Looking At Buying First Motorhome, Advice!

[lfc_sarah]

Hello everyone! :-) Me and my family are looking at buying our first motorhome.

 

We are currently a family of three that's soon to be a family of four. We have a budget of £70,000.

 

We are quite interested in the Auto-trail Chieftain as it seems to meet what we are looking for.

Fitted bed, over cab bed and quite large storage for my husbands fishing stuff, I also quite like the layout.

 

Obviously it's a big decision on which motorhome to go for, I'm sure there are advantages and disadvantages to quite a few and we are also concerned about how child car seats would fit in? More for the baby than our 6 year old as he will just have a booster. Would the car seat need to go in the passenger seat at the front?

 

To us, buying a motorhome has been a sort of dream, something that we have always wanted to do. We are in our late 20's but definitely old before our time and love the countryside and camping in different places. :-) My husband is in the army so whenever he gets some time off and is home we like to spend time as a family in a different part of the country usually. We have had quite a few negative comments on getting a motorhome and it's hard not to listen but obviously these people have never owned or even been in a motorhome. My mum lives on a barge boat and travels and that sort of lifestyle to us just seems perfect but we have chosen against that as personally I would be worried on water with small children. A motorhome seems to be our best fit.

 

I had better stop waffling on now.

I would appreciate any advice, thank you, Sarah.

[maggyd]

Hi I wouldn't like to influence your decision on what motorhome to buy :-S as there are so many out there to choose from.

 

My advise would be though is to not go for the biggest van as its your first and they do have there drawbacks ie; small narrow roads parking etc; just get one with good facilities ask on a specificic van you have in mind, that way it narrows the field.

 

The CHILD SEAT our van has a warning not to put a child seat on the front passenger seat (AIR BAGS) so its important that you find a van that will take on safely ~THIS is another important point to check for.

 

Good luck with your research I know you will love the life a lot easier than we had with our 4 young children :-D frame tents and trailer tents (lol) but that was in the 60s and 70s and we did have a great outdoor life, you cant beat it with young children.

[Guest Had Enough]

Payload, payload & payload!

 

Many people choose motorhomes on the layout, furniture and fittings etc. and never consider usable payload. It's going to be difficult to get all your family and its accoutrements into a 'van with a maximum weight of 3500 kg.

 

Once you have a 'van that's over 3500 kg you're into a a whole new ball game and at your age will have to acquire a C1 licence, which will mean passing a test.

 

I'm no expert on this as people such as me who passed their driving test before 1997 are allowed to drive heavier vehicles without an extra test. We have some members on here who are experts and will be along soon.

 

Driving a motorhome that is overloaded is an offence and may nullify your insurance so your first research should be on checking out the gross weight of any 'van that interests you and checking its usable payload. I haven't checked out the Autotrail that you're considering by the way. I'm not sure what category it's in.

 

 

[lfc_sarah]

maggyd - 2014-10-09 12:03 PM

 

Hi I wouldn't like to influence your decision on what motorhome to buy :-S as there are so many out there to choose from.

 

My advise would be though is to not go for the biggest van as its your first and they do have there drawbacks ie; small narrow roads parking etc; just get one with good facilities ask on a specificic van you have in mind, that way it narrows the field.

 

The CHILD SEAT our van has a warning not to put a child seat on the front passenger seat (AIR BAGS) so its important that you find a van that will take on safely ~THIS is another important point to check for.

 

Good luck with your research I know you will love the life a lot easier than we had with our 4 young children :-D frame tents and trailer tents (lol) but that was in the 60s and 70s and we did have a great outdoor life, you cant beat it with young children.

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely take your advice on board! We will be researching motorhomes properly to make sure that it is right for our family. First step posting on here I guess!

Your dogs (If they are your dogs in your avatar) are adorable! We have a Pomeranian called Riley.

http://tinypic.com/r/21l0281/8

[lfc_sarah]

Had Enough - 2014-10-09 12:15 PM

 

Payload, payload & payload!

