Chatelier Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 We are looking for the ideal motorhome: We had a motorhome with rear lounge we had a motorhome with fixed bed! we had a holiday cottage in France! Now we want a motorhome again! We love a rear lounge but would like a 4 berth! Not longer than 6m (cheaper on the Ferry!) Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer1942 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I would suggest you are looking for the impossible, and I would think that no one on this forum has the ideal, but the best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Not longer than 6m (cheaper on the Ferry!) I normally pay between £29 and £40 for a ferry crossing with my 6.7m MH. How much would you save for a 6m van? I'd rather have the extra length than save a fiver or whatever it is on a ferry crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 derek500 - 2009-10-22 11:09 AM Not longer than 6m (cheaper on the Ferry!) I normally pay between £29 and £40 for a ferry crossing with my 6.7m MH. How much would you save for a 6m van? I'd rather have the extra length than save a fiver or whatever it is on a ferry crossing. Derek it's the same old story, people spend thousands on a motorhome and then pennypinch when it comes things like ferry crossing which is usually only once or twice a year. If you do a few crossings a year then buy a Frequent Traveller ticket with eurotunnel or one of the other ferries. The only reason we would buy a smaller motorhome is if we were living permanently in the UK in the Northwest as getting around there is horrendous if that is your only transport. Our motorhome is 7m plus and the most it has cost us is 100 pounds return and that was this last July/August when we had to go to pick our youngest Grandchild up for the School Holidays. We sailed with P&O this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatelier Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 I checked with Britanny Ferries, for November it is £250 (up 6 m) and £275 (up to 7 m) not a huge saving, but would a bigger motorhome not consume more diesel? Also under 6 m one could possibly get away only to pay for 1 car parking space? Ideally I would like a larger motorhome but anything over 6 m looks so huge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Chatelier - 2009-10-22 11:24 AM I checked with Britanny Ferries, for November it is £250 (up 6 m) and £275 (up to 7 m) not a huge saving, but would a bigger motorhome not consume more diesel? Also under 6 m one could possibly get away only to pay for 1 car parking space? Ideally I would like a larger motorhome but anything over 6 m looks so huge! You don't say on your profile where you are but Brittany Ferries are the most expensive of the Ferry Operators. We flew to the UK at the beginning of June to pick a car up and came back on the new LD Lines Norman Arrow from Dover to Boulogne just 1 hour and they take motorhomes, I checked the price at the time for our motorhome and it was £70 return, so that is worth looking into. The Norman Arrow as far as I can see stops sailing about 9th November and the Norman Spirit takes over but is 45 minutes longer sail. We have just booked the car on that for 18th November and the price is £56 return, sailing from Boulogne at 10.45am and returning 18.00 hrs the following week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemoss Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I've never understood this fixation with under 6m (and never will). As others have said, the difference in ferry costs is inconsequential but the difference in space is not only very real, but there all the time rather than just on a few occasions. Driving more or less any length of motorhome very quickly becomes second nature, and if you're at all worried there are always those courses run by both the main clubs. As for buying the ideal motorhome I'm afraid you're too late. We already have it...... .....for us, there'll be another one somewhere for you, irrespective of how long it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondo Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Does such a thing exist?? wouldn't it be nice if one did!! I suppose all motorhomes are a compromise one way or another Good luck in your search I think finding El Dorado or the Elephants Graveyard would be easier! and better odds on the Lottery!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Randonneur - 2009-10-22 11:24 AM Derek it's the same old story, people spend thousands on a motorhome and then pennypinch when it comes things like ferry crossing which is usually only once or twice a year. Mind you I would never waste my money on doing anything other than a cheap ferry crossing from Calais/Boulogne/Dunkerque. I do Valencia to the channel using only 160l of diesel and no toll roads. Still much cheaper than doing any other crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Chatelier - 2009-10-22 10:24 AM I checked with Britanny Ferries, for November it is £250 (up 6 m) and £275 (up to 7 m) not a huge saving, but would a bigger motorhome not consume more diesel? Also under 6 m one could possibly get away only to pay for 1 car parking space? Ideally I would like a larger motorhome but anything over 6 m looks so huge! If you need to worry about a few quid on the ferry or a few less mpg maybe you should abandon all thoughts of the ideal van and stick with the best you can get with a small engine under 6.00 metres? Of far greater issue than fuel or ferries is the space needed to park a bigger van both in the UK and abroad and almost every car park, particularly in van unfriendly UK where penalties can be disproportionally severe for rule bending, lacks spaces big enough for an over 6.0 mtr vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Here is a quality fully winterised double floor van under 6m. I agree with the consensus here, and for 4 people 6m is far to restricting. A little more length can add a significant amount of practical living space, storage etc.... http://www.euramobil.de/_produkte_gb_2010/profila_alkoven_start.