Giving up Caravan for Motorhome
After almost 40 years of caravanning we are considering a move to the dark side and buying a motorhome. Selecting the right layout is not too onerous but finding good quality within a budget of £35-55k is!
So, looking for a little advice/ recommend here based on the wealth of experience in the club. At almost 70 years young we don’t have enough time left to make all the same mistakes again! So are there any manufacturers to steer clear of, or any must tries out there. Guessing that German brands still the best.
Any pointers gratefully considered, thank you.
Pete & Kaz
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Firstly, forget the “dark side” business. It is an enlightened decision, not dark at all😄
Just pick what’s right for you. Just like caravans, there are good and bad in all brands and that includes continental manufactured vans.
It’s always useful to buy close to home so you don’t have too far to trek to take it back when work needs doing.
The golden rule for me, learned from experience, is to buy a van as small as you can comfortably live with. Most people try to replicate their caravan when they swap to a MH and end up with a large unwieldy vehicle. Big is not better.
Good luck with your hunt.
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Thank you! Prompt welcomed response.
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What is the layout you've selected?
some layouts are popular in uk vans, others in continental vans...do you need a garage for storing all the stuff you used to put in the tow car.
this will also affect the level of payload available at 3.5t...if you want to go bigger/heavier you'll need to retain your grandfather rights to upto 7.5t
do you want a a proper bed?....fixed singles or a double?...a drop down, these days this can be over a rear lounge, over an A class cab or over a mid placed lounge.
where do you want your lounge....front or rear...do you need a decent usable washroom?...
always use sites or to explore more?
ever any extra passengers (g'kids?) which require more seatbelts?
losing the tow car means the MH takes on all the tasks of the two car (travelling, storage etc) along with all the tasks of the caravan (sleeping, eating, lounging, washing etc)....
do you fancy a panel van conversion (PVC) or coachbuilt?
some coachbuilts are slim and can mimic the footprint of a 6m PVC but provide far more internal space, storage, insulation etc.
the answers to a few of the above questions will help narrow down the choice.
good luck.
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I echo the comments above. View as many vans as you can, new and second hand, to get a feel for layout, storage etc. Perhaps go to the NEC show in Birmingham next month.
You don’t say why you have decided to change but it is important to try and understand how you will use the van. Having changed from caravan to coach built Motorhome, and now PVC, initially about five years ago, it took us about a year to work out how we wanted to tour. Motorhomes lend themselves to moving on from site to site more frequently than a caravan. We recently toured SW Scotland for instance and didn’t stay more than two nights on any site, visiting attractions as we went. We used a mixture of full blown sites, CLs, and aires.
Size has already been mentioned up thread by tw. If your touring will largely be on the European mainland then you will be able to cope with a longer van than over here. England is not well geared up for motorhomes, especially parking up during the day. That sounds negative. We do all our touring in the UK, we are 71 and 72. Whilst there are things we miss from the caravan we do not regret moving to motorhomes.
If you haven’t found it, you might take a look at the forum Motorhome Fun. Lots of information there. Free to browse, subscription to post more than 5 times.
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There are numerous motorhomes forums out there as well as the one mentioned. They all contain useful info. There are also brand specific forums which are a useful read once you’ve narrowed your choice down.
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We made the change about 10 years ago having caravanned for 30 years prior to that. We like the convenience and relative simplicity of the motorhome. A few years ago you could have purchased new at the top end of your price range but since Covid prices have gone up a lot. Its always difficult to give advice as we all have different requirements. Size is not so important if you will always be staying on site and either walking, biking or public transport. However if you want to visit during your stay using the motorhome then, as previously mentioned, a more compact model has its advantages. As to layouts and beds in particular make sure they suit your requirements. Motorhomes with a garage (very convenient) tend to mean beds are quite high. Likewise drop down beds, check you are happy that the level is easy for both of you to comfortably and safely get in and out of. When we are young mountains are no problems but as we get older hills can be an issue
Good luck with your choice. If you find that you are leaning towards a particular brand of motorhome see if there is a Facebook group for that brand as they can a lot of detailed information and concentrated on that brand, that is not always the case with general forums.David
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As David alludes, 'getting about' (without a tow car) is often one of the biggest concerns for folk moving to a MH.
obviously, the size of van makes a huge difference to parking etc but also to how you feel with it on site. This is the biggest compromise (advantage) to motorhoming.
our own van has the same foot print as a PVC which means we can park easily enough in a supermarket but also on the street if need be.
being a coachbuilt it has straight sides which mean far more internal space than a PVC.
Being an A classs, it also has roomier cab and an extra double bed in the cab.
Having a transverse permanent bed means no making up sofas etc each day, it also gives us a large bike garage underneath. this is the same for a twin single bedded layout but would add half a metre to the length.
