Impossible combination?

[colin]

JudgeMental - 2013-10-10 4:58 PM

 

Indeed Derek but we have seen the arrogance of some "my home is my castle" advocates on here many times....

 

if you want a van conversion and want to carry 5, your not going to achieve that in a 6 metre van. the van i posted is 6336 mm, not much more than a foot longer,something has to give. but i agree in principal.....

 

my 6 meter van works well as a 2nd vehicle even in London. and I decided to stick with the 6 even though had gone to show fully intending to buy a 636...2 days ruminating at show changed my mind...but there are only the two of us, although kids fly over and join us from time to time, hence the pop up tent fixed under our bed...

 

But as I posted Eddie, just about any can can carry 5 using a twin passenger front seat, I must admit to not considering payload and more importantly with 5 up front axle loading, so a Maxi chassis might be best as the front axle will cope, and it can be purchased (or paperwork exisise) at 4t GVW.

Now interestingly the age of children would make a PVC a good bet, in a year or two they will be going their own way most of the time freeing up space.

[Mel B]

I would be careful about the 'twin front seat' option (ie replacing the front passenger seat with a bench seat) simply because you'll need the front seats to swivel to be able to use the table for meals - I doubt if you'd be able to swivel the driver's seat with a bench seat next to it.

 

Others have already mentioned some very sensible things to think about, however if you didn't want the expense of a camper van and caravan, you could instead look at a minibus/MPV and caravan as I suggested which would be cheaper. You could still take a portable cooker with you in a minibus/MPV to be able to make a cuppa and a simply meal; you'd just have to remember to take the bits and pieces you'd need with you.

 

As you've been using a trailer tent I assume your kids like being on a campsite and making use of the facilities, playing with other kids etc, so you'll be 'static' for most of the time. With a MH if you wanted some provisions etc you'd have to pack up your MH and either leave the kids on site without a 'base' or drag them away from what they're doing whereas a minibus/pvc/camper and caravan combination would mean those left on site would still have the caravan to use. Also, if one of you wanted to have an hour or two out on your own (going out to take some photos for example) again they'd have the caravan to use. If you had a small camper you'd still be able to buzz off for the day and work in it.

 

Give some very serious thought to how you'd use the MH and what you'd want to take with you; how realistic is it that you would be able to just drop everything and go away for the weekend; do you like to go to out of the way places with restricted access (ie narrow roads etc), into villages or towns ... driving and parking a large MH in these sorts of situations can be 'fun' to put it mildly!

 

I note your wife isn't keen on towing a caravan but, in my personal view, unless you will be going away mostly without the kids, it seems to make more sense than a large MH with the complications and restrictions that can bring - they still need some preparation before you depart, just as you would with other holiday kit. I also note your comments about the time it took to put up the trailer tent, however, even a caravan can be quick to set-up if you want it to be - some people take as long to sort out a motorhome as people pitching massive family tents, others can do it in a couple of minutes.

 

Perhaps having a family 'pow-wow' would be a good idea to see just how likely it is that your kids would want to go away with you all the time especially as the way you spend your time in a MH could be different from what they are used to or would want. It is lovely that they still want to be with you but it is very likely that that won't last for much longer unfortunately, if you are then 'stuck' with a large motorhome which only the two of you are likely to use most of the time, it could prove to be a real pain. You have to seriously research and give lots of though to all of this before 'jumping' in to MH ownership (I'm not saying you aren't already!) as it could prove to be a very, very expensive mistake if you get it wrong.

[philiphd77]

OK that's cool. Hope they have them at NEC. Are they being sold as Globecar in the UK?

 

Phil.

 

Ummm - meant the Possl - didn't turn up at the right point in the post!

[philiphd77]

Hi again. Another set of useful info and google fodder. The Puck idea is interesting - wonder if Mrs Phil would be more comfortable towing that. One of those & a small camper van could be a possibility. Wondering seriously if we are 10 years too early for the MH.

 

And, OK, I have to ask: What does PVC stand for?

 

Phil.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Brock - 2013-10-09 10:35 PM

 

We had two boys who shared a two man tent outside the motorhome. However, they still came into the motorhome for the toilet and meals plus one night when there was a risk of their tent being flooded. You do not say how old your children are but if there are three [same gender?] and they are young, you might need a berth in the motorhome for when one feels unwell or falls out with the others.

 

 

if its still a panel van you fancy I still think the possl/globecar 4 family model (not the L) with twin dinette for 4, and a passenger seat that swivels works far better as a practical panel van. As well as seating for 6 there are 2 double beds, so while travelling/staying on Aires, bad weather all could sleep in van, then tents when you arrive....can be bought here or in Europe, as we are still in the European open market, or at least for now!*-)

 

http://tinyurl.com/l4bebfc

[crinklystarfish]

philiphd77 - 2013-10-10 11:40 PM

 

Hi again. Another set of useful info and google fodder. The Puck idea is interesting - wonder if Mrs Phil would be more comfortable towing that. One of those & a small camper van could be a possibility. Wondering seriously if we are 10 years too early for the MH.

