NZ Travellers Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 We are 2 travelers from New Zealand who would like to purchase a motor home. Our intention is to probably purchase sooner rather than later from a registered dealer We are not intending to arrive in the UK until June/July .as the weather far too nice over here at the moment. We have been told that it is probably a better idea to purchase now instead of waiting until we arrive later on this year. We are rather green at this motor home caper and would like some advice . Currently considering 2 six berth motor homes – a 2011 swift Escape and the other is 2011 auto quest prestige . What are your thoughts on which is the better model . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 If you are green you may not be aware that obtaining insurance may be a major problem if you do not have a British passport and/or a permanent provable address in the UK. It could be different with New Zealand but our Australian friends found only one company willing to quote and at an exorbitant rate particularly as they are civil servants in their 50's with full no claims There have been a number of posts on this topic in the past. Do not let your heart rule and commit to a purchase until you have it written in blood that they will insure you and at an acceptable premium.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi. Welcome abord. you havent stated you ages, or whether you NZdriving licences are fully equivalent to current UK and EU requirements. Over 70 years old limits the size /weight of van you can drive on a CAR type licence to 3500kg gross weight, do check that you driving licences permit you to drive the size and weight of vehicle you are complating. as already mentioned, check out fully insurance requirements , and if you are considering going to europe as well as uk, that might also give you problems to check out.. dont forget that europe drive on the "wrong side", so if you intend to spend time there more than uk, you shoud consider a left hand drive van as an option.. not easy to find one for sale in uk, so you would have to look to a european dealer, and that might cause further insurance and driving licence hassle as well as language issues.. Wish you every success in doing the research, and have a very pleasant and safe trip when you get here. tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi and welcome As has been said already. Lot's of things to consider when buying in UK, and not being a resident. As well as licence/insurance , there will also be MOT on any vehicle over 3 years old, which has to be done annually , in UK don't say how long you intend to stay/travel , as if only a short time, then maybe cheaper to hire, or buy from a dealer with a guaranteed buy back. We had friends come over from NZ , and stayed for 18 months.They bought an old van, travelled around Uk and Spain/France , and on return sold van on. He was born here, and was able to stay and therefore use his parents address, re insurance etc.I believe there was some problem with insurance, due to his NZ licence, but did get it sorted in the end. You will need to do plenty of research, before you come over. By the way the weather is reasonably mild here in the south of England, but plenty snow/rain in the north and Scotland Do keep on asking your questions on here, as people will try and help you , but do give a bit more info, if possible PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Travellers Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Thanks for your help , I had better add a bit more information for you. Myself MF ( mere female) will turn 64 this year and was born in the UK . Very fortunate to have a British and NZ passport. All my family still live in either England or Wales . The other half - MM ( Mere Male ) is not so fortunate he only has a NZ passport and will turn 65 this year . We both have NZ drivers licenses for a standard car but MM has also a heavy traffic which allows him to drive trucks and buses but no passengers . We have both driven extensively on the continent plus in the US and Canada so quite confident driving on a different side of the road. Strangely enough we also owned a left hand drive car in NZ so reasonably flexible with change. Our intention is to purchase this year , get used to the vehicle and its quirks etc in the UK for about 4 weeks then return to NZ. 2017 is the big year when we are going to travel throughout Europe for about 4 months. Back home for the summer then back again in 2018 . If we have enjoyed motor homing then we are thinking about shipping the vehicle back to NZ . Hope this tells you all a bit more about us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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