Buying my first Motorhome - help needed

[Dennisthemenace]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to motorhomes and I'm determined to buy one this spring. I've wanted to do it for ages, so here goes.

However, I've spent months on the internet and visiting dealers sites, but all to no avail. WHICH ONE to buy ?. The more I see the more I'm confused . I've seen some really rubbish ones and many the wrong layout. So I thought I might ask you experts which one to go for.

Here is my list of must haves -

Maximum budget £27000

Overall length -- no more than 22 feet

Fixed bed or rear kitchen

Over cab storage

Bike rack

Awning

Good kitchen layout

Mint condition

Well serviced

Low mileage.

Any good suggestions would be appreciated please.

 

[PJay]

Sounds like our layout!! We have a swift Sundance.2006

I would not go for a fixed bed in a van 22ft long. I like the rear end kitchen as it keeps the cooking out of the way With your budget you will be looking for something 5 or more years old (I would think) There are some good well loved vans out there, keep googleing !

PJay

[lennyhb]

Do you have C1 category on your driving license? If not you will be restricted to a gross weight of 3500kg, this will restrict your choice if you want a decent payload.

 

Is the length restriction due to parking limitation if not another foot or two will give a lot more choice. Why over cab storage assuming there are only two of you why not go for a van with a garage, over cab bed vans are not as stable and effected by side winds more than low profile or A Class vans.

 

Fixed bed is a good choice we wouldn't have a van without one we also prefer a fixed table, the kitchen is always a compromise in a Motorhome, you learn to adapt, a good shower is more important to us.

You can always fit an awning later, be aware they weigh about 40 -45kg which reduces your payload.

 

Low mileage - very unlikely to find a Motorhome with anything else, don't be swayed by very low mileage vans a well used van is likely to be a better buy than one that's spent most of it's life sitting around.

 

In your price range I would go for an older quality German van rather than a UK built one that has a high possibility of damp problems.

 

If you don't mind LHD have a look here

 

Have you thought about hiring before buying, although we were experienced caravaners we still hired a couple of vans before deciding which layout suited us best. As we wanted a Hymer we hired in Germany as it was half the cost of hiring in the UK.

[lynneroy]

Hi, good luck with your hunt, I did a lot of research before we bought ours just in time for Christmas. You don't say how many travelling seats you need, very difficult to find fixed bed and comfy sofas if you need more than 2. We needed 3 and we definitely wanted a fixed bed and wanted to stay at 6 metres for convenience, love our new van and lounge on the bed watching films in bad weather, but most people want lounging sofas. Eventually decided on the Elddis Accordo 125, We have a garage for folding bikes, easier than a bike rack for us. There are a few nice rapidos if you can find one in nice condition, and we also fancied the Autocruise star seeker, we did a lot of miles looking around, but perhaps a visit to the NEC next month would be worth while for you to decide on your favourite layout.

 

Enoy our search ;-)

[Guest Joe90]

Rapido 7087, fully loaded and very well built compared to many vans.

 

Mileage would be less of a concern to me, low doesn't always equate to well looked after.

[multiplamum]

We bought our first mh last year after months of research. We finally decided what we wanted - this included a fixed bed and a length of around 6m. We finally found what we wanted on line after hours and hours of research and then managed to find one for sale. We hated it! While at the dealers the salesman suggested we looked at another small mh which we only looked at to be polite as it had no fixed bed. It was a Bessacarr e510 and we knew nothing about them at all. We loved it, we bought it and spent 10 weeks in it in France in the summer and it was perfect! It's easy to convert the sofas to beds in a few seconds and in the day time it feels light, airy and spacious and it fits into a car parking space. The moral of my tale ..... Don't be too fixed on a fixed bed, especially in a small mh, and look at everything, even if it doesn't fulfill your criteria. You may be pleasantly surprised - just like we were

[Ian2000]

I would agree that if you can hire a couple of vans before you buy (even if only for a few days) this will give you some valuable insights on what works for you and what features may be a an inconvenience / compromise too far. We have ordered a fixed bed panelvan (6m) to replace our VW California primarily :

 

- to give us more space if confined to the van in poorer weather in the UK

- onboard facilities (tired of the early morning trip to the site facilities, and also to facilitate using

smaller CL sites, aires etc)

- we wanted to replicate the large 'garage' space at the rear of the van. Because the bed is raised we

will also now be able to carry bikes (front wheel removed) under the bed, together with camping

chairs etc. etc.

