to rv or not to rv that is the question?

[slowcoach2china]

hello fellow mmm,s thats not the sweet variety thats m,and,m's to avoid confusion? calling all full timers and long haul tourers?

i am looking to tour europe for a year , if its still there by the time i go? for space comfort and a decent load capacity i am considering a swap from the trusty old hymer to a RV, i have concluded so far it must be petrol/lpg, what i need to know is some proper actuall fact based running costs, not inflated saleman never achievable fuel figures, so a best and worst fuel figure on petrol and lpg please? is lpg easily available? credit card payments ok? any type of rv to ingnore and engine type that may be problematic? and any other general info on do's and donts re rv's ie size weight acces toll routes etc much ablidged

[olley]

Hi slow coach, theirs only two petrol engines to choose from, Ford or GM, theirs not much to choose between them so I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor. MPG on petrol, even with a very light foot I doubt you will get much over 10mpg, on LPG maybe 8mpg depending on the conversion.

 

LPG is available everywhere in varying quantities except Finland, which doesn't have any for private use. Counties where its not so common are Spain about 60-70 outlets, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Denmark and Sweden. You can get it in these counties but you may have alter your route to find it. Plenty of POI's for satnav's available and google maps like mine here: http://goo.gl/maps/V1aY :-D

 

Payment at most is the same as petrol/Diesel CC or cash. Some manly older outlets in Spain are cash only, This may be the case elsewhere. Occasionally you may not be able to reach the pumps due to the height of the RV.

 

Grandfather rights licence holders can drive up to 7.5t, otherwise its a "C1" or "C" test. Most RV's under 30' are under 7.5t including some single and double slide ones, but some have been downrated from 18,000 so compromising the payload, something to watch for. Some RV's are advertised as being under 7.5t when they absolutely are not, a couple on ebay right now, so becareful its your licence.

 

If you intend to do plenty of travelling I would stick to around the 30' or less length, the longer you go the harder it becomes to find sites that will take you. Many "A" class built since around 2000 are 102" wide or slightly more, making going through the tolls here and abroad a challenge. :-) lorries are usually no more than about 96" so your up to 6" wider,

 

Ian