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New to this - Please help!


wackynook

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Guest wackynook
We are new to all this, but we are looking to bye a new motor-home next year. We know designs may change by next year, and we have not looked at all the models and possibilities yet, but to give you some idea of our needs and expected usage, and what type of motor-home-ers we are likely to be, we so far like the look of the ‘Peugeot Nuevo’ or the ‘Peugeot Starfire’. Both small 2 berth vehicles. However, what we decide to go for when we decide to take the plunge aside, we still could use the experience and wisdom that you who are already motor-home users will have. If you have any tips about anything you think relevant to a couple of new-bees, any little gems of info or advice, we would love to hear from you. THANK YOU! Sandra & Adrian.
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Do you wish to sleep with your opposite number or singly. Do you really want the hassle of making up a bed every night. Do you always want to both go sleeping at the same time. Is one of you bossy. If its No. No. No. Yes. Then find the biggest you can afford provided you have the space to park it. You'll never regret it. Look at the second hand market. Ask yourself why there's so many around. Its not only fashion, its often because they didn't think through the difficulties first. You just cannot beat space !! bill h
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Guest david lloyd
Hi wackynook We have had several motorhomes now and can agree with everyone else that a) it is all down to your preferences and how you intend to use the motorhome and b) give it plenty of thought, see many models and you have a better chance of getting what you want We should be taking delivery of our new motorhome in April/May and before deciding we made a list of things we MUST have, SHOULD have and COULD have. From here it was a matter of getting all the brochures, trawling through the specifications and matching the details with our criteria. I did this on a simple spreadsheet on the laptop. At the end of the process I allocated marks for each item that matched our criteria and that threw up the top four vans for us to take a more detailed look at. Then it was visit the shows or the dealers - we did both but preferred the dealers as you get much more time to crawl all over the vehicle and ask questions - in advance of your visit write down as much as you can think of to look at or ask about and then write down the answers and, if possible, take pictures/video of the ones you like. Obviously, the look and feel of the van will influence you at the outset and therein lies the biggest problem. Too many people - me included - have bought on the basis of those judgements and lived to regret it. But through the above process we feel we have got to a position where we will have the best vehicle for our purposes. Some of the criteria we put down to measure against were: 3500kg chassis payload engine type/fuel low profile body (under 2.7m high) length fixed rear bed & size storage gas/electric heating/water heater rear saloon heater matrix fridge/freezer & size oven waste/fresh water capacities gas locker capacity winterisation Layout & price These were just the majority of the must haves and then it was a matter of checking the should and could have which then included awning, tow bar, 2nd battery etc - usually finding the cost of these as options or added extra dealer fit. Sounds a long winded way of doing things - I know - but it is well worth it - and a great deal of the pleasure is in looking for that motorhome that is just right for you - good luck Regards, david
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Guest Brian Kirby
What you'll need to do is think hard and thoroughly research what is avialable. There are no shortcuts if you want to get near to your personal ideal with your first 'van. Think about how you'll use the 'van. Will it be little and often i.e. most weekends, will it be just for summer holidays - with little use between times, will it be for trips extending over several months, do you intend living permanently in it etc etc? What suits one mode of use is seldom suited to another. Space has its advantages - once you are at your destination: it can have severe drawbacks en route. More space inside means a larger vehicle, so narrow roads become more difficult to negotiate and parking more problemmatic, it means a heavier vehicle, so a larger engine and higher fuel consumption, it also often means higher initial, and probably insurance, costs. A compact vehicle means being very organised and tidy, but it will go down the narrow roads, will park in more places without problem and will be more economical to run. If you're organised, and you choose well, it needn't prevent you from taking extended trips. However, if it is a van conversion, it may not be any cheaper. I think you're at the beginning of realising an idea, and it may be that buying next year, if you also expect to be using it next year, may be a bit premature. If you intend buying new, you need to allow for the delivery time (unless of course you find exactly what wou want in stock somewhere). That will probably mean ordering late 2006 for delivery spring 2007. That gives you maybe 6 - 8 months to bottom out exactly what you think is right for you, with still enough time for shopping around. That, bearing in mind the huge variety of makes, on different base vehicles, with different engine options, of differing layouts, prices and qualities, is not a lot of time. Try to identify a generic layout that suits your requirement, then go and look at as many diferent examples of that layout as possible. Initially, be ruthless, and don't be swayed away from your decision by other contenders. Collect the brochures, get the options lists and all the prices, make notes - even take photographs (after about 3, they all become a blur!), assess the quality of the various offerings and consider where the dealers are based relative to where you live. Compare