Ever tempted to buy a RV then thought twice?

[joner8888]

I keep looking at some RV ads, dreaming of all that plush living space.
Then common sense takes over, too big for sites , getting caught in lanes ect, and then I turn the pc off quick.

Anyone else like one but take safe option of a smaller MH

Does it take large balls to own one

 

[thehutchies]

I keep looking at some RV ads, dreaming of all that plush living space.
Then common sense takes over, too big for sites , getting caught in lanes ect, and then I turn the pc off quick.

Anyone else like one but take safe option of a smaller MH

Does it take large balls to own one

No

 

[Jim]

If you like them. Now is a good time to buy one. You should expect to pay around 3 times as much in fuel as you would use in a Fiat...But they are fun to drive and considering the home you are moving around they are reasonably economical. For long term stays they are pretty much unbeatable.

You do need to take more care when driving, but they do shrink around you and its not long before you are throwing them around country lanes.

 

[Forestboy]

I keep looking at some RV ads, dreaming of all that plush living space.
Then common sense takes over, too big for sites , getting caught in lanes ect, and then I turn the pc off quick.

Anyone else like one but take safe option of a smaller MH

Does it take large balls to own one

Yes and a large wallet.
We owned 3 RVs each one smaller than the previous and as much as we enjoyed owning them they were expensive to run and totally impractical for touring. More and more sites refused us entry and the cost of fuel eventually made us go to a Hymer, best decision we ever made. Now we just jump in and go no more planning can we get down the road or how much is it gonna cost in fuel. Plus we can now take our van skiing something we could never do with the Rvs just not winterised good enough to survive in the Alps. The only real benefit to owning a RV is the internal space when its parked but to be honest we've never missed it and we also have a massive payload which most Rvs downrated to 7500kgs don't have.
But if you want one they're dirt cheap now so buy one and enjoy it we did:thumb:

 

[old-mo]

Been down all roads in over 40 years.. Caravans, Campervans, Motorhomes...

5th wheels, RV`s proper,,, over the last 7 - 8 years.... and now back to a Euro-van..

Love the space of RV`s, especially with a super slide... but...

They have there limitations..... we used to tour Scotland a lot with a eurovan and 4 wheeled trailer with a car on... "Brilliant .... could get to places we wouldn`t have dared taking an RV...

Much the same on the continent,,,, tried a few times in a Yank to get on "Aires", never managed to get on one... limited by size to a lot of sites...

Only had one night in our new toy.... but must admit it was cosy...

If this don't work out I will call it a day, but looking forwards to unplanned trips abroad.. in this one... instead of phoning sites to see if they can take an overall size of 50 odd foot.. where we can get LPG for the road tank... can we dump the black tank OK, and so on..

Having only slept in it once, I have noticed things not noticed before because of the restricted space...

The wife has more wrinkles, spots and zit`s I`d not noticed in the big one.. oh:

And lastly,,,,, "When" they go wrong... they are expensive, and some times you have to wait for parts from the States.... if not available here in the UK... which is a bit of a worry if you are abroad.. :Sad:

The above are just my own personnel views, others will say different..

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[Snowbird]

Been down the same street as Mo and wont be going down it again. Not even tempted any more.

 

[mitzimad]

i suppose it depend how you intend to use your van if like us even a coach built would be to big to go wandering around small lanes and wild areas then totally impractical if you drive down to spain/portugal twice a year for 3 month stays then fine

 

[cmcardle75]

I keep looking at some RV ads, dreaming of all that plush living space.
Then common sense takes over, too big for sites , getting caught in lanes ect, and then I turn the pc off quick.

Anyone else like one but take safe option of a smaller MH

Does it take large balls to own one

Go for a Class C RV as a good compromise and make sure it is a petrol with LPG conversion.

Ours gets 10mpg on LPG, which is equivalent to about 21mpg compared with diesel. Not only that, but being not diesel is exempt from many low emissions zones, even as they ramp up the required Euro rating every 3 years.

