Caravan owners considering a Motorhome (1 Viewer)

[mike.lamb]

Hi Everyone!

Newbie to this forum and newbie to possible motorhome ownership. We’re a family of 4 (2 kids aged 3&5) and live in South Wales.

We’ve been caravan owners since the kids were babies - a twin axle Sterling Contential 630, which we tow with an X5. We love going away in the caravan, but typically go for longer trips - south of France, Cornwall, Lake District etc. We’re normally away for at least a week and have a large awning setup. This suits us really well to have a proper base for the kids to play and the car for easy day trips, shopping, etc. We’re having some excellent holidays, the kids love it and we’re extremely happy with the purchase / setup.

Now.. the things i’d like to do more of now we’re used to the caravan are shorter weekend trips to visit various castles / beaches, etc / overnights / parking up at a spot with a great view and cooking some food / heading out to explore on the bikes / visiting family, etc. None of this is really practical with the caravan - at 13M long (including the car) there are very few practical places we can stop other than home, the services, or the campsite we’re visiting.

So, while it might seem a little extravagant, I’m considering getting a motorhome as well as the caravan. We’ll keep using the caravan for those longer trips where it’s useful to have much more space and the car, and we’d use the motorhome for more frequent, shorter trips.

I’m looking for something smaller to maximise the places we can take it, while being large enough that we can all sleep comfortably in it (we get little sleep as it is with the kids!) - i’m considering a Class A motorhome around 6m, with a double bed at the back and a drop down bed over the front seats.

I’ve been mostly looking at the Hymer and Rapido, but I’m not seeing much available in the used market closer to 6m - many more options closer to 7m. I'm probably looking for something a couple of years old in the £60-£70k region.

This is something we’d likely keep for a long time, so i’m more focussed on getting the right layout / size than just the price - hence looking at the A Class, the front area seems much more practical with 4 of us in there.

I have lots of questions, would really appreciate advice from experienced motorhome owners

- Any particular make/model recommendations in this category or things we should be considering?

- Hymer don’t seem to have any current models at 6m with a double in the back, is it impractical to get that setup in this size?

- Do you think i’m going to find much practical difference between a 6m / 6.5m / 7m when it comes to parking / places i’m able to take this motorhome?

- Any experiences with these above cabin beds - practical for adults or best left for the kids? (in the caravan we often sleep with one kid each between the beds)

- In planning the finances, i’ve considered depreciation, servicing / MOT, insurance, road tax, storage, cost of capital. Anything i’m missing? Anyone have more experience of the depreciation of a motorhome like this? From what I’m seeing from the used market, the rate of depreciation is much lower than i’m seeing for cars and caravans.

Open to any and all suggestions and really appreciate any advice. I'm excited about exploring our surrounding more with the kids and I think the right setup could make all kinds of adventures a possibility.

 

[jessthedog]

I'm going to throw a curve ball in here!
Why don't you get rid of the X5 and get yourself a VW California Beach, with a 200hp engine. The beach dosent have the kitchen in the back, so the back seat turns into a king size bed. I've seen brilliant slideouts at the back which have a mini cooker and sink. Get yourself a blow up awning if you want more room.
The kids are young and can sleep upstairs. I'm not sure what weight that it can tow, so you might have to change the caravan.
The California is no bigger than an X5, so use that as the day car, day van.
I'm assuming you will be using sites for the kids, pools, play areas etc.? So if you go away for a weekend, use the camp facilities, you can also get a potta potti for emergencies.
You will have a vehicle that has one of the least depreciations out there. One set of tax, insurance, maintenance. You won't have vehicles sitting around gathering dust.
Just an idea

 

[addoaddo]

I would first get a c1 licence which will open up a much wider choice of motorhomes. It should cost less than £1000 and money well spent, or open up your choice and go the full hog and get a c licence and drive up to 32T. Concord vans are very nice.
As other have said for 4 people 500Kg just will not be enough

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

 

[mike.lamb]

Thanks all - invaluable feedback. I'm mow looking at vans with a 4,500kg chassis and surprisingly found a local instructor for the C1. I'm going to keep researching and look to get the C1 sorted as lockdown eases here in Wales.

 

[lorger]

Good luck with the search just take your time and remember you've paid to join so get your monies worth by asking loads of questions.

