First Motorhome

[sjoyce666]

Hello all, first post here as we are looking to purchase our first motorhome

We are a family of 5. 2 adults and 3 children aged 6, 4 and 4

I have been looking on AutoTrader, eBay, Gumtree and a few local Motorhome dealers websites for motorhomes that would suit our requirements and wondered if anyone could help out with models that may meet what we are after

We basically require 6 full seatbelts and we like the layouts with rear lounges as the children can sleep up front on the dinette and the over cab bed and we can use the rear lounge while they are asleep and convert that to a bed when ready to sleep ourselves

I have read various threads on here about the hassle of making up the beds all the time with a rear lounge but that is going to be a necessary evil with the size of our family. I have also read about the weight limits and fitting all of us in a 3.5ton motorhome. I will do the C1 test if required but I haven't found many motorhomes that use a stronger chassis to require this and understand with us all on board we will not have a great deal of weight left for "stuff"

We will be buying used, probably from a dealer as it will be our first motorhome. Budget up to £30k but would like to be closer to the £20k end if possible. Looking at the ones for sale they seem to be between £20k and £30k and up to 10 years old

The models I have found tend to be Elddis, Swift, Compass and a couple of Bessacarr. I need to do some more research into the build quality of these so if anyone has anything to add please do. I have also found a Bailey and a Dethleffs but these are right at the top of and a little over the budget

Scott

 

[TonyJones]

Hi Scott, welcome to the forum (and to motorhoming!).
Sounds as if you understand the issues pretty well - your comments about seatbelts and weights make it clear you've been doing your homework.
I think you're right about the beds - fixed berths for all of you would only fit in a very big van.
Most converters try to keep most of their ranges below 3.5, but this does mean tricky payloads. Bear in mind, too, that unless you plan to swap every few years, your 6yr old will reach teenage in this van - a heavier person with more kit! (sorry, I'm sure you didn't want to hear that!)
All the marques you mention are well respected, all but Dethleffs are British - the rear lounge layout is most popular here. Swift and Bessacar are the same company.
Make the search the first part of the adventure, and if you go to a dealer try to stay within a reasonable distance from home - glitches happen, and anyway it's good to build up a relationship with YOUR dealer.
Keep us posted!

 

[LizziePope]

Hi Scott – welcome to the forum and to motorcaravanning! Thanks for introducing yourself.

 

[Aspenshaw]

Hello Scott

You won't see many families motorhoming in the UK so that means good second hand vans will be in short supply. You've probably come to that conclusion given you've done quite a bit of research already and have a good grasp of motorhoming. Check up on your local dealers to see which have a good reputation and stock. What is local depends where you are and how easy it is to travel. I've always worked on a maximum travel distance of two hours. Motorhomes can take a lot of maintenance and this time, especially if it involves trips to dealers and garages, can quickly eat into your holiday time unless you are retired - which I doubt. Have a look at this as a starter.

Other brands you might see about are Euromobil, Laika, Rollerteam, Rimor, Hymer, Hobby, Burstner. which have all produced six berth vans at some time.