 

Many people choose motorhomes on the layout, furniture and fittings etc. and never consider usable payload. It's going to be difficult to get all your family and its accoutrements into a 'van with a maximum weight of 3500 kg.

 

Once you have a 'van that's over 3500 kg you're into a a whole new ball game and at your age will have to acquire a C1 licence, which will mean passing a test.

 

I'm no expert on this as people such as me who passed their driving test before 1997 are allowed to drive heavier vehicles without an extra test. We have some members on here who are experts and will be along soon.

 

Driving a motorhome that is overloaded is an offence and may nullify your insurance so your first research should be on checking out the gross weight of any 'van that interests you and checking its usable payload. I haven't checked out the Autotrail that you're considering by the way. I'm not sure what category it's in.

 

 

Thank you very much for your reply.

My husband has done all of his licences through the army so he does have a C1 licence already. We looked at that too.

The category of this particular motorhome is C1-Licence <7500Kg.

[Guest Had Enough]

lfc_sarah - 2014-10-09 12:30 PM

 

Had Enough - 2014-10-09 12:15 PM

 

Payload, payload & payload!

 

Many people choose motorhomes on the layout, furniture and fittings etc. and never consider usable payload. It's going to be difficult to get all your family and its accoutrements into a 'van with a maximum weight of 3500 kg.

 

Once you have a 'van that's over 3500 kg you're into a a whole new ball game and at your age will have to acquire a C1 licence, which will mean passing a test.

 

I'm no expert on this as people such as me who passed their driving test before 1997 are allowed to drive heavier vehicles without an extra test. We have some members on here who are experts and will be along soon.

 

Driving a motorhome that is overloaded is an offence and may nullify your insurance so your first research should be on checking out the gross weight of any 'van that interests you and checking its usable payload. I haven't checked out the Autotrail that you're considering by the way. I'm not sure what category it's in.

 

 

Thank you very much for your reply.

My husband has done all of his licences through the army so he does have a C1 licence already. We looked at that too.

The category of this particular motorhome is C1-Licence <7500Kg.

 

We had a visitor call and I didn't have the time to check the Chieftain. You're not going to have any payload problems with that! It's a biggie! Good luck with your research and do consider a top German brand, such as Hymer as well.

 

If your holidays will be in the UK RHD is fine but if, like me, you are going to spend more time in Europe you may consider something like the ones in this link - top 'vans at a big saving.

 

http://edgehillmotorhomes.co.uk/

 

I'm going to look at one on Saturday but not the plus £100K ones though!

 

 

[kelly58]

If its an Autotrail you are interested in  Autotrail allow factory tours at the Grimsby Factory on the last Thursday and Friday of each month a 3hr tour usually starts at 10am ( check their website ) another great opportunity to get some ideas make a visit to the NEC Motorhome Show later this month.

[maggyd]

lfc_sarah - 2014-10-09 12:21 PM

 

maggyd - 2014-10-09 12:03 PM

 

Hi I wouldn't like to influence your decision on what motorhome to buy :-S as there are so many out there to choose from.

 

My advise would be though is to not go for the biggest van as its your first and they do have there drawbacks ie; small narrow roads parking etc; just get one with good facilities ask on a specificic van you have in mind, that way it narrows the field.

 

The CHILD SEAT our van has a warning not to put a child seat on the front passenger seat (AIR BAGS) so its important that you find a van that will take on safely ~THIS is another important point to check for.

 

Good luck with your research I know you will love the life a lot easier than we had with our 4 young children :-D frame tents and trailer tents (lol) but that was in the 60s and 70s and we did have a great outdoor life, you cant beat it with young children.

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely take your advice on board! We will be researching motorhomes properly to make sure that it is right for our family. First step posting on here I guess!

Your dogs (If they are your dogs in your avatar) are adorable! We have a Pomeranian called Riley.

http://tinypic.com/r/21l0281/8

 

Hi Sarah? :-D Yes those two little mutts are mine an 8 year old and 4 yr old long haired Chihuahua,s I was looking for a Pomeranian as company for Teddy but found this little terror we have called Tilly, they also love the van and get really excited when they see us packing it , Tilly has just had her rabies booster to-day :-D I hope you are taking little one with you she is adorable.