It is only 7.5m long, so is rarely a problem on campsites, especially the CS sites we favour that don't have small marked pitches with hedges. It is rear wheel drive and dual rear wheel. This means that about 70% of its weight is on driven wheels, compared to 45% on a front wheel drive Euro or even less on a front wheel drive tag axle. This means it drives out of steep muddy fields with no issues.

Then you have all the benefits of the RV, like decent plumbing (mine has a bath and marine toilet) and wide spacious interior. The 250 litre water tank lasts days even with the occasional shower, so you can wildcamp without worrying about water supplies.

Mine is far too old to have slideouts and yet is still much more spacious feeling than a narrow European model. You also get (potentially) a much larger fridge and more work surfaces.

Parts availability is excellent. Despite being a 1978 model, when I needed a tie-rod end balljoint, rockauto gave me a choice of 5 manufacturers each with 3 different quality levels, starting from just 4 quid. They arrived next day from the US. Similar with some shock absorbers. Massive RV rated shocks were about 20 quid for midrange. Economy from a tenner. Browsing, you could find all sorts of engine and suspension components, ball joints, wishbones, control arms, hubs. All cheap with multiple choices of manufacturer.

 

[jonandshell]

What is parts availability like on the continent though? I include windscreens in this.

For those of us still working, our annual holiday could be ruined by something as simple as a broken windscreen!

 

[slverdreamers]

R.V.

I keep looking at some RV ads, dreaming of all that plush living space.
Then common sense takes over, too big for sites , getting caught in lanes ect, and then I turn the pc off quick.

Anyone else like one but take safe option of a smaller MH

Does it take large balls to own one

Our first motorhome was a 30ft American 20 years ago, got carried away at the dealers. We went from Worcs to Minehead cost a fortune, then traded in for a UK A class then a machzone. They are lovely, provided you don't want to go anywhere.
Peter

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[eddie]

I've owned loads of motorhomes over the years and have switched back to European motorhomes three times.

I am currently in "RV" mode and have been for the last three vans.

The size is an issue but not as much as you'd imagine. If I was changing due to size to allow more touring in would be to a panel van conversion as my 32' RV is genuinely in my opinion no worse that a say 27' Hymer or Autotrail length wise and being a genuine chassis built for an RV my turning circle is tremendous.

As far a width? well the body of my van is about the width of most European "A" class vans wing mirrors. How many of you would drive down a lane with your wing mirrors scraping each side? Being higher my mirrors are up high so often "clear" things that European vans mirror wouldn't.

Security is an issue with me as well, I have metal framed, glass double glazed tinted windows that are very high so difficult to mess around with, also my door frame is metal, as is the door and the re-inforcing. This means that the dead bolt slides through metal into metal making it very secure.

We normally get about 9 MPG on LPG which I am happy with with LPG being £0.65 - £0.80 per litre and amazingly when we towed our RIB down to the South of France last month, we returned 8MPG towing a two ton trailer combo.

We have two large hairy German Shepherds which take up a ridiculous amount of floor when they lay down, so space to us is important.

Loads of storage and payload, 190 Ltr petrol tank and a 230 Ltr LPG tank means a good range between stops.

Plus all the "standard" features massive fresh water and waste storage capacities, genny, Air Con, domestic taps and waste, big fridge freezers, proper furniture, ice makers, hydraulic levelling jacks the list goes on.

However, I believe that motorhome choice is like Religion. What I believe doesn't make me right, or wrong: It's just what I believe at the moment.

 

[eddie]

They are lovely, provided you don't want to go anywhere. Peter

We toured Corsica with our mates in two 36' Georgie Boys about five years ago clocking up over three thousand miles on the trip.:thumb:

Does Corsica count as "anywhere"

Eddie

 

[motor roamin]

What is parts availability like on the continent though? I include windscreens in this.

For those of us still working, our annual holiday could be ruined by something as simple as a broken windscreen!

