how long did you look (1 Viewer)

margareth

Free Member
Aug 9, 2013
44
26
merseyside
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MH
dont own one yet
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im a newby
How long were you looking for your van before you found one that was within your price range and had the necessary fixtures etc?

In the months we have been looking we have only found two that really fit and have been gazzumped on both of them... My friend bought her first one when she wasn't even looking for one, saw it, fell in love and bought it.. I am beginning to feel that it is not going to happen before this summer unless we go for something that isn't really what we want. The ones we like or that are in an acceptable condition are usually way over our budget. We find others but find they are petrol ... and we are led to believe to go for deisel. Have started to consider a caravan as a better option, as either way we will need to pay for storage, and that won't add another road tax and mot to our bills.:Sad::Sad:
 

camocam1

Free Member
Aug 28, 2012
1,112
788
Elgin,Moray,Scotland
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22,620
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bailey approach 760 se
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since 2012
We looked for about 2 years as we wanted an end lounge 3.5t but couldn't find anything within budget that we liked.
Spoke to local dealer and asked them to let us know when something came in ( they are mainly caravan dealers) they got in a front dinnette that they thought within budget that they thought we would like although not end lounge as yes we liked it straight off as we had not considered one before, so keep an open mind about what you want.
Caravan yes you can probably get one for far less money but will it give you what you want ?? We have also considered one but feel they are fine if you are staying on a site for a week or so at a time but find MH gives you more flexibility especially for just going away for weekends which I don't think we would do with a caravan

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Carol

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Oct 2, 2007
14,044
111,497
North Wales.
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519
MH
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18 years s Motorhome (33years caravans)
Fully agree with the above post, sit down make a list of what you would like and length etc, see what can be found, quite a few on here good at hunting out vans.

You seem to have set your mind on a motorhome and if you go down the route of car and caravan you may regret not giving the motorhome a go.
 
Feb 16, 2013
19,508
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uttoxeter
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ambulance conversion
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50 years
Whatever you decide, do not pay over the odds, if it is your first van , you will be very lucky to get the right one, people on here always say you have to have three before you get the right one, so if you find one in good nick at the right price even if it isn't what you thought you were originally after have a go , you never know it might grow on you, and if not it will sort what you really need for your next one, and if it is the right price , you will stand to get most ,if not all your money back when you move on, tax isn't a problem as you can sorn it over the winter.
Get in and have a go ::bigsmile:::bigsmile::thumb:
 
OP
OP
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margareth

Free Member
Aug 9, 2013
44
26
merseyside
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27,407
MH
dont own one yet
Exp
im a newby
:Sad:That's the problem ... we really didn't want to spend more than £7,000 as we have other hobbies too ... We could at a push go higher but with the way that everything seems to be going up would rather not go into debt really. (We might try and train our two cats t be van cats .. apparently some people do this.)

There are two of us, adults, but we also have our little two year old grand-daughter MOST of the time, and it might be that in the future we go for adoption .. don't want to go into that on here. The van would be used at weekends and then school holidays and whilst at the moment only in this country, we have relatives abroad and are considering whether once we get used to being van owners that might be a possibility.

I have back problems so cannot climb up and down ladders and also making up any couches into a bed would have to be simple. Hubby is RUBBISH with engines and we pay for everything to be done on the car so something which needs work on the engine is definitely out..

Reading back what I have written, I think I have answered my own question.:Sad: A caravan would be more appropriate.

Thanks for taking time to answer. MH

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margareth

Free Member
Aug 9, 2013
44
26
merseyside
Funster No
27,407
MH
dont own one yet
Exp
im a newby
Oh boy .... whilst I was typing with two fingers several more replies came in..:roflmto::roflmto: now back to hoping may find something. Wish I could take you all with us when we go out looking.. :roflmto:
 

GJH

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 20, 2007
29,450
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Acklam, Teesside, originally Glossop
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127
MH
None, now sold
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2006 to 2022
Fully agree with the above post,[HI] sit down make a list of what you would like and length etc, [/HI]see what can be found, quite a few on here good at hunting out vans.

You seem to have set your mind on a motorhome and if you go down the route of car and caravan you may regret not giving the motorhome a go.

We spent several weeks, visiting several dealers a number of times, before finding our first van, which met our requirements at the time.

