Looking to buy

[Dorvey]

Hi all

Having joined this group a little while ago in the hope that I would be selling house, buying a motorhome and start an adventure through France and Spain. Wanted the group as a support platform.
Obviously the current situation has but everything on hold and slowed down the whole process still looking to buy a motorhome in readiness.
We live in the midlands and looking to pay 20 to 30 k for a LHD, rear transverse bed and rear garage . Apart from that quite open but we are leaning towards German manufacturers Hymer being one favourite.
Can anyone provide any advice about places to look , what to look out for to help me with my search.

Many thanks all
Lianne

 

[MisterB]

Brexit might hinder your plans, so make sure before you sell your home that the plan you have is viable. this is not an anti brexit comment or a pro brexit comment !!!

have a look at the Schengen rules and work out what suits your plans, it might be a case of 3 months in europe and 3 months out, but its a bit more technical than that of course, i.e. 90 out of 180 consecutive days are allowed

whether some countries will enforce the rules for 'tourism' or whether tourist visas will be an option i.e. 1 month in individual countries is very much in the air and you need to do some serious research before committing as what i am saying might not be viable and relaxation of enforcement might be just wishful thinking.

no doubt others will add their personal views on what will or wont happen, but my point is make sure you do your homework/research before selling your home !

???

 

[David and Sally]

 

[TerryL]

Hi and

First advice - take your time especially as your first van is going to be your "permanent" home. You need to do plenty of research, not just for which van to buy but all the other important matters such as having a permanent address for correspondence etc. There is a section on the forum for full-timers and if you haven't already, spend some time there. I'm sure I've also seen an article or maybe another publication on just that subject. Quite a lot of videos on the subject about too - Utube is your friend!

But talking of publications, and getting back to a suitable vehicle, download a copy of Jim's excellent book "The Motorhome Buyers Guide" from the Resources section (dark blue bar top of page). That will get your thoughts moving in the right direction. Then, although it's not easy at the present time, try to visit as many dealers as you can to have a look at as many different layouts as you can - you seem to have an idea of what suits but don't ignore other layouts which might suit you better. When viewing spend some time "living" in each one; imagine it's cold and pouring with rain outside, have you got enough "personal" space, "cook" a meal, "use" the loo/shower, try the beds, "store" all the essential items you plan to carry with you. And on the subject of carrying, check payload - it's amazing that manufacturers are allowed to sell vehicles that are patently unusable once you've filled the fuel tank and put a couple of tins of beans in the lockers, never mind bikes in the garage! You may decide you need a bigger van - does your licence cover you for over 3500kg MAUW, i.e. do you have C1 class on it?

Although they are about there's not that many LHD vans around - you may want to consider buying abroad, but that's another ball-game which again needs much research. Beware of "bargains" such as you'll see on Ebay - the old adage is paramount, if it looks too good to be true, it is. For your price bracket you're going to be looking at vehicles 10 years old but don't let that put you off, neither should you worry too much about "high" mileage. M/hs are based on commercial vehicles, designed to travel hundreds of thousands of miles every year but as long as they're properly maintained will go on for as long as you will! Just be a bit wary about very low mileages which can be just as detrimental - e.g. one trip every year then sat still in Spain for 6 months.

Enjoy your search, the chase is often as good as the finish. Good luck.