SOLD First time buy MH

[Drifter]

we have been long time caravaners and long time admirers of MH and now find ourselves looking to buy one
Not sure what our perfect van is but we like two settee type lounge, not really fussed if it’s fixed bed or not
Budget is 20-30k with a bit more if we see something we love
Ideally it would be ready to go long loved motor and well kitted out for touring and a wee bit of wild camping on route
Two berth fine, not fussed if it has more
My wish list includes....
Reversing camera, bike rack, solar panel, inverter, dry and well looked after, cruise control, tv/dvd, led lights, decent shower preferably under 7m
I know we are unlikely to get all things we are looking for on our budget but it hopefully gives an idea of what we want
We are in Dundee so the ones waaaaay down south are maybe not realistic but we are prepared to travel if we get a good feel for one
Please let me know what you have, send me some photos or a link to your ad and we look forward to giving you all our money to chase our dreams

 

[Podney]

Some of the things on your wish list are items which can be added to any van you buy. I recommend you concentrate on deciding,for sure, what layout you want. You say you are not worried about what type of bed,but very many owners change their Moho because they want a different bed layout,or fixed rather than to make each night.
Have you got Jim’s buyers guide on here? It’s good.
Go and visit lots of dealers if you haven’t already,but don’t believe 90% of what they tell you.
Don’t forget payload.
Good luck.

 

[Minxy]

Have a shuftie in the Fun classifieds as there may be something there that suits and you know it'll be a good un.

 

[Drifter]

Some of the things on your wish list are items which can be added to any van you buy. I recommend you concentrate on deciding,for sure, what layout you want. You say you are not worried about what type of bed,but very many owners change their Moho because they want a different bed layout,or fixed rather than to make each night.
Have you got Jim’s buyers guide on here? It’s good.
Go and visit lots of dealers if you haven’t already,but don’t believe 90% of what they tell you.
Don’t forget payload.
Good luck.

Thanks for that, where is the guide, not come across that yet?
We have to make the bed in the caravan so I know it won’t bother us, we also had one with a fixed bed
What should we look at for payload, seen this mentioned a few times and not looked in to it yet

 

[Drifter]

Have a shuftie in the Fun classifieds as there may be something there that suits and you know it'll be a good un.

I’ve seen a couple I’d like to see but they couldn’t be farther away, just thought I’d ask if any nearer, cheers

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[snailtrailer]

@Drifter

Look under 'Resources' on the top menu bar and on the left hand side of that screen is another sub menu ......Publications.

 

[funflair]

Mrs funfair said,

We have to make the bed in the caravan so I know it won’t bother us

BUT now that we have a fixed bed she says she will never go back to making the bed every night, and yes it was her job now she can stay in bed as long as she likes on a morning and I can get up when I fancy, usually early.

You are starting a new phase in your camping/touring so it might be worth thinking out of the box a little.

Martin

 

[Drifter]

@Drifter

Look under 'Resources' on the top menu bar and on the left hand side of that screen is another sub menu ......Publications.

Thanks for that, couldn’t find publications but I searched resources and found it. Looks very useful

 

[The Wino]

Some of the things on your wish list are items which can be added to any van you buy. I recommend you concentrate on deciding,for sure, what layout you want. You say you are not worried about what type of bed,but very many owners change their Moho because they want a different bed layout,or fixed rather than to make each night.
Have you got Jim’s buyers guide on here? It’s good.
Go and visit lots of dealers if you haven’t already,but don’t believe 90% of what they tell you.
Don’t forget payload.
Good luck.

Agree why not cost out some of the things you want (bike rack solar reversing camera etc) then look for either ones with those things at the total or ones without allowing for cost of fitting. Layout will be the most important thing and dry/well looked after. Also keep looking at other layouts with an open mind as others have said.

 

[Drifter]

Mrs funfair said,

BUT now that we have a fixed bed she says she will never go back to making the bed every night, and yes it was her job now she can stay in bed as long as she likes on a morning and I can get up when I fancy, usually early.

