Crikey!! Which Motorhome to get...... (1 Viewer)

[Young at Heart]

So we've bought into this idea which we detailed in the first comment and now we have to get down to the nitty gritty of 'Which Motorhome'. This will be our first one but we are experienced drivers.

So here's our list of 'must haves'!
Maximum 3500kg.... (You know why ha ha)...... Sunroof
No Rear Doors. Bike Rack on rear. Satellite TV. TV. Wifi Booster.
Fixed double bed with no cut off - can't be bothered with pull outs or downs, past all that stuff!
No climbing up to beds or anything like that!! Its mainly for two of us, but 4 berths ideal.
Plenty of overhead storage - that's probably par for the course anyway.
Must be fully winterised - the Intro email advised us to make sure we do that!
Toilet, shower, fridge, microwave, neat kitchenette, table/seating area...

Do we want it easy peasy..... Yes we do.... lol New or Used no matter... just well packed!
Now the budget, well.... £20K doubt we would get anything.... £30K is OK, £40 if its worth it, £50 now that's pushing it but maybe....

Thoughts or ideas? Thanks.
Oh Yes, we have seven little dogs travelling around with us ha ha..... Here's three of them as Puppies.... how could we leave them in kennels!! Ummm.... maybe.... No!!

 

[icantremember]

A tardis comes to mind.

 

[hilldweller]

Fixed double bed with no cut off - can't be bothered with pull outs or downs, past all that stuff!

Oh Yes, we have seven little dogs travelling around with us ha ha..

"Houston we have a problem" a full size low level bed is as rare as hens' teeth, especially at 3.5t. Beware "French bed".

Seven dogs in a MH sounds insane.

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[Just smiffy]

..... and good luck in your search, you will find it difficult to find a fully winterised one below 3.5k and with your payload requirements even more so....

 

[tacr2man]

About the same requirements of many newbie Motorhomers, they had to compromise considerably , and I suspect so will you have to You need to prioritise what are your definite must haves down to two or three , this will give you a more realistic starting point .

 

[Young at Heart]

"Houston we have a problem" a full size low level bed is as rare as hens' teeth, especially at 3.5t. Beware "French bed".

Seven dogs in a MH sounds insane.

What’s the matter with a French Bed.... sounds like you have had a negative experience.... ?! Is that the one cut on the corner so your legs fall off lol

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[WillH]

French beds are really okay, it's all about layout, layout and layout.

 

[Lenny HB]

You are after an island bed so not many in less than 7.5m vans which also means you are very unlikely to be able to run at 3500 kg. Also island bed have not been around for that long so may have trouble with your budget.
Fully winterising basically means a German or other contental van.

Not all French beds are bad we had a Hymer with one the bed was 7' long made it easy getting in & out.

 

[TerryL]

@Young at Heart just a quick aside - are all your dogs Westies? Don't, please don't, tell my other half, she's nuts about them. The one we've got is enough thankyou!

Right, back to the subject;

Island beds commonly have cut-offs too, though usually not as bad as French beds. We nearly changed to a transverse island bed but it wasn't long enough.
Get yourselves round a few of the larger motorhome dealers and see the differences. Or maybe one of the bigger shows, where you could also meet lots of Funsters; we usually have a stand at them.
Also you could buy a copy of Practical Motorhome who almost always have a complete list of the various layouts which may help point you in the right direction.
Although I'm not a Hymer fan, there are some really nice older Hymers around which would defo be in your price bracket. You're going to have to watch that 3500 kg limit though.

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[Young at Heart]

Thanks for all your advice Terry. Our Dogs are Maltese - our oldest one is a Pets As Therapy Dog. We take them all to dog training classes every week so will miss that whilst we are on the road !

 

[Young at Heart]

@Young at Heart just a quick aside - are all your dogs Westies? Don't, please don't, tell my other half, she's nuts about them. The one we've got is enough thankyou!

Right, back to the subject;

Island beds commonly have cut-offs too, though usually not as bad as French beds. We nearly changed to a transverse island bed but it wasn't long enough.
Get yourselves round a few of the larger motorhome dealers and see the differences. Or maybe one of the bigger shows, where you could also meet lots of Funsters; we usually have a stand at them.
Also you could buy a copy of Practical Motorhome who almost always have a complete list of the various layouts which may help point you in the right direction.
Although I'm not a Hymer fan, there are some really nice older Hymers around which would defo be in your price bracket. You're going to have to watch that 3500 kg limit though.