When we had to get a replacement our requirements had changed somewhat and we knew more so wrote them down. The checklist we put together before purchasing our current van is Link Removed (PDF opens in Acrobat Reader).

It is unlikely to match your requirements but it may help give you a start on creating your own list.

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Feb 16, 2013
19,508
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uttoxeter
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ambulance conversion
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50 years
:ROFLMAO:
:Sad:That's the problem ... we really didn't want to spend more than £7,000 as we have other hobbies too ... We could at a push go higher but with the way that everything seems to be going up would rather not go into debt really. (We might try and train our two cats t be van cats .. apparently some people do this.)

There are two of us, adults, but we also have our little two year old grand-daughter MOST of the time, and it might be that in the future we go for adoption .. don't want to go into that on here. The van would be used at weekends and then school holidays and whilst at the moment only in this country, we have relatives abroad and are considering whether once we get used to being van owners that might be a possibility.

I have back problems so cannot climb up and down ladders and also making up any couches into a bed would have to be simple. Hubby is RUBBISH with engines and we pay for everything to be done on the car so something which needs work on the engine is definitely out..

Reading back what I have written, I think I have answered my own question.:Sad: A caravan would be more appropriate.

Thanks for taking time to answer. MH

Seven grand:Eeek: get out and have a look at some around the 3 mark , plenty about , we bought our last one for £3000 went all round France , Italy , Spain, and pretty much all round Britain in it then sold it three years later for same as I paid for it.
 

camocam1

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Aug 28, 2012
1,112
788
Elgin,Moray,Scotland
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bailey approach 760 se
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since 2012
Unfortunately we are in the north of Scotland so can't help you look (wish I could) but sure there are funsters near you who may well be willing to help you once you find something you like, keep looking and as I said earlier go to a local dealer tell them your budget and what you are looking for layout and ask them to look for you if something comes in let you know

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womblevra

Free Member
Dec 10, 2012
109
115
Desborough, UK
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23,947
MH
A Class
Exp
5
Our first van was an old Autotrail 4 berth coachbuilt costing £4,500 was a good bit past its best, but showed us that we loved the M/H lifestyle and over the 18 month we had it we learnt alot about what we wanted in our next van and a fair bit about fixing stuff. We then upgraded and now 6 years later on our 4th and perfect van.

exactly like this one
Broken Link Removed

easy bed to make up settee base pulls out in one settee back drops to form back half of mattress
also overcab bed
 
Last edited:
Mar 16, 2010
3,050
29,998
Carmarthenshire
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10,651
MH
In between
Exp
Since 1988
There is a small compass drifter coachbuilt just come or sale a few miles from me at £5995
Looks like they have upgraded as they also had a newer burstner on the drive as well now.
No idea on what it is like but I can tell you where it is in Leyland.
 
Feb 16, 2013
19,508
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uttoxeter
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24,713
MH
ambulance conversion
Exp
50 years
Others may scoff, but have a look at this on eBay
281299179277
Not suggesting you rush out and buy it but you can see what sort of thing is about, taxed and tested for the summer, ready to go:thumb::thumb:
 
Jan 28, 2008
10,104
18,260
Dovercourt, Harwich, UK
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1,353
MH
Renalt burstner
Exp
7 years campers before that
i wouldn't worry about petrol or diesel theres not a massive difference in running costs nowadays, especially on a smaller van we used to get 24 mpg from a 2 litre petrol and now get 28/30 from a diesel and diesel is more expensive to buy
 

womblevra

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Dec 10, 2012
109
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Broken Link Removed


they are out there

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Last edited:

automedon

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Mar 22, 2013
54
60
Huddersfield West Yorks.
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25,193
MH
Mercedes Sprinter convers
Exp
3 yrs
Finding the right Motorhome

Oh boy .... whilst I was typing with two fingers several more replies came in..:roflmto::roflmto: now back to hoping may find something. Wish I could take you all with us when we go out looking.. :roflmto:

