So much to learn before we buy!!! (1 Viewer)

[Poppy Williams]

Hi
Owning our own motor home is definitly high on my list of desires in life. We did have a classic VW van several years ago and travelled to France and around theUk which was amazing but I’m 51 now and want to travel in luxury and comfort. We currently own a caravan but find it more restricting and don’t use it as much as we should. I feel that if we had a van we would be more likely to head off for a night any time we fancied. My husband is wanting to hang on till we retire and guarantee using it more often as it is a big cost. I feel that we should be getting one now and living life to the full at every opportunity. Having a van gives you freedom but with a caravan stuck on the back of the car every journey needs to be planned for fear of taking the wrong turn. The question is if I can persuade him to trade in the caravan do we buy a new van or a nearly new second hand? I want a twin bed layout and rear bathroom. I love the look of the Autotrail vans but that as is far as my research has got. I can see from all the questions on this forum that there is so much to learn. We have grandchildren and I can see myself heading off with them or taking my friend for girly weekends. Will I be able to drive it? I think so, but I don’t notice many women doing the driving or am I just not looking. Any advice this very early stage would be most welcomed. I can visualise the day when I go to pick up our new van and it makes me feel very excited!!!

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey

 

[EX51SSS]

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[The Dudess]

 

[Four of us]

Hello and welcome. I do agree about life being for living so go for it! You do get some excellent second hand vans so unless money is no object I would start looking at these. We bought ours privately when it was 7 years old with only 13000 miles on the clock and immaculate inside and have been delighted with it. Lots of females do drive them quite happily. They just take a bit of getting used to for width and height! Why not have a look around and see what's available and then make up your mind?

 

[Jim]

Hi Elaine, yes there is a lot to learn, but there are lots of people just itching to help so fire away with your questions wehn you have them. Meanwhile welcome to the fun

This will be a big help, subscribers can download it for Free The Definitive Guide to Buying the Right Motorhome at the Best Price

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[MillieMoocher]

Welcome!

We also waited until I retired before getting the Motorhome for the same reasons as your husband cites and to be honest I wish we’d not waited as the enjoyment we’ve had since getting it is immeasurable.

If we’d had it when I was working we’d have been able to get away for weekends or long weekends, or even local trips.

So my thoughts are just go for it!

 

[greyman1]

my path into motorhoming was exactly as yours . i started off with a vw t25 which took us everywhere here and abroad for many years and we loved it , but after a while [and the big 50 birthday coming and going] i deemed it was time to upgrade to a full size motorhome. my experience of this is as follows : although you do gain more room inside etc [a class hymer] you also lose some of the go anywhere ability that you will be used to with the vw] . i have found that now every little thing needs to be planned ,routes ,heights etc all have to be taken into consideration beforehand ,so the reality of just jumping aboard and going off for the odd night can be different to the theory. also when you are fully parked up on a site for instance and up on ramps etc you are now basically a caravan [without a car to use !] so to sum up, the best advice i could give is decide what you value most. if it is spur of the moment adventures [wild camping etc esp in the uk ] then a large motorhome is not as favourable as you would think! if it is for trips that you are prepared to plan ,research in advance etc then the extra home comforts are great ! which ever way you choose i wish you good luck .regards garry

 

[mikebeaches]

Hi Elaine -

There is indeed lots to think about when choosing a first motorhome. And yes, they're amazing machines and enable you to pursue your travel dreams.

All vans have some sort of compromise. One is the size to go for - big means lots of comfortable interior living space, but driving can be similar to towing the caravan - you need to be a bit careful where you take it because of the width. On the other hand, a narrower smaller van is frequently more suitable for exploring towns, villages, and down interesting country lanes - not to mention parking. They also tend to be more stable and sure-footed travelling at high speed on the motorway.

We're on our third motorhome, and the fixed twin bed layout suits us best. But we've changed from a coachbuilt (wide), to a panel van conversion or PVC (narrow). We'd owned caravans previously and when we were looking initially at changing to a MH, mrs mikebeaches said, 'oh no, I don't think we want one of those narrow pvcs - not enough living space'. But having made the change to a PVC a couple of years ago, she wouldn't go back to a wide coachbuilt van. And she loves driving the PVC as much as I do. We certainly use it more than the coachbuilt, because it's so handy.