 

[mike.lamb]

Thanks lorger!

On that note (and please tell me if these questions should go elsewhere) - i've been looking into some of the Hymer options.

I created an eye watering spreadsheet for a newer "dream" vehicle. Currently looking at a B-Class ModernComfort I 600. Including all the options I laid out it's currently landing north of £100k

I "reverse engineered" some of the in-stock but brand-new models at https://www.motorhomes.co.uk and the sticker price seems to be pretty much exactly the same as my calculations when building the same spec from the Hymer price list.

Assuming these dealers order in a common spec for those looking for the convenience of being able to drive away right away vs building to their spec. I.e. at least from sticker price i'm not seeing financial savings.

How much room for negotiation is there for a new motorhome like this? Any idea of what an average lead time for a Hymer motorhome build is (Realising COVID19 will make this more challenging), but just trying to roughly map things out.

I've not sold myself on buying new, just weighing the options and only considering it because i'm not seeing the steep depreciation on these that i'd expected.

Thanks!

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

 

[lorger]

You might get more answers if you start a new thread with your question as some folk with see the thread title and not click on it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks lorger!

On that note (and please tell me if these questions should go elsewhere) - i've been looking into some of the Hymer options.

I created an eye watering spreadsheet for a newer "dream" vehicle. Currently looking at a B-Class ModernComfort I 600. Including all the options I laid out it's currently landing north of £100k

I "reverse engineered" some of the in-stock but brand-new models at https://www.motorhomes.co.uk and the sticker price seems to be pretty much exactly the same as my calculations when building the same spec from the Hymer price list.

Assuming these dealers order in a common spec for those looking for the convenience of being able to drive away right away vs building to their spec. I.e. at least from sticker price i'm not seeing financial savings.

How much room for negotiation is there for a new motorhome like this? Any idea of what an average lead time for a Hymer motorhome build is (Realising COVID19 will make this more challenging), but just trying to roughly map things out.

I've not sold myself on buying new, just weighing the options and only considering it because i'm not seeing the steep depreciation on these that i'd expected.

Thanks!

If you order a Hymer when the next season models come out at Caravan Salon a LHD one will be delivered end Feb early March, RHD often a couple of months longer.
We are on our 3rd Hymer bought them all in Belgium (can't afford UK prices). Normal discount from Belgium or German dealer around 15% we did rather better than that last time. You won't get anything like that discount from a UK dealer & included in the price is £2000 delivery. Delivery to European dealers is only €500 and our Belgium dealer looses that in the price.
Depreciation, traded our last one in Belgium at 3 years old, lost 3% per year.

 

[mike.lamb]

If you order a Hymer when the next season models come out at Caravan Salon a LHD one will be delivered end Feb early March, RHD often a couple of months longer.
We are on our 3rd Hymer bought them all in Belgium (can't afford UK prices). Normal discount from Belgium or German dealer around 15% we did rather better than that last time. You won't get anything like that discount from a UK dealer & included in the price is £2000 delivery. Delivery to European dealers is only €500 and our Belgium dealer looses that in the price.
Depreciation, traded our last one in Belgium at 3 years old, lost 3% per year.

That sounds very interesting - thanks. Any suggestions where I should start looking into what it takes to buy one in Belgium? What are the compromises in doing so? Assume it'll be left hand drive? A bunch of paperwork to get it registered in the UK? Any insurance issues?

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

 

[Lenny HB]

That sounds very interesting - thanks. Any suggestions where I should start looking into what it takes to buy one in Belgium? What are the compromises in doing so? Assume it'll be left hand drive? A bunch of paperwork to get it registered in the UK? Any insurance issues?

Best deals are to be had at Caravan Salon but doubtful there will be one this year, Hymer have already pulled out.
Importing is fairly strait forward paperwork is easy. Our Belgium dealer drives the van to the port and we get it insured on the VIN for the UK part if the trip home. Buying in Germany you normally have to drive it to the port on 3rd party insurance.
You can order a RHD Hymer in Belgium or Germany, one advantage of LHD is you can sell or trade in any country and second hand prices tend to be higher abroad. Got £12k more for our last van than what UK dealers would offer.

If you want more info PM me.

 

[nicholsong]

Mike

If you are buying a 'quality' MH the quality is still there years later - Our N&B Arto is an example at 17 years old. So buying at 3-5 years old at 30+% discount is a no brainer.

