york brewery Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Can anyone help?? I am thinking of trading my caravan in and converting to a motorhome. I have seen at past shows a motorhome that you can park a smart car in the rear section to avoid towing. I would welcome your valued comments weather This option would be the best? or better to tow on a trailer? Am looking for a end bedroom/ large lounge model?? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hi Tony, how much are you looking to spend? Motorhomes with a rear garage big enough and strong enough to carry a car are big and heavy beasts, usually on a truck chassis so think 7 1/2 tonner size (or more) and these usually come in at pretty high costs. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 If Tony owns a York brewery as his avatar suggests 200-300k should not be a problem :-D http://travelsupreme.com/motorized.php?id=94&page=photoGal# http://www.vario-mobil.com/gebraucht_e.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
york brewery Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Ha ha just choking on my beer lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
york brewery Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hi dave havent set a budget yet. whats a pretty high cost?? I would look at new and also secondhand. having been a caravanner for over 10years i dont really want to tow. but if the costs are high then would consider car+trailer to tow. I was hoping to have a look at pickering. but never got the time to browse send our regards to jacui. hope she doing ok m8 Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hi york brewery, My old mate tows a little Chevy on a trailer, and keeps an eye on by keeping his reversing camera on while towing, and as it can't be seen in his door mirrors uses the camera to manage it when reversing it. less weight on your van chassis when towing too of course. Takes it all to France on the ferry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
york brewery Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 thanks never thought about reversing camera......... cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 High cost would be £100K upwards for new (probably more actually), I don't know of any UK manufacturers doing this kind of conversion but I have seen them in Germany at the dusseldorf show. They were in the quarter million bracket though 8-) 8-) . Perhaps you could get a horsebox converted? Try O'Leary motorhomes of Hull. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catinou Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Hi Tony, At the risk of stirring the usual hornets nest >:-) We towed our Smart car behind our MH last year on a trailer but found numerous reasons to change to an A frame this year - 1200 Kg less to tow, no problem with where to put the trailer, especially abroad when on sites that can be quite small, paying for storage each year as we don't have room at home, annual service of the trailer, plus the time it took to get on and strap down etc. This year, using the A frame we had no such problems and in spite of dire warnings on the legality of it, found that police in France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Italy all "looked" - both at service stations and when travelling (one police car followed us for about 5 miles then passed with a cheery wave) we had no trouble with it. When we were in a difficult situation we were able to unhitch very quickly and drive the 2 vehicles away to re-hitch again. (The problems were - Fiat refused to go up a steep hill - gear box not weight; and Tom Tom and lack of signage left us in a dead end road in Germany with no room to turn so it was easier to reverse out seperately.) Apart from the couple of problems above we were able to negotiate all the hills, mountains and bends associated with an Alps crossing with no problem. We did however find that the rig created a great deal of interest from Dover to Pisa - at one point a coachload of Korean travellers photographed and filmed away whilst their German driver told us it would be illegal for a German registered rig but that as it was legal in the UK it would be legal in Germany and that he wished he could have a UK registered vehicle to do the same. We have added a brake buddy to enable the Smart to brake, using its own system and with a monitoring device in the MH cab to let us know when the Smart brakes are being engaged, for a "belts and braces" set up; use the reverse camera as a rear view mirror and our insurance companies are fully aware that we tow with an A frame - small extra charge for the Smart as it has been "adapted". Whatever you choose, enjoy! B-) Jenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 That idea that Dave came up with about a horse box is a good one. Friends of ours who own stables and show horses have a super horse box with caravan up front half, and horse stalls for three horses in the back half. When they go on holiday they fold back the stalls and drive their car in. Overall it is still a big vehicle, about 7 ton UW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 york brewery - 2008-10-04 12:10 AM Can anyone help?? I am thinking of trading my caravan in and converting to a motorhome. I have seen at past shows a motorhome that you can park a smart car in the rear section to avoid towing. I would welcome your valued comments weather This option would be the best? or better to tow on a trailer? Am looking for a end bedroom/ large lounge model?? Tony A friend of mine has a large m/h with a rear garage in which he fits a Smart, he bought it in Belgium new and was £125,000. However it is big and he has problems with the size at various times but it suits him and he gets around them. If you intend to tow do not bother keep the caravan, much more suitable and cheaper for towing. I have gone on about this before on several occasions and cannot understand why anyone would buy a m/h then tow behind it, it destroys the main reason for having one, the freedom to move around and change your mind 'at will' as to where you are heading. I have never heard a convincing argument to tow, nearly all m/h owners use them in a differant way to 'tuggers', and you soon learn to plan your movements to suit a m/h. It is usefull to have alternative transport such as a bike, electric bike or as I do a small scooter, which is easy to carry on a rack or in a garage. Both caravans and m/h are a comprimise we have all heard the arguments for one or the other but a m/h towing a car is certainly not the 'best of both worlds'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Rupert, you really ought to learn a bit of tolerance old chap. Just because someone else has a different view point to yourself doesn't make them wrong. I haven't heard an argument for towing a car behind a motorhome that would convince ME to do it either but I can accept that some people have an argument that convinced them. That's good enough for me ;-) . