Help me buy my first Camper/Motorhome please? (Eeeeek!) (1 Viewer)

[David60]

Thanks again to all who recently welcomed me on the Introduction section of the Forum.

As I said there, I live in the northern Scottish Higlands (above Inverness) and I am a photographer looking to buy my first campervan/motorhome to enhance my photography and to travel Scotland (primarily). Sometimes on my own and sometime with my partner and my Labrador. Whilst I have considerable marine building/living experience I have zero motorhome/campervan experience. I hope there’s a considerable difference! I also look forward to learning from fellow members who might be generous enough to share hard won experience.

Please forgive any obvious signs of complete ignorance; I claim no knowledge and I’m aware that reading and internet research can have their faults (That’s why I joined here of course; to broaden my mind!)

My thoughts started with a second-hand van that I could throw a mattress in the back of. Such thoughts were primarily driven by my desire to wake up in distant places for the dawn light (I am a very keen and avid photographer), and by the restraints of budget. I also thought that such a vehicle would have dual purpose as I am refitting/building my old wee house too.

However, I’m lucky that my budget has free’d up considerably albeit I don’t know If it matches my dreams! I’m sure I will eb quickly grounded by those here if not . Here’s some thinking which is not in order of priority or importance….

· I’ve ruled out the typical pop-up campervan due to a) the pop-up (rarely seen one without a tear or damage) and b) lack of loo/shower and c) lack of storage. Am I wrong to have done so? Am I missing something?
· I think I’m in the market for a Class B motorhome; a campervan with loo and shower. I will most likely wish to own this vehicle for up to ten years. I’d like to buy in quarter 1 2019. I will use (providing it is safe to do so), it all year round at weekends.

· I work from home and the vehicle will be kept in my drive (off the road) and will sit unused for at least 5 days at a time throughout the worst of a Highland winter (temps can go -5<-10).
· Most I’ve looked at have been based on the Fiat Ducato chassis with a 230 engine variant. Due to the topography locally, I’d favour a 250 or higher upgrade if it was within budget. Clearly it is a very popular chassis/engine base however I’d be interested in the realities of experienced pros and cons.
· I’d like to buy new (if I can within my budget) or at worst second-hand with no more than 10000 miles.
· Or, I buy a van and employ a conversion company (if so, who?), or do I buy a ready-made reputable brand. Is this a wise consideration for my needs and lack of experience?
· I quite like a large double in the back but I’m less fond of two rear bench seats.
· I need to be able to carry 2 bicycles and add a ladder and roof box at a later stage.

I’ve (probably very naïvely), drawn up a list of must have’s and nice to have’s….

Must haves:

· A large double berth at least 6’3” long (188cm Min)
· Ability to be used in comfort in a Highland winter (off grid)
· Large enough for a couple & labrador (inc a big 6’2” chap who like his space!)
· Decent “garage” or under-berth space (to take such as Honda EU 20i, Mains hook up cable, three Peli cases, Levelling ramps, Snow/Mud Mats etc).
· Stand up head room (for the same 6’2” lump mentioned above).
· Reversing camera
· Fly screens on sliding door and main windows/skylights
· Spare wheel
· Lockable water filler
· New or less than 10,000 miles with warranty
· No wider than a panel van
· Ability to take a ladder, roof box and solar panel/s


It’d be nice:

· “Gaslow” system with external LPG filler and auto switch between tanks
· Loo and shower!
· Automatic
· 4-wheel drive
· 4 berths
· Not longer than 6m
· Built in Pleated Binds on Windscreen and side windows
· Any colour other than white!
· Campervan appropriate SatNav
· TV, aerial etc
· “Local” seller who can service/maintain vehicle
· Awning
· Bullbar
· Seat covers for (at least) the driver and passenger seats – I’ll be hopping in and out in all weathers.

I am keen to get a good understanding of running and maintenance costs. I imagine I will do c. 10-15000 (absolute max) miles per annum.