 

Enjoy your motorhome hunt I did. ;-)

[Guest Joe90]

You don't indicate how you plan to use your intended purchase, but you will find the larger the vehicle, the more restrictive it will be, especially in the UK.

Many tag axle owners tow a car, or have other means of transport, enabling them whilst staying on a site to explore further afield.

UK car parks and roadside parking bays conform to a certain size, there is rarely any provision for larger vehicles, so you may want to factor that it. The smaller CL type sites rarely have hard standing, a heavy motorhome stuck in a muddy field is not the best experience, been there, done it, as they say.

 

I'm bound to say having had a tiny old pop top van years ago, with two small children, our enjoyment was in no way diminished by the tiny accommodation, and if it was me for all the reasons above I'd buy something considerably smaller, you could always add to your real estate if staying on sites with an awning.

[lfc_sarah]

Had Enough - 2014-10-09 1:00 PM

 

lfc_sarah - 2014-10-09 12:30 PM

 

Had Enough - 2014-10-09 12:15 PM

 

Payload, payload & payload!

 

Many people choose motorhomes on the layout, furniture and fittings etc. and never consider usable payload. It's going to be difficult to get all your family and its accoutrements into a 'van with a maximum weight of 3500 kg.

 

Once you have a 'van that's over 3500 kg you're into a a whole new ball game and at your age will have to acquire a C1 licence, which will mean passing a test.

 

I'm no expert on this as people such as me who passed their driving test before 1997 are allowed to drive heavier vehicles without an extra test. We have some members on here who are experts and will be along soon.

 

Driving a motorhome that is overloaded is an offence and may nullify your insurance so your first research should be on checking out the gross weight of any 'van that interests you and checking its usable payload. I haven't checked out the Autotrail that you're considering by the way. I'm not sure what category it's in.

 

 

Thank you very much for your reply.

My husband has done all of his licences through the army so he does have a C1 licence already. We looked at that too.

The category of this particular motorhome is C1-Licence <7500Kg.

 

We had a visitor call and I didn't have the time to check the Chieftain. You're not going to have any payload problems with that! It's a biggie! Good luck with your research and do consider a top German brand, such as Hymer as well.

 

If your holidays will be in the UK RHD is fine but if, like me, you are going to spend more time in Europe you may consider something like the ones in this link - top 'vans at a big saving.

 

http://edgehillmotorhomes.co.uk/

 

I'm going to look at one on Saturday but not the plus £100K ones though!

 

 

Thank you, I will indeed take a look at Hymer also!

[lfc_sarah]

kelly58 - 2014-10-09 1:01 PM

 

If its an Autotrail you are interested in  Autotrail allow factory tours at the Grimsby Factory on the last Thursday and Friday of each month a 3hr tour usually starts at 10am ( check their website ) another great opportunity to get some ideas make a visit to the NEC Motorhome Show later this month.

 

Thank you for the advice. I will have to keep that in mind.

Unfortunately my husband won't be home from Kenya when the NEC Motorhome show is on this time. I will have to keep a look out for the one after this! 8o|

[lfc_sarah]

maggyd - 2014-10-09 6:32 PM

 

lfc_sarah - 2014-10-09 12:21 PM

 

maggyd - 2014-10-09 12:03 PM

 

Hi I wouldn't like to influence your decision on what motorhome to buy :-S as there are so many out there to choose from.

 

My advise would be though is to not go for the biggest van as its your first and they do have there drawbacks ie; small narrow roads parking etc; just get one with good facilities ask on a specificic van you have in mind, that way it narrows the field.

 

The CHILD SEAT our van has a warning not to put a child seat on the front passenger seat (AIR BAGS) so its important that you find a van that will take on safely ~THIS is another important point to check for.

 

Good luck with your research I know you will love the life a lot easier than we had with our 4 young children :-D frame tents and trailer tents (lol) but that was in the 60s and 70s and we did have a great outdoor life, you cant beat it with young children.

