Newbie Southerner

[Takintious]

Hello ladies and gents, my names Taylor (63) and live with my wife, Emma (59). My first time on forums, so i apologise if my forum etiquette isn't up to scratch.

Luckily the kids have flown the nest and we're both retired. We made some good investments over the year which allows us to now travel. During this whole lockdown, and being stuck within the confines of our 4 walls - not being able to escape the country! Alas, this country is beautiful despite being a bit cold and we'd love to get started traveling areas further north that we've never made it to throughout our lifetime.

Anyway - enough about us, lets get down to the real business below!

We're looking to get something and our budget varies between ~£10,000.00-£50,000.00 depending on what it is. We're not 100% sure quite what we're looking for, and hoping this is where you may be able to help recommend - as showrooms are closed (and who trusts salesmen anyway!?)

Would anyone be able to recommend a model?

Any information on where to look down south (Hampshire) would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance

Tay & Em

 

[otherclive]

Welcome to the Forum
Caravan plus tow car, or motorhome?

 

[Beachball]

Welcome to forum are you after a outfit or a motorhome

 

[Takintious]

Welcome to forum are you after a outfit or a motorhome

Thank you for your help.

I am happy to go for a caravan, but i have been told that something that is not trailing is easier to manage for traveling about - especially as we hope to go adventure and visit things.

We have also considered a converted Volkswagen van, but this starts to exceed our budget to have everything that ourselves require!

 

[Hutch]

Welcome to the forum, this is a bit of a hard one to answer, it's a bit of how long is your bit of string and how do you wind it up. How much comfort do you want to have. Would you want to be making your beds every night from the sitting area, or have a fixed bed, and your own shower in the caravan that is more than just a shower in the toilet.
We like our fixed bed and shower room and use a duvet not sleeping bags.
Then, what sort of places will you go to. Bigger sites with one of the clubs, normally in the middle of nowhere, or next to a nice pub on the outskirts of a village or town, Burford and Burton on the water comes to mind,
A smaller newer caravan can be very comfortable, and easier to learn to tow, great in the nice dry summers, (I do remember one). Where as a slightly larger one , gives you more room on a wet day.

And of course , how long will you be away for, the payload of the caravan are normally low, so filling it up with all sorts of gadget soon eats into what you can take away with you.
Ok my fingers are tired typing, some of the others will add to this thread.

 

[Parksy]

Welcome to the forum Taylor and Emma.
There are issues that you need to consider before making your decision on what to buy.
Do you lead fairly active or a more relaxed lifestyle?
There are pros and cons with regard to motorhome versus caravan.
A motorhome is easier to drive but what will you do if you need to visit shops or if you plan to explore a given area by road.
If you happen to be keen cyclists, willing to jump on buses or you enjoy walking then you're probably ok with a motorhome.
With a car/ caravan combination, where would you store the caravan when it's not in use.
Towing caravan requires confidence, driving ability, patience and good anticipation on the road but when you're pitched up there's usually a bit more room, and of course you can use your car to explore the area.
VW camper van's are trendy but a bit cramped.
Some caravan dealers offer virtual viewing with 360° virtual tours.
Swift Caravans are hosting an online sales event on 11th February which might be worth a look
https://swiftlive.vfairs.com/
No doubt other caravan and motorhome manufacturers and dealerships will soon follow suit.

 

[otherclive]

Our choice has always been caravan as we like to explore areas where we are staying and often the roads are too restrictive to be at ease in a motorhome. Also U.K. I think tends not to be too friendly to higher vehicles. There are a number of places in Wales, Cumbria, Warwickshire and Norfolk et al that we visited where access barriers for parking wouldn’t even allow my car plus roofbox in.

On the other side I’d love a motorhome for a long tour around Europe.

Tow a small car behind the mot home or put a small motorbike in its garage. Total flexibility 👍

 

[audiorob]

If you are exploring caravans then consider your tow vehicle first. As a first timer find the kerb weight of the car then make sure there is no limit on towing weight that is a lower figure. As a rule of thumb the best ratio is a heavier car and lighter caravan but usually the85^% is a good yardstick. Then have a peruse of the data pages in the back of pc magazine to see what vans fit your category. There is also the helpful lettering of the layouts that describe the many combinations of beds, lounges and kitchens. A lot of fun keeping you busy to draw up a shortlist during the winter lockdown nights!

 

[Robert_374373903]

At your age we had a motorhome called Hymer 544, one of our trips was down through France to Spain then Portugal. Very rarely did the wish I had a car towing behind, We seemed to park most place in towns ,villages with no problem I recall. Even if we did there was always alternatives. We never book sites and use Aires most of the time. We have a caravan now as we end our travelling so have to book every where , that is the difference as far as our circumstances are. If I was younger and can afford a m/h that is what we would do.

 

[Raywood]

Welcome to the forum. Your budget covers almost anything on the market but we need to know more before going further.
The first point is the car as this needs to match. Can you say what the car is, the engine fitted, its kerb weight and towing limit as that is needed to establish what it can tow.
After that does your licence have B+E authorisation, without it you are limited to outfits with a gross plated weight of under 3,500 kg or you can take an extra test to get that.
As for the caravan if there are just two of you then you have a choice of layouts. You can have one with a lounge at the front end that converts at night to a double bed, but this means making up and taking the bed down every night. You can go for a fixed bed so that you do not have to do this, but the caravan will inevitably be bigger and heavier to accommodate this, you can have a double or two singles if you go this way. At that point you should get more help.

 

[Beachball]

Hi Taylor and Emma some friends of mine brought a 2011 Volkswagen T5 Camper conversion with a elevated roof and it sleeps 4 it in stunning condition but only one owner from new they cannot wait to try it out . and it was half your budget .....
each to their own

 

[Buckman]

You can buy a brand new twin axle caravan plus a decent second hand tow car(SUV) for a lost less than the cost of a new motorhome.
The caravan gives you a lot more space plus you do not need to pack up when you want to go out and about like with a motorhome.
We tow a 8' wide twin axle behind a Jeep Grand Cherokee 3L CRD with no issues. It has all the comforts of home with a transverse island bed. We on a site we lock up and use the vehicle to go out exploringwioth no worries about using car parks some of which are height restricted.

 

[Hutch]

Hi, Tay and Em, when we were looking for our first caravan, probably 15 years ago, we didn't know what we wanted, I never thought about caravan weights, I had always had bigger cars, Vectras, Rovers etc, i towed helicopters around, as being an Aircraft engineer, so that wasn't a problem ,reversing for me.
We went all over the country, from Milton Keynes area, anywhere upto a 3 hour trip to see caravans at dealers. Surprisingly we found a Sterling Eccles Jewel in Mould green , at the back of a local dealers. They had it for about 18 months and nobody showed interest, a rear fixed bed , middle shower , a bit big but it had a drinks cabinet, got the dealer to pressure wash it, and it came out sparkling, had it for 4 years, then up graded.

Anyway depending on where you are, this place is worth a look at , (when you can travel) https://www.sussexcaravancentre.co.uk/
Also https://www.marquisleisure.co.uk/.

Depends where you are in Hampshire.
Good luck.

 

[Buckman]

If buying a second hand caravan or car besides doing a damp check always check the date on the tyres. That is a good indication of how well the previous owner maintained the caravan.