I’m hoping to get to the Scottish Caravan and Camping show at the beginning of February (work dependent). Should I prepare to make a cash offer at the show? Are such shows an unmissable opportunity for a deal?

If it can be arranged (both in respect of my time and local availability, I would like to rent a similar vehicle for a few days prior to purchase commitment.

Have I missed something obvious? Is there a vehicle variant that fits my needs, a method of entry to the market or a fundamental aspect to consider that has entirely escaped me? What must I avoid at all costs? Which brands offer the best mix of build quality v value? In due course, I’d welcome recommendations and advice as to what I should think about in respect of Insurance, Breakdown Cover, Use of vehicle covers and any Off-Grid tips.

Phew!!! Thank you if you’ve read this far! So may questions and I’m sure many of them very naïve. Please forgive that and the length of this posting. I hope that it at least demonstrates my sincerity and my reason for joining the illustrious company of MotorhomeFun

Best to all for a very Happy Hogmanay. I hope I’m joining you on the road in 2019

Thank you so much. Folk like you mean the world to folk like me.
David

 

[brianno5]

Welcome, David60!, Looking at your needs & layout, I would advise an Adria Compact SL, 65 Reg or 66 Reg. It has the room for your needs & a garage which will store your scooter quit easily!, Plus they are a slim design which would help on your Scottish Tours!. Hope this is of help.

 

[David60]

Welcome, David60!, Looking at your needs & layout, I would advise an Adria Compact SL, 65 Reg or 66 Reg. It has the room for your needs & a garage which will store your scooter quit easily!, Plus they are a slim design which would help on your Scottish Tours!. Hope this is of help.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom @brianno5 Yes, I have indeed looked at the Adria range. I want to inspect their Twin Supreme 600SP as it seems to have a reasonable amount of my spec. I don;t have a scooter (yet), but would be happy fitting an external bike rack for my mountain bike/s.
Cumbria is a par of the world I'm very fond of and if I ever do venture of of Scotland (or even just out of the Highlands), I'd be strongly tempted by Eskdale and the Duddon valley. (Wonder can teh Adria get over Hardknott!! )
Best
D

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[brianno5]

Thanks for sharing your wisdom @brianno5 Yes, I have indeed looked at the Adria range. I want to inspect their Twin Supreme 600SP as it seems to have a reasonable amount of my spec. I don;t have a scooter (yet), but would be happy fitting an external bike rack for my mountain bike/s.
Cumbria is a par of the world I'm very fond of and if I ever do venture of of Scotland (or even just out of the Highlands), I'd be strongly tempted by Eskdale and the Duddon valley. (Wonder can teh Adria get over Hardknott!! )
Best
D

Hi David60, Yes Duddon Valley is on our doorstep! & Eskdale is just up the Road. Hardknott would be a No No!!, LoL!. Great for burning out clutches which I have seen a few of!. up there, Could you believe this?, I saw a Car & caravan trying to conquer Hardknott, Needn't tell you the result?!, Ha Ha!. Good hunting in your quest, We hope you do well!.

 

[Grianan]

Hi David,
I’ve read from start to finish ...
The waterproof metal tent image resonates and I do wonder if a T5/6, possibly with fixed high roof so you can stand up without needing to raise the canvas pop up (wind/rain) will give you most flexibility. You can get a long enough sofa bed and there is more lounge space than in the PVC. If you’re travelling alone could you keep the bed in position? Various options for portaloos. Some great converters ... one in Fort William, one in Cornwall.
If PVC then I think that, unless you sleep curled up and lie diagonally across the bed, you will need longitudinal singles which means a 6.3m van eg Campscout.
I’m interested in your evolving thought process.
There will be good deals on 2018 stock at SECC in Feb. Unless you want my experience of hugely long delays buy an in stock van!!