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely take your advice on board! We will be researching motorhomes properly to make sure that it is right for our family. First step posting on here I guess!

Your dogs (If they are your dogs in your avatar) are adorable! We have a Pomeranian called Riley.

http://tinypic.com/r/21l0281/8

 

Hi Sarah? :-D Yes those two little mutts are mine an 8 year old and 4 yr old long haired Chihuahua,s I was looking for a Pomeranian as company for Teddy but found this little terror we have called Tilly, they also love the van and get really excited when they see us packing it , Tilly has just had her rabies booster to-day :-D I hope you are taking little one with you she is adorable.

 

Enjoy your motorhome hunt I did. ;-)

 

They are cuties! I love that they get excited! Hopefully Riley will be the same when it comes to us going away in our motorhome! We take him everywhere with us and I work from home so he's constantly by my side :-D

[lfc_sarah]

Joe90 - 2014-10-09 6:53 PM

 

You don't indicate how you plan to use your intended purchase, but you will find the larger the vehicle, the more restrictive it will be, especially in the UK.

Many tag axle owners tow a car, or have other means of transport, enabling them whilst staying on a site to explore further afield.

UK car parks and roadside parking bays conform to a certain size, there is rarely any provision for larger vehicles, so you may want to factor that it. The smaller CL type sites rarely have hard standing, a heavy motorhome stuck in a muddy field is not the best experience, been there, done it, as they say.

 

I'm bound to say having had a tiny old pop top van years ago, with two small children, our enjoyment was in no way diminished by the tiny accommodation, and if it was me for all the reasons above I'd buy something considerably smaller, you could always add to your real estate if staying on sites with an awning.

 

Thank you for your advice! We have done a lot of research on motorhomes already but we still have quite a bit to learn before we jump in and make a purchase of a particular motorhome! We will definitely be looking at towing our car with the motorhome when we travel, which the majority will be in the UK. We like to explore different places so having a car with us would make it possible for us to do that.

I'd imagine even a trip to a supermarket wouldn't be possible with just the motorhome. (!)

[colin]

May I suggest you hire a van first and see how you get on, as per Joe90 there are plenty of families in smaller vans who love them, VW T2's are very popular with families but myself think they are a bit too small.

Child seats can be a bit troublesome to fit in rear of motorhomes, you'll have to see how you get on, I think maggie might be getting confused (or I might be) I think it's only rear facing child seats that are a no go in most van front seats, but van (and handbook) are at 'new house' so can't check at moment,

[Don636]

Hi Sarah, We have owned a 30ft American RV, a large car/caravan and now a 6.36m panel van conversion so are familiar with a range of outfits. For me a key aspect of the decision making process was the type of touring that we wanted to do. At the moment we want to be ready to go at a moments notice, mainly for weekend trips, and want as little setting up hassle as possible. We also want to be able to explore out of the way places, perhaps on narrower roads and to have a vehicle we can use as a 'car' if necessary and be able to park it fairly easily. For us a panel van conversion fits this requirement best.

 

If you wanted to do this type of touring I think it would be quite difficult to do with an almost 9m tag axle motorhome plus a tow car behind. You would probably have to drive to a site, park up then drive around in the car. If this is the type of use that you envisage it may be that a caravan might be a better bet - have you considered this option? (I fully expect there to be cries of "burn him at the stake" for mentioning the 'C' word on this forum but I will risk it this once) If you are concerned about safety one advantage could be that your children might be safer strapped into a sturdy car rather than a relatively flimsy motorhome.

 

We had a caravan when our daughter was younger as we did not want to spend too much time driving around and felt that having a base was better. The disadvantage was that it had to be put into storage and I got fed up with all the hooking up, lengthier setting up on site and my wife's worries about stability, although this was never really a problem.

 

I much prefer a motorhome to a caravan but it all depends on your needs and what makes most sense for you. Anyway, food for thought and there will no doubt be some more feedback on the back of this.