For bike lovers, non garage vans will need a rack of some sort and this will also add a metre or more to the length.
despite being 'of a certain age' a simple step allows us easy access to the bed, even though it's 'high'...No problem at all.
we have e-bikes which gives us a daily 'range' of say 15 comfortable miles out and back for a visit or shopping or...just exercise!
we also walk a lot.
we have used Public Transport occasionally but we wouldn't rely on it and to base our site/location decisions on the availability of this would severely compromise choices.
getting about for longer distances (NT places etc) is ok too, the van is packed up in a jiffy as we don't leave kit strewn all over a pitch...no awnings, no barrels, no waste containers no stuff....just a couple of recliners and foot rests, stored in an instant.However, the great thing about the MH is that if you really want to visit B after a few days at A....then go and pitch at/near B. The hassle level is so low it's just like driving a tow car to visit....except you don't have to go back to get the caravan, you have it with you.
linear touring is an expression sometimes used for MH touring, hopping from place to place without having to keep going out and back each day.
motorhoming is still touring but with different options.
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While size can make a difference, particularly to your living space and parking, I do think there are cut off points where parking becomes a problem either due to height barriers or available space principly for the length. Ideally you need to be not much more than 5 meters in length and a couple of meters high. That said, I would think the cut off point is what you feel comfortable with. Beyond that, I do not think size matters as long as you do not exceed 8 meters. If you exceed the 8 meter limit than even parking on sites can become a problem.
peedee
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If you want to visit a specific 'attraction'....NT/EH etc (even a pub) there will normally be a car park that supports coaches so no real problem there..
parking in a busy town might present more of a problem but on street parking can be found usually within 400-600 yds of the town. If this distance is a problem, perhaps it's likely that owner or passenger will have a blue badge and can park much closer without the need for wrestling with height barriers etc.
We are happy to walk from a more remote parking space but supermarkets are great for MH parking (and for supplies) for a couple of hours or so.
some supermarkets are more welcoming than others....
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I would say all of the above
I would suggest the best advice as already given is go for as small as you can comfortably live with, you'll reap the parking benefits if you opt for a 5m van, plus so much easier to use as an everyday vehicle. One thing I guess you'll miss going this small, is a flush loo - most have a porta potty, but its cramped inside with a rock n roll bed out. The nearest 5m thing to a caravan is either the Autohaus Camelot or the 5.4 Hillside Leisure Cromford. Both aren't really spacious if you're above a small build.Next up really would be your 5.4m Fiat / Peugeot vans, familiar kitchen and loo.
Or up to 6m and the world is your oyster, though many of the european vans won't come with an oven or a grill & habitation door is on wrong side.
Coachbulits the choice is endless.
Automatics of all kinds make a premium. December / January best time to buy, worst time to sell.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
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The 5m Wildax Pulsar has a shower and flushing toilet, Dyddy, as has the 5.1m Westfalia Jules Verne.
We don’t know what the OP is looking for other than they’re trying to avoid poor quality. I assume they’ve taken factors like weight, space and fittings into consideration as they say choosing a layout "is not too onerous". It’s an adventure of discovery for sure👍🏻
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Very true tinwheeler but he'll be lucky to get a decent Euro6 Pulsar for his budget, likewise with the Verne. An Ocean would be great with a lecky roof but I'd guess that would be too far away from a caravan for him. Though there were a bunch of Pulsars Mk1s & 2's on sale last time I looked, falling in value, maybe not very desirable or something.
All we can do is offer others the benefit of our own limited experiences.
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Apologies for the late response but all of these suggestions/ advice are spot on, giving food for thought.
The difficulty this time of year is offloading one complete outfit before purchasing the MH, Trade ins are an option- at a cost.
You’re personal experiences are most welcome, thanks for taking the time to respond.
Pete & Kaz
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We all like to save money Pete, with you on that one. But for me you come to a point in life where time & hassle are a big factor - Personally I don't begrudge dealers a living and very often the benefits of an easy trade in outweigh the financial benefits of dealing privately.
There's a raft of "Agents" that will market & demonstrate your existing unit for a commission, perhaps this may be a half way house for you. Personally I've little experience of them but would suggest going with one of the larger national concerns.
Developing a relationship with a local dealer can pay dividends for things like aftersales / warranty issues, servicing etc. You don't want a 250 mile round trip if your new pride & joy has a fault to be fixed under warranty.
One last thing, I'd suggest going for a Euro 6, even if you don't intend going near a ULEZ. As time goes on the price gap between E5 & E6+ will only get bigger, plus one day remember you'll want to sell your MH on.
Our hobby is for pleasure & should never be a chore I say.
All the best.
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The overriding decision is how do you want to sleep in the van? Small vans with fixed beds will compromise lounging areas, whereas those with make up beds will, by design, require bed making every evening and morning...if the OP is used to a lovely fixed bed in his caravan will bed making be a step too far...
Adria make a Twin on the 5.4 chassis which has a fixed rear bed but a small lounge ....it also has a proper toilet and shower.
something like the Pulsar is a good daily driver (but we don't know of the OP will retain any sort of 'shopper' once he has a MH) but beds must be made up and taken down twice a day....certainly not for us.