value and convenience, narrow down to two or three models and then see what the dealers look and feel like and what prices/extras they are offering. After you've done all that, you may well find your priorities have changed and what you first thought right is not, after all, what you want. If so, just start again. You'll find that by then you will have acquired now have a huge amount of knowledge about mororvans, and that will eneble you to make the sceond (or subsequent) run more quickly and with greater cartainty. Somewhere during this process, if you haven't done so already, hire a van as close to your chosen layout as you can find. Then you'll learn a whole lot more about all those things that look good in the showroom, but don't, in practice work! Above all else, I'd say do this before you buy. You'll also learn a lot about how you feel driving the thing, and about hoe it feels to drive. Underneath all the glitz, they're all commercial vehicles, and some find this shows through too much for their taste or preferences. Golden rule: buy in haste, repent at leisure! Good hunting! Brian
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I agree with Brian Kirby that you should "try before you buy", but I feel that hiring shields you from a great deal of what you need to know. Maintenance hassles are the hirer's problems, not yours, as they will be when you have your own. So, how can you try without hiring or buying? I would suggest the solution to the paradox is to buy, initially, an older rig which has (almost) stopped depreciating. You will learn a great deal in using it for a year or so, and can then sell, hopefully without losing too much, and get what you really want. One other comment: The old saying about one man's meat being another man's poison is nowhere more true than in motorhoming. You can get diametrically opposed views on almost anything, which doesn't mean that either side is wrong, just that there are different strokes for different folks.
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Hi, Just waiting for my first van, and no expert at this hobby. Would like to comment that we virtually made our choice of a Benimar, and decided to hire one for two weeks. The vehicle was 6 months old with 15000 miles on the clock. We could see where cushions were sagging, curtain rails with marks of much re-fixing, door catches not good etc. OK it was a hire vehicle and probably had been worked hard, but had I purchased a new one, is this what it would have been like after 3 - 5 years. As it was it made us change our view on layout, as we could see problems. It has cost us more as we have gone for a Bessacarr at a higher price, which seems to have better quality cushioning etc, which should give longer life. Only time will tell if our decision is correct. Good hunting and I hope your dreams are fulfilled. David
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hi, we have a auto sleeper clubman, similar dimentions as the nuavo?, we will be changing our present van soon and are going to have a nueavo, we find that there is plenty of room inside for the two of us. the bathroom is on the small side but how long do you spend in there?. parking is easy as it will fit a standard parking bay. you can sit with your feet up(not all larger vans can say that). you can seat many for entertaining. plenty of work top space for the cook. pete
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Wackynook One other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned - do you ever intend to carry passengers? If so then you'll better consider getting a van with a layout that will allow you to do this safety, ie with proper rear travel seats and seatbelts. Unfortuantely, someone has found out the hard way that this can be a major problem - just look at the posting 5 down from yours to see what I mean. It's good to see some one looking into buying a van so far in advance - good luck with your search.
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Hi, Having motorhomed for 10 years, we have spent many hours looking at new vans, and bought our last new one, an Autocruise, last year. We compared the Nuevo with the Starfire, and would suggest that if you are considering these two, that you should compare the equipment levels. Build quality of both vans is good, and the base vehicle is the same.Opt for the 2.2hdi rather than the 2.0hdi which is underpowered. You will find that the washroom is better in the Starfire, and there are many more roof lockers. We plumped for Autocruise and find the manufacturer good to deal with.
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Hi, our first van was a second hand van bought from a dealer with 12 months warranty. logic was, not costing a fortune, and if it went wrong the dealer would fix it.now have an autocruise with two seats only. no kids or grankids allowed. phil
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Me again, One other suggestion, make yourself a 'tick-list' with 3 columns. In the left hand column list the requirements that are 'must haves', then your 'would likes' and then 'don't wants'. Use the centre column to put comments about each requirement, and in the right hand column you can put a rating mark. Make sure you keep a 'key' of the marking scale so you are consistent. On the sheets you can then rate each van as to how easy it is to say make the beds, use the bathroom, cook a meal etc, with a general comments section at the end. Then do some photocopies of it when you're happy with it and whenever you view a van mark down the relevant points etc. After you have seen all the van's you are interested in you can assess them by using the notes to remind you of what you've seen in each one. This is very useful as, after you've viewed a few vans, you'll forget which one had what! If you have a digital camera it's also a good idea to take a photo of the vans and any features that you particularly like to remind you which was which. You can then spend time comparing them all at your leisure and hopefully you'll get exactly what you want.
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