Very new and feeling very stupid!

[SelinaG]

Hi there,

My partner and I are planning to take a year out to travel Morocco and Europe with our children next year. We've sold our house and our using some of the proceeds to finance the trip. We're planning to leave sometime in January...however as yet we still have no motorhome and know very little about the whole business! Reading here a little has already got me thinking about things we hadn't considered so I'm very glad I stumbled across you. So now for the endless questions...
Today we visited a dealer and looked at a whole range of motorhomes. Hearing of our thoughts to buy something cheap the salesman directed us towards a fairly old Autosleeper, Ford transit. I felt that it was small for our needs but it seemed solid and we liked the feel of it - it was around 15,000. I also looked at a very lovely, much newer Lunar Roadstar 6 berth that was around 26,000. We could afford something like this but only if we could sell it on after the year for not much less than we bought it for...still with me? So, the question is - would we be more likely to get a good resale value on a newer or an older motorhome or does it totally depend on the make/model etc. As we're taking children and going for a long time I feel that something newer and bigger may be safer/more reliable but we couldn't afford to lose much money on it as we'll need that cash to put a deposit on a new house!
All help and opinions gratefully received,

Selina

 

[Flicka]

Hi Selina - consider that you WILL need to have a contingency for repairs etc. available especially going over to Africa So personnally I would consider the Lunar a possible price too far. You are in the very early stages, get as many magazines as you can, visit a many dealerships within range, visit a Show Lincoln showground later this month NEC nest month (although they will new vans at NEC they will show what is on the market ) The value you would lose over a year will be much less on an older van in cash terms i.e if vans reduce at 10% pa, the older Autosleeper will lose £1500 whereas the Lunar would lose £2600 (figure of 10% only used as it's an easy calculation) THe real depreciation is difficult to determine as it will depend on various factors - time of year, Dealer stock at time, Dealer's assessment of how saleable potential, layout suiting his market (to name a few) If you have no experience of Motorhomes you will also need to familiarise yourselves with the workings of the equiment before setting out. The main issue with older vans is the No. of seatbelts to berths. You don't mention how many children or there ages (fitting child seats in motorhomes can be problematic) A few points to ponder, but if you have any specific questions I'm sure theis forum members will be able to give further advise. nb Not aware of your location, but the Lincoln show is outdoor, but would give you the opportunity to talk to Motorhome owners. Good luck with your plans.

 

[SelinaG]

Thanks for that. We have two children and so far, those that we've viewed do have seatbelts for the kids. In terms of contingency - is there a difference between estimated amounts for a newer or older model? I know we're in the early stages but we don't have a whole lot of time as I'd like to get something in the next couple of months so that we can get a few weekends under our belts before heading off for a whole year! We have looked at lots and lots online but it's the expert guidance we've been without so it's great that there are people like you here that can hopefully fill out the blanks in our knowledge.

 

[TonyJones]

Welcome, Selina. Good for you, taking the plunge. You'll give your kids some experiences which they'll never forget (in a good way!).
Nothing to add to Flicka's advice at the moment, but I'll give it some thought. Meanwhile I've upgraded you so you won't have to copy the squiggly letters.

 

[Retread]

Frequently European Camping-cars are better suited to European touring. I note that your intention is to travel in Europe and Morocco. The Vans you have looked at are all RHD which will be fine for UK touring but a LHD might well be of more use. The habitation door will always be on the kerb!
Touring on the Continent usually involves a lot more use of the outside , eating, relaxing etc so internal space is usually not so important, though making sure that there are sufficient seat belts for everyone is.
Touring in Southerly climes has its own unique problems, IT IS HOT! so a small fridge will not be big enough for extended tours, You need a largish fresh water capacity not less than 100l, Ideally you will want to think about air conditioning even if it is available only en route (Cab air con), or a roof mounted evaporative cooler that works on 12V. Certainly you will need sunshades for the cab windscreen to try and stop the van contents broiling!
Did you see last weeks Hymer lady who regularly tours North Africa in a 1993 A Class? Bullet proof, minimal depreciation and able to be fixed without a computer. These old Fiat and and to a lesser extent Mercedes vans are well known to third world mechanics, and the ground clearance is more suited to partially hardened roads.

 

[TonyJones]

Roger ("Retread") mentioned air-con working on 12 volts. For the sort of places you're planning, you shouldn't waste space and payload carrying ANYTHING that will only work on mains, unless you're also taking your own generator. If you can't power it from your 12v system, or from gas, don't take it.
And speaking of gas, apart from CampinGaz, which is the most expensive of all per litre, there are no "universal" gas bottles. Every country has its own, and their connectors are usually incompatible with each other (although adaptors are available for the systems on modern vans). So find out what you'll need for the countries you plan to visit.
In most European countries, you can buy "LPG" (for converted cars) at many filling stations. If that's the case in Morocco too (which I don't know), it would be worth investing in a refillable gas system such as Gaslow. (Incidentally, LPG bought that way is also far cheaper than ANY "exchange bottle" brands).
We're all beginning to enjoy this adventure with you!

 

[Retread]

On a browse through various Fora I see that France and Morocco share a common standard for rexchange bottles, Especially 'Butagaz' so it might pay to pick up a French Bottle overhere and equip yourself with a French pigtail while you are about it. Camping Gaz 907's are available in France, the UK and throughout Europe. Tank refilling/autogaz is a bit problematic the other side of the Med.
Electrickery over here if supplied on a Camp site will/may be only 4A so ok for the Fridge, and battery charging but not for anything else, It's only in the UK that you can expect a 16A supply.

 

[TonyJones]

Cheers Roger, sounds like Butagaz is the way forward for her then.
Selina, listen to this man, he knows what he's talking about!

 

[SelinaG]

Thanks everyone! It's all a bit daunting I must say...I'm going to take some time to read through everything and I'm loving that you can enjoy our planning with us! At the moment, we think we're going to try and get a Hymer preferably a Mercedes but they don't generally seem to have ovens...I can't work out whether this will be a problem or not?!

 

[SelinaG]

We've bought a Hymer mercedes! It seemed perfect for us with a reasonable mileage for the age...looking forward to picking him up and getting to know him.

 

[LizziePope]

Hi Selina. Welcome to the forum, congratulations on your new Hymer and all the best with this exciting adventure!

If you've got any questions, there are lots of people here who I'm sure can help.