As for getting the spec you want, as long as the chassis and factory fitted items, such as gearbox, cab aircon etc. are to your spec, many other items, e.g. self-levelling, sat aerials etc., can be fitted after and at less than factory prices.

Just keep the thought process going - it takes time to get to where you need to be, but not worth rushing. I took my time and got it right, from a standing start on a first MH.

Just keep asking - not one of us has all the answers, but collectively we probably have.

Geoff

 

[pandas]

Thanks lorger!

On that note (and please tell me if these questions should go elsewhere) - i've been looking into some of the Hymer options.

I created an eye watering spreadsheet for a newer "dream" vehicle. Currently looking at a B-Class ModernComfort I 600. Including all the options I laid out it's currently landing north of £100k

I "reverse engineered" some of the in-stock but brand-new models at https://www.motorhomes.co.uk and the sticker price seems to be pretty much exactly the same as my calculations when building the same spec from the Hymer price list.

Assuming these dealers order in a common spec for those looking for the convenience of being able to drive away right away vs building to their spec. I.e. at least from sticker price i'm not seeing financial savings.

How much room for negotiation is there for a new motorhome like this? Any idea of what an average lead time for a Hymer motorhome build is (Realising COVID19 will make this more challenging), but just trying to roughly map things out.

I've not sold myself on buying new, just weighing the options and only considering it because i'm not seeing the steep depreciation on these that i'd expected.

Thanks!

We found Hymer Modern Comfort internally too tight - no not because of lockdown additional pounds! With children you might look at a 2.3 wide Hymer, cannot remember the difference in width but not much on paper but all the difference in reality.

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

 

[pandas]

An additional thought - we thought that as 90 % of our travels would be in Europe a LHD would be better - and a bigger pond to potentially sell it in. However really pleased we opted for RHD as the only issue we have is driving is in the U.K. with amount of traffic in the roads therefore a RHD works better. We feel very comfortable about driving in Europe with it. Quite a Marmite subject though!

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from West Kent

 

[Ian Bosman]

Hi Everyone!

Newbie to this forum and newbie to possible motorhome ownership. We’re a family of 4 (2 kids aged 3&5) and live in South Wales.

We’ve been caravan owners since the kids were babies - a twin axle Sterling Contential 630, which we tow with an X5. We love going away in the caravan, but typically go for longer trips - south of France, Cornwall, Lake District etc. We’re normally away for at least a week and have a large awning setup. This suits us really well to have a proper base for the kids to play and the car for easy day trips, shopping, etc. We’re having some excellent holidays, the kids love it and we’re extremely happy with the purchase / setup.

Now.. the things i’d like to do more of now we’re used to the caravan are shorter weekend trips to visit various castles / beaches, etc / overnights / parking up at a spot with a great view and cooking some food / heading out to explore on the bikes / visiting family, etc. None of this is really practical with the caravan - at 13M long (including the car) there are very few practical places we can stop other than home, the services, or the campsite we’re visiting.

So, while it might seem a little extravagant, I’m considering getting a motorhome as well as the caravan. We’ll keep using the caravan for those longer trips where it’s useful to have much more space and the car, and we’d use the motorhome for more frequent, shorter trips.

I’m looking for something smaller to maximise the places we can take it, while being large enough that we can all sleep comfortably in it (we get little sleep as it is with the kids!) - i’m considering a Class A motorhome around 6m, with a double bed at the back and a drop down bed over the front seats.

I’ve been mostly looking at the Hymer and Rapido, but I’m not seeing much available in the used market closer to 6m - many more options closer to 7m. I'm probably looking for something a couple of years old in the £60-£70k region.

This is something we’d likely keep for a long time, so i’m more focussed on getting the right layout / size than just the price - hence looking at the A Class, the front area seems much more practical with 4 of us in there.

I have lots of questions, would really appreciate advice from experienced motorhome owners

- Any particular make/model recommendations in this category or things we should be considering?

- Hymer don’t seem to have any current models at 6m with a double in the back, is it impractical to get that setup in this size?

- Do you think i’m going to find much practical difference between a 6m / 6.5m / 7m when it comes to parking / places i’m able to take this motorhome?

