Does size matter

[derk]

Hi, We are in the process of purchasing our first motorhome. We like the Hobby 600 which is 20ft, however I am also thinking of the Hobby 750 which is 27ft, (both second hand). Will the extra length of the 750 model be a burden and restrict us in any way?. Or be more costly on the ferries and to park?. My wife is worried about going too big for our first vehicle. I want to get it right first time. Thanks for listening

[johnsandywhite]

:-D Hi derk. Size really does matter. We started off with a Ford Transit based Autohomes Frontier. Then a 32ft American, then a 30ft and now have a 38ft. No matter how big? Sandy always manages to fill it somehow. 8-) Never really had any problems with access anywhere due to size. But of course it does cost more for ferries. never had to pay to park yet. ;-)

[Mel B]

Hi Derk Yes size DOES certainly matter, before you do anything else, work out how you intend to use your new 'van. Are you going to: 1) park up on a campsite for days on end and tootle about in a little towed car or moped? or 2) want to be able to drive your 'van around looking at the sites as you go, and park it easily, moving from one campsite/aire to another virtually daily? If the former then the size isn't as important unless you want to go down some of the Cornish etc roads, the width is the same on many coachbuilts but the length can make a difference when trying to get round some of the tight corners. You will pay more on ferries for a larger 'van, most ferry companies accept vans up to 6 metres without extra charge (some may take up to 7.5m for no more but some do charge), anything over 7.5m will almost certainly be charged extra for - have a look on the websites of the various ferry compies and pretend to do a booking to get an idea of the extra cost. Depending on the weight of the larger 'van you could also be liable for more charges for using foreign motorways etc, I believe that the split is at 3.5 tonnes. If you are thinking of towing a car then I'd suggest you think again about maybe getting a caravan instead as all you're doing is paying for an extra engine as you won't be able to go any faster when towing in any case. If the latter, I would recommend that you don't go bigger than 6 metres, we had a 'van (Swift) that was just under 6m and down sized to 5.5m (Rapido) and have found it much easier to park where we want to, trying to park our larger van at times was a pain and meant that we couldn't always stop where we wanted to and missed out a bit, we also had a couple of loan motorhomes last year - one was 6.24 metres the other 6.74 - after our 5.5m 'van we found the extra length really cramped our style big time. I can't stress enough how important it is to work out how you'll 'enjoy' your van, this will determine not only the length you'll be happy with but also the layout you need. We've got a fixed bed in ours as it suits us to be able to flop into it at the end of the day without the hassle or making it up and the large storage area underneath it for our kit, canoe, bikes etc. We're not ones for lounging around a lot so a large seating area wasn't a high priority for us, neither was a full sized cooker (we BBQ most nights), nor a large toilet/shower compartment, but we did want a biggish fridge (105 litres), passenger seats for the odd occasions when we take the Mums out, and a quality product that would last. You also need to be careful to make sure that your driving licence covers you to drive the vehicle, as there are restrictions depending on your age and when you passed your driving test. Good luck

[southwind]

[QUOTE]derk - 2006-05-29 5:10 PM We like the Hobby 600 which is 20ft, however I am also thinking of the Hobby 750 which is 27ft, [/QUOTE] Hi we have a 34' American RV, and apart from one or two places (odd France Passion vineyards, and the odd small Spanish towns), we have not had any problems. So I agree with the other RV owner go for the biggest you can afford and feel fits your needs. It's OK saying you don't need decent cooking or 'lounging' spaces, but after spending a fortnight in dire weather in one or two places, I know which I would prefer - barbecues in the rain lose their appeal after the first one!. Before we went for the yank, we looked at quite a lot of European stuff (most of it pretty dire). In the end we narrowed it down to Le Voyageur, The Hobby 750FM?, and the Rapido 9??, (I forget the exact models), in that order. Problem was they didn't quite give us everything we (my wife) wanted. You know how it is, layout in one is fine, but shower is the size of a single MFI wardrobe, whilst another has great entertaining space and a 'double bed' that woudn't look out place in a kiddies bedroom! But most importantly the value for money, compared to American stuff, was a non-runner. Even after taking into account fuel economy and more expensive spare parts, we won't change until we are forced by age and the law to downsize. So, don't 'sell yourself short' - if the 750 is a goer for all the other reasons, go for it! (saying that - does it still have that curved door which doesn't fold flat against the side? - I have to say that was a bit off putting)

