Does our ideal motorhome exist? (1 Viewer)

[mccheese]

Hello,

I'm hoping you lovely experienced people can help.

We are very on in the early stages of planning to buy a motorhome with the view to travel around Europe for a year.

We will be early 40s by the time we get ourselves organised enough (18 months we think), so still have plenty of time to plan.

We have experience of a tourer caravan so aren't entirely new to seeing if we still like each other in a confined space but we would like to remain married so space is definitely something to consider

We went around a local motorhome dealer yesterday and quite quickly determined things we felt suited us. For example we felt for us a fixed bed was a waste of space, as we don't mind making a bed up and would rather the space was used for other things.

Things we would like:
End bathroom and preferably a bathroom that was more like a bathroom at home (eg: not one piece/plastic floor). I would swap an end bathroom for a lounge in this area, if it meant we had different areas we could relax in and wasn't left with a teeny bathroom.

No fixed bed.

No overhead bed above driver/passenger, as we felt this could feel oppressive when driving long distances and think it takes away light from living area. (not sure if anyone else feels like this)

Storage for two paddleboards (these are deflated and in bags but quite bulky - think tent bag size).

Close to as normal sized kitchen appliances as possible (I like cooking!).

Ideally spend would be about £30k but could possibly go to £40k.

When we went away in our tourer, the van would normally have all items in the middle eg: awning, outside chairs etc... in a motorhome do you do the same? It didn't matter so much in the tourer as we would tend to be settling on site for a while so didn't mind getting things out the van and set up (and out of the way in the caravan) but can't imagine you would want things in the way like this in a motorhome.

We are planning on hiring a van prior to throwing all our eggs in the basket, but the more advice we can get in the meantime the better.

Thank you

 

[mjltigger]

I'm sure some do load up the van floor for travelling but we never would. We like the van to be fully usable within seconds of applying the hand brake so everything has a home.

We have a fixed bed giving us the storage space you seem to need. I get you would rather have space but the feeling of space we have is my having a 7.5m van. You haven't said what size you are looking for but I suspect once you get into a van that is big enough for your needs you may feel differently about the fixed bed (on the basis of the storage under it)

We have a bed above our can. We didn't want one and the model we have comes with or without.. we couldn't find one for sale without so bought one with. The head space above the cab is actually more in the one with the bed as it pushes all the way back whereas the other model had cupboards instead.

We are early forties as well (that's a lie. I'm early forties.. her ladyship isn't yet) and it's a great time to get motorhomeing.. certainly we wouldn't have time in our lives for a caravan. We need to wait another few years for the kids to scarper before we can do our dream tour though..

 

[Camdoon]

Everyone is different - we have been browsing vans and mentioned to one another that we could not consider such a van when someone comes in and says it is just what they need.
Some thoughts:
If I was sleeping in a van every night, the first thing I would want would be a fixed bed as I have never slept on a comfortable made up bed. A third of your life will be in the bed and most of your van time will be there and the driving seat - priorities.
Overhead beds are fine in an A class but I do not like in a standard cab. Light is something you try to do without for a good 6 months of the year or longer in S. Europe.
Kitchen - I would be wanting to do most of my cooking outside. Never had an oven which did not cook without turning stuff around. European tend to buy vans without ovens.
Vans do not tend to be centre loaded like caravans. The engine and passengers sit atop the front wheels.
How big a bathroom do you need - total time wise not a great deal of time is spent there but you want to use a lot of space.
Separate areas - if we are doing different things then the headphones go on.
It is up to you as no two people have the same priorities and the priorities change over time as well. Good luck

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[BMM]

Early 40s? come on that's far too young to own a motorhome! what you need is an RV

 

[Deleted member 29692]

No fixed bed and end bathroom or lounge also tends to mean no garage which then means less storage

 

[WynandJean]

We are in the process of buying a Bailey Autograph 682. Now it would need a rethink on the budget but sounds like it might fit the bill.

Wyn

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[wizzer59]

No, there will always be compromises, good luck in your search and welcome to fun

 

[sueandjohn]

Short answer is no!

