In for a penny......... (1 Viewer)

[TMFTM]

in for a pound!
We own a tent but as I approach retirement age I think I deserve something a little more luxurious. After years of being pestered by my wife to get a caravan and resisting because I am not too keen on towing, we have finally decided to take a leap of faith and buy our first Motorhome.

A recent tour of Europe using the car and hotels added to our resolve to buy a Motorhome as we would have loved to just 'drop anchor' and appreciate the scenery at times insted of rushing to meet booking times. Being a seasoned traveller, particularly in France, I am aware of the consideration afforded to the travelling Motorhome contingent and would like to make full use of it.

We have been considering the idea for sometime, and after visiting Shows as well as countless hours surfing the Internet, we think we know what we are looking for. Namely, a shorter wheelbase 4 berth with a 'U' shaped rear lounge and an over cab bed as well. A centrally located 'wet room' with preferably a decent sized shower (for I am of the 'fuller figure') and a full oven completes the requirements. Our budget is up to £20k.

Now this is where I get into the grey areas and need advice. Am I right in thinking that a 2 litre engine is not quite man enough for our requirements? Particularly as we intend to visit the alpine regions again.Is there any advice that any you would recommend as we continue our search? I have already looked at the advice guides, to check for damp areas etc. but I am just concerned about the practical things I need to do.

How much water do I need to carry for Showers and cooking? How does the waste water get emptied?
I wear a CPAP machine at night so will I need to fit extra leisure batteries. If so how many will I need? How many could I have?
I have heard about silent generators. Are they any good?

I am also wary of buying privately. I know that I would get a much better deal but what if I end up buying something that turns out to be not fit for purpose? I suppose I would get more re-assurance from a dealer and I need to weigh up if the extra money is worth the peace of mind.

Finally, if any of you know of a vehicle that may fit the bill with a couple of hours radius of the Hampshire coast, please let me know.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MC 55 FUN]

& , quite a few Moho's are powered by Ford's 2.2 Puma engine which is available in 150 b.h.p. output, with plenty of torque too & is more than sufficient for most users.

Fiat's 2.3 diesel engine can be found in 130 b.h.p. versions, amongst other outputs, which again is likely to be sufficient.

Sufficient payload for use is also an important factor.

This is one of a few dealers in your area :

http://www.dolphinmotorhomes.co.uk/

 

[duffs]

We are in the same situation as yourselves newbies, love tenting but taking that giant leap over to a MH.

Hope you find what you are looking for, lots of help and advice on here

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TMFTM]

We are in the same situation as yourselves newbies, love tenting but taking that giant leap over to a MH.

Hope you find what you are looking for, lots of help and advice on here

You too duffs! All the best and thanks for the quick responses.

There is one thing that has really baffled me though;
4 berth with a double bed converted from a dinette area immediately behind the drivers seat! If used as a 4 berth, anyone sleeping above the cab has to trample across the other sleeping couple to get to the Toilet! Furthermore, even where there is a gap for access, the feet of the ladder stands on the bed instead of in the gap! Who let that one pass quality control??

 

[Zigisla]

to the house of fun from the Sunny South Coast. In answer to your first questions, we have a 6 berth coach built MH that weighs in at 3660 Kg. We have the 2.3 130 hp fiat and it manages to pull that, plus my corpulent figure up mountain roads with relative ease. Long laborious climbs, we do struggle a little. Our 110 ltr Fresh tank lasts about 4-5 days with 2 showering daily and we do love our tea and coffee . How much "Power" you need, you will have to add up the wattage of all you equipment, then come back to the forum and ask again.
Good luck with your search and remember you only have 5 posts before you will need to subscribe. It will be the best £15:00 you spend this year.

 

[MC 55 FUN]

You too duffs! All the best and thanks for the quick responses.

There is one thing that has really baffled me though;
4 berth with a double bed converted from a dinette area immediately behind the drivers seat! If used as a 4 berth, anyone sleeping above the cab has to trample across the other sleeping couple to get to the Toilet! Furthermore, even where there is a gap for access, the feet of the ladder stands on the bed instead of in the gap! Who let that one pass quality control??

It sounds like an overcab Moho with a rear u shaped lounge which converts into a double bed could be your answer to bedding logistics.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[duffs]

You too duffs! All the best and thanks for the quick responses.

There is one thing that has really baffled me though;
4 berth with a double bed converted from a dinette area immediately behind the drivers seat! If used as a 4 berth, anyone sleeping above the cab has to trample across the other sleeping couple to get to the Toilet! Furthermore, even where there is a gap for access, the feet of the ladder stands on the bed instead of in the gap! Who let that one pass quality control??

We are going to the MH show at the NEC in Oct, can't afford the new ones but seeing all the different layouts will be good.

 

[EX51SSS]

 

[Carol]

in for a pound!
We own a tent but as I approach retirement age I think I deserve something a little more luxurious. After years of being pestered by my wife to get a caravan and resisting because I am not too keen on towing, we have finally decided to take a leap of faith and buy our first Motorhome.

A recent tour of Europe using the car and hotels added to our resolve to buy a Motorhome as we would have loved to just 'drop anchor' and appreciate the scenery at times insted of rushing to meet booking times. Being a seasoned traveller, particularly in France, I am aware of the consideration afforded to the travelling Motorhome contingent and would like to make full use of it.

We have been considering the idea for sometime, and after visiting Shows as well as countless hours surfing the Internet, we think we know what we are looking for. Namely, a shorter wheelbase 4 berth with a 'U' shaped rear lounge and an over cab bed as well. A centrally located 'wet room' with preferably a decent sized shower (for I am of the 'fuller figure') and a full oven completes the requirements. Our budget is up to £20k.