Thanks for all your advice Terry. Our Dogs are Maltese - our oldest one is a Pets As Therapy Dog. We take them all to dog training classes every week so will miss that whilst we are on the road !

 

[hilldweller]

What’s the matter with a French Bed.... sounds like you have had a negative experience.... ?! Is that the one cut on the corner so your legs fall off lol

Worse. It's the width, not a whole lot wider than a single. Even worse is the layout, a single bed jammed between two walls. Extremely claustrophobic.

And the dogs, have you been in a MH, floor space is tiny, seven dogs and within a week you'll have squashed one and fallen over the others with a broken leg or hip a certainty.

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[Eenansue]

7 dogs in a 3.5t MH Are you barking? (See what i did there?) All the toys in a 3.5t MH? Your payload is going to be the square root of (not very much). You had better be prepared for a very long search and to compromise a lot. Good luck!

 

[Young at Heart]

Found this one which looks quite nice: Fully winterised

7 dogs in a 3.5t MH Are you barking? (See what i did there?) All the toys in a 3.5t MH? Your payload is going to be the square root of (not very much). You had better be prepared for a very long search and to compromise a lot. Good luck!

one man's joy is another man's sorrow

 

[mitzimad]

as you want a permenant low level double bed i think you will have to compromise we have a french bed the corner missing is hardly noticable as it pretty long (not the van in my avatar )

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[Eenansue]

Found this one which looks quite nice: Fully winterised

one man's joy is another man's sorrow

My joy is no dog poo in my van and not having to fall over small fluffy things in the middle of the night

 

[ymfb]

I think you need to get yourself to a show or several dealers to see what is available. When that’s done you can decide on what compromises are to be taken.

We have a PVC with a French bed, I’m 6ft and 108 kgs and can sleep on either side.

 

[Reallyretired]

We have a French bed and I sleep on the cutaway side. I am 6ft3 and stick my feet out of the bottom in a normal bed. King size at home though.

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[Young at Heart]

Thanks to all for your input and ideas so far..... appreciated..... even the grumpy ones ha ha

 

[Hymer 1961]

You may want to consider towing a small box trailer to help with payload or as I find a towcar doubles up nicely as a trailer with the added bonus of a convenient run around while away.

We have an A Class Hymer B544, it hasn’t got a fixed bed, but does have a large comfortable double that pulls down and is very easy to hop in and out. Also, we have a big lounge area made even bigger once you remove the fixed banqueting table and replace it with a smaller moveable one, ideal for dogs, we only have the two.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Minxy]

Compromises will need to be made I suspect ...

• Maximum 3500kg.... (You know why ha ha)...... Sunroof
  Should be possible

• No Rear Doors. Bike Rack on rear. Satellite TV. TV. Wifi Booster.
  The kit can easily be added later
  
  
• Fixed double bed with no cut off - can't be bothered with pull outs or downs, past all that stuff! No climbing up to beds or anything like that!! Its mainly for two of us, but 4 berths ideal.
  Don't discount French beds as some are less 'cut off' than others and are lower than a transverse fixed bed
  
  
• Plenty of overhead storage - that's probably par for the course anyway.
  Can be less if there's a drop down bed but you won't have that problem
  
  
• Must be fully winterised - the Intro email advised us to make sure we do that!
  Check the details/spec for each one you consider, all are not equal.

• Toilet, shower, fridge, microwave, neat kitchenette, table/seating area
  That could mean a LOT of different things so you'll need to narrow down exactly what you mean ... eg a separate shower, or one that is combined with the rest of the washroom. A microwave may be able to be added later (you can only use it when you have EHU anyway. What type of seating do you want, how large etc ...
  
  
• Do we want it easy peasy..... Yes we do.... lol New or Used no matter... just well packed! Now the budget, well.... £20K doubt we would get anything.... £30K is OK, £40 if its worth it, £50 now that's pushing it but maybe....
  For your first one I'd certainly go second hand as it is very unlikely that you'll get it 'right' first time and buying new could prove a very, very expensive mistake.
  