 

[Sandie]

Hello David. It seems that we have similar requirements. I have just sold my 2002 Chausson Welcome 50, which I bought in 2006. 5.45m coachbuilt, bed pulled down from the rear wall onto the l-shaped lounge. Fantastic layout, but only manufactured for about 3 years. This was considered a budget van at the time, but in 12 years the only things that broke on it was the clip that held the hab door back when fully open and the clip on the fridge door - oh and one electric window motor, which I replaced with a secondhand one. I had some joints and roof vents re-sealed when it was 12 years old. My point is, don't dismiss the the less expensive models. Sometimes you really are just paying for the name. I have just viewed a 2014 Hymer and half the door catches didn't work, for instance. Easy to put right, I know, but it doesn't inspire confidence.
I sold my Chausson because a friend wanted to buy it and it seemed a good time to move on. I'll be travelling accompanied more often now my boyfriend has retired, so a little more space will be welcome
I am looking for a <6m narrow coachbuilt, (the Adria Compact SP ticks all my boxes but I refuse to buy new and I can only find one used one for sale, and that's 280 miles away). I have until now dismissed panel vans but will have a look at the Adria offerings at the Manchester show. My friend is 6'3", so that could be a constraint.
Happy hunting!

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[David60]

Hi David,
I’ve read from start to finish ...
The waterproof metal tent image resonates and I do wonder if a T5/6, possibly with fixed high roof so you can stand up without needing to raise the canvas pop up (wind/rain) will give you most flexibility. You can get a long enough sofa bed and there is more lounge space than in the PVC. If you’re travelling alone could you keep the bed in position? Various options for portaloos. Some great converters ... one in Fort William, one in Cornwall.
If PVC then I think that, unless you sleep curled up and lie diagonally across the bed, you will need longitudinal singles which means a 6.3m van eg Campscout.
I’m interested in your evolving thought process.
There will be good deals on 2018 stock at SECC in Feb. Unless you want my experience of hugely long delays buy an in stock van!!

Good evening @Grianan

Thank you so much for taking the trouble to read all 5 pages of this thread thus far! More than that, having done so, thank you for your consideration of it and your interesting perspective and thoughts.

I think you make some really very good observations and I should acknowledge that such thoughts as you proffer have been part of my own recent thinking. I've been reading, watching, searching and more recently (started) getting hands on, for almost a year now. My hands on experience is still far to little and my personal knowledge of dealers insufficient also. Having acknowledged just those two important elements of my shortcomings as a potential purchaser, I have not been excited, impassioned or enthused by the vast majority of my research experience thus far. Furthermore, when I am at a stage that I had thought my efforts would inform a position such that my compromises would be better realised, and my short-list would reduce to but a few and my focus be refined, I am in many respects heading in the opposite direction.

There have been many amusing and enjoyable aspects of my research, learning and engagement over past months including my membership and discussions within this forum. However all these have been overshadowed by a marketplace substantially more complex and, in some ways, uncoordinated than I had figured. I have not been naive financially. I committed myself at the outset to spending considerable sums of my own hard earned and saved cash. I did so for the prize of comfortable freedom and facility that I perceived (and still perceive), a campervan would give me.

Overall the journey has not been enjoyable. It has been a burden of hassle and confusion. I readily acknowledge that having come to that realisation, my first port of call should be my own expectations and specifications. I should also appraise whether I am going about achieving the objective of busying a new (or very nearly new) campervan in the best way. I say the best way as factors such as my available time, geography and suchlike will be peculiar to me. Other folks capacities and capabilities will be different.

So that is the stage I'm at. I'm particularly busy at work just now so time, even to reply to the generosity of folk in this place, is very limited. That adds a stress that is not ideal. Secondly, in recent months I have just gone through a very traumatic event in life. Perhaps neither of those elements' provide the best backdrop for making decisions of large financial commitment and lifestyle.

However, much more than those personal things is the fact that I'm losing enthusiasm and not having much fun. I'm not losing enthusiasm for my objective and for the planned use that made me determine the initial desire for a campervan. It is the process of these last many months of research and "discovery" that have doused like a wet rag, my excitement and enthusiasm.