- Any experiences with these above cabin beds - practical for adults or best left for the kids? (in the caravan we often sleep with one kid each between the beds)

- In planning the finances, i’ve considered depreciation, servicing / MOT, insurance, road tax, storage, cost of capital. Anything i’m missing? Anyone have more experience of the depreciation of a motorhome like this? From what I’m seeing from the used market, the rate of depreciation is much lower than i’m seeing for cars and caravans.

Open to any and all suggestions and really appreciate any advice. I'm excited about exploring our surrounding more with the kids and I think the right setup could make all kinds of adventures a possibility.

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

 

[Ian Bosman]

The EuraMobil Terrestra 570HS is just under 6m, sleeps four and has a large underfloor enabling yous to store lots of stuff like chairs, and the other bits. A rollout from Fiamma can be added with the side walls to make it similar to a caravan awning. Oaktree Motorhomes have one from 2019 at £4495, the last year of production from at least 2009 and is a wood free build on Fiat Ducato and fully winterised. I have a 2009, the lounge is U shaped rear and legal to transport two people with headrests which look a bit huge.
The whole approach to motor homing is a little different from caravanning in that you pitch and go frequently, view a town, village, park then move on so get into the motorhome only places to park. As you have all the water and waste tanks onboard you just need to keep your eye open for places you can dispose of waste and top up with water and install solar panels to ensure you are not reliant on hook ups.

 

[nicholsong]

For Mike(OP)

If you ave not seen it this thread elsewhere on Fun might give you some firther info on C1

Musing on a C1

I’m considering a taking a C1. I understand the process (I think. Medical > provisional > theory test > hazard perception > appropriate tuition > C1 test) but I’m wondering how people found it, subjectively. Is it hard to un-remember all those bad habits we’ve picked up in the *cough* years...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Read it all because some incorrect info is corrected further down

Geoff

 

[Midnightflyer]

Very interesting topic you have started and may I say that you carefully consider every factor before making your purchase.
Please don't get me wrong nothing against motor homes and I can only explain our camping history.
Now in our mid 70's over the years we have had both caravans and motor homes, started 40 yrs ago with a caravan which was changed/updated several times, then on to boats, got sick of seeing the same piece of river each weekend so back to a caravan about 12 years ago. Then after 3 motor homes of various lengths tried a 'Fifth Wheel' and then back to the present and a INOS Caravan. Our negative experience with motor homes were, couldn't get into car parks at various attractions including some National Trust properties, had to park away and walk, found more and more councils restricting the height of vehicles to their beach side car parks, there has been plenty on this forum over this. Towed a small car and received all the flack about 'A' Frames and trailers, even went to the Spanish IVA equivalent to our VOSA to check that our 'A' Frame was acceptable, answer despite a lot of doubters was Yes and I had a piece of paper to prove it.Then there is the insurance and running cost's, as I have a day to day car, the motor home and a tow car. That's 3 Insurances, 3 Road Tax & 3 MOT's plus servicing.
We loved our Motor Homes and don't get me wrong we would have one again.
We found the 'Fifth Wheel' to big for most continental sites and you can only reverse them onto a pitch, no decent movers available as yet.
So having had the experience of the extra room in a 'Slide Out' thought what can we do, all Motor Homes with 'Slide Out's' were either American or too expensive and then we found the INOS with 2ft of extra width makes all the difference, 4 wheel motor movers and self levelling, can be set up on a pitch within minutes. More than happy with our present set up, when in France and Spain being able to visit nearby towns etc and for those Motor Homers that don't like Caravanners we have had no problems this year when stopping over night in Aires.
Whichever way you choose, Good Luck and Happy CAMPING.

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

 

[Wellington]

Thanks - yeah good point that we're going to be hunting for parking regardless. Assume with either 6m or 7m we'll be looking for a double space and no height barrier..

It sort of depends where you want to go really. Unless you go super small (something like T5 with a poptop) you always going to be hunting for parking, because you flat out won’t get in a regular space. But you’ll loose any time saved on finding a good spot in endless setting up and packing down. So long as the places you want to go have adequate car parks (and most of our day trips have. If they haven’t, we’ve camped somewhere nearby and bussed or biked in) like say, Drayton manor park or Blenheim palace, not something like Stratford city centre.

I have a motorhome and a child. It’s a very different experience from a retired couple. That’s not to say it’s not possible, but it’s very different.