- we would have struggled to park a larger van on our drive

 

We looked at lots of vans / layouts, and liked for example the new autotrail vline vans, but were concerned about the storage available and also in the 2 models without a fixed bed the 'made-up' beds were quite firm. This is one area you should check thoroughly. In the California we much preferred the bed in the rising roof (which was on sprung wooden slats), because the downstairs bed (made up quite easily from the rear seat bench) was very firm even with a mattress topper. When we 'tested' some of the 'made-up' beds in other vans my wife especially found these too uncomfortable.

 

So although we werent too concerned about making the beds up each night, we found the fixed bed won on comfort (as well as convenience).

 

Good luck with your search.

[HymerVan]

We have had three vans in 12 years the first two with fixed beds. Our logic in selection was that you spend most time in the van sleeping and second most driving, As to length there are distinct advantages in being below 6 metres both in drivability/parkability and tolls etc. Combining these two will mean compromises in the lounging department. We realised this had become more important when sore backs emerged from using the cab seats to lounge on an extended trip.

As regards overcab storage I am not sure if this takes you to a van with a proper overcab bed (luton style) or you just want an overcab locker (which you will get in a low profile). A luton will cost in fuel consumption especially if you are doing long trips.

You should carefully assess your needs as regards equipment and personal possessions and hone down how much storage you really need. Additionally don't go mad in the first few weeks buying indispensable accessories which you don't need and won't use, but rather assess your needs as you go along. There are a few basics of course such as levelling blocks hook up cable water hose etc.

We use Duvalays (a combined memory foam mattress and duvet/sleeping bag). These live on the back seats of the van when travelling and the cab seats on site. They can be rolled out to make bed(s) in literally seconds so not having a fixed bed may not actually be a problem.

As regards a "good kitchen" I appreciate that some people want to cook creatively and perhaps extensively on site but we adopt the European approach that limited facilities are fine (two rings and a grill). Perfectly adequate simple meals can be prepared which is al we want when on holiday. We can sample local cuisine in eating places if we want more. We have never had a van with an oven and we think many people don't actually use them.

Your "perfect" van will be a compromise they always are but your analytical approach is the correct one.

As regards the awning and bike rack it would cost perhaps £1000+ to retrofit these but if you are negotiating to buy a van which doesn't have them you can use this a a bargaining tool. The dealer may be prepared to put them on as part of the deal (he can buy the items at trade prices).

Finally as a first time buyer don't pay the windscreen price which is there to allow the dealer to give an (apparently) generous trade-in to a purchaser with a vehicle to trade in. Haggle like hell and don't show any sign of desperation to buy a particular vehicle (self discipline needed !!).

Very best of luck with your quest and keep looking. The right van for you is out there albeit it won't necessarily be what you initially expected.

[lennyhb]

HymerVan - 2015-01-21 9:07 AM

 

We realised this had become more important when sore backs emerged from using the cab seats to lounge on an extended trip.

.

 

Don't be put off a van that has the cab seats as the main lounge seats, the level of comfort depends on quality of the seat.

Our last van had ISRI seats and they were very good for driving & lounging, current van has Augi seats and they are excellent, would want to use any other seat in the van.

If the van has standard Ford or Fiat seat it may not be so good but seats are easily changed.

[Guest Joe90]

We too have non standard cab seats, which are Aguti seats with twin upholstered arms, turns the useless cab area into two very comfortable semi reclining chairs, and maximises your space, so something to look out for as others have said ;-)

[Dennisthemenace]

Thank you for your comments - great help

[Dennisthemenace]

Hi Lenny

I appreciate your thoughts - hope I find a good van !!

[Dennisthemenace]

A big thank you to everyone who posted help and comments here regarding me trying to find a decent mh - fingers crossed I do. Thank you all.

[rogher]

Hello Dennis. I’ve only just started using looking at this forum (and, so far, it looks good) but I do have several years’ experience.

I’d suggest that you narrow down on a particular layout first or the choice will be overwhelming. It won’t be easy without any experience. It’s a personal decision, depending on what is important to you, and everyone else is different. Look at as many vans as you can. You’ll soon get to know which ones ‘wear well’ and start to be able to assess their value yourself. I often think that the first vehicle we purchased was the best. It may have been more luck than judgment. As HymerVan says, there will need to be compromises.

Whichever you choose, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it.

[Greenman14]

You could consider an electric bed, easy to put up or should that be put down? And has a proper mattress. We just bought after looking at a lot of layouts and the fixed bed models in that size were to limited in space. The upside was loads of storage if that floats your boat. I would take lebensraum ove storage though.