Horses for courses...

Whatever you decide to buy have a good long think, but don't delay too long - you'll love it.

Mike

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[mitzimad]

my path into motorhoming was exactly as yours . i started off with a vw t25 which took us everywhere here and abroad for many years and we loved it , but after a while [and the big 50 birthday coming and going] i deemed it was time to upgrade to a full size motorhome. my experience of this is as follows : although you do gain more room inside etc [a class hymer] you also lose some of the go anywhere ability that you will be used to with the vw] . i have found that now every little thing needs to be planned ,routes ,heights etc all have to be taken into consideration beforehand ,so the reality of just jumping aboard and going off for the odd night can be different to the theory. also when you are fully parked up on a site for instance and up on ramps etc you are now basically a caravan [without a car to use !] so to sum up, the best advice i could give is decide what you value most. if it is spur of the moment adventures [wild camping etc esp in the uk ] then a large motorhome is not as favourable as you would think! if it is for trips that you are prepared to plan ,research in advance etc then the extra home comforts are great ! which ever way you choose i wish you good luck .regards garry

I disagre with that ours isnt huge at 7m long and 3 m high but is plenty big enough for two,plus a grand son on occasions we dont plan any trips We dont even have a truck sat nav and i think ive only once had to turn around worst thing that can happen regarding size is you have to reverse out or turn around.Motor homes are designed for touring and were seldom on a site more than a few days ,were fairly well organised and can be of and running in 15 minutes when we decide to move .we wild camp both here and in europe and have never had a problem we often just jump in and go sometimes 10 miles ,a night away from home is a great break to the norms of life.We also use it when we visit friends go to family it our home from homeMy advice would be do it now you dont know whats around the corner

 

[Southdowners]

Hello and welcome!

We had caravans before buying a motorhome. We bought one (we’ll 3 actually) before retiring and have enjoyed many European trips. My husband retires at the end of this month so we’re now all set and ready to travel far more extensively.

Are you able to work whilst away? My husband found that as long as we had our own internet connection he was able to work remotely. Could this be an option for you?

I would recommend visiting a large dealership and see what’s available and what would suit you best.... good luck!

By the way- don’t worry about driving. If you can drive a car you can drive a motorhome. There’s nothing different between male and female drivers... men aren’t genetically programmed to drive large vehicles!

 

[mitzimad]

As well as dealer were heading into the motorhome show seaons you can take your caravan and stay for the weekend view as many vans as you want look at the rally section here and come along if you join you can camp with the funsters and im sure theres plenty of people willing to show you there vans as well

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[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.


Wyn

 

[suavecarve]

Weight , weight and weight. You have to get those things right or you will be selling your van promto.
I m reading between the lines here but girly weekend away, grandchildren, aged 51. I suspect you both may have the C1 licence. If you do, give consideration to buying a van more than 3500 kgs because your girlfriends or grandkids will overload it.
It may be exactly the same van (over and under 3500 kgs) but you might be able to use the over, legally.
There are numerous threads on here about weight and i strongly recommend having a really good understanding of the weight issue.
Once you have that sorted then you can look at layouts and chillax. Welcome aboard

 

[Stealaway]

What does your husband like doing. Whatever It is he'll be able to do it much more and much easier with a van. Buy one just big enough for you two. Smaller vans are so much more usable and not restricted to sites.

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[Poppy Williams]

Wow, thank you all so much. I really do need to do some good research now. I know I want a van with the nice interior so the van will be on the bigger side and I see now that I will still have to put planning in before we go on longer trips. I think I need to keep reading all the posts on this site and then go and see some vans. Ideally a nearly new van would be most sensible as we wont be paying all the VAT. I only work during term times and my husband is fortunate to have retired early in life. We could be off any school holiday therefore to France and Europe. I think this year I will keep researching with the aim to buy one next year. I know having a van would encourage us to just go off for a night at any time whereas the caravan takes a lot more work to get it ready for a trip. When I go in the caravan I alwayss box up all my kitchen ware then uppack it when we arrive. What do you all do? Does it bob around like it does in a caravan or is it safe to leave items in cupboards on route?