You are starting a new phase in your camping/touring so it might be worth thinking out of the box a little.

Martin

Yes I know it has good and bad points, in an ideal world I would have a huge MH with fixed beds but it’s a compromise we can easily deal with, I certainly wouldn’t ignore a perfect van because we had to spend two minutes making a bed up. We always do it together and know it isn’t a real issue.
We will wait and see what we find, if we come across one with a fixed bed and nice seating that would be great too.
Thanks for the good advice

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[Drifter]

Agree why not cost out some of the things you want (bike rack solar reversing camera etc) then look for either ones with those things at the total or ones without allowing for cost of fitting. Layout will be the most important thing and dry/well looked after. Also keep looking at other layouts with an open mind as others have said.

Yeah, agreed. We are very open to anything but a nice lounge with twin settles or a u lounge is the only thing we have really agreed is important so far
As for fitting extras, we could, but that would leave less in the kitty for purchase. I have looked into the cost of things and in an ideal world we will get a nice van with no further expenditure ( maybe unlikely but we need to have a wish list and decide what is realistic when we see it)
So far my favourite is a bolero but has no bike rack which I can live with, but having asked on here, maybe not the best quality van so it gave me food for thought
As always thanks for helping with advice

 

[MaidinDevon]

Hi

I have just bought a Hymer B654 and i love the layout, it is perfect for me. Two sofa's lots of windows, to nosy out of, like a caravan, double floor so winterised, comfortable, good shower.
BIg locker under the bed, accessible from outside and inside. BIke rack, and under 7m, just!

French bed, which is comfortable, and a double over the cab. I wanted a low level fixed bed, in case mobility issues made t difficult to climb in and out later. I had 6 guests for the evening at the Peterborough show, and we were all comfortable!

I just noticed i still have my old van, as my avatar. Must change that!!!

 

[Drifter]

Hi

I have just bought a Hymer B654 and i love the layout, it is perfect for me. Two sofa's lots of windows, to nosy out of, like a caravan, double floor so winterised, comfortable, good shower.
BIg locker under the bed, accessible from outside and inside. BIke rack, and under 7m, just!

French bed, which is comfortable, and a double over the cab. I wanted a low level fixed bed, in case mobility issues made t difficult to climb in and out later. I had 6 guests for the evening at the Peterborough show, and we were all comfortable!

I just noticed i still have my old van, as my avatar. Must change that!!!

Sounds great, not sure how long we will take to find our dream van, but we know it’s out there somewhere. Glad you found yours

 

[Southdowners]

My advice would be to go and visit a large dealership - you'll get a good idea of layouts, build quality, prices, etc, etc.

 

[Drifter]

My advice would be to go and visit a large dealership - you'll get a good idea of layouts, build quality, prices, etc, etc.

We have done this for years casting envious eyes over them. Luckily we have a large dealer not too far from us and a couple of smaller ones
As with all things we will need to compromise as our budget isn’t huge and I don’t have an hgv license haha
I think being from a caravan background has helped us know what works and what isn’t so great but this MH lark raises lots of questions I never thought to ask so I’m glad I found all you funsters

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[Minxy]

My advice would be to go and visit a large dealership - you'll get a good idea of layouts, build quality, prices, etc, etc.

Agree ... but leave the wallet etc at home!

 

[funflair]

Yes I know it has good and bad points, in an ideal world I would have a huge MH with fixed beds but it’s a compromise we can easily deal with, I certainly wouldn’t ignore a perfect van because we had to spend two minutes making a bed up. We always do it together and know it isn’t a real issue.
We will wait and see what we find, if we come across one with a fixed bed and nice seating that would be great too.
Thanks for the good advice

You got it,

 

[peterc10]

Two important things for you, layout and payload.

With layout don't assume that the layout you had in the caravan will be right for you in the moho. You may well find you use the it differently to the caravan, with more moving around rather than staying in one place. And also, if you go abroad, you will have a much larger choice of types of places to stay in, rather than conventional camp sites. There are lots of layouts available, including some continental ones. So I suggest you start looking around lots of dealers, not just those who specialise in UK built mohos, with an open mind about layout.