Make a 2 short list of 'must haves' and 'can't live with that

So we started with must have 4 seat belts, fixed bed , under 7m

Can't live with steps up to bed, centre washroom, uncomfortable driving seats

Everything after that was compromise ..... there are lots of them

 

[Spriddler]

End or at the rear and at the side washroom, end kitchen, cooker with min two burners, grill and medium size oven, and two settees so that on wet days each can relax with a book, a brew, or a glass of wine. Or two. Mine has an overcab bed which appealed to me but I only used it once as I can't sit up in it and I must drink my first brew in bed whilst waiting for some semblance of basic speech to return.

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[WillH]

Stacking stuff on the floor! Whatever next! The kettle should be on within a few seconds of turning the engine off, nothing should obstruct this. Be realistic, if it sits on the floor when you are travelling where will it go when you stop?

 

[The Wino]

Look at a chausson flash 610

 

[mccheese]

Thanks for all the replies. I think, yes. A 'must have' list will need to be drawn up. I also think we need to get out and see as many vans as we can with a view to hiring out a couple that we think might fit the bill before buying.

As for an RV.... Crikey....not likely my husband is looking stressed enough at the thought of driving a motorhome (he currently has a VW UP!)

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[mccheese]

This one has caught my eye...



I thought it might be interesting to see if any secondhand ones about when time to buy!

 

[Four of us]

I agree with the idea of a "must have" list but really the best thing is to go to dealers and shows and visit as many vans as possible. When we started to look we both found ourselves independently liking one particular layout. And four years on we have never regretted it.

 

[meanders]

A good place to see a lot of vans is at the shows. Newark and Lincoln are relatively near you, or a trip to the NEC.

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[jdk62]

When we started looking for our first motorhome,cue had some really helpful advise from a salesman at a local dealer..

He said list 3 things that you consider the most important.

For us it was:
- Fixed bed (Beauty Terrorist adamant she/we were not making a bed up every night..)
- 2 travelling seats ( in case Grandchildren come away with us)
- Light coloured wood and interior (Beauty Terrorist suffers from a little claustrophobia)

We found it really helped us focus on specific vans which met our list.

 

[Four of us]

I thought it might be interesting to see if any secondhand ones about when time to buy

Definitely! We got ours on a private sale through autotrader and paid 20% less than same van at dealers. It had only done 13,000 miles and was immaculate inside.

Good luck. Let us all know how you get on.

 

[Hellski]

Take a look at the Burstner Ixeo 680g; a newish model but there should be a few up for sale by the time you're ready to purchase

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[lorger]

Hi and welcome, If i was travelling for a few months I definitely go for a fixed bed. You say its a waste of space you will normally have a garage underneath that will be a very good use of space. The bed or beds can easily be used during the day for some me space while reading a book.

Our first van had make up beds and wouldn't have wanted to sleep in it for months on end, or two since have been fixed and what a difference.

 

[Wh05apk]

After an initial false start we now have a dethleffs i6767, which feels massive inside full width rear washroom, large garage-big enough for bikes, a 6ft lounge + cab seats, the bed is a drop down over the cab, but being an a class is widthways so is large, and we still have a large rooflight in the lounge, you might need to stretch the budget, but may be affordable by the time you are buying.

 

[mikebeaches]

Think very hard about make-up beds versus fixed beds. As others have indicated, we're all different and have different priorities. But for long terming, fixed beds would be invaluable IMHO.

And again, as already mentioned, fixed bed(s) provide huge amounts of convenient storage, which is something you have asked about. We ensure everything is packed away for travelling, and bathroom is always accessible and fully functioning. Kettle on as soon as engine turned off! And bed always ready for relaxation or kip.

We had caravans, all with make-up beds - never again. Now On our third MH and all have had fixed beds.

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[Dan and Jan]

When we started looking for our first motorhome,cue had some really helpful advise from a salesman at a local dealer..

He said list 3 things that you consider the most important.

