mr novice Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 hi everyone this has probably been asked by many people in the past. it,s still very much in the planning stages,but at some point between now and retirement,i have talked my wife into getting a motorhome and spending a few months in western europe at a leisurely pace i have already spent quite a lot of time on web sites looking at used motorhomes. i would prefer the sleeping arangement to be a permanent bed,and it would appear the best way to acheive this is a bedroom at the rear of the van. am i thinking on the right lines? my budget is likely to be up to about 15k would anyone be kind enough to give me some advice on suitable makes and models,plus any pitfalls when starting off. thanks mr novice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Just to say welcome.... I'm not too good at this computer lark, can someone bring the threads up to the top for Mr Novice on the forums that have his answers please. I'm not sure how you do it. Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi David & Sheila, It would be nice to hire different types of MH layouts for a couple of short breaks before you spend you hard earned cash. As we didn’t expect to stay in bed all day, we decided on a centre lounge, end kitchen with full oven, and a nice big combined washroom/shower room and toilet. The centre lounge gives us two 6 foot plus sofas, which convert to two single beds or a massive double bed in just a few minutes. Most European MH do seem to have permanent beds at the rear of the MH, this is fine if you also have sofas that you can both use for that afternoon siesta, but to get that little lot into a 20 ft MH is asking too much I think. We holiday in Europe for 4 months each year two months at a time, and we find a 20 ft MH just about the right size for accessing all those places you are dreaming about right now :-D As you are into a second-hand MH, look for fitted solar panel, bike rack, new leisure batteries, inverter – when the MH was bought from the previous owner, the salesman would have told the owner, all those fitted extras will not count when we try to sell the MH, so he wouldn’t have paid extra for them – so don’t you either ;-) Regards Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi and welcome You'll be lucky to find a fixed rear bed motorhome for your price bracket as they are a fairly recent 'invention' and they will probably be more toward £20k for the older versions. The other alternative is an older 'A' class with a drop down bed at the front, but again it could restrict your choice a bit and mean you have to go for a bit older van that if you went for a more standard layout such as Terry has suggested. Also, you'll have much more choice if you consider what Terry's option - a lounge with settees long enough to use as 2 singles/day beds/loungers for evening slouching etc, which can be converted to a double if you need it. You might find you prefer to have 2 singles in warmer climes and especially for the ease of getting up in the night for nocturnal wanderings to the loo! Do you need to have rear passenger seats? If so this will limit your choice even more as you'll need them to be safe and have proper 3 point seat belts. However, there are quite a few vans like this - ie a double dinette on one side and a long sofa on the other, both of which make up into 2 singles or a large double. We have a large (23ft+) motorhome with a fixed rear bed with garage underneath, a large kitchen to the offiside and a double dinette on the nearside for us it is just right as it give us the 'eating/working' area we need and also the 'slouching/sleeping' area as well (our dogs love a snuggle on the bed whilst we sprawl out watching a video or DVD). However, if we were considering doing a long time abroad (I can wish!) then a larger lounge and no fixed bed may prove more practical. You need to decide what is likely to be more beneficial to you - a ready made bed but restricted lounging area, or a good lounging area, where you can entertain lots of 'new' friends and put up with the small chore of making up the bed each night. Similarly, do you want a kitchen area with good facilities (oven, grill etc) or would you prefer a good washroom instead? Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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