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Th "travel supreme" in my link above (without smart :-D ) Base price for the 2007 was $357,525 so I suspect a 2008 with options is pushing $400k+ The German Vario Mobil...between 470.000 and 530.000 Euro, again without smart but really if you have to ask I wonder if you can afford it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicwo Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Rupert my Partner is disabled and finds car travel painful over long journeys. Sat at the dinette in the back of M/Home she can travel all day. We use a Smart on site and i put a small disability scooter on the Smart bike rack. When we do shorter journeys in the UK we can leave the Smart at home. She would not get her leg over a motor scooter and as she says when we bought the M/Home " we dont pay over 40 grand to slum it" You carry a scooter on the back, do you not get wet when it rains? We all have our reasons and choices. Two very close friends of mine died on a bike in America this year on holiday. I too have had a bike but i would not be seen dead on one now. Well i may do if i fell off. We are all different Vicwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 If I intended to buy new, then I'd probably look at the small number of Uk specialists who build vehicles for people into horse- or motorsport-related activities. I'd expect the price to be in the 'if you have to ask you can't afford it' bracket. A cheaper possibility (but certainly not cheap!) might be found in the back pages of Autosport magazine in the form of a second-hand racing-car transporter with onboard living accommodation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 davenewell@home - 2008-10-05 12:13 PM Rupert, you really ought to learn a bit of tolerance old chap. Just because someone else has a different view point to yourself doesn't make them wrong. I haven't heard an argument for towing a car behind a motorhome that would convince ME to do it either but I can accept that some people have an argument that convinced them. That's good enough for me ;-) . D. Tolerance has nothing to do with it Dave. The man asked for an opinion, I just gave one that is what forums are about. As for if you tow a car or not I really could not care less, however I am really curious as to why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 vicwo - 2008-10-05 3:14 PM Rupert my Partner is disabled and finds car travel painful over long journeys. Sat at the dinette in the back of M/Home she can travel all day. We use a Smart on site and i put a small disability scooter on the Smart bike rack. When we do shorter journeys in the UK we can leave the Smart at home. She would not get her leg over a motor scooter and as she says when we bought the M/Home " we dont pay over 40 grand to slum it" You carry a scooter on the back, do you not get wet when it rains? We all have our reasons and choices. Two very close friends of mine died on a bike in America this year on holiday. I too have had a bike but i would not be seen dead on one now. Well i may do if i fell off. We are all different Vicwo Now that is a very good reason and one I can understand. Please do not misunderstand me I have no 'axe to grind' here just gave my opinion and am really curious as to why. Your reason is certainly not why most do it I am sure. As for your other argument that is not a good reason to tow a car behind a m/h if I was worried about a bike or getting wet and felt the need for a car I would have a caravan. I was just answering a question asked and did not intend to start a differant argument about the merits of towing a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicwo Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Rupert if this was a footie match i think after 90mins we would have a draw. What a wonderful result. Take care vicwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
york brewery Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 Hi and thanks to you all for all your comments I am not against towing but having done it for over 10 years just want a easy life re m/h and internal gararge Will be on the lookout at next years shows Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 vicwo - 2008-10-05 7:29 PM Rupert if this was a footie match i think after 90mins we would have a draw. What a wonderful result. Take care vicwo I concur Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse444 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 we tow a ford fiesta on a brain james twin wheel trailer(very stable) behind our Dakota and never have any problems (lol) , we have just returned from 5 weeks in Europe and couldnt have managed without it, as I have walking difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWO Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Concorde have just brought out a new model with a smart garage in the back. Also it's under the 7.5 tons max weight so you won't need a HGV licence, as long as you are a old cogger. It's not a top of the range Concorde but I suppose it is still a pretty eye-watering price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
york brewery Posted October 8, 2008 Author Share Posted October 8, 2008 Thanks everyone for your help/comments certainly gives me a lot to think about/consider. gonna have a beer or two ......... or three Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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