Most American vehicle parts that come off the shelf in Europe come from Belgium, I have driven American vehicles of all kinds since 1969 and all have been cheaper to run and cost much less on parts than any Euro vehicle I have owned, in truth I have just sold my Mercededs S class with only 60,000 miles on he clock due to being the most unreliable expensive to maintain car I have ever owned.

I find that if any one askes the question RV verses Euro theanswers tend to be mines better than yours.........I think Eddie is spot on it is what works for you.......I am happy to have less fuel economy and the odd site I just don't fit on and the few roads I don't fit down for the extra space better build quality etc..........I have had euros fivers and Americans..........for now though I like mine :thumb:

All the best rick

 

[Jim]

They are lovely, provided you don't want to go anywhere.
Peter

You'll find RVs from the UK literally everywhere, in every country in Europe and beyond. Many people are too scared to drive them abroad or any great distance. Some only ever go to show rallies and the odd caravan club site. But you can tour in them. We have toured Europe in an RV. Yes you need to plan a bit more and can't be quite as carefree as a panel van conversion owner, but if you have a pair of testis as large as Margaret Thatchers its easy.

Two 40ft RVs that will be rallying with us at Shepton will leave there in convoy and tour France/Spain/Portugal/Morocco returning here for their MOTs in July, they've done that for the last ten years. If you want to tour in them, you can.

 

[motor roamin]

You'll find RVs from the UK literally everywhere, in every country in Europe and beyond. Many people are too scared to drive them abroad or any great distance. Some only ever go to show rallies and the odd caravan club site. But you can tour in them. We have toured Europe in an RV. Yes you need to plan a bit more and can't be quite as carefree as a panel van conversion owner, but if you have a pair of testis as large as Margaret Thatchers its easy.

Two 40ft RVs that will be rallying with us at Shepton will leave there in convoy and tour France/Spain/Portugal/Morocco returning here for their MOTs in July, they've done that for the last ten years. If you want to tour in them, you can.

I want to just can't get away from work for long enough so your statements wrong :Tongue1: :Angry:

All the best See you at Shepton Rick

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[SharonL]

We have two large hairy German Shepherds which take up a ridiculous amount of floor when they lay down, so space to us is important.

LOL we're newbies so very inexperienced but this strikes the same chord as us - two very large very hairy very beautiful Siberian Huskies - so the space of the Holiday Rambler Endeavour we got is ideal for them and for full time liviing. Has a small slide out, not a super one, but it gives enough extra space to feel comfortable and spacious as a home.

Touring not so much of a consideration for us at the moment though, both still working and not enough pennies to tour very far, so your decision will always be based on what your needs are at any given time in your life.

Nothing has to be forever - and thank heaven for that! :thumb:

 

[steevie]

I bought one in need of some serious care, and have slowly worked my way through the interior. I have a list of where to by what that I have gathered over the past couple of years, including some US suppliers. Things like tyres are expensive, but you dont need them very often. Windscreens are available, but may have to wait a few days, but so did our gand voyager screen aswell. Some standard British stuff fits with a bit of conversion. Its a cummins diesel, which is about bomb proof, with an Allison Transmission. Its does about 16 to the gallon, but we make our own biodiesel. We have done 3,000mls this past year, going to steam fairs all over the country, and not found anywhere we couldnt handle road wise. At the end of the day, its only roughly the size of a fire engine, which has to go down any lane there is a fire. I just love driving it, and find long journeys effortless. Now to start working on the external appearance. Then it should do us for another few years. I cant really see any job being much more costly than other large vehicles, or posh cars etc. and you can get many parts off the shelf, even for a 23 year old one, from such as "Star spangled spanner". There will always be folk who prefer different types of motor home, or there wouldnt be the amount and variety around that there is. For us, its an RV all the way.:thumb:

 

[simsy56]

At present we have a 5er and truck. Family circumstances lead us to sell our A class Winnebago, which we loved and would have kept if possible.
So, for now we have a trailer with all the comforts of an A class, including slides, but can leave it on site, and then have a vehicle for travelling around.
Presently it suits us perfectly, but, there is nothing like driving a large A class.
Euro MHs do not have anywhere enough space for us, and are lacking comfort and facilities in our opinion. And the cost of many euro MHs, the price of US RVs seems cheap. Economy is not the forte of the US RV, but probably better, or on a par with a Range Rover towing a caravan of substantial size.
I have dragged my 5er down some pretty narrow roads on the IOM, and have no issues about travelling overseas with it. I will stick with the US RV for as long as I can drive.

