Switching from Touring to a Coachbuilt
So we have been caravaning for 2 years in March and in that time had 2 tourers. A 2 berth lunar and an island bed Swift Elite. We absolutely love it. The only downside is the Elite is a big old beast when it comes to towing and our grand plans of literally upping sticks and going just for Friday night and leaving Sunday morning have never really worked.
The opportunity has presented itself for us to have a new Swift Champagne 694 motorhome. It's a similar layout to our Elite (yes there are compromises - No Alde Heating, Smaller Bathroom, Smaller Cooker).
So rather than looking through this new purchase with rose tinted specticals, please put us off the idea, with all the pitfalls.
For starters the dealer is Newark and we are in Wiltshire, so I'm considering the warranty aspect. Secondly there is the cost. I've not as yet looked at the service cost or the insurance, but wil be doing.
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ok, the Champagne is a dealer special based on the Swift Escape, so will have a few extras to tempt you..
nearer to you are West Country Motorhomes (they have their base here in somerset) and are huge Swift dealers....i think they do their own dealer specials but you'd need to check....
the van is 7.4m long (longer than ours) so still a fair old size to drive around and park.....
not going to reopen the MH v caravan thing, but getting offsite and parking will be your biggest change from having a car...
the Escape for this uear seems to have been improved quite a bit and i would go for one over, say, and Elddis equivalent.....they all now have the latest wood free build, i think.....
beyond that, i cant really help as there will be a big change for you to manage.....however, for us, we find a MH suits the places we go and the way we tour, so enjoy....
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I'm not sure whether there is much of a financial difference between running a motorhome or a car/caravan outfit. Depends on how expensive the said outfits are so it's best to consider why you really want to change over. It's certainly quicker setting up a M/H on site but to do this needs preparation beforehand, filling tanks etc. To me it's swings and roundabouts.
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I think most of it has been said.
Travelling is quicker in a MH as, if you're not towing, you are not restricted on speed in the way towing vehicles are. You can also use the third lane of a m/way providing your unladen weight is less than 3050kg.
The biggest drawback is difficulty in parking and sightseeing in out of the way places. 7.4m is bigger than I would want and I think secondary transport will be a must. We once had a MH about that size and found it was a mistake.
It also depends how you intend to use the MH. If you are going to tour and only spend a night or two in each place, then you might be OK but, if you want to base yourself on one site for about a week, you could end up regretting the change.
Somehow, I'm picking up the message that you're not convinced, Catherine, and I think you have a lot to weigh up.
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Hi
I would stick as you are, unless on your weekends away you like walking. Only you can decide. I talk to a lot of people on site during the season and you'd be surprised at the amount of folk with their first motorhome that regret their purchase but can't afford to go back. Remember, when you drive it off the curb, a huge chunk of it's value heads for the nearest drain.
I'd also give that Newark dealer a swerve and take BB's advice and give west Country a look, as they are not out to rip you off.
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That is a largish MH, won't be as easy to park and use for touring as something smaller. I would avoid the Newark dealership as well, we were not impressed at all when we visited.
If the quick getaway and travel days are the bonus, which they are in a MH then a MH is better. But that's a big beastie at over seven metres, and you would have to research parking options. We opted for a smaller MH and have no problems, but small bathroom and setting up bed each evening is our compromise. Everyday is a holiday day, no travel days there and back, no rushing to be on site to get set up, no issues around arrival and departure times, these are all the bonuses.
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We had caravans before we changed to MHs and haven't regretted it. We enjoy the travelling in the MH more, and as we rarely stay in one place for longer than 3-5 days it suits us. We walk and cycle a lot, and once we're on site, the van never moves until we leave. So we choose sites where we can walk or cycle or both. We also like sites where we can make use of public transport if we want to. With a larger van the option of driving to a town and parking up isn't as easy due to the proliferation of height barriers on a lot of car parks. Saying that, there are car parks which don't have them, but which have strict guidelines on parking, ie not taking up 2 spaces or else, etc.
But who knows what the future holds? Once we're no longer as fit and as young (!) as we are now then we will have to re-think.
Perhaps it's an idea to hire one for a week or fortnight, I know that is rather expensive, but not as expensive as forking out x number of 1000s on a MH, and then finding it isn't for you, as per jollykernow's post.
A lot depends on your style of holidaying, do you go abroad? France for example is a totally different experience, out of the main holiday season you don't have to book, and you can still tour by going to a site on spec and staying for how long you want.
In the end the decision is up to you, as we are all different in our approach to holidaying and our needs and wants, all we can do is give our experiences and hope they are of use.
Good luck with it.
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Give some further thought about buying a van from a dealer in Newark if you live in Wiltshire, if you should be unlucky and have warranty issues with the caravan side (and not that many don`t) its expensive and time consuming. We`ve owned four caravans and three motorhomes from new all but one have had to go back for minor and major issues one panel van was soaked inside within two days of purchase.