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil malcolmson Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 what is your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porky Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Chatelier - 2009-10-22 9:22 AM We are looking for the ideal motorhome: We had a motorhome with rear lounge we had a motorhome with fixed bed! we had a holiday cottage in France! Now we want a motorhome again! We love a rear lounge but would like a 4 berth! Not longer than 6m (cheaper on the Ferry!) Any ideas? Ideal for what? Normal parking bay sizes (in the UK not sure in EU) are 5.500m long x 2.400m wide. A Rolls Royce Phantom can be 6.084m long x 2.360m wide, a Transit long wheel base is 5.700m long x 2.360m wide. Our Autotrail Tracker EKS (for just the two of us) is 6.260 x 2.260m wide. So is this your main criteria? Surely with 4 peopleyou need to think more about living space and especially payload. In my view the payload issue is well at the top with layout. Roy Fuller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ask and ye shall be given ... There is a Euro Mobil which meets your requirements: http://www.euramobil.de/_produkte_gb_2010/terrestra_alkoven_bilder.html and there's one for sale in the UK, I'm sure when we saw it at the Lincoln show it had the seat belts in the back too. Terrestra 570HS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 We have just bought our 'Retirement Van', although we are a long way from being able to retire :-( Thought process being that we are both in good jobs, the cost of M'homes are going up, up, up and by the time we reach Retirement wemay not be able to afford one, let alone be healthy enough to use it. So we have invested now in as close to the perfect van that would suit us. Bought all the extra's so it will, when we collect it in May next year, literally have everything we could want. However, just to prove the point that nothing is ever perfect, my one disappointment is that a Motorhome of this spec and it does not have a separate 'flush' holding tank >:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le canichot depang Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Quite agree with you Bog Moma, we did exactly the same last year and haven't looked back - all 7 meters of it and we have to take a ferry every time we leave our rock - so all the cross channel ferries seems fantastic value to me, we have one monopolizing ferry company, however in all fairness with a frequent traveller discount card and early booking we manage to get a return to the UK for just over £200 and France £160, we just accept it and do lots of overtime to pay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 le canichot d'epang - 2009-10-22 9:30 PM Quite agree with you Bog Moma, we did exactly the same last year and haven't looked back - all 7 meters of it and we have to take a ferry every time we leave our rock - so all the cross channel ferries seems fantastic value to me, we have one monopolizing ferry company, however in all fairness with a frequent traveller discount card and early booking we manage to get a return to the UK for just over £200 and France £160, we just accept it and do lots of overtime to pay! We have just gone up from 7.5metres to 8.6 metres, primarily to get the OH her long awaited island bed. We save a set amount each month out of our earnings to our Holiday Fund and then plan our trips according to that budget. Next year we are dong a 5 night break in May in the new Motorhome, then a 10 night hotel holiday in Eygpt, the next major will be our 30 day summer tour of Europe in the van and then a 4 night break in October. In between we have our weekend bolt holes and we do this within our not extravagant budget. We include all our costs within the budget, Fuel, Ferry, Tolls, Sites and Personal expenses and always enjoy ourselves. As I am older than OH I will retire before her so our philosophy is enjoy life whilst we can afford to do so and still have good health. If in 10 years time, for whatever reason, we cannot enjoy our part-time nomadic life style then we will have no regrets and lots of photo's and memories to cherish (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatelier Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Thanks to all of you for your help. Big dilemma now, do we want to go bigger? I was set in my mind not to go over 6 m!!! (most of the time we will only be two people using it with the occasional "guest" when we are abroad). Where do you keep your large Motorhome when not in use. We live in a Seaside resort with roadside parking becoming ever more difficult! Back in 2003 we were able to park outside our house, now we have "boxes" forbidding the parking of Vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Chatelier - 2009-10-23 10:17 AM Thanks to all of you for your help. Big dilemma now, do we want to go bigger? I was set in my mind not to go over 6 m!!! (most of the time we will only be two people using it with the occasional "guest" when we are abroad). Where do you keep your large Motorhome when not in use. We live in a Seaside resort with roadside parking becoming ever more difficult! Back in 2003 we were able to park outside our house, now we have "boxes" forbidding the parking of Vans. There are only two of us in a fixed bed 7M motorhome and once a year a 10 yr old and there isn't a lot of room. Given the choice I would go for 2 single settee/beds in the lounge area but they have only been coming onto the market here in the last 2 years, so pricewise they are out of our league. No parking of Vans or no parking of Motorhomes? If it is the former then I would check with the Council that your Motorhome (stress a motorhome) can be legally parked outside your house. Also get it in writing so should you have a problem you have the documentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatelier Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 Thank you Randonneur, the exact wording is: Cars and M/cycles only within marked bays - no camping, cooking, selling or overnight sleeping. My husband got fined for having his signwritten Van outside, so we assumed no motorhomes either. But I have followed your advice and sent an e-mail to the townhall, they promised a reply within the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Chatelier - 2009-10-24 2:55 PM Thank you Randonneur, the exact wording is: Cars and M/cycles only within marked bays - no camping, cooking, selling or overnight sleeping. My husband got fined for having his signwritten Van outside, so we assumed no motorhomes either. But I have followed your advice and sent an e-mail to the townhall, they promised a reply within the next few days. I would have thought that if you were a resident you should have a permit to park, it seems a bit mean of the people who sent the Fine that you could not park outside your own house, mind you, its probably a "jobsworth". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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