1) Car seats are a right royal pain in the proverbial. They are huge and awkward and no one else can sit in them (at three and five they might not even be able to sit in each others!). In my 6.4 m Compactline 138, there are two seats and a perching stool available with the bed down over the cab. One has a car seat in, and the other is in the corner. (Incidentally, I am not sure it is actually possible to use the corner seat without putting your feet up. Not an issue at three. At thirteen, maybe!). It would work well for short periods if you don’t mind putting the bed away every day (this drives me utterly insane, but ymmv) You can use the dinette with the bed down, but not with the car seat in situ.

2) Packing up, frequently, with kids under your feet is a pain. Mine is much older, but I can’t count the times we’ve had to stop to get a water bottle which I had put in the cab, mentally ticked off my list, and she’s moved it aft again. At three they will be constantly emptying things out you’ve packed away, and you can’t confine them to the car like you do when packing up the van. And everything must be secure before you move off to get a pint of milk, or move on the the next entertainment spot, so this a daily occurance. Also, they get out SO MUCH that packing up is way more of a mission. Every time you move. And you will need to move every time you need milk, water, to empty waste, or go out on a jaunt.

3) Supplies. Mr and Mrs Retired typically eat out a bit, and mainly breakfast and snack in the MH. They stock up at the odd supermarket en route and visit towns on foot or their bikes and get bits and pieces when available. Also, there are only two of them. They are unlikely to melt down because there is no milk for their fruit loops and you can’t carry more than the four pints a day you go through at home. Having to drag a child out as well every time you need to shop, particularly on foot is an undertaking.

I don’t actually think this will be as much of a problem for you as it is for me. There are two of you, so one can do the popping out on the bike and two to pack up and set up, making it take a third of the time. If you got something like the Carthago Compactline 138 with two double beds and big garage I think you’d do fine for now. It’s a lot of money to spend on weekending, but it’s your money and if you’ve got it, why not. You would not want to heave it around Europe on a typical motorhome holiday, but you have the van for that. You’ll need somewhere to put the car seats (and bikes and scooters and so on) so get one with a garage. Supplies won’t be an issue for short trips, and you have a second adult to go on supply runs while one manages the kids.

In your situation I would suggest a something like the Carthago Compactline 143 with twin beds over a garage. I’m not a fan of the A classes, myself, I find them a bit creaky to drive and rather top heavy, but then I’m only five foot tall and hate the over cab bed. If you are taller and like the extra headroom, then it might work for you. Going up from six to seven metres won’t make much difference in where you can go, I don’t think, but will give you twin singles at the back. For now, they can make an ENORMOUS double that you will probably all end up in, but later the kids can take one each to have their own space (very key when they are older) and you can have the sizeable double over the cab. In the Compactline the difference between the two is (I believe from memory) 6.4m and 6.8m, so pretty negligible. They are also narrower than a standard coachbuilt, which may make a difference (you mentioned visiting family, so being able to open the door on their driveway might be a factor! Being able to get past it with the bins and my bike on mine certainly is) They will still be plated at 3.5t and you can usually uprate them later (And do your C1) when you need to put a bike rack on for all the bikes, but still need car seat storage (my daughter is still in a car seat at ten, whcih seems to be about average these days)

There is an air bnb type service for campers (called camplify, I think?!) and I think it would be excellent to hire one for a weeeknd (even if you only camp on your driveway and go on days out, as you would on a real holiday) and see how the layout works for you. You mightn’t find the exact model, but layout is so key that one of the right layout would stop you making an expensive mistake. It‘s rare to get it right first time, but I reckon a few weeks hire would help cur down the trade ins (I believe three is typical. I am about to trade up to to number three myself!)

 

[two]

a suggestion....obviously a Carthago Compactline i138 like ours!
6.4m x 2.12m so almost PVC footprint but much larger inside, two fullsize beds, proper heating, washroom, shower, large ebike/scooter garage, double floor, can run at any weight, 3500, 3650, 3850, 4250kg...used from £50k ish.

I think an A-Class with twin rear beds might be more flexible for you. Possibly the slightly longer Compactline 143. The extra length should not present much of a problem (unless you have a short drive) but you will lose a little payload. Speaking of payload, you'll need as much as you can get (or add a trailer) with a growing family.

