Spain calling :) (1 Viewer)

[Kathleen Patrick]

Hi everyone. We moved from England to Spain in 2013. We have just sold our home and are buying a smaller home here and also hoping to buy a motorhome to use to escape the hot Spanish months of July & August and see more of the world. I am 63 retired Nurse and hubby 60 retired Police Officer and we have 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Louis & Henry aged 9. We have never had a motorhome before. I have never even been camping but hubby and his family have. We would want a left hand drive. I want the smallest with everything in it, i.e.shower/wc etc but hubby thinks its best to get a larger van. I worry it will be too big for me to drive but maybe I am worrying too much. There is a Benimar outlet near us so don't know what people think of that make. I am looking forward to reading through all the subjects and thank you for letting me join. K

 

[EX51SSS]

 

[Howard H]

And

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

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.


I wouldn't get too worried about driving a decent sized motorhome. It may seem scary at first but you soon realise it's just something you get used to. People describe it as "shrinking" around you.

Wyn

 

[Kathleen Patrick]

Thank you all for your quick welcome. Whenever I see motorhomes it always seems to be the men who do the driving. I think maybe I will feel better when I have actually been in one.

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

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

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome.....

 

[tacr2man]

Pretty much all moho are similar width , until you get to RVs so its only a length thing which isn't generally a access problem until you get over 8mts , Layout is the biggest factor as to what suits your needs, and also how long at a time you intend traveling in it .
What you tolerate for short while can be a real pita over a longer spell. You will read suggestion you buy your 3rd one first as thats about the usual to get the ideal choice The other big factor is what licence to drive you have as that affects vehicle gross weight you can drive , and payloads are more critical the smaller you go

 

[Kathleen Patrick]

Welcome advice TACR2man, thank you.

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

 

[Podney]

Welcome!

 

[The Dudess]

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

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

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[The Dudess]

Have a read at this.
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/the-motorhome-buyers-guide.181/

Given that you have 2 doggies you will need a decent amount of floor space. Possibly your husband might be thinking along the right lines. Good luck.

 

[Falcon 269]

Hi and welcome.

We've lived in Spain - not far from San Miguel de Salinas - since 2004 and got our Adria from Caravanas Cruz in Elche in 2014. I assume you've already twigged about the motorhome show in Alicante, near the airport, in February? A great way to see most of the makes on offer from local dealerships and a good time to buy at a discount.

Our Adria is 7.3 mtrs long and we're very happy with the size, layout and build. Yes, we've had a few moments on our travels when we've been aware of the width of the vehicle but we try to plan our routes to stay away from narrow and difficult places. It's not handicapped our travels so far.

If you intend to share the driving equally, then it sounds as though your concerns about driving a larger vehicle could be a factor. However, if you're expecting to be the relief driver to spell hubby, then maybe you shouldn't let your reservations get in the way of buying a larger, potentially more comfortable motorhome.

Whatever you go for, I hope you find motorhoming as much fun as we have.

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

 

[Southdowners]

Hello and welcome!

Don't be worried about driving a motorhome. It's true that you mostly see men driving but I don't know why this should be. At the end of the day we all passed the same driving test. As long as you're a confident driver you'll be fine.

 

[jollyrodger]

 

[Chris]

Hi and welcome.

We have an 8m van and my wife drives it as much as I do, possibly a bit more than I do.

Within about 10 minutes you will get the hang of it. You just tend to use your wing mirrors a lot - well I do anyway.

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

 

[mikebeaches]

View attachment 206693
Pretty much all moho are similar width , until you get to RVs...

This is pretty much true for 'coachbuilt' motorhomes, but not for van conversions (ie a standard all steel original panel van that has been professionally (or otherwise) converted internally to a motorhome.

Coachbuilts excluding rear view mirrors are typically 2.3 metres wide, whereas van conversions or PVCs are around 2.05 metres wide. So what you might say - well that is around a foot narrower, which can make a BIG difference! Mrs mikebeaches much prefers driving our van conversion (and so do I) compared to our previous coachbuilts. Travels faster and more sure-footed too, in our experience.

All vans are something of a compromise - one way or another - but plenty of folk manage with dogs in van conversions, even though in most cases space will be a little more limited.

Benimar is probably the biggest Spanish motorhome brand and is part of the giant Trigano Group, which has lots of brands (and expertise) across Europe. Benimar generally has a good reputation - all coachbuilts I think?

Good luck, whatever you decide to go for.

 

[namwaldog]

Welcome, there is a large ACSI campsite north of you at Marjal Guadamar. Have a drive up there, park outside and ask to have a walk in. Have a walk past all the MH's look out for GB registered ones (especially with a funsters sticker on ) and have a natter to anyone who will talk back to you.

 

[Bart]

Hi and welcome whatever you choose make sure of the following points
Payload.
have you got the correct driving licence to drive it??
Amount of seats with seat belts.
Layout and enough space for dogs when it's been raining and muddy outside.

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

 

[mickymouse]

Hi and welcome , we also live in Torrevieja ( San Luis), and have just sold our Hymer B660 which was 7.5m including bike rack and are now looking for a smaller (shorter) van which will allow easier parking in towns etc obviously the larger vans are more comfortable but at the time we were going on 5/6 month trips, maybe a automatic might be a better choice for you both to drive, as Falcon 269 wrote the Alicante Motorhome show is on in February 9,10,11 and 16,17,18 and will give you a chance to look at a few different models, Please Pm me if you require any advice.

 

[Kathleen Patrick]

Is there any information on this years motorhome show available. We would want to know but cant find details

 

[Falcon 269]

Do a Google search using 'feria autocaravanas alicante 2018' as key words. Will give you numerous (Spanish) websites with the dates and details, including how to get discount tickets online.

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

 

[Kathleen Patrick]

How much is there to see. if you wanted a good long look around is it doable in a day, or should we consider longer.

 

[Falcon 269]

We typically arrive at 10am and leave around 4pm having seen all we need. Obviously it's not as big as the major shows like the NEC or Dusseldorf but it's the best you'll find in our part of Spain.

In addition to the main dealer displays (Caravanas Cruz bring almost their entire stock of vehicles to the show!) there are other caravan/motorhome related stands. Well worth the day, make sure you print out the discount ticket coupon from the website.