Craig

 

[Larrynwin]

We are now on our third RV, a relatively small one at 8.5 m long and only 1.5 inches wider in body than many of the Hymer, Rapido etc eurovans so size does not have to be an issue and we have the benefit of twin slideouts for space and comfort as well as the extras that are fitted as standard on many RVs.

On economy we get 9mpg on lpg which equates in cost roughly to 16/17 mpg , a small price to pay for the extra accomodation.

In the three years since we bought this RV new we have put 18k on the clock travelling in Portugal, Spain, ROI, Scotland , Wales etc and not once had a problem in access other than the very few length restricted CClub sites .

When the itch arrives we hop in and travel, no need for forward planning.
Like many others we tow a toad on A Frame in UK and bikes on back over the water.

If you are considering buying an RV , research carefully, visit the dealerships and find exactly what fits your needs . We did when looking for a eurovan three years ago and only an RV ticked all the boxes for us and it has been great :thumb:

 

[simsy56]

I must admit that the Yanks know a thing or two about paintwork too! Whoever thought that grey was a colour has to have a rivet missing.

Craig

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[rolandrat]

My previous experience of a Gulfstream Sunsport has put me off RV's for ever. As has been mentioned, you need a very large wallet. It was purchased from Travelworld when they were in Wolverhampton some years ago. Aftersales support was zero so Dudleys were top dogs for servicing. I would advise anyone who is interested in buying one to have a very close look underneath first. Then you need to thoroughly check for any side wall delamination. The body was built on a John Deere chassis with a Cummins engine and Alison Auto box and was fairly trouble free but the habitation side left much to be desired. If anyone is considering buying one then I think you would save a serious amount of money if you went over to the States and bought one there. There are companies who can organise the shipping back to the UK.

 

[eddie]

My previous experience of a Gulfstream Sunsport has put me off RV's for ever. As has been mentioned, you need a very large wallet. It was purchased from Travelworld when they were in Wolverhampton some years ago. Aftersales support was zero so Dudleys were top dogs for servicing. I would advise anyone who is interested in buying one to have a very close look underneath first. Then you need to thoroughly check for any side wall delamination. The body was built on a John Deere chassis with a Cummins engine and Alison Auto box and was fairly trouble free but the habitation side left much to be desired. If anyone is considering buying one then I think you would save a serious amount of money if you went over to the States and bought one there. There are companies who can organise the shipping back to the UK.

Out of curiosity how old was the RV when you bought it?

Eddie

 

[Toffs-G]

We had a 23ft european mh and swapped to an RV and one that was considered relatively small a 32ft winnebago. Yes the interior space is great. Having spent an eye watering amount on fuel driving down to lake garda and back and due to its size, couldnt take it out for the day whilst we were down there, so hired a car we, decided to sell. It took us over a year to sell and we took a £14, 000 hit in 2 years. It also broke down alot but then that could happen to any vehicle.

We used the 23ft Elnagh quite a lot and always enjoyed our time away and only sold it because we chose the wrong layout, basically no lounging area other than the dinette and at the time we didnt like the ladder up to the bed over the garage. In reality we could have got a wooden ladder with wider rungs made and that would have sold that problem. We used to go anywhere in the eurobox take it out for days wherever we were not so in the RV and in fact we tried twice to have a day out in it here but it was too big not like the eurobox that we took out most weekends. We often say we should have just kept the Elnagh we so regret selling it.