 

Have fun whatever you do and good luck.

[Guest Joe90]

Don636 - 2014-10-09 9:39 PM

 

Hi Sarah, We have owned a 30ft American RV, a large car/caravan and now a 6.36m panel van conversion so are familiar with a range of outfits. For me a key aspect of the decision making process was the type of touring that we wanted to do. At the moment we want to be ready to go at a moments notice, mainly for weekend trips, and want as little setting up hassle as possible. We also want to be able to explore out of the way places, perhaps on narrower roads and to have a vehicle we can use as a 'car' if necessary and be able to park it fairly easily. For us a panel van conversion fits this requirement best.

 

If you wanted to do this type of touring I think it would be quite difficult to do with an almost 9m tag axle motorhome plus a tow car behind. You would probably have to drive to a site, park up then drive around in the car. If this is the type of use that you envisage it may be that a caravan might be a better bet - have you considered this option? (I fully expect there to be cries of "burn him at the stake" for mentioning the 'C' word on this forum but I will risk it this once) If you are concerned about safety one advantage could be that your children might be safer strapped into a sturdy car rather than a relatively flimsy motorhome.

 

We had a caravan when our daughter was younger as we did not want to spend too much time driving around and felt that having a base was better. The disadvantage was that it had to be put into storage and I got fed up with all the hooking up, lengthier setting up on site and my wife's worries about stability, although this was never really a problem.

 

I much prefer a motorhome to a caravan but it all depends on your needs and what makes most sense for you. Anyway, food for thought and there will no doubt be some more feedback on the back of this.

 

Have fun whatever you do and good luck.

 

Forgive me for butting in, but I think your post is simply excellent advice, a very nice van, and a comfortable and safe tow car that could be used all the time, with all todays safety features that a commercial van lacks would also be something if in that age range with small children I would certainly consider in preference to some lumbering great commercial vehicle the ride in which is hardly sophisticated, especially for small children.

[Brian Kirby]

I too echo the above advice.

 

One further consideration that will also cause a stir, is that nine metre van with its extra axle is already substantially heavier than the van it is based upon. To this you would have to add a towbar, and the weight of the car and perhaps a suitable trailer. IMO you're looking at north of a tonne, possibly close to 1,500kg. All that is to be propelled by the front wheels only of your van. You will have some difficulty getting on/off some sites, some sites simply won't take you, you will have difficulty with hill starts (wheelspin), more so under slippery conditions, and you will be running the whole power train at, or close to, its design maximum. Fine, to a point, if what you will do is cruise the autoroutes down to Spain and back annually, but not a happy recipe for cruising the UK with its narrow and often hilly roads.

 

For the cost of the motorhome you are considering, plus car, you could easily get a well made, spacious, trailer caravan, and a half decent 4x4 to tow it. Far be it for me to tell anyone else how to spend their money, but while you have a growing family, which will inevitably involve changing demands, the caravan looks to me a better bet. It will also be cheaper to change the van as and when necessary, while keeping the 4x4, than to change the motorhome. But, if you want to push your budget up to around £100K, there are some stonking 4x4 motorhomes that would be quite a home in Kenya. You could even drive the kids out for family holidays! :-D

[Don636]

It can be tricky travelling with babies in a motorhome or caravan when it comes to bedtime - where can they sleep safely? We once rented an RV in Australia and were able to convert a settee into a makeshift cot by using the cushions to block off the front so that our one year old was safely tucked up.

 

You could consider getting something with bunk beds as your older boy would no doubt love being on top and the lower bunk should be well enclosed. Bunks are also very space efficient in a family van. I have never looked at this type of arrangement myself but there must be some out there.

 

I have seen a video of a crash test that was run on a front dinette seat layout in a motorhome and the damage caused was frightening. It may have been run by Bailey but I can't remember. They then proceeded to make changes to the design but I would check out the safety of any rear travelling seat arrangements very carefully indeed and would not assume that it must be OK because the van cost £70k.