Keep on track, there are lots of low budget vehicles out there, we found our Mercedes 310d Conversion when we met a couple in a local pub, its a 1999, 173,000 miles model with furniture inc, toilet/shower/fully fitted carpet etc. from an unwanted caravan, the bed is fixed at rear end (but can be converted back to seating in 5 mins) Send hubby on a basic mechanics course (they are to be found on-line) We bartered as we drank and found ourselves the new owners of this much loved motorhome the next morning after parting with £6,500, the hangover was a bonus! This is our 4th year motorhoming (we had a static in Scarborough previously) during which time we have been to France 3 times (a months touring at a time) and she has never let us down and we would never go back to caravanning after experiencing the freedom that motorhoming gives us. Each trip we do we find ourselves learning more and more which being in our seventies is an absolute joy i.e. putting an awning up for the 1st time was entertainment for a host of other motorhomers while my 'manager' (Gill) wet herself laughing especially when she spotted that I was trying to put the damn thing on inside out.
We wish you every success, just keep at it, you won't regret it.
icon1.gif
 

Dotplus6

Free Member
Oct 4, 2013
214
119
N. Ireland
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56,522
MH
Swift Royale 540 (1995)
Exp
4 yrs in total but not consecutively. Just bought the 3rd.
Although I prefer motorhomes myself because I like the freedom of travelling somewhere different each day or 2, if you are on a budget you might be better with a touring caravan as you will get a much higher spec for £7000. A van that low in price might cost a lot in maintenance - just like a car. And realistically, you can travel about with a caravan - it just takes a little bit more work - like putting a tent up and down takes even more work. Lots of people caravan & travel loads so look at them & see what you get for your money. I've friends who used to travel from here (NI) to France every summer with their caravan.

Dot
 

Snowbird

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Apr 24, 2009
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Liverpool.
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To answer the OP, I went around 15 years and lost count of how many motorhomes owned before I found the perfect van for me. I still keep looking though, expecting to find a better option. Not found one yet :Doh:.
 

hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
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To answer the OP, I went around 15 years and lost count of how many motorhomes owned before I found the perfect van for me. I still keep looking though, expecting to find a better option. Not found one yet :Doh:.

The only box you'll keep is the one they nail you into.

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
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Although I prefer motorhomes myself because I like the freedom of travelling somewhere different each day or 2, if you are on a budget you might be better with a touring caravan as you will get a much higher spec for £7000.
Dot

Brilliant advice. You are not paying for a motor/chassis, tax, insurance with a caravan and since there is no engine/cab the space is much bigger.
 

sedge

Funster
Jul 7, 2009
5,494
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Aug 09 to date 9,000 miles!
Can I just mention that there is a certain amount of - literal - man-handling to do with ANY caravan ?

Unless you also invest in a motorised mover, you will both have to shove the thing about to get it straight onto a pitch, or the space allocated at the storage place, then drop and wind the legs down to level and stabilise it. With a MoHo you straighten it up using the engine and you level it if needed, by putting out ramps and driving up em - the driver can do this on his own and many do, but it is just a tad quicker if the passenger helps.

AND you wouldn't get a fixed bed caravan for that money so you would still have to make up seating into a double bed. No different to a MoHo in that respect.

Then of course you have always to have a waste hog for grey water, requiring emptying however often your consumption of water necessitates, ditto fresh water as a cvan, esp an older one, may not have an on board fresh water tank - whereas of course when a MoHo grey tank is full, you drive it to the dump point and empty it. Waste hogs and Aquarolls both need filling and emptying manually.

I'm not sure you can make a list of what you want TBH ! Not until you actually live in one and find out what annoys you! - and that usually turns out to be just the thing that you never imagined in your wildest dreams could ever do that ......

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
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From Aug 2007
If I still own this Brian, which is most likely, they will have to cremate me in it. There will be no money left for a funeral anyway :Cool:.

Sounds good, why don't you set up the Snowbird Valhalla meet. Somewhere with a good slipway, rugged yet beautiful. I'm sure Suggy will make the effort. I'll rig up some LPG tanks with electric valves. Old-mo will crack a few jokes. JJ will saw you in half first.

This is going to be a cracker, any idea of date ?
 

GJH

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 20, 2007
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Acklam, Teesside, originally Glossop
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[HI]Only in the UK. Can't work that one out.
[/HI]
€1.29 in French supermarkets, that's just over £1 a litre.

It's because of the way in which the popularity of diesel cars grew in the UK a few years ago. That wasn't replicated in other countries.

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