Looking for motor home (1 Viewer)

Hanski

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Hello,
We are looking for a motorhome, for myself my husband and two small children.
We are looking for a six berth with with a double bed at the back we are not sure whether to go for a lounge that turns into a bed in the back or a bed that is permanent.
Also is there any makes we should avoid or go for?
Thank you
 

MC 55 FUN

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:ello:& :welco:, whichever Moho you go for make sure it has an adequate payload for your needs, as believe it or not, there are vehicles out there, even new ones, that are unfit for purpose due to insufficient payload.
 
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Lenny HB

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If looking at second hand vans I would go for German built as UK built vans have a bad history of water ingress problem.
As you are looking for a 6 berth do you have C1 category on your driving license as it is unrealistic to expect to get a 6 berth with suitable payload under 3500kg which is the max you can drive on a standard car license. If you passed you test before Jan 1997 you will have the C1 entitlement, after that date you will need to take a test cost training about £1000.

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dodfloss

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I have had a Hymer and now have a Dethleffs both German , the build quality is excellent. Like I said it depends how much you can spend.

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EX51SSS

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welcome animated smiley3.gif
 
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tonka

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I have an Autotrail apache 700... Rear "U" lounge that makes into a big bed. Front dinette and overcab bed.
Lots of payload at 730kg and plenty of storage lockers and space.

When travelling with kids think about rainy days and evenings when you will welcome the space and seperate living areas. Fixed beds are very nice but we prefer a nice lounge where we can all sit on rainy days or cold evenings etc. Making the rear bed takes less than 2 mins so works for us.

Good luck with your search...

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GeriatricWanderer

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Welcome.

Sounds like you are at the beginning of a learning curve and about to embark on a lifestyle that can be expensive if you get it wrong.

I've been in and around all varieties of motorhomes and campers for more years than I like to count.
I'm not an expert just a well travelled wanderer and my advice to you is:

You Must learn all about payload and really get to grips with it.

You should sit your bums on as many seats, sofas, beds and toilets as you can - imagine yourselves shut in for 3 days because it's chucking it down outside.
You may think you've done enough research but it's an expensive purchase so research more.
Spend as much time as you can searching and browsing here, both on the forum and in resources - there's a huge amount of information here from people who really do know what they're talking about.

Make the first few pounds you spend be a year's subscription here and it will be the best £15 pounds you'll ever spend.

And.............. Take your time.
 
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Hanski

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Thank you for your replies. Our budget is £20,000 to £25,000... Up to £30,000 if it's amazing.
I passed my test in 2000 so I'm limited to 3500kg. This confuses me as some motorhome dealers say vans weight can be lowered if over that weight to allow me to drive it. Is this right ? My husband has grandfather rights though and he will be doing most of the driving.
Also we would like to be able to take the van to ski resorts to stay at camp sites there. Are most modern vans well insulated to cope with the cold...are the German makes better for this ?
Thanks again.
 
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dodfloss

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You need be looking for , fully winterised motor homes. German makes I have had, have been.

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Lenny HB

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I passed my test in 2000 so I'm limited to 3500kg. This confuses me as some motorhome dealers say vans weight can be lowered if over that weight to allow me to drive it. Is this right ? My husband has grandfather rights though and he will be doing most of the driving.
For a family of 4 your are going to need at least a payload of 700-800kg not realistic in a 3500kg van. Not practical to lower the weight of a van without reducing the payload best to ignore salesman bullsh*t. [/QUOTE]
Also we would like to be able to take the van to ski resorts to stay at camp sites there. Are most modern vans well insulated to cope with the cold...are the German makes better for this ?
Thanks again.
Nearly all German vans are fully winterised only the latest UK vans are and probably not to the same standard.
If looking at German vans and don't mind LHD have aLink Removed I won't have anything but LHD far easier when driving abroad and when time comes to change much easier to sell as you have the whole of Europe as your market.
 
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Another vote for 2 separate areas, making up beds, once fathomed, takes minutes and gives loads of living space. think about where you are going to store large items, we had no external storage and chairs were carried behind front seats, other bits in the shower a bit of a pain if the loo was needed urgently
Not already mentioned, but make sure the van has 4 3point seatbelts, and that car seats, if used fit securely.
oh and Welcome.
 
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DanielFord

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@Hanski :welco:

With 2 small children, I'd agree, you are going to be looking at a 6 berth.

Personally we prefer the rear lounge that converts to a bed, because you get a bigger bed, BUT you do have to pack it away and make it up. The wife doesn't mind this, largely because it is my job.

A 6 berth withe rear lounge will usually entail an overcab double, the dinette will (with much struggling) also convert to a double leaving the lounge at the rear. Problem is, I am yet to see a motorhome that when the dinette is made up into a bed, the overcab is still usable. They usually protrude so the ladder can't be installed.

I would look at something like the CI Mizar with bunks at the rear and a large overcab. Give the kiddies 2 beds, and one for you?

