterB]

Over the years many experienced motorhomers have discussed this topic at length. Without doubt almost all agree that nothing is more important than layout.

You forgot to add that the second most important thing is layout, followed by the layout in a close third spot .....

All the toys (upgraded battery, solar, TV, inverter B2,B etc) can be added but if the inside doesn't give you what you need (which is different that what you want) in terms of seats, seat belts, sleeping arrangements, shower, toilet then you'll end up selling and moving on.

However don't be too dispondant if that happens as it happens to most of us. The real downside is when you've spent too much money on the toys and it's just lost/wasted.
Better off buying what you need and if you have to wait to add the toys then nothing lost as you'll actually be using your motorhome !

 

[PaulyP]

Do you have a license which allows you to drive over 3500kgs as a 4 berth with 4 passengers and all the stuff you need will likely put you over that weight.

 

[Soycd]

Go to a motorhome show? Birmingham is coming up next month. Although they will only have new vans there, it might give you an idea of possible layouts.

 

[Brains]

Two tips:

Rent at least two before you even start looking to buy.

What you think you want,
What the salesman tells you need,
What you actually require,
Are unrelated!

Read this

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Brize]

Welcome

I agree layout is your first consideration. After that, think how you are going to use the van. Longer stays at fewer places might make you think of a larger van, but if you want a go anywhere, take out every day van, then you might think smaller.

Good luck!

 

[Puddleduck]

Just as important as what you need / want is what you don't want and couldn't live with.

 

[Lenny HB]

 

[martxer]

We were looking to buy in February last year but changed our minds last minute and hired instead. Glad we did as the van we hired was great but after 3 weeks in it we had a better idea if what did and did not work for us. Get the layout that best works for you.

 

[Russ N Tracey]

Hi and Welcome.
Definitely the best advice, is to rent before you buy. we rented twice both very different layouts, we ended up buying the motorhome that we rented the second time.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cyberyacht]

I looked at motorhomes about fifteen years ago but bought a caravan instead as, at the time, we still had an apartment in Spain. After selling the apartment we switched to a motorhome. Had I bought one initially I would, I suspect, have bought the wrong layout, primarily due to budget constraints. I did a lot of web research prior to purchase and had a better idea of what would work for us. I'm on my second one now although both had effectively the same layout. I suppose ten years of caravan use gave me some insight to leisure vehicle living so I wasn't coming to it completely blind. Think twice, buy once.

 

[Widge]

Do you have a license which allows you to drive over 3500kgs as a 4 berth with 4 passengers and all the stuff you need will likely put you over that weight.

Even if you do have a C1 consider your age, you will see plenty of discussions on here about issues with re-newing C1 when you get older.

Again an age related thing, over cab beds are great way of having your bed ready to use without too much hasstle and clutter, until you get older and the joints get creeky, and the need to pee in the middle of the night increases.

 

[Jabstatt]

Just to throw my spanner into the works, we wouldn’t have anything but a French bed!

Just really important to look primarily at layout.

Toys can be added.

Tony

 

[RoamingFree]

Just to throw my spanner into the works, we wouldn’t have anything but a French bed!

Just really important to look primarily at layout.

Toys can be added.

Tony

We also have a french bed and like it.

I think that, whilst I agree that layout is most important, you need to work out what suits you. I echo the advice to hire. We hired what we thought we wanted (7.4m with fixed island bed) and realised that it wasn't for us. Whatever you decide upon will likely be a compromise though so rank things in order of importance to you becauseyour ideal MH may not exist.

 

[Puddleduck]

Over the last 30 years we have had 4 motorhomes all with different layouts and each was ideal at the time we had it.