  
• Oh Yes, we have seven little dogs travelling around with us
  You may be better with a fixed transverse rear bed with a garage, this would allow you to make part of the underneath into a 'kennel' of sorts, not for travelling (hate to think what would happen in a rear-end shunt!) but for when on site so the dogs can get out of the way and you don't end up with loads of dog beds all over the place. Some have stairs up which would need to be adapted/removed, some are at a lower level or already have removable step ladders with proper treads. You could of course look to do this with a French bed layout too by putting in a 'doggy door' to the underbed area.

Have you read Jim's 'Buyers guide' yet? Its free to members so get your muzzle in it and have a good shuftie if you haven't!

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[Young at Heart]

Compromises will need to be made I suspect ...

• Maximum 3500kg.... (You know why ha ha)...... Sunroof
  Should be possible

• No Rear Doors. Bike Rack on rear. Satellite TV. TV. Wifi Booster.
  The kit can easily be added later
  
  
• Fixed double bed with no cut off - can't be bothered with pull outs or downs, past all that stuff! No climbing up to beds or anything like that!! Its mainly for two of us, but 4 berths ideal.
  Don't discount French beds as some are less 'cut off' than others and are lower than a transverse fixed bed
  
  
• Plenty of overhead storage - that's probably par for the course anyway.
  Can be less if there's a drop down bed but you won't have that problem
  
  
• Must be fully winterised - the Intro email advised us to make sure we do that!
  Check the details/spec for each one you consider, all are not equal.

• Toilet, shower, fridge, microwave, neat kitchenette, table/seating area
  That could mean a LOT of different things so you'll need to narrow down exactly what you mean ... eg a separate shower, or one that is combined with the rest of the washroom. A microwave may be able to be added later (you can only use it when you have EHU anyway. What type of seating do you want, how large etc ...
  
  
• Do we want it easy peasy..... Yes we do.... lol New or Used no matter... just well packed! Now the budget, well.... £20K doubt we would get anything.... £30K is OK, £40 if its worth it, £50 now that's pushing it but maybe....
  For your first one I'd certainly go second hand as it is very unlikely that you'll get it 'right' first time and buying new could prove a very, very expensive mistake.
  
  
• Oh Yes, we have seven little dogs travelling around with us
  You may be better with a fixed transverse rear bed with a garage, this would allow you to make part of the underneath into a 'kennel' of sorts, not for travelling (hate to think what would happen in a rear-end shunt!) but for when on site so the dogs can get out of the way and you don't end up with loads of dog beds all over the place. Some have stairs up which would need to be adapted/removed, some are at a lower level or already have removable step ladders with proper treads. You could of course look to do this with a French bed layout too by putting in a 'doggy door' to the underbed area.

Have you read Jim's 'Buyers guide' yet? Its free to members so get your muzzle in it and have a good shuftie if you haven't!

Hi, that is very helpful. As you will appreciate you evolve your ideas as you go along! The need to have space for relaxing (yes, with the dogs!) is high so a rear ‘u’ lounge is very appealing, especially with the table down. Therefore two by two opposite seats (with seat belts) behind the driver cab which turns into a double bed will work. NB: goodbye to a fixed bed but this method needs simple enough ha ha..... as you rightly say the other extras can be added later... if not there already? Don’t want to go over 3,500kgs anyway.... so that is a red line. Not very keen on the garage idea but will certainly take a look at it. Seems that there are quite a number of fully winterised models around when you start looking. Thanks again, the journey continues....

 

[Young at Heart]

Compromises will need to be made I suspect ...

• Maximum 3500kg.... (You know why ha ha)...... Sunroof
  Should be possible

• No Rear Doors. Bike Rack on rear. Satellite TV. TV. Wifi Booster.
  The kit can easily be added later
  
  
• Fixed double bed with no cut off - can't be bothered with pull outs or downs, past all that stuff! No climbing up to beds or anything like that!! Its mainly for two of us, but 4 berths ideal.
  Don't discount French beds as some are less 'cut off' than others and are lower than a transverse fixed bed
  
  
• Plenty of overhead storage - that's probably par for the course anyway.
  Can be less if there's a drop down bed but you won't have that problem
  
  
• Must be fully winterised - the Intro email advised us to make sure we do that!
  Check the details/spec for each one you consider, all are not equal.

• Toilet, shower, fridge, microwave, neat kitchenette, table/seating area
  That could mean a LOT of different things so you'll need to narrow down exactly what you mean ... eg a separate shower, or one that is combined with the rest of the washroom. A microwave may be able to be added later (you can only use it when you have EHU anyway. What type of seating do you want, how large etc ...
  
