Jimbo Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hi i have just joined this site and would appreciate any advice re purchasing my first motorhome we have looked at a number but keep coming back to the Ace Napoli, anyone got any experiance of that van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 No sorry! But all I can suggest is look at the way you will be using the van, how many people will be in it, what type of holidays will you be taking and what size will you be able to safely handle. We look round for ages and bought a Compass Avantgarde 140 which fitted our criteria at that time. However we went touring in France & Spain for 10 weeks and most of the criteria changed! Resulting in a new van and several thousand pounds lost in part ex. values! If you have kids then a van with rear passenger seat belts is the first priority and you can fit the van round that. Will you need a fixed bed or will the "Luton" bed work for you? How much cooking will you be doing? Is an oven needed or will just a grill do? Both our vans have ovens but it is only used as a bread storage area! What sized water tanks do you need? Will you be staying mainly on sites with facilities or will you be trying out "wild camping" where you rely on your vans facilities? Try to go with a list of your requirements and then ask people looking round vans what they are looking for and why. Most will only be happy to help because they are usually in the same predicament. Never listen to the glib silver tongued sales people when deciding. By all means pick their brains but make he final decision yourselves. Try some of the "independant dealers" and not the national companies many of those will be reliant on return business and not churning out sales like a machine. Good luck and good hunting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Jimbo - 2008-07-07 7:33 PM Hi i have just joined this site and would appreciate any advice re purchasing my first motorhome we have looked at a number but keep coming back to the Ace Napoli, anyone got any experiance of that van Hi Jimbo Wellcome to the crazy world of the Motorhomers. I think you need to put a little bit more info about your needs to get some recomendations eg have you got twelve kids ( and no Tele, ) you could receive a lot of info of members with there likes and dis-likes of various Motorhomes so more information is needed to try and help you You will find many members biased because they think there vehicle are the best on the market but might not suit you, so try and tell us what your needs are, you may for instance prefer a fixed bed but many members hate them. We thats er inside and myself love our end lounge on our new van but again some don't like this lay out. Tell us your needs and we may be able to help Terry (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Welcome James.You sound a bit as though this may be a recent decision, and you have been rather taken aback by the variety actually available. We all started from there! It is a very confusing place.In truth, it is very difficult for anyone else to offer guidance on what may suit you. All one can really do is offer a bit of advice on how to approach selection. You need to narrow the field to be able to see the wood for the trees. A good start is to begin reading motorhome magazines, especially MMM, which contains a wealth of information.Have you ever camped, or owned a caravan before? If so, you will probably have some idea the sort of accommodation you need, if not, I would suggest visiting a show, or even better an exhibition, before you even begin sifting. You will see dozens, at a show probably hundreds, of different makes and models. You will get violent indigestion and even more confused! However, you will probably see some that look really useful. Get the brochures and price lists plus the technical specs, and then go home and start comparing one with another. Then go back and try to sit quietly in the ones you favour and run through the day to day things. Is the bed convenient? Could you clean your teeth at the washbasin? Are the fridge and cooker well sited, and safe to use? Is the table large enough? Are the seats comfortable? You get the picture, and you will probably begin to think that what at first looked ideal, no longer does. Don't buy anything yet!Go to an outdoor motorhome show, at which there will be several hundred privately owned motorhomes, complete with owners. Wander around among the vans, asking owners for tips and guidance, and what they think good and bad about their own vans. In short, you need to do a lot of research and you should expect that to take you around a year. You could just go and buy one, of course, but you should be prepared to change it fairly soon, as the chances of getting it right first time are not great. The problem is that after you have one, and have used it, as has been said above, your expectations and outlook change, and you begin to realise that what you have, is not what you really should have. They are complex purchases, and few get it right first time, and some never get it right. A lucky few just stumble into motorhoming heaven straight off, but don't count on it being you!Final thing is to hire a van for a week or two, to see how you find it. You may hate the whole thing after a week, and the cost of a hire is far less than buying, and then selling, a van! After you've done some initial sifting, see if you can hire something similar to your favoured layout to see how that works for you. Sorry, no easy answers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hi James, welcome! As you've already noticed, you've got a lot of thinking to do! A good starting point is whether you want this van to double as a car (even a "second car." If so, you'll want to keep the overall external size well down, even if that means sacrificing some luxury when touring. If not - if it's only going to be used for camping, then you'll want to start from the inside, prioritising facilties & features: MUST have, would really like, might be nice, and so on. You might also (like some of us) have strong views about particular base vehicles! One other thing - be sure it really IS a motorhome you want. Remember that if you spend a while on one site, and want to go out & come back, you've got to stow everything away when you go shopping or sightseeing! If that's your style, a trailer caravan may suit you better. But if, like many of us, you want to roam around a lot, rarely staying more than a couple of nights in one place, then come and join the motorhome/campervan tribe! As others have sadi, give us a bit more info & we'll gvie you all the advice you want (and probably more!!) Best wishes Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hi Jimbo, I can't help on vans and all the technical stuff as I am useless at it myself :'( but I just wanted to say hello and welcome to the site. I am sure you will find the people (mostly) helpful, friendly and sure to come up with some kind f solutions to your problems, no matter how small, once you do get your van..... it's amazing how suddenly silly little things become the unknown. They will help you with ANY info you need and I wish you many happy years of motorhoming. Joy :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Jimbo - 2008-07-07 7:33 PM Hi i have just joined this site and would appreciate any advice re purchasing my first motorhome we have looked at a number but keep coming back to the Ace Napoli, anyone got any experiance of that van Just remember 'one mans meat is another mans poison' or else all vans would be identical, but as you can see we are all different with differing needs and wants. If it ticks all/ most of the boxes and is from a reputable manufacturer and seller then logically you can only go for it unless you have the oportunity to perhaps hire one and 'try before you buy'. Presumably you have a list of requirements to be able to say you keep coming back to the Ace, if you haven't then make one and get as close as you can to your needs. Good luck and let us know your decision. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Welcome to the Forum. We started looking for a motorhome 12 months before we knew we were able to buy. We made a list of all the items we would like and then went hunting. I think that is the best part. We found a motorhome that ticked all but 2 of the boxes and was a good make and the most important was it was in our price bracket. We have had this for 18 months and have now found a different motorhome that is virtually the same but longer with a separate shower and a garage (which wasn't on our original list so its a bonus.) We were very fortunate that we found a van that was suitable for us on the first go but as this next van will be our last (definitely) I has to have the right layout. Don't be too hasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Many thanks for the warm welcome, look forward to speaking in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Many thanks for all that sound advice look forward to many a conversation. Thanks again James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hi James, I would suggest you get a copy of Go Motorhoming this book will answer most of your questions. http://www.go-motorhoming.co.uk/index.htm Regards Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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