Morning, lovely people,
This is my second post on the subject of: which 'van to buy for us soon-to-be ex-caravaners. Having applied your past advice to actual viewings, discussed (I.e. Re-negotiated...) with our teenagers' their holiday expectations and re-shuffled our priorities, here's what we think we want, but I'm after a reality check from those that have already walked this walk. Don't be shy - do say, in no uncertain terms: you'll live to regret it... So here goes:
1. Unless we get something really small, which will drive us mad, we just won't be able to do things we do now with the car/caravan combo (nipping in to town for a quick look round a museum, for example) if a whopping great height/length/life un-restricted car park isn't within a short walk - or bike ride at best. Or public transport is on tap in the right place at the right time - what are the odds...
2. If we want this freedom or if we want to occasionally emulate caravan holiday arrive-and-flop experiences, the simple solution is to take a small car too - not a big deal for us as we both drive and the faff of driving two vehicles is more than offset by the faff of prepping a caravan (fuel cost aside, but life's a compromise).
3. The rest of the time, we get the added bonus of flexibility in terms of quick getaways, quick set-ups and the mysterious yet wonderful world of continental stopovers not available to caravaners.
4. Our kids will be coming with us less and less as they grow older, but we may be underestimating their appetite for freeloading holidays from us forever (one is on the autism spectrum; the other is in the nerd spectrum - delights, both of them, but they don't find it as embarrassing to come on holiday with mum and dad as the average teenager...).
5. We don't want to go over 7 metres (for max out-and-about flexibility) and will probably find sub-6 metres insufferably small. It seems the right compromise for us, but could be kidding myself.
6. Priorities are a decent living space and enough kitchen and bathroom facility to make going off-grid from time to time a pleasure rather than a chore (but we don't suffer from the allergic reaction some motorhomers seem to have to campsites - it's all about location for us - if it's near what we want to do, it's the right place for us to stop).
7. My son has grudgingly accepted that my daughter can have the window seat and my daughter has grudgingly accepted she'll put up with sitting right next to my son if she does get the window seat. All agree maximum flopping and tv viewing space is a priority (you may have gathered my kids aren't the types to make a beeline for the nearest night club or party in the evenings...). So we can get away with two extra seated belts right next to each other.
8. I'd like something that's comfortably usable year round- our main beef with the caravan is that it's underused, especially if we go on a long haul flight holiday as our main holiday, as we don't use it for weekends as its such a faff to set up and we can't do anything on a Sunday other than come straight home with a big fat caravan strapped on the back of the car, after we've been kicked off a camp site at around 11 am... so winterising is attractive, to some degree or other.
9. But what brand, what facilities, what really matters in the final choice (price aside...)? I hear loud and clear the advice that German makes are sound and I'm now understanding the lure of the A class better - those insulated double floors, that big front end not wasted by a big front nose of engine; the possible fuel and noise advantages... But for every assertion, there's a contradiction, so here are a couple of motorhomes within our budget that we're looking at today - what do you think of these choices and is there anything to be gained from going older and cheaper, but then upgrading to suit us (e.g. Well want reversing cameras, bike racks, upholstery that isn't migraine-inducing etc). And is there an age cut-off beyond which you wouldn't go because general build quality/wear and tear don't make it sensible? Thanks again for any advice, thoughts or suggestions:
Budget is up to 35K but would love to spend less if it won't make enough of a difference to pay more...:
Thanks very much.
This is my second post on the subject of: which 'van to buy for us soon-to-be ex-caravaners. Having applied your past advice to actual viewings, discussed (I.e. Re-negotiated...) with our teenagers' their holiday expectations and re-shuffled our priorities, here's what we think we want, but I'm after a reality check from those that have already walked this walk. Don't be shy - do say, in no uncertain terms: you'll live to regret it... So here goes:
1. Unless we get something really small, which will drive us mad, we just won't be able to do things we do now with the car/caravan combo (nipping in to town for a quick look round a museum, for example) if a whopping great height/length/life un-restricted car park isn't within a short walk - or bike ride at best. Or public transport is on tap in the right place at the right time - what are the odds...
2. If we want this freedom or if we want to occasionally emulate caravan holiday arrive-and-flop experiences, the simple solution is to take a small car too - not a big deal for us as we both drive and the faff of driving two vehicles is more than offset by the faff of prepping a caravan (fuel cost aside, but life's a compromise).
3. The rest of the time, we get the added bonus of flexibility in terms of quick getaways, quick set-ups and the mysterious yet wonderful world of continental stopovers not available to caravaners.
4. Our kids will be coming with us less and less as they grow older, but we may be underestimating their appetite for freeloading holidays from us forever (one is on the autism spectrum; the other is in the nerd spectrum - delights, both of them, but they don't find it as embarrassing to come on holiday with mum and dad as the average teenager...).
5. We don't want to go over 7 metres (for max out-and-about flexibility) and will probably find sub-6 metres insufferably small. It seems the right compromise for us, but could be kidding myself.
6. Priorities are a decent living space and enough kitchen and bathroom facility to make going off-grid from time to time a pleasure rather than a chore (but we don't suffer from the allergic reaction some motorhomers seem to have to campsites - it's all about location for us - if it's near what we want to do, it's the right place for us to stop).
7. My son has grudgingly accepted that my daughter can have the window seat and my daughter has grudgingly accepted she'll put up with sitting right next to my son if she does get the window seat. All agree maximum flopping and tv viewing space is a priority (you may have gathered my kids aren't the types to make a beeline for the nearest night club or party in the evenings...). So we can get away with two extra seated belts right next to each other.
8. I'd like something that's comfortably usable year round- our main beef with the caravan is that it's underused, especially if we go on a long haul flight holiday as our main holiday, as we don't use it for weekends as its such a faff to set up and we can't do anything on a Sunday other than come straight home with a big fat caravan strapped on the back of the car, after we've been kicked off a camp site at around 11 am... so winterising is attractive, to some degree or other.
9. But what brand, what facilities, what really matters in the final choice (price aside...)? I hear loud and clear the advice that German makes are sound and I'm now understanding the lure of the A class better - those insulated double floors, that big front end not wasted by a big front nose of engine; the possible fuel and noise advantages... But for every assertion, there's a contradiction, so here are a couple of motorhomes within our budget that we're looking at today - what do you think of these choices and is there anything to be gained from going older and cheaper, but then upgrading to suit us (e.g. Well want reversing cameras, bike racks, upholstery that isn't migraine-inducing etc). And is there an age cut-off beyond which you wouldn't go because general build quality/wear and tear don't make it sensible? Thanks again for any advice, thoughts or suggestions:
Budget is up to 35K but would love to spend less if it won't make enough of a difference to pay more...:
Thanks very much.