Payload is important because some models have totally unsuitable amounts for anything other than a weekend away. For two of you 500kg should be the minimum, especially if you are going to use it for longer periods. Many models that are limited to 3500kg can be uprated to a higher weight, but not all. And that will normally cost you some more money. It will also mean that you will need a C1 licence and be able to pass the medical to keep it once you are 70.

Good luck with your search, but do not rush into quick decisions without arming yourself with lots of info and looking at a wide variety of vans. The perceived wisdom is that, on average, you do not get your ideal moho until you are on the third one. We were lucky, it only took us two!

 

[Drifter]

Two important things for you, layout and payload.

With layout don't assume that the layout you had in the caravan will be right for you in the moho. You may well find you use the it differently to the caravan, with more moving around rather than staying in one place. And also, if you go abroad, you will have a much larger choice of types of places to stay in, rather than conventional camp sites. There are lots of layouts available, including some continental ones. So I suggest you start looking around lots of dealers, not just those who specialise in UK built mohos, with an open mind about layout.

Payload is important because some models have totally unsuitable amounts for anything other than a weekend away. For two of you 500kg should be the minimum, especially if you are going to use it for longer periods. Many models that are limited to 3500kg can be uprated to a higher weight, but not all. And that will normally cost you some more money. It will also mean that you will need a C1 licence and be able to pass the medical to keep it once you are 70.

Good luck with your search, but do not rush into quick decisions without arming yourself with lots of info and looking at a wide variety of vans. The perceived wisdom is that, on average, you do not get your ideal moho until you are on the third one. We were lucky, it only took us two!

Payload is something new to us and need to look into it, thanks for your advice

 

[peterc10]

Payload is something new to us and need to look into it, thanks for your advice

Yep, unlike the caravan everything you carry has to be included. There are no tow car boots or back seats!

And do not trust any dealer or manufacturers figures. The only way you can get an accurate figure for the weight before you start putting your stuff in is by taking it to a weighbridge. Also remember you have a nice big fresh water tank on board, which is great because that means no more aquaroll filling before you can even have a cuppa. Many of us travel with it full, because we do not know where we are going to be stopping until we get there, so allow for that to be full to be on the safe side. On our recent 5 week trip meandering through France Spain and Portugal we never made a single booking, and on most places we stopped we could not have done so even if we had wanted to.

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[Drifter]

Yep, unlike the caravan everything you carry has to be included. There are no tow car boots or back seats!

And do not trust any dealer or manufacturers figures. The only way you can get an accurate figure for the weight before you start putting your stuff in is by taking it to a weighbridge. Also remember you have a nice big fresh water tank on board, which is great because that means no more aquaroll filling before you can even have a cuppa. Many of us travel with it full, because we do not know where we are going to be stopping until we get there, so allow for that to be full to be on the safe side. On our recent 5 week trip meandering through France Spain and Portugal we never made a single booking, and on most places we stopped we could not have done so even if we had wanted to.

Sounds fantastic, once we buy our MH, the next set of questions is going to be on best ways to travel to and across Europe and Ireland so stick around

 

[Southdowners]

We have done this for years casting envious eyes over them. Luckily we have a large dealer not too far from us and a couple of smaller ones
As with all things we will need to compromise as our budget isn’t huge and I don’t have an hgv license haha
I think being from a caravan background has helped us know what works and what isn’t so great but this MH lark raises lots of questions I never thought to ask so I’m glad I found all you funsters

Most motorhomes don't require an HGV licence. It's not till you get over 7.5 tonnes that you'd need one.

I wouldn't compare too closely what works with caravan layouts with what might work in a MH.

There are dealer reviews on this site if you are going that route. Some dealerships are very good, others not. Buying from a reputable dealership makes a great deal of difference.

