Moving from caravan to motorhome - advice please
My wife and I have had a caravan for 20 years. We will keep that but want a MH to enable us to take advantage of parking it outside our home instead of fifteen miles away in storage. We can then keep it ready, stocked and do quick getaways for days away or 2-4 day trips, maybe longer to maintain our sanity during the Covid crisis. We're busy looking for a decent used MH which we'll use for six months then make up our mind whether a new MH is for us and which type would suit best.
I'd appreciate any and all advice on selecting a used MH, how to avoid making some of the basic mistakes when using it and suggestions about where - and where not - to pitch away from sites/CLs (aka wildcamping). There's just the two of us (and two wee dogs), retired but fit, living in the south-west. We'd want something comfortable but not too big as we live down a narrow country lane.
Thanks in advance.
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Get yourself off your a few dealers and look at what they have on their forecourts. When you have an idea of what takes your fancy, we may be able to point out some pros and cons.
Needing something smallish, I would suggest you look at panel van conversions.
Wild camping will generally not make you popular in the SW but there are a few off-site possibilities.
Which area are you in? I'm trying to think of dealerships and your general location will help.
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Thanks Tinwheeler. Planning visits to dealers in Devon and Somerset shortly to view. Not particularly interested in a panel van. Comfort and a bit of space is important and van conversions seem a bit utilitarian - at least the ones we've seen so far.
Wildcamping is not our first thought but we want to take advantage of a MH's 'independence' for the odd overnight when the fancy takes us.
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You're spoilt for choice looking at dealers in Somerset. I doubt there's anywhere I can point you at.
PVCs are ideal for narrow lanes and I'm afraid a narrow but sturdy outside equals a little less width inside. You can’t have it both ways!
Utilitarian? Err, no.
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If I can help looked at many motor homes over two years ended up with swift escape 664 with a French bed .four berth . very similar to our previous caravan in lay out and 6.72 m in lengthen looked at panel vans but preferred a bigger van and no differances in driving experiance of veichicles in test drives oh panel 6 m in lengthen
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Decide what you don't want to narrow down the options. If you don't want a PVC, then motorhomes tend to be 2.2 wide or 2.34 wide plus wing mirrors - mine is 2.74 wide including wing mirrors.
Talk to the dealers to get a feel of which ones you can trust, especially on after sales service, and who don't spout a flannel. I have chosen all my motorhomes after I had chosen a couple of dealers rather than the other way around.
We haven't been away in the motorhome since March because of Covid. We can't even get off the Wirral at present because of the latest lockdown. Through the summer we did manage days away and the van was a boon because we had our own kitchen and toilet; our non motorhoming friends are irritated by the lack of cafes and toilets when they go out for the day.
As for quick getaways, my wife prefers 2 weeks notice!
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Oh dear must check predictive text in future
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Not all coachbuilts are 2.2 or wider. I had until recently a Marquis Majestic (Elddis Accordo lookalike) 2.14W. I've now got a Carthago A Class that's a whole 2cm narrower! The advantage of a slimline coach built is that you do not lose the width at the top of the body like you do with a PVC. You have to balance that advantage against 8cm narrower width advantage of a PVC.
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Our history is that we were caravanners for 30 years when we decided to change to a motorhome seven years ago. Our first motorhome was virtually a carbon copy of our caravan. As lovely as it was we eventually came to the conclusion that it was really too large for what we needed. So based of five years experience we changed to a smaller coach built. During the process we looked at quite a few PVC's which certainly had an attraction but we felt they didn't offer the space we needed so we decided on a Bailey Alliance 66-2 which is quite a bit smaller than our original Bailey but has plenty of room and a decent bathroom. My advice would not to rely too much on what you have in the caravan but think carefully what you will use the motorhome for and let that dictate the whether its a smaller PVC or a slightly larger Coach Built?
David
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Thanks to everyone who replied and for your sage advice. Decision made, and it was not what we initially expected. Mrs Essgeebee has always had a tendency to remark on something essential she has spotted on the caravan or (now) motorhome that is just a bit beyond our planned spend. During dealer visits this week, this repeated so that we moved from the low-to-modestly priced used stock to the much more expensive, almost new units. However, we both agree we got the motorhome we want, we feel we got a very good deal and are delighted with it. We take possession of it in about three weeks time after which we will find out, in the fullness of time, whether that view holds.
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Don't keep us all guessing. What did you get?
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The best advice I can offer a some one new to motor-homing is don’t by a Swift unless you are planing to sell it again (quickly)
The running gear will not be the problem, its the pitiful poor quality of the domestic build, doors, hinges, light fittings, exterior fittings, roof leaking and many more.
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The best advice I can offer is if you do not intend to tour abroad or even want to do the majority in the UK then stick to a C/Van. If on the other hand you want to go over the channel then a MH is an excellent choice. Also don't buy British. By comparison the build quality of continentals is far superior.
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Disagree with LLM regarding quality, you can get dud continental M/Hs just as easy, and UK touring, my advice go for a PVC with a 'usable' shower, that way you can avoid Site facilities, no matter how often they are cleaned you are still taking a chance IMHO. We did it this year visiting 7 sites on a Scotland tour, using our own shower only.
Quality, I would go for smallish British Manufacturer like Wildax, Vantage ,IH or Shire, they are well built and you get better personal service. Expensive new, but reasonable second hand.
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