Just now (and perhaps I'm in a particularly grumpy mood!), I can't see myself handing over something in the region of £50,000.00 in any degree of contentment. Okay, the easy conclusion is that I am not ready to buy or perhaps, that my expectations are and were skewed. Either or both of those may be correct. I know for sure that I will step away and think about that for a few days.

I was particularly drawn to your post because, having read the entire article which was heading in a particular direction I feel, you had the objectiveness (nay temerity ), to head off in a different direction. Little did you know that I was auditing my own thoughts as expressed here.

I've quite consciously been open in sharing my thoughts in this post (and indeed, in this thread). I'll stand back and await a few told-you-so's perhaps, but more importantly, I'd hope being so open might help others embarking on such a journey. Perhaps too, it might invite further contributions from what I now know to be the generosity of the membership.

I'd very much welcome anything that might help my excitement and enthusiasm to be re-kindled and lead to a happy conclusion. Thanks to those who've stayed with or taken time to read this thread.

My naivety knows no bounds!
Best regards
David

 

[David60]

Hi @Sandie

Thanks for your sharing. I must have been typing my previous message as you posted and what a coincidence! Yes, it does indeed seem we have similar objectives. Your post however is much more informed by reality than my musings and that's why it is so valuable to me. Thank you.

I am keen on one or two Adria models and even their (cheaper?!), sister brand Sun Living. I have booked a couple of nights at the upcoming Glasgow show so that's my next proper effort at looking at vans. Meanwhile, with your contribution added to my boiling pot, I intend to give the auld grey matter a workout. I will share all my mistakes and outcomes here so please stay with us. Please too, share your journey and who knows, we may find each other on the road at some future time. Thanks again Sandie
Best
David

 

[Sandie]

David, I can understand your frustration. I have only been looking for a couple of months and already I am getting tired of it. I seem to get sucked in to spending hours on line in the hope of finding the "perfect" vehicle.
Like you, I have a "need list" and a "wish list". I am going to have to compromise somewhere. One of my "wish list" items is to not have a white box, but that pretty much means a PVC, which I have been resisting.
As mentioned, an Adria Compact SP seems to fit the bill in all respects except in the "white box" area, as do one or two other recent models. If, having checked out some PVCs at the show, I am still veering towards anther coachbuilt, then I will buy something around 6 years old for around £28-£32k that meets most requirements (and there are some out there). Then, if I really still feel I need the "wish-list" features, then I'll trade in/up later. I will not spend £50-£60k on something that doesn't have everything I'm looking for (if it exists) when I can spend £30k on something that's very close.
I am in a better position than you, I guess, in that I have 12 years of motorhoming behind me and I know enough about what to look out for to buy privately with confidence.
Motorhomes were not as popular when I bought my Chausson and these forums were in their infancy. I just bought from a dealer (for the warranty) , within a budget I'd set, relatively locally. My only real criteria was "not too big". Van conversions were much less available and much more expensive relative to coachbuilts than they are now. So, I didn't really have a lot to agonise over, as I knew nothing!
I was lucky in that I bought a vehicle that I've been happy with for 12 years. Now I know so much more, I can't find what I want.
So, why not go for something a bit older & cheaper that is close to what you think you need, and live with it for a while? You may find that your list changes...
By the way, I'm going to look at a 2011 <6m Chausson tomorrow. Ticks most of the boxes...

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[Stonemags76]

I agree with @Sandie that you would be better buying a cheaper van that is sort of right, and seeing how you go. You should not loose too much, but as a first Motorhome it may refine your thoughts. You will also have something to stay in whilst you travel to look at other vehicles. As previously mentioned, it’s very rare to get it right first or even second time, so buy cheap!

 

[Stonemags76]

I should also mention that it is exactly what we did NOT do, so having lost money buying newish vans it has taken us three Motorhomes and a caravan to arrive at this van! We are happy now, but what an expensive learning curve!!