So having dipped our toe in a mega expensive pond we are now looking at a 21ft Chausson that we know we can take most places. It is slightly on hold at the moment as business is slow but as and when things pick up that is the route we are going to take.

Good luck with your decision:thumb: we like the idea of just setting off as and when we like rather than having to plan a trip like a military operation we seldom used the RV.

Cheers
Gary

 

[Toffs-G]

Been down all roads in over 40 years.. Caravans, Campervans, Motorhomes...

5th wheels, RV`s proper,,, over the last 7 - 8 years.... and now back to a Euro-van..

Love the space of RV`s, especially with a super slide... but...

They have there limitations..... we used to tour Scotland a lot with a eurovan and 4 wheeled trailer with a car on... "Brilliant .... could get to places we wouldn`t have dared taking an RV...

Much the same on the continent,,,, tried a few times in a Yank to get on "Aires", never managed to get on one... limited by size to a lot of sites...

Only had one night in our new toy.... but must admit it was cosy...

If this don't work out I will call it a day, but looking forwards to unplanned trips abroad.. in this one... instead of phoning sites to see if they can take an overall size of 50 odd foot.. where we can get LPG for the road tank... can we dump the black tank OK, and so on..

Having only slept in it once, I have noticed things not noticed before because of the restricted space...

The wife has more wrinkles, spots and zit`s I`d not noticed in the big one.. oh:

And lastly,,,,, "When" they go wrong... they are expensive, and some times you have to wait for parts from the States.... if not available here in the UK... which is a bit of a worry if you are abroad.. :Sad:

The above are just my own personnel views, others will say different..

We were lucky in the RV to break down in Switzerland where seemingly they have a fair few yank vehicles so the garage could get parts still took 2 days to be off again though and not cheap

 

[Forestboy]

Our first motorhome was a 30ft American 20 years ago, got carried away at the dealers. We went from Worcs to Minehead cost a fortune, then traded in for a UK A class then a machzone. They are lovely, provided you don't want to go anywhere.
Peter

Not quite sure that's true we drove ours 100'000 miles and 45'000 of that was in the UK Europe and Morocco the rest in the USA. An RV can go anywhere within reason just a bit wider and longer. The biggest issue was not the driving it was the fuel cost and limited campsites available to us.

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[smiffy502000]

as my wife keeps telling me,"SIZE IS NOT IMPORTANT!!"

 

[jhorsf]

After all the comments and pictures in posts by Snowbird I would not be surprised if he now has it in his will that he wants to be buried in his RMB as I do not think he could bare to be parted from it:thumb:

 

[joner8888]

There seems to be a few Motor Homers that seem to turn to either a Hymer or Rapido as a second best compared to a RV.

Looks like a Hymer for me , maybe I will leave a RV as a dream I could have realized in the 90`s , but not today as my pockets are not as deep as then.:thumb:
I spose its always nice to have something to look forward though

Maybe I ought to view this or similar soon ----

Link Removed

 

[Larrynwin]

There seems to be a few Motor Homers that seem to turn to either a Hymer or Rapido as a second best compared to a RV.

Looks like a Hymer for me , maybe I will leave a RV as a dream I could have realized in the 90`s , but not today as my pockets are not as deep as then.:thumb:
I spose its always nice to have something to look forward though

Maybe I ought to view this or similar soon ----

Link Removed

As second best

 

[Forestboy]

That's almost identical to our van and ours is superb. You'll never buy a RV of the same quality that's for sure . Ours is uprated to 5tonne has 1500 kg payload carries a 650 Kawasaki Versys in the garage plus all the crap we carry on 3 month trip and does 25 mpg at 60 mph. We have camped at minus 25c at 10000 ft with no EHU and nothing froze and we were warm and cozy for a week. Likewise in high temps it keeps reasonably cool. We sold a 2008 RV which was a year old and bought a 2002 Hymer B694 because we wanted the better build quality of an older German van and must say we've not once regretted it.

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