[spartan3956]

Derk, I used to pull a caravan round but decided i had enough of that so my first Motor home was a swift Kontiki 24ft long. Now a Auto-trail Mohican 24 ft. For the first six months i missed a secondary vehicle as they are big and not that good to squeeze into town parking places when height barriers permit so i decided to use CL/CS farm sites over here. Having a motorcycle licence in my Rocker days i purchased a small motor bike at first 125cc laced on a back rack and then to trailer a 1100cc tourer which i have done for the past 8 yrs covering 10,000 miles here and on the continent. it cost me an extra £45 approx for the full length of 35ft. Increasingly i see Motorhome of this size and above pulling small cars todays engines are capable of towing the extra weight. Todate my wife the main driver and i have never had a problem. If you plum for a smaller vehicle yes they are easier to park and more of a touring vehicle. But we like to stop for 3 days in one place and explore the local area returning to an already set up camper. Its your choice take your time and talk to as many people as you can, we are a friendly bunch. Of course you will get conflicting opinions. Pete

[Don Madge]

Hi Derk, Mel B has got it 100% right. I could not have put it better. Three years ago I had to downsize from a Laika 400i (4200kg) A class due to failing the dreaded over 70 medical. I now have a Timberland hightop van and I get to places where I would not have dreamt of going before. So decide what your priorities are, what your interests are and then sit down and think long and hard. If you just want to spend three months on the Iberian peninsula then a ARV is great. If you like to get off the beaten track an ARV is about as much use as an ashtray on a motor bike. I'm not knocking ARV's each to his own. Safe travelling Don

[Clive]

We are thinking of towing a van on an A frame and putting a couple of motorbikes in the van. More options for warm and no so warm days perhaps? Today its two small motorbikes on a trailer behind the 7.5M motorhome. If one thinks one would be happy with a large RV and a towed car because one stays for a long time at one place then perhaps a car and caravan should be considered? (I will now go and wash my mouth out!)

[derk]

Wow! Many many thanks for all your prompt and comprehensive answers. Yes we will have to have a good think about the sort of use we will be putting our motorhome to. Initialy it will be weekends away but we also hope to use it for a sking trip to the Alps this comming new year and for travelling in france next summer( We still both work full time). Another consideration I guess is whether my wife will be happy driving a larger vehicle. I may put a motorbike rack on the back but am also concerned about safety of two wheeled transport abroad. Thanks again guy's

[southwind]

[QUOTE]Clive - 2006-05-29 7:53 PM If one thinks one would be happy with a large RV and a towed car because one stays for a long time at one place then perhaps a car and caravan should be considered? (I will now go and wash my mouth out!) [/QUOTE] The difference in towing a small car on four wheels behind a large vehicle weighing up to 7.5 tonnes and towing a flimsy overloaded garden shed construction balanced on two wheels behind an average family saloon, bears no comparison. The weight ratio is at least 3 to 1 in favour of the towing vehicle, and certainly, never gets near the so-alled 80% 'safe limit'ratio of caravan to car. The stability, with a wheel on each corner is, compared to even a twin axle 'van', incredible. Because it is a car rather than a trailer or caravan it is required to pass an annual MOT inspection, and let's face it, how many people get their trailers and caravans serviced?, let alone kept to a standard needed to be tested by the ministry. Quite apart from the important aspects of safety, there is the convenience factor - when you get where you are going, it's nice to have something with its' own motive power, rather than all that lugging and shoving. Sidewinds have little or no effect. Passing juggernaughts do not suck you into frightening vortices, and there is little or no chance of the 'tail wagging the dog'. In fact a properly constructed, fitted and adjusted A frame with brake connections is probably about as good as it gets. Thinking and driving 'ahead' takes care of it's only drawback - reversing.