 

[Southdowners]

We leave ours pretty much stocked up all the time. I use bubblewrap - the big stuff, the sort you get in Amazon packaging in the overhead lockers - it stops things rattling about. All the overhead lockers and drawers etc lock for travelling. There's certainly no need to take things out when travelling. I leave all the bottles, tins, dried foodstuffs onboard and never take crockery or cooking utensils out - I bought duplicates of everything and so can leave the vehicle fully stocked and ready - same with bedding, etc.

You are right in that it is a lot easier to just get up and go with a motorhome rather than a caravan... that's what they're made to do.

 

[Four of us]

We leave everything as it needs to be in the cupboards when on the move. You soon learn to pack them so they don't rattle. So its only the kettle and worktops that need cleared before moving on. We can be packed up and off in 10/15 minutes tops so its really no hassle.

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[Pekepal]

We only changed from caravanning to motorhoming 3 years ago and it was a huge decision as there was a lot to take into account. However we love it and it has fired our enthusiasm after 40 years of touring. We rarely book apart from our channel crossings and, apart from when in the UK, have never had a problem getting in a site. When choosing a van decide what length, layout, weight and maximum price and don't be swayed from these and hopefully you will get it right. Our criteria was a garage so we could carry everything inside and it was to be no longer than 7 metres. There is always a compromise it is just deciding which is the one you can live with. Go for it. When we set off we both have silly smiles and feel like we are off on an adventure every time.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[mitzimad]

Wow, thank you all so much. I really do need to do some good research now. I know I want a van with the nice interior so the van will be on the bigger side and I see now that I will still have to put planning in before we go on longer trips. I think I need to keep reading all the posts on this site and then go and see some vans. Ideally a nearly new van would be most sensible as we wont be paying all the VAT. I only work during term times and my husband is fortunate to have retired early in life. We could be off any school holiday therefore to France and Europe. I think this year I will keep researching with the aim to buy one next year. I know having a van would encourage us to just go off for a night at any time whereas the caravan takes a lot more work to get it ready for a trip. When I go in the caravan I alwayss box up all my kitchen ware then uppack it when we arrive. What do you all do? Does it bob around like it does in a caravan or is it safe to leave items in cupboards on route?

we leave everything in the cupboards lots of our stuff is in tupperware or baskets even have baskets in the fridge crockery if it moves add a few teatowels motorhomes are much steadier than caravans

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[denisejoe]

We keep everything in the van. When we decide to go away we just need to pack fresh food and some clothes, although we usually leave enough in for a couple of nights away so don't even need to worry if we go away for a weekend, which we often do.

In the UK we only really do short breaks, usually with one of the clubs. Camping and Caravanning Club is better for rallies as you don't need to book so you can be much more spontaneous.

Our longer holidays we go to Europe, usually France and the only booking we do is the crossing. We use mainly aires in France.

I think you should go for it now rather than waiting for retirement and would say 2nd hand is better value than new so you'll get more for your money.

Denise

 

[Spriddler]