 

[stevewagner]

It sort of depends where you want to go really. Unless you go super small (something like T5 with a poptop) you always going to be hunting for parking, because you flat out won’t get in a regular space. But you’ll loose any time saved on finding a good spot in endless setting up and packing down. So long as the places you want to go have adequate car parks (and most of our day trips have. If they haven’t, we’ve camped somewhere nearby and bussed or biked in) like say, Drayton manor park or Blenheim palace, not something like Stratford city centre.

I have a motorhome and a child. It’s a very different experience from a retired couple. That’s not to say it’s not possible, but it’s very different.

1) Car seats are a right royal pain in the proverbial. They are huge and awkward and no one else can sit in them (at three and five they might not even be able to sit in each others!). In my 6.4 m Compactline 138, there are two seats and a perching stool available with the bed down over the cab. One has a car seat in, and the other is in the corner. (Incidentally, I am not sure it is actually possible to use the corner seat without putting your feet up. Not an issue at three. At thirteen, maybe!). It would work well for short periods if you don’t mind putting the bed away every day (this drives me utterly insane, but ymmv) You can use the dinette with the bed down, but not with the car seat in situ.

2) Packing up, frequently, with kids under your feet is a pain. Mine is much older, but I can’t count the times we’ve had to stop to get a water bottle which I had put in the cab, mentally ticked off my list, and she’s moved it aft again. At three they will be constantly emptying things out you’ve packed away, and you can’t confine them to the car like you do when packing up the van. And everything must be secure before you move off to get a pint of milk, or move on the the next entertainment spot, so this a daily occurance. Also, they get out SO MUCH that packing up is way more of a mission. Every time you move. And you will need to move every time you need milk, water, to empty waste, or go out on a jaunt.

3) Supplies. Mr and Mrs Retired typically eat out a bit, and mainly breakfast and snack in the MH. They stock up at the odd supermarket en route and visit towns on foot or their bikes and get bits and pieces when available. Also, there are only two of them. They are unlikely to melt down because there is no milk for their fruit loops and you can’t carry more than the four pints a day you go through at home. Having to drag a child out as well every time you need to shop, particularly on foot is an undertaking.

I don’t actually think this will be as much of a problem for you as it is for me. There are two of you, so one can do the popping out on the bike and two to pack up and set up, making it take a third of the time. If you got something like the Carthago Compactline 138 with two double beds and big garage I think you’d do fine for now. It’s a lot of money to spend on weekending, but it’s your money and if you’ve got it, why not. You would not want to heave it around Europe on a typical motorhome holiday, but you have the van for that. You’ll need somewhere to put the car seats (and bikes and scooters and so on) so get one with a garage. Supplies won’t be an issue for short trips, and you have a second adult to go on supply runs while one manages the kids.

In your situation I would suggest a something like the Carthago Compactline 143 with twin beds over a garage. I’m not a fan of the A classes, myself, I find them a bit creaky to drive and rather top heavy, but then I’m only five foot tall and hate the over cab bed. If you are taller and like the extra headroom, then it might work for you. Going up from six to seven metres won’t make much difference in where you can go, I don’t think, but will give you twin singles at the back. For now, they can make an ENORMOUS double that you will probably all end up in, but later the kids can take one each to have their own space (very key when they are older) and you can have the sizeable double over the cab. In the Compactline the difference between the two is (I believe from memory) 6.4m and 6.8m, so pretty negligible. They are also narrower than a standard coachbuilt, which may make a difference (you mentioned visiting family, so being able to open the door on their driveway might be a factor! Being able to get past it with the bins and my bike on mine certainly is) They will still be plated at 3.5t and you can usually uprate them later (And do your C1) when you need to put a bike rack on for all the bikes, but still need car seat storage (my daughter is still in a car seat at ten, whcih seems to be about average these days)

There is an air bnb type service for campers (called camplify, I think?!) and I think it would be excellent to hire one for a weeeknd (even if you only camp on your driveway and go on days out, as you would on a real holiday) and see how the layout works for you. You mightn’t find the exact model, but layout is so key that one of the right layout would stop you making an expensive mistake. It‘s rare to get it right first time, but I reckon a few weeks hire would help cur down the trade ins (I believe three is typical. I am about to trade up to to number three myself!)

