First motorhome purchase HELP (1 Viewer)

[chacalou]

Hello all,

I am looking to purchase a motorhome in the near future and need some advice

Please see below a “few” requirements:

- Up to 7.5m long, Up to 3500KG and up to 3m high (class 2 for French tolls)
- Ideally low profile or A class (petrol consumption / aerodynamics) but may consider overcab if there is a bargain to be had
- Not more than 5 years old
- Budget up to £40K or €45k
- Ideally sleeps 4-5 and with 4-5 seatbelts
- Left or right hand drive
- Min requirement for sleeping is one large double bed and 2 single beds
- Close dealer and servicing therefore looking at Wilmoths in Guildford, Wokingham Motorhomes and Marquis

I live in Twickenham, I am planning on going to France quite a bit and therefore I need to find out what is more cost effective for me in terms of (travelling across to France, tolls, insurance, consumption).

I would consider purchasing the MH in France (being French) however, since the £/€ conversion is so rubbish these days, it may be more hassle than it is worth especially with insurance, road tax...

The other concern I have is regarding diesel and the change of rules. Is it safer to go for petrol since the government is cracking down on diesel engines? What about LPG?

We already did a weekend excursion with my uncle’s motorhome in France and we loved it however my other half wants to have a minimum of comfort with a nice bed and decent shower cubicle. It also needs to be modern “bien sur”. She told me that she wanted Le Voyageur LV 8.5CL!?! however this is definitely over budget... ;o)

BTW, is it worth purchasing it at the NEC event in Birmingham?

Apologies for the essay and looking forward to your motorhome/dealer recommendation

 

[Blue Knight]

Hi and welcome.

The big problem to your list is finding a 5-belt van in 7.5m guise and an MTPLM of less than 3,500kg.

I don't think one exists legally speaking.

Very best,

Andrew

 

[MC 55 FUN]

Finding a Moho that sleeps 4 - 5 may not be an issue, however finding a 3.5t Moho with adequate payload to carry 4 - 5 persons & their paraphernalia may be difficult i.m.o.

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[mikebeaches]

Hi - wow lots of questions there! And I'm sure there will be plenty of suggestions from folk on here.

A quick one from me. If you are going to be a regular traveller to France, look at the 'Frequent Traveller' account with Eurotunnel. Need to buy 10 single tickets to be used within any twelve month period ie 5 returns. But you can share the account with one other person. The price is fixed at £44 per crossing for a car and an additional £11 for any size of campervan/motorhome. Can travel any day of the year, so supper cheap and convenient in high season especially. Also, remarkably flexible - you can change your plans as often as you want without any penalties.

Hope you find the van you are looking for.

 

[Blue Knight]

Finding a Moho that sleeps 4 - 5 may not be an issue, however finding a 3.5t Moho with adequate payload to carry 4 - 5 persons & their paraphernalia may be difficult i.m.o.

See, Mark & Sharon knew what I really meant to write.

Well done guys

 

[Paul and Kate]

Agree with with blue knight
Biggest problem will be the dimensions
We have a majestic 155 for just two of us
4 seat belts but we took two of them out for weight
3500kg and in full battle mode we weighed in at 3430
Full fresh water and full diesel
A family friendly van within the 3500 kg limit just doesn't exist I'm afraid
I'd say a family of four would even struggle to stay legal going upto the 3650 limit
If we had kids I'd consider taking the c1 entitlement this would open up a whole new world of motorhomes
Good luck with the search
I'd recommend joining fully as you only get 5 posts as a guest it will be the best 15 quid you'll spend

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[Dan and Jan]

Hello and welcome from Scotland. Hope you find your dream van.

 

[peterc10]

As others have said payload is going to be your problem is you want to use it for 4 or 5 people and keep it under the magic 3500kg. Once you go over that figure (assuming you have got the correct C1 licence) then better to go for a decent payload and look at mohos up to 4500kg.

 

[The Nomad]

My first suggedtion would be to totally ignore any mpg difference between the various body styles. An overcab is fantastic for additional storage especially if you have a rear bed so just use the overcab part for stuff/kit/folding bikes etc. It is depreciation which is the big cost in motorhoming, it dwarfs all other costs put together but is rather the elephant in the room in that no one ever talks about it. Compared to depreciation any variation between say 25 and 30 mpg over maybe 4000 miled per year is tiny. Much more important to get a mh at as keen a purchase price as possible that meets all your needs....and your first one is unlikely to tick all those need boxes because its only by using it long term that you realise what works/doesn't work for you. Thus you are quite likely to change it witjin a couple of years...with the depreciation hit you'll then take. So buy older/cheaper if poss as your first one, cos relatively you'll lose far less when you sell it or trade it in for your next one.

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[peterc10]

With the increasing popularity of motorhoming I am not sure that depreciation is the major problem it used to be. I bought my first moho (a 2008 Adria coachbuilt) in 2013 for £30k. I p/xed it for £28k two and half years and 15,000 miles later. I suspect I could have sold it for what I paid for it if I had advertised it privately but I did not want the hassle.

 

[suavecarve]

If you have C1 then dont even think about staying under 3500 kgs for 4 persons.
I uprated to 4250 on a 6 berth which carries a motorbike. It did come in at less than 3500 kgs for 2 of us who go very light (and i mean very light) but would have been well over by the time i bought the wine back.
Think weight, think fixed rear bed, think swivel round seats, think again about the overhead cab as this is another made up bed or storage for extra 2 passengers, think and remain diesel, think lpg for habitation, think solar and batteries, LHD buying 2nd hand UK is a good option, wouldnt be concerned about depreciation as @peterc10 bought one for 18 sold it for 12500 7 years later and it was worth more than that and bought this one band new for 40 and by the time the NEC show was on it was 47 so if buying new buy before NEC is my advice !
Others will correct me but i think Germany or Belgium is better value than buying from France
You wont need a close dealer if youre going to France a lot but perhaps one on the way. you wont get done at john cross.
Eurotunnel frequent traveller is the way to go

 

[chacalou]

Apologies for the delayed response and thank you very much for all the good tips! I am now officially a new member ;o)

I was able to negotiate on the number of seat belts and perth over the weekend (hence the delayed response ;o))). We may be good with 4 perth.
We also went to Southernmotorhomes (www.southernmotorhomes.co.uk/used/motorhomes) to have a look at some different models. Not many new models however we saw a 6m Chausson from 2016 that caught our attention. A bit small for us however we liked the modern design.

I found some interesting layouts on Chausson's website.
https://www.chausson-motorhomes.com/gamme/lowprofile/
I liked the twin bed at the back options for the children however it leaves us with a smallish size bed.

The issue for me is that I do not have the C1 license but to be fair, I don't think I can accommodate a 8m+ vehicle on the drive.

What are your thoughts about renting?
Is there a minimum size/pert requirements?
Is it worth it or is it too much of a hassle?
Any particular region where rental works better than others? Being in Twickenham, we are close to Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Also easy access to get out of London (M3, M25...)
I assume it is better to buy new and change every 2 years (once the warranty runs out and to avoid too much wear and tear)?


We thought we could purchase a new / near new model and rent it during the year. We would also use it when it is not rented.

Thanks again for all your feedback. It is greatly appreciated!

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