Does It Exist ??
We have decided that we might try a motorhome for a few years rather than caravanning but have specific "wants". We have trawled through all the for sale sites etc and can't seem to find exactly what we want and wondered if you guys might be able to help.
We prefer the British style of motorhome with lounge area seating facing each other from the sides rather than dinette or forward facing seats.
So our wants are:
Lounge area as above
Garage ( very important to us )
Alde wet heating ( not blown air )
Rear fixed bed or 2 singles with bolster between ( not a climb up a ladder type )
Bathroom with shower cubicle not shower over toilet
Probably not more than 3-4 year old ( which it prob wouldn't be with Alde heating )
Does this sound like something anyone knows off?
Thanks
Comments
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Sorry, I cant think of anything that will give you exactly that wish list but others may know better.
I suspect you will need to compromise as I think you are trying to fit a caravan onto a MH chassis.
Have you considered weight and size as bigger is not always better in terms of MHs?
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You've just described my Rapido, with the exception of Alde wet heating which was an option. Unfortunately they no longer do the model. Incidentally the Alde wet heating systems have been around for ages, I'm going to guess 20+ years, so it shouldn't be impossible to find one.
I'd say foreign motorhomes are more likely to have your desired layout.
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Don't be misled by Alde heating being modern. Our big van, built in 1984 had an Alde heating system!
You need to have a really good look around dealers, sit inside different models, lay on the beds, imagine living in the layout for a couple of weeks or longer in all weathers, using loo/shower on a daily basis, possibly having family/friends in for a meal, imagine taking it out for day to places you want to visit, in towns, in supermarkets, on Moors etc.... This will give you a good idea of living in a MH, and which layout will suit.
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9096DF, 2008 model, but they did them with variations for 4 or 5 years.
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Although Alde has been used for decades in boats and caravans, it is a fairly new innovation in the mass produced MH market. A few models used it some years back - the original Autocruise 'golf course' models spring to mind - but it was rare until recently.
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Ahhhh ok. Maybe I am phrasing it wrong then when I say Alde heating I simply mean not the blown air heating which we had previously in caravans and was pretty useless. I mean wet central heating - is it only Alde that do that or do others?
In our current caravan the wet Alde heating is absolutely brilliant - you couldnt even begin to compare it to the blown air heating
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I'm not aware of anyone other than Alde making a wet heating system. I agree it's superior to older blown air systems but I've been pleasantly surprised by newer ones.
I'm a fan of Alde but have had to compromise and it is no longer high on my list of priorities. I look for weight, size and layout, in that order.
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That's what I am realising. Perhaps our "wants" are based too much on our current set up, but we like our current set up
.The new 2018 Bessacar 597 Lounge version is being released soon and is as near to our requirements as we can see at the minute.
But it has a healthy price tag!!
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I'd advise being very careful in your choice. Simply thinking caravan on a chassis/cab doesn't work.
Think about taking the MH to car parks, town centres, supermarkets, beaches etc. Will one of sufficient size to accommodate your chosen layout fit in those places or do you intend towing a car (another minefield) or using bikes?
Without knowing your age or driving licence category, I can't suggest whether you need to consider the 3500kg weight restriction but I've no doubt you'll have thought about it.
Sorry if I sound negative but I'd really hate for you to make an expensive mistake.
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It does take some thinking through and when you change from a caravan to a motorhome it's quite natural to want to replicate what you already have in your caravan. We did the same when changing five years ago and we have gradually realised that we should have probably chosen a smaller motorhome, probably something between six and seven metres long rather than the one we have which is 7.5 metres long. You also have to think how you are going to use the motorhome, especially taking into some of the points raised by TW above.
David
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We went through this last year as we needed a new towcar and it would have been the ideal time to make the change, we had similar problems.
We did find a few that we liked the layout on, but all fell down on the size of the shower compartment, an essential item for us, and were too expensive. On some the payload would not have worked and an upgrade would have been needed, which would have meant getting my +3500 kg licence re-instated.
Kitchen space was also fairly limited but workable.
In the end we decided to stick with the caravan.
I would also say however that we have not seen any newer caravans that compare favourably with our current one!
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When we changed we went for something completely different, a lot smaller and nothing like our caravan. Had our choice turned out to be a bit warmer and draught proof we would probably have stuck with it. So we changed to a different motorhome that has lasted the course. Sometimes it's good to think outside the box, you can't easily replicate the caravan experience, a motorhome is different.
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I get annoyed sometimes with forums because I or someone else posts a question and they are inundated with useless non specific replies that are obviously just the ramblings of people that have too much time on their hands.
And then sometimes forums prove their worth, and questions are responded to with attention to detail and with hugely beneficial information from people who have taken a lot of time and care to construct helpful well formulated responses that are of enormous help to the OP......this is one of those times!
A big thank you to all who have taken time to respond to date and if anyone else has some thoughts please feel free to add them to the already much appreciated responses
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Thanks for coming back with the acknowledgement, S2. I'll be interested to hear your decision in due course.
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BB has posted probably the most comprehensive reply in internet history................
It may be possible to summarise it in a sentence, which i have posted before.....
"Buy the smallest motorhome you can comfortably manage with".
That will pay dividends when touring....
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We had an Alde system in our Bailey and swore we would never go back to blown air BUT Autosleeper's don't fit this as standard so we have a Truma blown air system. Guess what? It's absolutely fine for the Motorhome and heats up very quickly. Maybe it's because our MH is quite small (6.3m) but also fewer acrylic windows. Maybe better insulation? Perfectly OK for our needs so I wouldn't get too hung up on it.
I would suggest that with parallel bench seating (which we have) you wouldnt normally get a garage. The storage is under the bed. Continental vans have raised beds to leave space for the garage underneath. Also, the living accommodation is small as a result. I think the reason is - better weather=living outdoors=small living area.
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As one who is currently downsizing from an already modestly sized MH, I would reiterate what I've said many times, go for something as small as you feel you can manage with. A point that was also made earlier by TT.
As the years encroach, our ability and confidence lessens so I think we can all reasonably expect to need to make changes along the way.
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I'm thinking £80,000,BB. Am I miles away?
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BB
I hope no one takes this the wrong way but I suspect there are four categories of caravanners when it comes to considering a motorhome.
1) Those that are actively thinking of changing and end up buying a motorhome as several of us have done on this forum.
2) Those that seriously think about changing but after a lot of consideration decide to stay with the caravan, afterall it is a big decision and can be a costly mistake which will worry a lot of people.
3) Those that have either started with a motorhome or have changed to a motorhome but decided it was not right for them and changed/gone back to a caravan.
4) Those that enjoy caravanning and see no advantage in a motorhome and often don't always understand why anyone would prefer a motorhome over a caravan.
There will of course be many variations in between all these categories but I suspect that generally sums up the situation? At the end of the day everyone must make a decision that suits them.
David
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