CHANGING TO A MOTOR HOME ?

[PlumbersWife]

We are thinking of trading in our caravan - We have been touring for 30year + and thought that we would like a change.
Has any one done this and regreted it , or should we just go for it. What are the plus and minus points that we should consider.
Thanks folks.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi carol,
I thought long and hard before posting this, rewrote it twice on word and it still turned out to be like a chapter from war and peace,
so in the end deleted it in favor of a few words from someone who did just as you are considering.
after being a caravanner for 25years we decided to go the motorhome route sold the van and looked for a suitable m/home at a decent price there wasn't any a new one cost 30 grand 3x more than we paid or the house and even a old beat up one they wanted 10k for, in the end I bought notice I said "I bought" as the wife was unconvinced a shed on wheels based on a VW LT 35 for £2k and set about rebuilding it to cut a very long story short it took 8 months of every spare minute I had. before work, after work and every weekend, it was completely rebuilt from front to back and from the wheels to the roof, every bolt was removed and renewed. by the time it was finished I had ploughed £5k at it.
BUT it was worth every penny we loved it, and kept it for the best part of 10years, it was the best time of our lives, no towing, go anywhere, no speed restrictions, go out for the day and stay the whole weekend just start it up and go,

a bed of roses, well er "no" because the cost of fuel started to rise and it became expensive to run at 12mpg. at 20ft long and 10ft high it would not go under barriers at car parks and some supermarkets when you could find a space we had to use 2bays and pay double most parks it would fit on were out of town so plenty of walking, plus it was too big to use for everyday use so that meant having another car with double insurance, tax, and running costs, and on site we had to find level pitches or hard standings,
on a couple of occasions on sites where there was no fixed pitch we arrived back to find someone had pinched our spot,
the final killer was when roadtax for it went up yet we were using it less and less because of the cost, in the end we sold it for £4k even though is was by now 25years old and bought another tourer.

to answer your question finaly

did we regret having one "no" it was the best time while it lasted would we have another one in this economic climate "no chance" basicaly because the little ones that can be used everyday are too small and cramped and the big ones are expensive and subject to the problems mentioned before.

motorhomes "not weekend campers" theres a difference do not suit everyone my advice if given would be to book a weeks hire of one and give it a try before buying one it is not the same type of holiday as a tourer, everything has to be packed away and stored before moving everything has to be taken with you all the time, when you stop anywhere so does the fridge so it a chore constantly turning the gas on and off,
I think that just about covers it carol told you it was like war and peace and that is the very shortend version.
colin.

 

[Martin24]

A tough one to answer, I'll try not to give the usual 'don't do it' though and look at it more objectively!!

We personally wouldn't do it at this time in life because the size we would need for the five of us and two dowgs would be too much for every day use. If it wasn't replacing the car and caravan we would still need two cars so costs would be prohibative, especially considering the only ones I like are A class!!

I have never used public transport in my life and don't intend to start so once you're on site and set up without towing a car behind you're down to pushbikes and feet, unless you want to pack up again to pop into the local Marksies, whose car park you may not fit into.

However, we do have friends who started as full time caravanners 5 years ago and within six months were full time motorhomers. They say that it is much easier on the continent and somewhat cheaper too!! They love their little Arto!! In conversation last year they did say that when they settle somewhere and have a permanent bricks and mortar base they would probably keep the motor home for the continent but get another car and caravan for the UK. They very carefully considered the size of their unit to be big enough to live in but small enough to use as everyday transport. They do of course use buses a lot and have been known to use our driveway for parking up for non european holidays.

Anyway hopefully that's given a little food for thought and not been too much of a waffle on!

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all,
Martins comments seem to mirror my own on this, the main point being the size of the unit go round to the dealers and look at a few, a decent sized one will probably have the same space as one of the micro vans some where to sit, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to cook and somewhere to eat and thats it, now imagine your average 5mtr van and and and go look at one with the same space inside,
you will probably then have some idea of the comitment required,
as I said before it is a different type of holiday from a tourer where it is better to keep on the move and explore a wide area instead of parking it on one site for 2weeks and going local, typically we would do the whole of cornwall in two weeks rather than one area around say st austell,
it seemed odd to go out for the day and do 60miles to go back to the same site in one day to be back where we started from if you see what I mean? dont get me wrong it is a fantastic way to see new places and if the weather is better on the opposite coast just move, stop on a site use the facilities like laundry and away you go,and if you do end up on a poor site it is only for one night,
no booking problems if a site is full or you cannot get in theres always one just up the road, that isn't, and setting up takes literaly mins stopping to the first cup of coffee 5mins tops anywhere anytime anyplace, just like a martini,
ps, thats what we used to call ours "the martini bus" martini because of the above and bus because on morrisons carpark it took more room than a double decker bus,

 

[Dustydog]

Six years ago my inlaws swapped from a caravan to a motor home. A rather ancient Holdsworth luton cab style based on a Renault Trafic 2.0l petrol engine.
"Pinch" areas took on a new meaning. It was more of a crampervan than a motorhome. Breakdown became a common word in the household.
It served its purpose for one season and they traded it in for a new caravan and never looked back..
As long as we are fit I personally feel no desire to change sides. There are attractions to both of course and Colin and Martin have pretty well covered it all. Cost is a big factor that cannot be ignored. Now if I was living in the USA a luxury Winnebago may just fit the bill but not over here for me.