Now we are without a motorhome and unlikely to own another in the foreseeable future. However should we ever have another our second motorhome (EKX777Y Hymer) was probably as good as it ever gets as far as layout is concerned. The only issue would be if the rear lounge should be converted to permanent bed as I dislike doing the cushion jigsaw....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[SMB]

When I bought my first motorhome in 2013 I had very limited motorhoming experience (a rented 6 berth van with five other blokes on a trip to the football World Cup in France 1998). Needless to say I preferred sleeping outside in the tent!
I went for a rear 'u' shaped lounge with a wet room, half-dinette, no garage and overhead cab. My thinking was that, as I was single, my mates would be flying out to wherever I was (mainly in Europe pre-brexit) so I needed plenty of lounging room. First mistake, always choose a van that suits you and not for others.
Since then I have met my partner who loved the lounge (and it's conversion to a large bed as the overhead cab was too claustrophobic) but wasn't keen on the wet room. I also realised that I didn't like having the bikes on the external rack and gazed enviously at those motorhomers who had large garages and spent hours re-arranging the gadgets inside.
So we both decided what was important to us and in our current van I have my garage with my bikes and gadgets inside and she has her separate shower and bathroom which turns into an en suite with the bathroom door opened fully. We both love the island bed but the front lounge isn't that comfortable.
So...if you have a partner who will be using it as well it might be a good idea to get their input as well at an early stage!

 

[grasscutter]

Hi,I'm thinking of buying my first motorhome,I'm all new to this and don't no much about them really so just trying to work out what I need to look for.I should have about £30,000 ish would need 4 berth,4 seat belts,ideally fixed bed,and a reasonable garage.im not sure what make or model, manual or automatic to go for.I would probably be using it for long weekends mainly at first,I'm not rushing into bying one but would like some advise please.thank you

Welcome.
If you look at the Menu on the forum page and scroll to Resources you will find The Motorhome Buyers Guide. An invaluable resource.
Research is your best friend. On your budget you will get a lot more privately than from a dealer but you need to know what to look for in the way of faults etc.
Lots of advice on here.
Good luck

 

[Burge]

Some have suggested a Wet Room we had that in our 1st Van , if you like the feel of that Shower Curtain sticking to your back then that's 4 you. We didn't

 

[SMB]

Some have suggested a Wet Room we had that in our 1st Van , if you like the feel of that Shower Curtain sticking to your back then that's 4 you. We didn't

We had a foldable screen in our wet room which only partially covered the toilet and was extremely tight, you also had to wipe down the whole room before using the facilities again. I like the newer ones with the basins that fold away etc or which have a fully enclosed shower within the bathroom.

 

[Plynchy]

Buyers market currently.

As others have said, hire something first, we did, and took the plunge in September last year, love it. Although my spends on beer/pub food have increased significantly.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RoamingFree]

We have two folding screens which form the shower area in the bathroom. We still wipe things down but it is only screens and the duckboard not the whole bathroom. It was one of the things that attracted us as we both hate the wet, clinging shower curatain experience.

 

[Northernraider]

You will get a million contradicting answers to your questions and will most likely be no further forward as a result.

Personally I'd just browse as many motorhomes on line that I could, narrow down layouts to what you think you'd like then go view a few . Your budget will be one of the biggest dictators to what you end up buying.


You could easily waste a good chunk of your budget hiring vans to try them as they aren't cheap to hire


Layout is very important but then everyone's ideal layout differs immensely

 

[Widge]

You will get a million contradicting answers to your questions and will most likely be no further forward as a result.

Personally I'd just browse as many motorhomes on line that I could, narrow down layouts to what you think you'd like then go view a few . Your budget will be one of the biggest dictators to what you end up buying.


You could easily waste a good chunk of your budget hiring vans to try them as they aren't cheap to hire


Layout is very important but then everyone's ideal layout differs immensely

I certainly wouldn't suggest hiring lots of vans, but if you are totaly new to camper vans or caravans, it is good to experience some time in one first, just to get a feel of what its like, all empty vans in a showroom give the impression of lots of room and storage space, one you add bedding quilts clothing for a week, phones tablets chargers, all those usefull tools that one day might be handy etc. You soon use up the space.

The first longish trip we had leaving from home, we took far too much stuff, although previous to that we had done 4 weeks in the US then 5 weeks in Australia a couple of years later, we only had what we could carry on the plane, which was more than enough for our trip. When you are packing, always think, do I really need this. Most places you go have shops if you are that desperate for something you didnt pack you can always buy it.