 

And, OK, I have to ask: What does PVC stand for?

 

Phil.

 

Panel Van Conversion.

 

The VW / Puck combination is popular among younger / surfy types and there are some seriously good looking and hyper-cool combinations knocking about.

 

Best of both worlds. You'll hardly know it's there and they are esoteric enough to sidestep the perceived 'stigma'.

 

I dare say looking in Google images or similar will give you an idea.

[colin]

philiphd77 - 2013-10-10 11:40 PM

 

Hi again. Another set of useful info and google fodder. The Puck idea is interesting - wonder if Mrs Phil would be more comfortable towing that. One of those & a small camper van could be a possibility. Wondering seriously if we are 10 years too early for the MH.

 

And, OK, I have to ask: What does PVC stand for?

 

Phil.

 

PVC, Panel Van Conversion.

Most younger people seem to have VW Transporters, and when we got rid of our VW one of the family did say "Your getting old now", but we've had several VW owners and surfers come and admire our van.

[Derek Uzzell]

philiphd77 - 2013-10-10 11:23 PM

 

OK that's cool. Hope they have them at NEC. Are they being sold as Globecar in the UK?

 

Phil.

 

Ummm - meant the Possl - didn't turn up at the right point in the post!

 

Possls and Globecars are essentially the same (rather like Swifts and Bessacarrs). In other countries both brands are marketed but (as far as I'm aware) only Globecars are officially marketed here.

 

UK Globecar dealerships are listed here:

 

http://www.globecar.de/de/haendlersuche.html?Land=12

 

The Globecar model that has up to 6 belted seats is the "Familyscout" and you can download relevant details from the same website.

 

(For what it's worth, a few years ago the "Familyscout" used to be available on a Renault Master chassis.)

[Brock]

'Derek's Brownhills salesman' is quite right. There is an established management process for comparing options that focuses on 'must haves' and 'wants'. Nothing is considered unless it fully meets the 'must haves'. Those that do are then scored against each other using the 'wants'. For the scoring, the 'wants' are weighted so if having a nice decor is more important than a leak proof reputation, nice decor gets a higher weighting.

 

The process guarantees a 100% success rate if used properly and as at the time the decision was made. Apart from using it at work for the last 20+ years, though less so more recently as better processes exist for making decisions in rapidly changing times, I've used it successfully for the caravans and motorhomes I've bought in the last 23 years. Never regretted one of those decisions which all stood the test of time. When buying caravans and motorhomes, I always add an emotional 'must have' or 'wants' such as "feel's right', "looks good", "missus keen" .

 

In Phil's case, I would start with writing a very clear objective of what he is trying to achieve such as "I want to solve the problem of ...." or "I want to create an opportunity to ...." In my case, initially I wanted to create an opportunity for better family holidays when I was given a company car and switched to motorhoming when I was trying to solve the problem of having all the benefits of touring with less of the caravanning hassle when my company car changed every 6 months.

 

My eldest stopped coming away with us when he was 18, my youngest when he was 16. The covenant, if enforceable, would restrict the use of a motorhome as a second vehicle unless stored very close by.

[Guest JudgeMental]

philiphd77 - 2013-10-10 11:23 PM

 

OK that's cool. Hope they have them at NEC. Are they being sold as Globecar in the UK?

 

Phil.

 

Ummm - meant the Possl - didn't turn up at the right point in the post!

 

worth checking with distributor if 4 Family model there.....but I would say unlikely, as UK market mainly aimed at couples. floor space at these shows expensive!, so probably only the most popular vans on show, but they may have at dealerships... probably a special order (they all are essentially) .......just ask

 

[PCC]

No-one has mentioned the Poessl / Globecar Concorde Compact which would seem to be a bit closer to your original brief. Much shorter (5.41m) than the Familyscout although quite a bit higher too. It does have 6 seats but finding space for your gear may be a bit of a challenge. IIRC it was tested by MMM or WM some time ago so is quite likely in the reviews section.

 

It strikes me that a simple VW conversion with a wide rear seat combined with a smallish caravan would answer a lot of your needs and could provide beds for everyone. A Porta-potti in the van for use during the night and a washrooom in the caravan for showering and, how shall I put it, more substantial use. This combination would also give you two lounge areas.

 

One thing to think about is the width of the rear seats - they can get a bit cosy and might not encourage harmony amongst the kids. My VW camper has a full width rear seat/bed and there is a good feeling of space. A number of converters could put something similar together. Based on a secondhand van the price could be reduced quite significantly, and if based on a Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafic it would come down even further (although you may feel that it would lack some of the cache that attaches to the VW). Rib and Reimo both make very nice full width seats which come complete with seat belts, are comfortable and crash tested.

 

Peter