This Website

[tony50]

Somehow we have got to promote this site and thereby get it used more, it is refreshing to not see rude and offensive language being used, a place, where we can air topics of interest to all .
I shall certainly promote the site on other Motorhome sites I belong to, and when I speak to people next week at the Nec Caravan and motorhome show.( I have no connection to the Owners of this site) and this is a personal request to members the more who join the more experiences we can exchange.
Tony A

 

[LizziePope]

Thanks for posting, Tony – I couldn't agree more!

The more friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic motorcaravanners we have posting regularly on this forum, the better. It's a great environment to help everyone ask questions and get the most from their touring.

 

[TonyJones]

Spot on Tony. Most of us have contact with plenty of other m'homers, online or in person, so there's a lot of scope for spreading the word.

 

[jonno1103]

Sorry guys this turned into a bit of a novel, I'd make a brew first. :blink:

Personally I believe younger audiences & owners are beginning to notice the many blogs, forums & rallies out there and just like other contributors of this thread I also mention the site, magazine & forum regularly. Many of the hints, tips & tech info I read on here is passed along through links to members of a certain ferry forum I'm particularly active on.

For what it's worth, here's my reasoning why I think this website and publications together with others like it will grow.

Owning a motorhome has usually been associated with the more mature among us, a personal golden handshake, if you like, after years of hard work...possibly an age group who aren't particularly interested in engaging electronically, preferring the more traditional magazine subscription and face to face socialising all camping genre's promote.

It's only in recent years that a younger audience has become attracted to motorhomes, whether they be coachbuilt or conversion rather than possibly looking at the car & caravan combination which together can be a more expensive overall package at the outset when compared to the quality of so called budget builds offered by the likes of Auto Trail, Swift & Roller Team, not to mention the increase of budget marques offered by the established Euro premium brands such as Dethleffs & Hymer and the added value in the many dealer specials on the market.. I sometimes wonder whether Elddis prices are a misprint, tremendous value!

Overall value is what drew us to motorhomes back in 2010 as being 42 at the time we, like so many others, felt a caravan was the "younger" option.

We now have an ever increasing source of top quality, well looked after preloved vans especially in the 20k-40k price range, many of which are 3500kg... I've recently noticed a good many Auto Trail Excels on forecourts, a short lived but high quality van ideally placed for those wishing to embark on the motorhome lifestyle. When you consider the price of that new Audi saloon you have your eye on, a preloved compact 4 berth motorhome may just tick all the boxes and leave money in your pocket.

Category limitations on post '97 driving licenses are possibly a factor too, we'll soon have a country of mid 35-40 year olds who without further financial outlay for training are unable to tow a caravan.

These younger age groups are computer savvy. a website more often than not is their first port of call when purchasing or seeking information. Many camp sites are under increasing pressure to offer a more reliable, more powerful wifi service. you could argue that this is age driven as younger families are beginning to enjoy the freedom offered by a self contained travelling home whilst still able to read their monthly fix of Practical Motorhome.

 

[TonyJones]

Thanks for this Jonno, plenty to think about there!
(Bit late in the afternoon for a brew here, but I poured myself a Scotch, hope that's OK!)

 

[TonyJones]

Your point about licences for the younger set is important.
I've banged on about this before - here and elsewhere. It's still very hard to find sub-3500 vans with enough payload for a family.
This will only get worse, as new drivers don't have automatic C1, and us "oldies" will need medicals etc to keep it, when we hit 70.
Salespeople need to be more upfront about payload issues, especially with first time buyers who may not realise its importance, or even know what it means. A 4-berth with a 250kg payload is honestly "not fit for purpose!"
We all (converters, dealers, and customers) need a new "mindset" when it comes to heavy onboard kit. I keep reading of people who never use their shower, or never use their oven, or microwave, TV, or whatever. So converters need to offer the option of not having each of those, and gaining payload. The resulting variety would then filter through in time to the "pre-loved" market.
Converters also need to be much more proactive in developing and using new materials and methods, to reduce weight without reducing build quality. The sailing community does this, why not us?
Rant over (for now!)

 

[jonno1103]

You're right Tony. I had an interesting chat with my brother in law who's looking at a motorhome in the next couple of years. He says he wants an over cab bed allowing him to carry more and couldn't quite understand it when I told him he'd just be paying for fresh air as a 3500kg high line Tracker EKS has the same or even a little less payload than the low line. They still only have the one passenger seat.

Enjoy your scotch!

 

[tony50]

Your point about licences for the younger set is important.
I've banged on about this before - here and elsewhere. It's still very hard to find sub-3500 vans with enough payload for a family.
This will only get worse, as new drivers don't have automatic C1, and us "oldies" will need medicals etc to keep it, when we hit 70.
Salespeople need to be more upfront about payload issues, especially with first time buyers who may not realise its importance, or even know what it means. A 4-berth with a 250kg payload is honestly "not fit for purpose!"
We all (converters, dealers, and customers) need a new "mindset" when it comes to heavy onboard kit. I keep reading of people who never use their shower, or never use their oven, or microwave, TV, or whatever. So converters need to offer the option of not having each of those, and gaining payload. The resulting variety would then filter through in time to the "pre-loved" market.
Converters also need to be much more proactive in developing and using new materials and methods, to reduce weight without reducing build quality. The sailing community does this, why not us?
Rant over (for now!)

This 3500kgs for under 70 year olds and others is ridiculous, when I had a Class 1 truck licence the GVW was 32tons on a Artic , it's now 44 tonnes only thing that has changed as far as I know is loads are spread over 6 axles instead of 3 axles, same licence and trucks have improved Technology, so does Motorhomes have improved Technology so why hasn't the GVW of Motor homes increased for the same licence ? Why O why are the Motorhome manufactuers and Magazines , website owners not pushing for raised weights on our behalf I think where we are is an injustice , and don't forget Mass weight of a Truck will not stop as quick as the mass weight of a Motorhome and like wise a Motorhome mass weight will not stop as quick as a car.
Tony A

 

[jonno1103]

The upgrade in weight offered as an option by converters is purely a paper exercise, nothing physical is done to the base vehicle or habitation area. A simple piece of paper gives a van owner a further 150kgs of payload regardless.

If I can legally drive upto 3500kgs and tow a 750kg trailer, why not just allow me to drive to a max weight of 4250kgs?
Surely that's safer than having those without towing experience attaching a box on wheels to the back of their motorhome?