Jono Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Hi, We are looking to change from a Caravan to a Motorhome but the choice is bewildering. Having read a lot of the suggestions about making priority lists and how we would like to use the motorhome, we have finally narrowed the choice down to a couple of layouts. A front or rear lounge with seats that can be used for single beds. However this begs a few questions. The ones that we like appear to have the smallest water tanks 90/68 litres. Are these large enough so that we are not having to fill up or empty every couple of days(we realise it depends on water usage and we use the site facilities to shower), also they nearly all have Fiat engines and we have read about juddering problems when reversing. Any advice would be most welcome. cheers Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Hi Jono & welcome to the forum regarding the Water tank capacities, 90/68litres they should be sufficient for 3 - 5 days if you use Site facilities for showering, which is the biggest water consumer. Possibly even longer if you use Site facilities for the majority of washing-up pots & pans. Remember each litre on board weighs 1kg so full fresh tank = 90kg. (more than an average adult) regarding the Fiat judder - this refers to the new facelift model introduced late 2006, (the 2.0litre has the odd reported judder, 2.3litre appears to be the most prone to the problem & the 3.0litre virtually unaffected) The judder when reversing uphill affected some but certainly not all. Vehicles built after early 2009 (March ? I think) should have the modification factory fitted. If looking at a 2006 to early 2009 model a test drive including reversing uphill is recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 double post :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Hi Flicka Many thanks for taking the time to reply and for your advice. I didn't know that the problem with the Fiat engine had been resolved. Thanks again. Jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scramblers Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 When considering buying a motorhome one of my prime requirements is a fresh water tank of about 120 litres. Unfortunately, this does usually mean buying a non-British motorhome. We tend to spend a lot of time abroad using aires and stellplatz where having the larger water tank has great benefit. It is also very useful when staying on UK campsites during the cold months, who wants to dash to the camp shower block through the rain or frost when you have all your own facities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 When we changed from caravan to motorhome we looked for a design based on the fact that the caravan layout worked for us so a similar layout of MH should also be fine. Unfortunately this was not the case because of the very different way in which we utilise the two and also we forgot to take into account that when using a caravan there is oodles of 'storage' available in the car! We used to use the back of the car to store most of the outerwear and shoes, obviously with the MH all these need to be kept in the van. Also, we didn't ever take bikes with us in the caravan but always have them with the MH as we prefer to get about, once parked, either by bike, 'shanks's' or public transport. After just a year we p/ex'd to a MH that actually is just to our requirements but this is an expensive option and it's far better to get it right 1st time! BTW, we have a rail in the shower cubicle so all outdoor clothes are in there unless we're actually using the shower, when I just lift them off complete with hangers and lie them on the bed. So to us the seperate cubicle, which some consider a waste of space, is fully utilised as hanging space and is invaluable when returning from dog walks etc dripping wet. Shoes can go in the base as well. If we have other wet stuff when packing to leave it can drip into the shower tray. We also decided that we wanted a 'garage' so that the bikes are safe, clean and dry every time we want to use them as even with a cover this was not the case when they sat on the rear rack. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your eventual choice of vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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