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If your thinking of buying a motorhome

S

Stephen_374341239

Hi all

We was thinking of buying a motohome and doing reseach on the issue I purchased a book called motorcaravanning handbook by Joan Wickersham cost £12.99. The best days work I ever did its saved me thousands of pounds. I have come to the fact motorhomes are not for me and will stay with caravaning. The issues for me are to long to go into here. But if you are drawn to motorhomes do a lot of reseach first or even hire one first before you splash out all that money which you can never get back.

Best regards Janet and Steve Young
 
As a caravanner for 3 years and 20 years M/H and owner of same book there is nothing to put me off of m/h. We had to change back for health reasons but regret it.
 
Ok Big-al here we go

On a small low-line 2 birth I could see no problems we can use it for our main transport as well as holidays keeping costs down.

But when you get up to 4 births size which we need height become a problem.

Parking in Tesco etc height barrier seem to be coming in more and more. You go out for the day again parking big problem if you park in parking bays your over hanging into someone elses bay also you come back to site someone got you spot. You could say tow a small car behind as i have seen but if you do that go back to caravaning just the same at half the cost tax insurance etc.

If you purchase new your lookng at 60k plus to much money for me. Other points keep starting up to fill and empty the tanks. The finish on some of these high priced motorhomes was rubbish. Trying to find a motorhome with a oven 3 or 4 burners yes poss a grill no oven. lighting poor also looking at the info given out by the manufatures very poor and baffling. Taxes on new a big put off. Then once you purchase servicing its a van sir most garage cannot service them. At the end of the day if I could have a small 2 birth for just me and the wife I would go for it tomorrow.
 
Wish I had read that first before we lost a fortune on an MH. We also decided it was not for us and went back to caravanning. There are loads of others we have met who have done the same.
 
hi stephen

the comments you have made are quite true and accurate, in fact I have posted the same (and others) comments both on here and on other forums however the negative side is not the whole story and cannot be taken as the only reason one should or should not buy a motor home.

we owned one for 10years and loved it however because of a change in priorities we went back to a van. no one should buy any piece of equipment with out doing some research first?? I have not read the book you talk of but some of it seems pretty obvious a m/home is a big vehicle if you don't know were you are going to park it or how much it will cost to run then you should not really be looking at one should you.

there is one big advantage to m/homes though freedom to come and go any where anytime "like a martini".

colin
 
The most important issue that swayed me against buying a motorhome was that you need some other form of transport as well when you're on site, at the very least bikes, because the nearest grocery shop is often more than walking distance away and you'd have to pack everything away inside the motorhome in order to be able to drive to buy the milk or the loaf of bread that you forgot to bring along with you. Also, if you're on a site without numbered pitches, you've got to make arrangements to secure your pitch while you're away or else you'll find that some else has taken it by the time you return.

As a rule of thumb, I've found that, assuming you've got the towcar for transport anyway, a motorhome is about 3 times as expensive as a caravan of equivalent interior size and standard. Add to that the significantly higher fixed costs such as servicing, insurance and tax compared with a caravan, that makes the motorhome quite an expensive option.

As I see it, the motorhome only has 2 advantages to its credit:

1. In many cases, the higher speed limit (at least for lighter models).

2. It's often easier to stop over en route with a motorhome than with a caravan. A lot of town have dedicated car parks for motorhomes, some even with freshwater and waste water facilities.

The problem of parking at supermarkets exists for both motorhomes and caravans, but for different reasons. In one case it's the height, in the other the length. I must admit that I've had difficulty in getting out of a supermarket car park when parking with a caravan using 2 bays, only to find that someone has parked their car close by when I return, making it very difficult to manoeuvre.
 
The most important issue that swayed me against buying a motorhome was that you need some other form of transport as well when you're on site, at the very least bikes, because the nearest grocery shop is often more than walking distance away and you'd have to pack everything away inside the motorhome in order to be able to drive to buy the milk or the loaf of bread that you forgot to bring along with you. Also, if you're on a site without numbered pitches, you've got to make arrangements to secure your pitch while you're away or else you'll find that some else has taken it by the time you return.

As a rule of thumb, I've found that, assuming you've got the towcar for transport anyway, a motorhome is about 3 times as expensive as a caravan of equivalent interior size and standard. Add to that the significantly higher fixed costs such as servicing, insurance and tax compared with a caravan, that makes the motorhome quite an expensive option.

As I see it, the motorhome only has 2 advantages to its credit:

1. In many cases, the higher speed limit (at least for lighter models).

2. It's often easier to stop over en route with a motorhome than with a caravan. A lot of town have dedicated car parks for motorhomes, some even with freshwater and waste water facilities.

The problem of parking at supermarkets exists for both motorhomes and caravans, but for different reasons. In one case it's the height, in the other the length. I must admit that I've had difficulty in getting out of a supermarket car park when parking with a caravan using 2 bays, only to find that someone has parked their car close by when I return, making it very difficult to manoeuvre.
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Can't think why you would want to take a caravan to a supermarket!!!!!!!!
 
There are many pro's and con's for each side of this discussion. There are indeed many very satisfied motorhome owners out there as indeed there caravanners. It all comes down to oyur own personal choice, and I also accept that some of use will try the 'other side' to see what it is like, and maybe then return.

A motorhome is a high cost item, but this should be compared with the total cost of a towing outfit, not just the caravan. Yes, many peoplke state they need a car for work etc, but thyen again many retired people are happy to have the single vehicle, especially if they can park it at home. Similarly I feel that one should take servicing and maintenance costs for the total outfit for comparison. Adding up insurance for car and van and service costs for each can often exceeed the equivalent for a motorhome.

I agree that some of the fittings in a vehicle costing 40 grand can be flimsy, but as many are made by the same manufacturers as caravans, then you either get the benefits of mass production, or the downside of uninterested workers. Certain mnaufacturers such as Hymer have very high customer satisfaction ratings for both motorhomes and caravans, yet can often be some of the most expensive. Possibly you are getting what you are paying for. Some people prefer to use a smaler manufacturer where you can get a 'bespoke' vehicle to youir own preference, which is harder to obtain with a caravan.

The issue of moving the vehicle around, especially if it is a large coachbuilt is true. I know, I had one and did it. However, to counterargue, in France many Aires are very close to town centres and therefore the issue is avoided. Visiting tourist attractions can be a problem certainly, but then again many people use a second car or scooter. A SMART car for example is a very cheap ruunabout. Towing it is an issue but many people do so without problem. Again, the total cost of the outfit is in many cases comparable when one considers the price of a good caravan at over 15 grand and a good towcar at about 25-30 grand.

It is all a case of personal choice. I am looking at a motorhome mainly because I want to visit countries and places where taking a caravan is more fraught. I also accept travelling 10 miles down the road from home would not really be a sensible option for a motorhome.

As for getting money back. Buying a car can usually be the quickest way to lose money and caravans lose value very quickly, so again I feel the truth holds for both cases. The one thing about motorhomes is that the depreciation often 'bottoms out' while caravans and cars can keep dropping to virtually zero.

It is a lifestyle choice at then end of the day.
 
Can't think why you would want to take a caravan to a supermarket!!!!!!!!
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To get your 'wine take-away' to last at home until your next holiday in France - and fill the empty fridge with lovely French food at the last possible moment, so it lasts until you get home. Also, to have a meal at one of the lovely supermarket cafeterias on the way home!
 
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