Yes, go for it. What's the worst that can happen........ you run out of tea bags?
Mine's in my drive and apart from clothes is ready to go within 10 mins. although I do faff about a bit longer enjoying the anticipation of a trip
Like most folk I leave all storable foodstuffs (and Longlife milk which I like) on board, plus some tinned (mmmm, a Fray Bentos Steak and kidney pie and baked beans ) or packet 'last resort' quick meals. In fact I usually have to bring them indoors and eat them up (Yuk!) as they are nearly always approaching their end date. I'm not tight but I really don't like waste. I buy fresh stuff en route from local markets and village shops. After all, we're not going to the moon and 'forriners' also have to eat
For most of us the choice of m/h is always a compromise between practical size, ideal accommodation/facilities and how much we want to spend.
You mentioned that you can travel 'any time during school hols'. I don't really know about the U.K as 90% of my trips are abroad outside of school hols when I never book stops in advance and have never failed to stop at my first choice place. However, the last two weeks of July and all of August are very busy 'over there' and you may find it necessary to book 'proper' sites. You can't book aires but there are very many and I would venture to say that you'd never be totally stuck.
I use guides to sites: 'All the Aires' from Vicarious Books and the Camperstop website which you can download beforehand so not needing an internet connection whilst away.
You probably know that you can't exchange Calor bottles abroad so you will need to consider 'fixed' refillable bottles e.g. a 'Gaslow' system which I have installed in less than an hour (other makes are available), and which are refillable at petrol station LPG pumps. If you are confident changing a 'normal' gas bottle over you can fit a 'Gaslow' system. Alternatively, a kit to refill your removable Calor cylinders but I understand (and it may be an urban myth) that some filling stations are not keen on you refilling these removable cylinders at the pumps.
If you delay for long enough until you are fully informed and perfect ask someone to remind you to get a m/h with space to carry your mobility scooter
Just do it

 

[Poppy Williams]

Yes, go for it. What's the worst that can happen........ you run out of tea bags?
Mine's in my drive and apart from clothes is ready to go within 10 mins. although I do faff about a bit longer enjoying the anticipation of a trip
Like most folk I leave all storable foodstuffs (and Longlife milk which I like) on board, plus some tinned (mmmm, a Fray Bentos Steak and kidney pie and baked beans ) or packet 'last resort' quick meals. In fact I usually have to bring them indoors and eat them up (Yuk!) as they are nearly always approaching their end date. I'm not tight but I really don't like waste. I buy fresh stuff en route from local markets and village shops. After all, we're not going to the moon and 'forriners' also have to eat
For most of us the choice of m/h is always a compromise between practical size, ideal accommodation/facilities and how much we want to spend.
You mentioned that you can travel 'any time during school hols'. I don't really know about the U.K as 90% of my trips are abroad outside of school hols when I never book stops in advance and have never failed to stop at my first choice place. However, the last two weeks of July and all of August are very busy 'over there' and you may find it necessary to book 'proper' sites. You can't book aires but there are very many and I would venture to say that you'd never be totally stuck.
I use guides to sites: 'All the Aires' from Vicarious Books and the Camperstop website which you can download beforehand so not needing an internet connection whilst away.
You probably know that you can't exchange Calor bottles abroad so you will need to consider 'fixed' refillable bottles e.g. a 'Gaslow' system which I have installed in less than an hour (other makes are available), and which are refillable at petrol station LPG pumps. If you are confident changing a 'normal' gas bottle over you can fit a 'Gaslow' system. Alternatively, a kit to refill your removable Calor cylinders but I understand (and it may be an urban myth) that some filling stations are not keen on you refilling these removable cylinders at the pumps.
If you delay for long enough until you are fully informed and perfect ask someone to remind you to get a m/h with space to carry your mobility scooter
Just do it

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[Poppy Williams]

Yes you are right, life is too short. Just need to get my husband on board with some of my enthusiasm. I love the adventure that it could bring and the new places we could see. Just seems like life is all work and no play at the moment and I need to change that balance a bit. Work can be stressful and I know if we had a van to get away in even for a night at the weekend it would be something to look forward to. Thank you so much for all the help and advice on here, it has made me even more determined!

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[Blue Knight]

Just seems like life is all work and no play at the moment and I need to change that balance a bit.

Hi Elaine - and a big welcome to the forum.

All I'll say is make sure that you can change your work-life balance when you buy a motorhome or else you'll have a very expensive ornament that just sits on the drive.

We bought our first van in 2016 with the intention of venturing everywhere and anywhere but in reality it didn't quite go to plan and the van just sat on the drive.

Our lifestyle will become more accommdating as this year unfolds but at the moment, and until we use it more; it means that every night away in our motorhome still equates to several thousand pounds.

All the best,

Andrew

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[Podney]

Hello and welcome.

 

[Janine]

Hello and welcome to the Fun! I've been driving motorhomes for 30 years. Don't forget to check out the number of seat belts for friends and family - 4 berth vans often don't have 4 belts!

 

[ambulancekidd]

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