  
• Do we want it easy peasy..... Yes we do.... lol New or Used no matter... just well packed! Now the budget, well.... £20K doubt we would get anything.... £30K is OK, £40 if its worth it, £50 now that's pushing it but maybe....
  For your first one I'd certainly go second hand as it is very unlikely that you'll get it 'right' first time and buying new could prove a very, very expensive mistake.
  
  
• Oh Yes, we have seven little dogs travelling around with us
  You may be better with a fixed transverse rear bed with a garage, this would allow you to make part of the underneath into a 'kennel' of sorts, not for travelling (hate to think what would happen in a rear-end shunt!) but for when on site so the dogs can get out of the way and you don't end up with loads of dog beds all over the place. Some have stairs up which would need to be adapted/removed, some are at a lower level or already have removable step ladders with proper treads. You could of course look to do this with a French bed layout too by putting in a 'doggy door' to the underbed area.

Have you read Jim's 'Buyers guide' yet? Its free to members so get your muzzle in it and have a good shuftie if you haven't!

PS: Also will look at the traverse bed idea..... could be a good solution.

 

[Spriddler]

Ye Gods, seven (wet?) dogs in a m/h! I'm not normally negative but it would be as well to consider where you intend pitching as I believe some sites have a limit to the number of dogs per unit. On some I think it's only two. My son has two Westies and has come across this restriction.

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[Minxy]

I wouldn't want to be making up a dinette-seat bed, they are often narrow and usually lumpy!

You can use a fixed bed as a 'lounge' to slob out on as well, that's what we do with ours - we have a PVC with 2 long singles or a mahoosive kingsize in the rear and a half-dinette, we did have a transverse double and a large L-shaped lounge version too which we used in the same way.

Wanting a rear lounge and a front dinette is taking you into the longer MH category where payload could become an issue at 3500kg.

 

[Minxy]

Ye Gods, seven (wet?) dogs in a m/h! I'm not normally negative but it would be as well to consider where you intend pitching as I believe some sites have a limit to the number of dogs per unit. On some I think it's only two. My son has two Westies and has come across this restriction.

7 small wet dogs = 1 large wet one ... I know which I'd prefer and I don't mean the large one! Small ones are easier to get hold of and dry!

Only downside is 7 small poos instead of 1 large dollup so more bending down and more dog bowls!

We have 3 dogs (2 smaller ones and 1 heffalump) and a lot of sites restrict it to 2, but as we don't use sites normally it's not a major issue for us.

 

[Young at Heart]

I wouldn't want to be making up a dinette-seat bed, they are often narrow and usually lumpy!

You can use a fixed bed as a 'lounge' to slob out on as well, that's what we do with ours - we have a PVC with 2 long singles or a mahoosive kingsize in the rear and a half-dinette, we did have a transverse double and a large L-shaped lounge version too which we used in the same way.

Wanting a rear lounge and a front dinette is taking you into the longer MH category where payload could become an issue at 3500kg.

Like the idea of a massive king bed..... we have a super king water bed at home so narrow and lumpy would be very bad!!

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[Young at Heart]

Ye Gods, seven (wet?) dogs in a m/h! I'm not normally negative but it would be as well to consider where you intend pitching as I believe some sites have a limit to the number of dogs per unit. On some I think it's only two. My son has two Westies and has come across this restriction.

Hi, negative is good because we have to know the downsides.... so, we are joining the caravan club who have dog friendly sites with no restrictions or extra charges for Motorhome pitches.

PS: did you read our reasons in our intro? Explains why.

 

[hilldweller]

so, we are joining the caravan club who have dog friendly sites

We did when we bought our first MH only to find we turned up and were told FULL all too often. Demand exceeds supply so you have to book well in advance for the popular sites.

Even abroad, where the number of sites is unbelievable, there are now so many MHs they fill the popular ones quickly.

 

[Spriddler]

PS: did you read our reasons in our intro? Explains why.

Yes, I understand your reasons; my son's dogs are rescued ones from Greece.
(I had a nightmare pitch once (but only briefly) next to a lady with two parrots that never stopped talking/shouting - mostly highly offensive swearing, especially when she put a cover on their cage in an attempt to quieten them).