 

[peterc10]

Sounds fantastic, once we buy our MH, the next set of questions is going to be on best ways to travel to and across Europe and Ireland so stick around

If you are going for the warmer climates (so not Ireland!!) you will find yourself spending a lot less time in the motorhome and more time sitting outside. It is no coincidence that most European vans layouts use the swivel driving and passenger seats, which we have always found to be very comfortable, as part of the lounge area. That way the cab area is not wasted when you have parked up. We can both sit comfortably with our feet up if we want to without having a long settee. Gives room for fixed twin beds with spacious external garage below and separate toilet and shower with changing area in between.

 

[Drifter]

Most motorhomes don't require an HGV licence. It's not till you get over 7.5 tonnes that you'd need one.

I wouldn't compare too closely what works with caravan layouts with what might work in a MH.

There are dealer reviews on this site if you are going that route. Some dealerships are very good, others not. Buying from a reputable dealership makes a great deal of difference.

Yes I was joking about hgv, just making the point if money was no object I’d have six fixed beds and a hot tub haha
Weve been around the dealers for years and kind of know what we want but know we can’t afford it

 

[Drifter]

If you are going for the warmer climates (so not Ireland!!) you will find yourself spending a lot less time in the motorhome and more time sitting outside. It is no coincidence that most European vans layouts use the swivel driving and passenger seats, which we have always found to be very comfortable, as part of the lounge area. That way the cab area is not wasted when you have parked up. We can both sit comfortably with our feet up if we want to without having a long settee. Gives room for fixed twin beds with spacious external garage below and separate toilet and shower with changing area in between.

Yeah I like the swivel seats for more flexibility, most of the time we will be pottering around Scotland and trips down south but would love to get to the continent and north to the islands, hence wanting to be realistic with length of MH and using ferries. I do know I don’t want a van without settee type seating, it’s just how we like to live but at this stage nothing will be ignored
Cheers

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[Southdowners]

Don't worry about ferries. We've been on lots and never had any issues.

 

[davejen]

Hi @DR Have you seen my classified ad for the Dakota? meets your requirements in lots of areas.
Just reduced the price too.
Where abouts are you?
Cheers, Dave

 

[Drifter]

Hi @DR Have you seen my classified ad for the Dakota? meets your requirements in lots of areas.
Just reduced the price too.
Where abouts are you?
Cheers, Dave

Hi, thanks for getting in touch. We had a look but never seen this kind before so don’t know much about it. It looks like the bed might be a bit small as I’m 6’1 and the toilet looks small with no shower which Mrs isn’t keen on. It looks a really nice van and the seating looks great and if you were nearer we would have a look but we ar 180 miles up the road in Dundee

 

[davejen]

Hi, thanks for getting in touch. We had a look but never seen this kind before so don’t know much about it. It looks like the bed might be a bit small as I’m 6’1 and the toilet looks small with no shower which Mrs isn’t keen on. It looks a really nice van and the seating looks great and if you were nearer we would have a look but we ar 180 miles up the road in Dundee

Hi, I am 6 ft and manage ok with the bed. There is a shower in the "bathroom" behind the door.
This era of Autotrails are built much better than the newer ones.
Unfortunately I think you will have to travel to find what you want. We did over 1000 miles before we found this one.
We lived in Dunfiesshire at the time.
Cheers, Dave

 

[Drifter]

Hi, I am 6 ft and manage ok with the bed. There is a shower in the "bathroom" behind the door.
This era of Autotrails are built much better than the newer ones.
Unfortunately I think you will have to travel to find what you want. We did over 1000 miles before we found this one.
We lived in Dunfiesshire at the time.
Cheers, Dave

Yeah we are fully expecting to travel if we see the right van at the right price, we bought our caravan in Evesham and I bought my beetle convertible south of Newcastle, but as soon as we saw them we knew they were for us. You’re motor is very nearly it and would definitely be worth a look if closer. As we are not in a rush we intend looking local and spreading the net wider unless we see the dream one, then we will know it’s worth a run.
It does look really nice and I wish you good luck finding her new owner

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