Depending on where you tour, small vans with proper beds (ours is 6.4M) can offset the 'requirement' for a large lounge as so much time (other than for sleeping) is spent outside...
touring predominantly in the uk puts more pressure on 'smallness' for our smaller roads, smaller car parks etc but also drives us towards more time inside the van due to our 'interesting' weather....certainly anyone touring here all year round would be subject to short days and long cold nights, switching the emphasis back to a more roomy, comfortable space to spend that time.
so, back to bed making....those who are happy to do this can benefit from the extra lounge space to tackle those long, cold winter spells...yet still have a shortish van...those who need the fixed bed will need to reconcile lass space in other areas...
depends on the weighting any buyer puts on the sleeping arrangements v the space/parking requirements...this should lead to a non/fixed bed layout.
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Yes I agree very much with this summary. One of the reasons we went for a 6.4 m length was to get two fixed single beds. We were fed up of making up beds each day and squashing bedding into under bed lockers, but we didn’t want a transverse bed. We both get up a couple of times during the night and couldn’t be doing with climbing over each other.
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I give them four months, six at most.
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Hi
Totally agree with LLM & and some really good advice from fellow members. Because of our experiences I also suggested hire before you buy to several friends, one hated it & bought a static caravan instead.
We caravanned for 20+ years then a sabbatical for 10 years then purchased a 2nd hand Motorhome 2017 before returning back to a Caravan in 2020.
This is what we found:
Unfortunately we had several bad experiences with our Motorhome it was an 8m long hi-line but I still found it cramped with two young children but don't let our bad experiences put you off as we had some fantastic times with our girls but if I was looking for another Motorhome I would be making sure the layout was exactly what we needed, it would have to be a low line because of the buffeting we experienced and difficulty in accessing the hi level lockers (buffeting was not through incorrect loading or bad driving). We would buy from a dealer as close to home as possable (although we don't have any around us) our MH was back & forward to the supplying dealer more times than we used it for holidays.
It would have to be a good base chassis as on ours the paint started to flake off the cab but it was 8 years old at that time, this was very common on a certain build years of this manufacture as the converters did not add any extra paint at build time, most importantly it would have to have a good warranty as our MH must have had well in excess of £10k warranty work in three years not all the problems were covered under the warranty but thankful it was supplied with a 3 year warranty. Ours was a 6 birth but only had 4 seat belts, the fridge was not really that big so we could only really stock it with enough fresh food to keep us going for no more than two days really. it would have to have an island bed as the rear lounge created a massive double bed but needed a mattress topper as it was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever used plus you needed to an expert to get out of the bed if you were the unfortunate one on the inside especially if you suffer with occasional cramp. The bed over the cab had very little head room and the dining area bed was only suitable for any body under 4' 6"
The dining area was cramped with two adults & two children, you could not use the swivel drivers seat to its full extent as the back of the dining are seat was behind it
A lot of people have reported that they have not lost much money when it comes to moving the MH on weather it be trading in or selling privately, we lost £12k in three years if we traded it for the caravan it was going to lose £13.5k.
We used to hire a car from Enterprise for a few days if were away for a week or more usually requesting a small car which on several occasions was upgraded at no extra cost due to availability, don't know what the charges are now but pre Covid there were very reasonable especially with the club discount.
We were going well up North of Scotland & had been driving for several hours so pulled in to a car park near Luss at Loch Lomond, there was no space to park so pulled into a coach bay, a warden came right over to me "if you don't move now you will get a ticket" there were no where else to park he also said if I did park up I would have to buy two tickets (which is fair enough) but there was nowhere else and there we no coaches in at that time either.
There are many reasons why you should swap but I would hire one and try living with it for a few days first before you buy, as previously said we had some fantastic times so good luck & most importantly when you do get one enjoy it.
PS
A real positive is you don't really need to get out (& get soaked through) when you pitch up
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"The dining area was cramped with two adults & two children, you could not use the swivel drivers seat to its full extent as the back of the dining are seat was behind it "
To me, this is a real problem with 6 berth design...in order to try and give a 'proper, together, dining area' and 4 extra belts to go with the cab seats, the end result always seems to be a full dinette....this then forgoes the cab, pushing the layout about 1.5m further towards the rear of the van...
a typical 4 berth continental front lounge layout will have a half dinette, where both the cab seats swivel to become integral to the lounge/dining area, avoiding the cramped dinette of the typical six berth.
In effect, for four people, a four berth actually gives far more room than a six berth due to the use of the cab space...
again, a typical A class 4 berth will have a decent lounge/diner, a proper island (or twin singles) bed, proper garage storage for four people's paraphernalia and a full sized double drop down over the dashboard.
Along with a split washroom (sink/loo and separate shower) across the whole width of the van and ahead of the main bed, this should be easily achievable in 7.2 to 7.5m, giving washroom access to front or rear passengers independently.
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While I get that a Cathago maybe a "proper" outfit, what you describe is probably at least double or more than the OP's stated budget.
JK
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Wrong end of stick, JK.
I said "a typical 4 berth continental front lounge layout will have a half dinette"....
just detailing difference between a 'proper 4 berth' (any brand) as opposed to a six berth with extra belts and a full dinette being used as a four berth....which certainly doesn't work as well....IMHO of course.
What I described in layout could be applied to, say, Pilote, Rapido, Adria....etc. some of these might well be available for around the £55k mentioned by the OP.
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