[Pampam]

Lfc sarah :- the thing is though if its a motorhome youve always dreamed of and NOT a caravan then id follow your dream and go for the motorhome ,cos for me the caravan just doesnt quite tick the box ! And if you can afford it get the chieftain but i would also follow the others advice and hire one first ,then youll get an idea of what you want in the day to day living in it : i would have loved one when my four were young (we had an ex army tent lol) itll be great! Cheers pp:) in the chieftain the large garage eats into your lounge living floor space :

[lfc_sarah]

Thank you for all of the replies. I have read and considered everything you have all said.

 

We have rented motorhomes previously. The first was a really old and small 3 birth of our friends and we loved that little holiday even though it was a little cramped. The second was a Bailey Approach Autograph 745 which I personally loved everything about it and we were really looking at a possible purchase but unfortunately my husband's fishing stuff just wouldn't fit without having a storage garage which is what brought us onto looking at the Autotrail Chieftain.

I'm quite aware that the garage part takes up some of the living room floor space and if it was down to just me I wouldn't go for that but that storage space is quite important to us as a family. We will definitely rent one before we make a purchase though. As it's quite expensive though, I'd rather be closer to a decision of which motorhome fits us a family to possibly buy before renting.

 

A caravan just isn't right for us. We have tried one of those too and it just didn't really have the same effect as a motorhome although it was lovely.

I guess that hill starts ect are a problem with the weight of a motorhome so that's definitely something important to look at.

[Mike88]

Don't whatever you do buy an Autotrail with a 2.3 engine as it will not be up to the job of pulling a tag axle vehicle. The 3 litre version should be fine.

[Symbol Owner]

The 2015 Chieftain comes with the 3-litre engine as standard, Mike.

 

C.

[Mike88]

Symbol Owner - 2014-10-10 12:28 PM

 

The 2015 Chieftain comes with the 3-litre engine as standard, Mike.

 

C.

 

I checked that before posting. As the 2015 version costs more than the £70k budget I had assumed that the op was looking for an older version. There are threads on motorhome forums about Autotrail's being underpowered on the smaller engine but I can't search as the process is just too difficult on my phone.

[Wasnt Me]

Hello

 

It looks like you have had some great advice hopefully I can add to it.

 

We have a young family (6 and 4 so not a baby) and we bought our MHome last year and have no regrets. Its perfect for our needs.

 

Noting you said about the garage space for fishing equipment. I think some one mentioned bunk beds before.

 

Some Mhomes, with bunk beds and a large garage at the rear. This could be ideal for your storage needs.

 

The bunk beds are fully enclosed an safe and fun for the kids. The lower one folds up also so can be used for larger items.

 

Also some Transit based vans are rear wheel drive and have two wheel per side, so this may help with the issue of traction.

 

 

Many of the European vans have a front lounge and fixed bed, giving you a large garage also. Albeit you loose the rear lounge and this may be important to you.

 

As for the safety of your younger child, it would probably be safest in the front. On the basis that any passenger air bag is switched off. If possible.

 

That option will not probably be that practical though, for travelling and looking after a young baby, on the move.

 

If you really want a Mhome then defo go for it, its great to just turn up and plug in an start your holiday ASAP.

 

 

Good luck

 

 

[maggyd]

colin - 2014-10-09 8:13 PM

 

May I suggest you hire a van first and see how you get on, as per Joe90 there are plenty of families in smaller vans who love them, VW T2's are very popular with families but myself think they are a bit too small.

Child seats can be a bit troublesome to fit in rear of motorhomes, you'll have to see how you get on, I think maggie might be getting confused (or I might be) I think it's only rear facing child seats that are a no go in most van front seats, but van (and handbook) are at 'new house' so can't check at moment,

 

 

(lol) I think its you Colin !! I cant miss it as its a bright red sticker attached to my sunvizer.

 

 

As regards the fishing gear, I have seen these roll boxes attached to the bike rack on the rear for the rods that is, all the other paraphernalia and I do know as my Sons are fishing addicts you would need a largish garage (smelly stuff) (lol) you don't want that in side Im sure.