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Thanks for all your posts.
First of all, yes please don't let this be a competition of caravan v motorhome, both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Due to the additional cost, I want to make absolutely sure that we make the right decision. I've found a standard Escape 694 to look at from a layout and fit/finish on Sunday. So it may well be ruled out very quickly when we see it.
We had hoped that we would be able to have lots of weekends away with the new caravan. Indeed my justification was to make it pay we needed to do 40 nights away. This year we are booked for 35 nights away and will probably manage 35. However not one of those is just a "weekend away" they are all extended weekends away. Part of the appeal of a motorhome is the possibility of the Friday/Saturday nights away.
I like the Swift Champagne full spec and colour scheme. I've looked at Highbridge Caravans version, but it's not as comprehensive in terms of spec and it's more expensive.
I'm concerned about Brownhills Aftersales reputation and I'm concerned with the distance to them coupled with no guarantee another dealer closer to us will assist with warranty work.
I accept that any large moterhome will be a pig to park and careful consideration will be required. Also when we see inside, we may find it quite small in comparison to our Elite.
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Thanks for all your posts.
First of all, yes please don't let this be a competition of caravan v motorhome, both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Due to the additional cost, I want to make absolutely sure that we make the right decision. I've found a standard Escape 694 to look at from a layout and fit/finish on Sunday. So it may well be ruled out very quickly when we see it.
We had hoped that we would be able to have lots of weekends away with the new caravan. Indeed my justification was to make it pay we needed to do 40 nights away. This year we are booked for 35 nights away and will probably manage 35. However not one of those is just a "weekend away" they are all extended weekends away. Part of the appeal of a motorhome is the possibility of the Friday/Saturday nights away.
I like the Swift Champagne full spec and colour scheme. I've looked at Highbridge Caravans version, but it's not as comprehensive in terms of spec and it's more expensive.
I'm concerned about Brownhills Aftersales reputation and I'm concerned with the distance to them coupled with no guarantee another dealer closer to us will assist with warranty work.
I accept that any large moterhome will be a pig to park and careful consideration will be required. Also when we see inside, we may find it quite small in comparison to our Elite.
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I second InaD's comments. We too moved from a caravan in the UK to a motorhome (7.4M) and find it perfect for touring Europe and the UK. We rarely take our motorhome off site but walk, cycle or use public transport. Its 'horses for courses' and only you can make the decision but for short or long breaks a motorhome is fine.
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Sorry for the triple post, I promise I only pressed reply once.
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We changed from a caravan to a motorhome 20 years ago. Every time we change the motorhome, we discuss whether to return to caravanning [which we enjoyed]. The debate centres on how we use our leisure vehicle.
For the last twenty years, we have enjoyed days out, short stays on sites as part of longer tours, and touring on the continent. The motorhome is ideal for that. Should we decide we want to stay longer on sites, say a week or more, and in this country, then a caravan starts to make more sense to us.
Motorhomes prefer to be driven regularly throughout the year rather than parked up for the winter. You could store your beast in an area you enjoy just for weekend use, and take it further afield for longer holidays
Cost wise there is little difference unless you need a car as a day to day runabout when at home in addition to a motorhome.
Ask yourself do you want a different lifestyle? If so, why. If the answer is no, stick with a caravan.
Given your choice, I'd stick with the caravan because you would be giving up too much luxury unless your lifestyle changes.
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Yep we did.
We were on our way to go and look at an Eldiss Encore with a fixed bed at the back.
I made the mistake of dropping the caravan off for warranty work and going into the showroom, as I did last year!
Made the mistake of going into a caravan, then asked if they had xx version there, then looked at xxx version.
Then did some some sums on xxxx version.
So in 2018 when the Lunar is undoubtedly on it's x warranty visit, I'm just going to drop it off at the gates!.
I am certain at some point probably just before the 2018 xx warranty visit, I'll no doubt consider a motorhome - at which point you can all remind me of this thread and suggest my husband takes the caravan back in and leaves me at home! Indeed you can all remind me that this new xxxx caravan is even more unpractical for weekending than the one we currently have.
Thank you for all of your help and advice you are all a great and helpful bunch.
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Hi, in response to your quote about the Newark dealer and its after sales service. My neighbour recently purchased a Swift Escape from them, not the dealer special you have mentioned, she has a long list of faults with the MH and she has told me the dealer is not being very helpful at all, this was a brand new van and is only 6 months old. I have had a look around the MH myself and most of the faults aren't what I would call major, but they are faults that should be rectified under warranty no questions asked. Mainly the faults are due to inferior cabinet fittings, not just the odd one but 90% have failed. Hope this helps.
Chris
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