 

[abi2]

I don't know what to say, agree with all the comments, it depends what you want?
I finally made a decision to do the reverse! Have been campervanning all over including abroad for a few years, It has also been my main mode of transport (cannot affford two vehicles) Then bought a caravan 6 months ago,meaning to tow with the 'van, Its on a seasonal at the moment and I love it! . Now the camper seems so cramped and like the others say, you have to like walking (or public transport) it's been great and I have done a bit of "wild camping" too, and obviously I dont have toilet facilities,just a cooker, sink, and a convertable bed. EHU as well and a raising roof.
Get a proper motorhome if you are doing it and maybe pushbikes? me I am going to start towing am I mad? I don't know.
just today I traded in the camper for a freelander I will be driving a "proper car" for the first time in ages, then get the caravan off site and see how it goes?
Perhaps we should follow each others progress as we go along?
good luck..
Sandie

 

[ProfJohnL]

Big decisions such as the one you are anticipating need to be taken carefully. Whether such a change is right for you depends on your circumstances, which will be unique to you.

Just because some people have found it works and others that it hasn't in its self should not colour your decision, but hearing of their different experiences may give you an alternate view on some aspects, or even give you a new insight to something you may have overlooked.

Take your time and balance your options, Which ever way I hope its fine.

 

[RayS]

As a long term caravanner this topic has arien many times at home and while with friends. I have reached my own conclusions fairly easily, but it is only fair to say that the other parties engaged in the debate where much more open minded. Springtimes in Spain where the majority are in motor homes has reinforced my view, but at the end of the day it is down to individual choice and there are not rights or wrongs.

Me, I like the freedom of having a reasonable car to go to the shops, or sight seeing, or out to eat while away from home without having to pack everything up (just to get a newspaper). I also like being able to use a car at home in the rural somerset lanes where a reasonable size motormotor home would be a complete nonsense, particularly in summer with forage and grain harvesting going on.
The pro motorvan group say yes well take a scoooter or a small car with you. It would not be possible to carry our normal weekly shop on a scooter. If you take a small car it is now necessary to put it on a trailer and not an A frame, so you are still towing (which is one of the usual objections to a trailer caravan. Levelling a motorhome is not as easy as levelling a caravan except on the big sites with hard pitches - anying on a slope is a problem. Lastly, the cost - lower fuel consumption, initial cost, possible driving licence implications etc. etc.
But to repeat - it's an individual choice and the important thing is to do what suits you best.

 

[DeliDave_]

we love the bigger motor homes but I am too untidy to have a small one.IMHO if you move around the area a lot motorhome is better but if you stay in one place and tour from it a van is the answer.Just my take on it though although doing your shopping on a motor scooter in November is not very appealing to me

 

[Dustydog]

.Just my take on it though although doing your shopping on a motor scooter in November is not very appealing to me

Oh dear Sir Deli Dave
And that's from the man who used to ride a suped up Lambretta

 

[DeliDave_]

Thats why I'm in the Woosie Club King Dusty I feel the cold too much lol

 

[PlumbersWife]

Thanks very much for all your positive replies - I knew I could rely on you all on this forum. The Motor Home we are looking at is a Kentucky (can't tell you what model) was more concerned whether or not I could see over the bonnet to drive as I am only 5ft 2" and little legs. It has a garage in the back (Home for dogs) and a Safari awning.
I have towed 2 of our previous caravans but not our current one which is a 2 year old Bailey Olympus 624 / 26ft long. Did have a go but didn't do a very good job

which has made me a little nervouse of towing now. Plumber has his own van and I have my own little car for work, so we only use the big 4 x 4 for towing and long journeys. So the car and caravan would replace the motor home. Plumber takes his bike with us on sites and I take the dogs for walks, he gets his bus pass this year so he could do the shopping for me

instead of watching the footie with a beer, I could sit around with a good book sipping wine. This is looking soo much better.

Sandie hope that you get on to a towing course I have tried 3 years now and they have all been booked up at the venues near to where we live- --
Will let you all know how we get on.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

One of the main points made by motorhomers on other forums is that they make sure the site they are going to has a public bus service nearby else they don't go. This surely limits the amount of sites and areas you can tour. Other motorhomers pointed out that by towing a car they don't need to rely on a bus service but surely this defeats the point in having a motorhome. In this case they might as well tow a caravan, cheaper and usually more living space.
IMO caravanners seem to spend more time in a given area, usually staying for a week on each site and touring that area in the tow vehicle. On the other hand motorhomers tend to spend one or two nights on a site and then they are gone again. Really they are only caravanners on Ritalin

BTW friends of ours changed the other way last year after motorhoming for some years and both say it's the best move they've made.

 

[captain1]

Hi
Never had a campervan or motorhome but i do tow and i wonder if a 5th wheeler would tick all the boxes .

 

[HenryB1]

Motorhomes are often bought by people after they retire. We know a number of people who moved to a motorhome and then moved back to a tourer after a few years. We also know a couple who purchased a reasonably sized motorhome only to have to sell it when they reached 70 as they automatically lost their entitlement to drive vehichles with an authorised maximum weight of over 3500kg, and did not want to go through the performance of having to have a medical every three years and apply for a lorry licence in order to retain their abilty to drive vehichles weighing over 3500kg.
HenryB