Where do you get your information regarding Mr & Mrs Retired from or are you just guessing? In my experience I never find 2 retired couples the same and very often their habits are no different when retired than when they were pre-retired.

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

 

[Sibsbibs]

Hi there,

For what it’s worth, having done exactly the same swap last year (albeit our youngest is now 17), I suspect that, if you get a reasonably sizeable motorhome, you’ll stop using the caravan because motorhomes are so much more easy to set up and go - the faffage of checking noseweight, hitching up, towing, unhitching, getting waste/water set up just disappears with a motorhome. Here’s what we learned:

1. we got an old 6.5M A class - our budget was a fraction of yours so had to be more selective, but it worked out great - we love the motorhome and wouldn’t want anything longer. Even so, the length and width limits where you can ‘pop out’ to.

2. We worried about the lack of car for the above reason. But eventually came to the conclusion that we’d be going on two types of holiday in the main: a drive and flop for a week in the UK or a two week stint across Europe. For the former, we decided taking a car too was the solution when we wanted maximum flexibility - that’s what we did when we had a week in the Lake District in the autumn and it worked just fine. And abroad, as others have said, it’s a bit more motorhome friendly anyway. Even so, if we wanted a car for a few days, we could hire for a day or two. We didn’t miss having a car on a tour of Austria and the Balkans.

3. For weekends, motorhomes are so much handier than caravans, even if you do decide to double up by taking a car too. It makes winter breaks so much less stressful too without the towing and general faff. But, as others have said, your other option is to go for a very small camper just for weekends, We’ve already started wondering about this option to go alongside our motorhome - might consider it when the family car eventually dies.

4. With small kiddies, you’re going to worry about room, but if you embrace some minimalism when packing, I doubt you’ll miss the extra room you have in the caravan. We haven’t and, if we’d realised just how much more convenient the motorhome is, would have probably made the change earlier.

5. What you’re doing is a really big financial investment in increasingly uncertain financial times, so thinking about the types of holidays and breaks you want - and how you can overcome the practical difficulties you’re already identifying - will probably lead you the the right decision for you.

Good luck - and hope you love the motorhome life as much as we do. But if you do, that caravan might not make it off the drive much...

 

[The Coops]

Going back to your original post and your budget and size, have a look at a Pilote 650 A class , Massive garage ( can get a 550c scooter or two electric bikes in plus massive parasol and assorted gubbins, a drop down double bed in the front, two twins in the rear, TV etc shower, toilet and oven grill combi, only down side two burner grill, but mains in oven and two veg easy peasy! Go on the website and choose your spec and it will cost out, the also make the Le Voyager super luxury motorhomes. We bought one as our third van, first was a Carrado , brilliant, simple but basic, second was a Hobby, okay but numerous recurring problems, eventually solved but annoying and now our Pilote fits the bill perfectly on size, accommodation and practicality , Have a look at Signature Motorhomes we got the two salesman and the workshop managers HOME phone numbers if there was a problem, there were minor issues and dealt with the next day! on a Sunday hows that for service! x

 

[Wellington]

Where do you get your information regarding Mr & Mrs Retired from or are you just guessing? In my experience I never find 2 retired couples the same and very often their habits are no different when retired than when they were pre-retired.

Perhaps I should have said Mr and Mrs Couple, rather than retired (I’ve nothing against retired people, and am aiming to be one as soon as ever I can!) And of course there is much variation. But there’s no getting away from the fact that motorhomes are designed for and largely used by couples. And shopping by and catering for a couple is a very different experience than for a family. There will be more of them, if nothing else, and food is considerably less leisurely when you have kids.

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

 

[Tony50]

Thanks, I don't have C1 on my license but looking at something like the HYMER Exsis-i 588, I'd have 660kg of payload. I'm assuming that the big elements I don't need to think of with the caravan but do with the motorhome are passengers, water, fuel? Need to research more here, can imagine that quickly running out. I think i'd want to plan for expansion there - are motorhomes often plated at 3,500 so they can be driven on a regular license but able to carry more? Wondering if it's possible to get many of these replated if it took the C1 test.

Thanks - yeah good point that we're going to be hunting for parking regardless. Assume with either 6m or 7m we'll be looking for a double space and no height barrier..

I think 6. To 7 metre might not be big enough for 4 , even at that age, be careful forecourts are full of peoples mistakes.