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Hanski

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Thanks again. Advice is gratefully received everyone.
We like the sound of hymer's. A friend has 1. Seems very well made and they have taken it to ski resorts in the winter.
They seem more expensive than other makes but I guess you get what you pay for.
Yes we do need the rear seats to have 4 three point seat belts as may need to keep the kids apart and good point about trying car seats.
We probably won't be using the dinette area as a bed just the rear and above cab beds but good to have to option.
 
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Silver-Fox

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:HelloThere:

This is a great site and loads of help and info.
Well worth the joining fee as it may help you get a better deal on s MoHo you may even buy one from a forum member as I did.

Good luck in your search (y)
 
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suavecarve

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If you went for the rear full time bed then you get storage underneath the bed normally accessible from the outside and some are big enough to put a bike in hence that is a garage, some are for pushbikes.
Ours is 6 berth (Rollerteam 690) with the garage at the rear and an overhead cab at the front which is useable when the dinette is made into a bed. However they cocked up the other end and the ladder gets in the way of the rear bed (easily able to get round it though) by preventing the toilet door opening.
If I could have afforded one that turned into a lounge area by turning the seats round and still have the rear permanent bed, 6 berth with 6 seat belts, carry a motorbike and comes in at less than 3,500 kgs then i would have bought the rights to sell them. Basically they dont exist no matter what the salesman tells you.
So weight, seat belts, winterised, appear to be necessities then I would suggest work round it, but try as many as you can and view them on ebay but you have to get inside them.
One will turn up. Good luck
 
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EyUp

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Personally it would make more sense to me to have lounge at the back that makes up into a bed. With two kids in the van as well as two adults then space will soon run out !
It literally takes us 2 minutes to put the bed together. Little bit of faff but the usable space more than makes up for a bit of hassle. And we havent got kids that come with us ! :D2

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I may be wrong, but something to be aware of is that an imported German/continental built m/h may have the habitation door opening on 'our' offside, i.e. opening into the road not the pavement. At least one of your children will be riding in the back and there's a risk of them (or an adult) stepping out of the door into the traffic.
 
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Puddleduck

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Our second van (we had 3 kids and then adopted another) was an ancient Hymer. It had a U shaped lounge at the back which converted to a big double or two small singles, the dinette was a decent double and then the drop down over cab bed. We use to put two kids in the small singles at the back and two in the overcab. The adults used the dinette. The dinette had two bench seats and the driver's seat didn't swivel. Sorry but I can't remember the model number - it looked similar to JJ's from the outside but I think ours was longer. We only sold as we were moving into rented accommodation (change of employment) and there was no where to store her.

You will need the heavier van purely for the payload. Yes, you can down plate but that means less payload...... On a B (car) licence you can drive a vehicle up to 3500kg FULLY loaded, so if your base vehicle weighs 3050 (and many do) that only leaves 450kg for all of you, your kit and caboodle, fuel, water etc etc. which isn't practical for two adults how about two adults and two children. The only way to be sure is to weigh the vehicle but experience tells me that you need far more payload than you will get in a vehicle plated at 3500kg. It would be worth doing the C1 test yourself as what would happen in an emergency and your husband wasn't able to drive?

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I wouldn't worry too much as your husband could drive a heavier vehicle. Just make sure that if you are not going to drive it, that you are NOT on the insurance. SWMBO was on ours for a while until I realised that in the event of me being incapacitated the insurance co would not recover it as they would expect her to drive it. Took her off the insurance which added a little bit to the premium but worth it for the peace of mind.
 
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Ridgeway

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We had a Carado in the past and whilst it was a great starter van it wasn't insulated well at all, Sunlight is the same manufacturer (both owned by Hymer) We have 4 children and also needed 3 point belts all round which some didn't offer so it's checking that. Our main table folds down which can be quite useful to get some space back during the day time. Bunk beds work well and you get fit more than 2 children in the luton bed (had all 4 in ours). The bed that makes up over our main table is a pain to set up so we avoid this as it just takes ages. Our neighbour has a Hymer, classic luton style that's about 10yrs old, it's really solid and she picked it up at a reasonable price, they seem to stand the test of time well.
 
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Hanski

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We are going to look at this van tomorrow. It's a 4 berth but there is only 4 of us. We like that it's a bit smaller so more manoeuvrable than 6 berth plus economical which is good as we plan to tour Europe this summer.
One important thing we want is to be able to put the kids to bed in the back bed and me and my husband are able to have space in the front.
Has anyone got any previous experience of the Hymer Exis? They don't seem that common and not a lot of info on the net.

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Ridgeway

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We looked at an Exis and liked the drop down bed but we thought the living space was too small for us. Nice neat van though and good quality. They do have a true garage with good storage space where as larger lutons with rear bunks tend to have tiny garage areas.
 
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Hanski

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The Exis was nice but felt too small a living space inside plus bit too expensive
Back on the hunt for a German 6 berth.
 
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laird of Dunstan

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Theres a motorhome show coming up 22/23rd of April ,its at Peterborough ,there will be hundreds of mohos for sale ,you wll get a good idea of layout etc even if you dont find one that ticks all the boxes
 
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