Now this is where I get into the grey areas and need advice. Am I right in thinking that a 2 litre engine is not quite man enough for our requirements? Particularly as we intend to visit the alpine regions again.Is there any advice that any you would recommend as we continue our search? I have already looked at the advice guides, to check for damp areas etc. but I am just concerned about the practical things I need to do.
If you intend going into colder climes then make sure you get a fully winterised one not all are.



How much water do I need to carry for Showers and cooking? How does the waste water get emptied?
I wear a CPAP machine at night so will I need to fit extra leisure batteries. If so how many will I need? How many could I have?
I have heard about silent generators. Are they any good?
Always carry enough water for a couple of days, are you intending staying on sites all the time or doing some wild camping. Grey waste is a grey area, never empty your waste where other campers are using the area, but if it's in a hedge or something like that you can usually get rid of it. I am not technical enough to answe on number of batteries but there are a lot who can help, also lots of chat about it on the search facility.
I am also wary of buying privately. I know that I would get a much better deal but what if I end up buying something that turns out to be not fit for purpose? I suppose I would get more re-assurance from a dealer and I need to weigh up if the extra money is worth the peace of mind.
Many funsters buy private , could be worth looking in the classified section on Motorhome fun, also have a look at @Jim guide

Finally, if any of you know of a vehicle that may fit the bill with a couple of hours radius of the Hampshire coast, please let me know.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

If I were you I would make the investment of £15 for full membership of Fun, then you can post as often as you want, ask as many questions and use all the resourses as well as getting discounts from quite a lot of people. you will only get 5 free posts if not a full member.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Richard n Ann]

If you subscribe keep a copy of the receipt email. We got £25 off our insurance with it

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[DBK]

Welcome! Fitting extra leisure batteries is possible, but you will need to find room for them. Sounds obvious I know but MH designers tend to use up all available volume, especially in the smaller vans.
Do you know how much power your sleep machine uses? There should be a wattage (W) figure written on it or on any power supply. I suspect two batteries combined with a solar panel or two (which can be retrofitted if the MH you buy doesn't have them) will be adequate and you may not need to buy more and certainly not need to add a generator.
If you can look for the power consumption of your device I am sure "The Panel" here can offer sensible advice - along with the normal wisecracks!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Emmit]

All you can do is ask, ask ask.
Betting shops would give you poor odds on you picking the right 'van for your use, first time but, with lots of research and not being afraid to ask on here the odds will improve.
From your initial post I'll try to help.
The 'old' 2Lt engines were made for anything but speed and as a generality I would avoid them. It has already been pointed out that the 2.2 newer engines can pump out 150bhp and that's enough for most 'vans. In addition to the 2,3 Lts Fiat, the slightly older ones have a 2.8Lt engine which again copes with most scenarios.
Your use of water I'm afraid is a piece of string job. Most on here will use the tank onboard for general use and will have a smaller container (5-10Lts) for use as drinking water. Your use of tank water will depend on how many showers you have. but as a very loose measure, I would suggest that you can get away with about 3-4 days out of 100Lts.
That waste water can be emptied, here in the UK on sites when you are staying. There are usually specific places set aside for the disposal of waste water as there are for the disposal of the cassette that holds the toilet waste.

That's enough for now. Enjoy and ASK.

 

[Bognor Saint]

We have the Fiat 130 bhp in our Autotrail. A trip around France with a journey back through the Alps and it coped very well. Averaged 27.8 mpg.
We travel with very little water, only putting in what is necessary on site. We have only used campsites and therefore use their showers etc.

 

[TMFTM]

If you subscribe keep a copy of the receipt email. We got £25 off our insurance with it

Just joined. Which company did you use?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TMFTM]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I am now a subscribed member!
After a lot of trawling around, we have found our first Motorhome pending a test drive. Your advice has proved invaluable and if all goes to plan, we will own it by tomorrow evening.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Just joined. Which company did you use?

Staveley Head brokers. I originally went with them because they were the cheapest on Confused.com. I go on confused.com now every year and they either match the price or are the cheapest anyway. Was about 280 this year I think. (before discount)

 

[TMFTM]

Staveley Head brokers. I originally went with them because they were the cheapest on Confused.com. I go on confused.com now every year and they either match the price or are the cheapest anyway. Was about 280 this year I think. (before discount)

Thanks, I'll have a look.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey.

 

[Julie and Charles]

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[teddybear]

Let us know how it goes

 

[TMFTM]

Good morning everyone,
We are now the proud owners of 'Brian' (my wife's idea!), an Elddis Autoquest 150. It is in extremely good condition for an 07 plate with only 28k miles on the clock. Thanks to all of your advice, I felt more comfortable during the negotiations and arranged to have a new awning supplied and fitted, an additional leisure battery, new integral step as well as a full 12 month MOT, habitation certificate etc.
Due to collect on 13th October (yes, I know it's a Friday) and we are already planning our first excursions. Local at first for the odd night over a weekend, just to get the hang of things.
I will be adding an inverter with a socket for the use of my CPAP machine only, just in case we are not at facilities with electric hook up and hopefully, the additional leisure battery will take care of that. Mrs TMFTM would like a TV fitted. I am not too keen as the idea is to get away from that sort of thing but as most husbands do, I will probably end up giving in. The only other minor adjustment would be to fit a new car stereo with Bluetooth capability so that i can stream my music, listen to DAB and the Cricket while I'm driving.
Finally, why Brian? Well, a couple of reasons; Firstly Brian was the Snail in the Magic Roundabout who carried his home around with him, (clever eh?) and secondly in honour of my late Father-in-Law who was a keen camper and caravaner all his life and would have been delighted that we are following in the family tradition.