[Mel B]

I can quite appreciate that sidewinds don't have much effect on an RV but on most coachbuilt motorhomes they do, some are worse than others admittedly, but they are all affected to some extent. Judging what Derk intends to use his 'van for, he needs something which he can tootle around in over a weekend - does he really want to have to tow a car or lug a motorbike around just for a couple of days? What if it's bad weather, at least you can get back to the dry in your 'van and have a nice cuppa rather than sitting in a steamed up car or getting soaked on a 'bike. Big vans give you lots of room on site but they also restrict you off site, it's just a matter of getting the balance right of what suits you best. One reason we have a motorhome that we can take around and park where we want is that we have 2 dogs, we can take them with us even in the hottest weather and leave them in the 'van with ventilation without a problem, we couldn't do this with a car, whether we had a car and caravan rig or a towed car. Something else to think about. For a skiing trip winterisation is important and also how easily a motorhome heats up and keeps warm, the bigger it is the more difficult it can be to keep it nice and snug but you do have the space to lounge around more. In the summer though it doesn't matter a great deal as a lot of the time you'll be outside enjoying the wonderful weather so the size of van won't matter as much. Only Derk and his wife can finally decide what they need and the question about his wife driving a large 'van is an important one, if Derk couldn't drive for whatever reason (ie twisted ankel ... yes I did it once just before a trip but my husband did all of the driving instead of us sharing it) - then she would need to take over so would have to be confident. A long test drive with some manouvring/parking practice to make sure she was happy with it would be essential, it's easy to be embarrassed when the dealer is there but better that than end up with something you regret. Even though 'vans are built on mainly the same base vehicles (Fiat/Peogeot, Merc etc) they do drive differently depending on the conversion that sits on them and again when they are fully loaded, especially if they something heavy strapped to the rear end. Try before you buy as much as possible and speak to anyone and everyone you can who's into motorhoming, most will try to tell you there's is the best ... but ask them what the problems are/that they've had, they will prove much more enlightening!!!

[Clive]

"Clive - 2006-05-29 7:53 PM If one thinks one would be happy with a large RV and a towed car because one stays for a long time at one place then perhaps a car and caravan should be considered? (I will now go and wash my mouth out!) " Ah well, that one touched the spot!!!! Enjoy!

[docted]

Once again in this thread Mel B has hit the spot. Words of wise wisdom from the "old worm". Clive I am glad to see that you can still hit the spot must be all that gadding about on the monkey bike.

[olley]

Hi interesting that people have this idea that a caravan/car combination is better than an RV+toad I can't think of many plus's for a caravan/car, for instance traveling, as has already been mentioned stability is far better in an RV, simply driving it is more relaxing. Being a passenger is much better, your not crammed into a small space, you can go to the loo when you like. :-) even make a sarni. I roll up on site spend 10 minutes removing the micra, another 10 reversing the RV and putting jacks down and slides out. I now have accommodation far superior to any caravan, including a fridge bid enough to hold several bottles of wine and cans of cider along with an ice maker. A small car to ride around in, which is better than a large car around the town. My Brother-in-law tows a caravan with a MPV, he's got three boys in the back, every hour or so one of them needs the toilet 8o| They fight, they argue and they moan, He arrives at the site stressed out, reverse's on to his pitch, and spends at least an hour getting set up including putting his awning up. I am on to my third cider by this time (lol) Sorry for me it's no contest, the RV win's everytime. Olley

[Mel B]

Docted ... less of the OLD worm thank you! Clive - calamine lotion usually works ...

[derk]

Many thanks again folks for all your words of wisdom. Derk

[mikemoss]

Just a simple thought - width matters rather more than length, apart from when you're trying to park. But we've never had any problems with our 7.2m long motorhome, there's always been somewhere to pop it wherever we've wanted to stop.

[Mel B]

mikemoss Width is a consideration but most vans are now very similar, unless you want to go down some of the very narrow roads in which case you don't really want a coachbuilt at all, it's the length which can be more problematic. Out of interest when you refer to being able to park without a problem, where? Ie, is it in the UK or abroad?

[mikemoss]

It's in the UK, Mel. Maybe we've just been lucky so far, but in larger towns and cities we look out for lorry or coach parks, and in smaller places we tend to look for quiet streets or roads where parking is allowed. Pubs tend to get chosen purely on the basis of the size (and accessibility) of their car parks! Totally take your point re length on very narrow roads, by the way.