For us it was:
- Fixed bed (Beauty Terrorist adamant she/we were not making a bed up every night..)
- 2 travelling seats ( in case Grandchildren come away with us)
- Light coloured wood and interior (Beauty Terrorist suffers from a little claustrophobia)

We found it really helped us focus on specific vans which met our list.

Exactly like us, now in the process of getting a Chausson Welcome 99. 2 single bed large garage. Bliss.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

We are now on our forth proper motorhome apart from tiny pop-ups and delivery vans when the kids were small. These are our personal opinions of each type of motorhome.

• The first was a Luton coachbuilt with rear lounge which made up to the second double bed. The luton bed was hopeless so just a big waste of space and energy moving it through the air we only ever used it as a junk store. The rear bed was a pain to make up and I cannot imagine doing it every night when fulltiming.
• The second was a low profile with a centre kitchen with long way diner and rear lounge which was the large double bed. When away for a more than a few days we tended to leave the bed made up as it was such a pain to make up each night so we lost the benefit of the rear lounge.
• The Third was a leVoyageur A-class with electric drop-down bed that could be put away in 10 seconds while made up. My wife is 74 and had no trouble climbing into it as it came down very low. Rotating cab seats and full length couches either side meant we could entertain 8 for dinner, both easily snooze after lunch etc. The rear corner kitchen has plenty of storage, three burners, an oven grill and rotisserie, sink and plenty of preparation space. The large rear corner bath room / dressing room has a large shower that was big enough for two (if that is of interest) a large bench cassette, wash basin and plenty of cupboards and.... a very large wardrobe so you could sort your clothes out after your shower. Running under the kitchen units and wardrobe was a large half height garage giving plenty of storage.
• The forth and latest is a top of the range Hymer A-class with a fixed rear bed over an enormous garage. The cab has cupboards round the front rather than the drop down bed. The fittings etc are great. In comparison it was a big, big mistake, the only benefit is that the garage is large enough for a very small scooter but we could have solved that with an EasyLifter! The rear bed is nice but it does take up a great deal of the living space. The drop down bed is two meters of usable space during the day which of course is nearly a third of the living space and it doesn't limit head height as you suggest, not like a luton bed.

Now you can probably guess which was our favourite from the description. Yes of course number three the leVoyageur. It felt twice the size of the Hymer, much much more comfortable for long timing because of all the space and airiness. The day beds were perfect for reading and snoozing and the kitchen and bathroom really practical. Yes we are a bit disappointed with the Hymer.
Now, for us we have no interest in carrying passengers especially grandchildren which we find totally incompatible with motorhome living, ok we love visiting them but we also like to say goodbye when we have had enough.
Think very hard about the design for fultiming. If you want to or can afford to stay on sites all the time then a caravan is probably the best because you have the versatility of the tow car and much more space. But staying on sites all the time is very restricting & very expensive. I hate sites and love being able to stop where and when I like. The thought of travelling with stuff on the floor is a real no, no. You will be yelling at each other within a week. The odd crate of beer perhaps but a couple of paddle boards. What will you do with it all when you want to stop on a deserted beach or in a layby or parking area. You certainly can't put it all outside when wilding.
There are quite a few fulltimers doing blogs at the moment. ourbumble.com are members on here and ourtour.co.uk are just two. Read as many as you can to get a feel for their way of life and the costs involved.
Hope it all goes very well for you both and you make a good choice. But please lose all preconditions I know of one couple who insisted on an island bed and separate loo & shower both of which I agree looks great but they now agree that it takes up more than half of the van and they feel the van is a very expensive day van because they have nowhere to relax except the bed.

We will give our Hymer a couple of years but I think we will end up buying another leVoyageur Dressing if they are still making them in a few years time because the design was perfect for fultiming which we are working towards.
Good luck,
Steve
p.s. Our leVoyageur is for sale if you want to p.m. me.

 

[Dan and Jan]

Exactly like us, now in the process of getting a Chausson Welcome 99. 2 single bed large garage. Bliss.

Forgot to say, electric lowering bed in roof for Grandchildren. When we take them. Lol