American RV's, how big??

[Guest stuart craine]

I am currently researching the market with a view to buying a second hand rv. Ultimately we will want to live in it for 3 to 6 months per year in Spain, France, Italy etc, we don't intend to travel around too much, perhaps spending 2-4 weeks on site at any one time. My biggest concern about going American is the length, no problem with driving it but, how acceptable are they on sites? Would we be restricted in site choice if we went over 30' All responses and any info on owning an rv would be gratefully accepted.

[Guest MelE]

If you buy a 30ft+ American, you need to check 2 things very carefully: (1) that the Maximum Authorise Mass (MAM - used to be called GVW) is no more than 7500 KGs, or you cannot drive it without an HGV licence and, (2) that it is not a model that exceeds UK and European road width rules - many US RVs do. And yes, you will be restricted in choice of camp sites - quite often by the access rather than the site operator. But why go for an RV? Yes, they seem larger than European motorhomes, but they are often not that much bigger inside - the American layout designs often make very poor use of the available space. And you do not need a huge vehicle to live in for 3 months, especially when, even in winter in southern Spain, you'll be spending the most part of most days outside the vehicle. Have a look at some of the European A Class motorhomes such a Hymer, Mobilvetta, Frankia (who do US-style slide-outs). Yes they can appear more expensive than the US ones, but they hold their value much, much better!

[Guest stuart craine]

What appeals to me most about RV's is the feeling of space, especially with the slide outs. On the negative side I think an RV would be just too big for occasional weekend use. Thanks for your feedback. I'll definitely have a look at all options before taking the plunge.

[Guest Mark Barfield]

Have spent a fair bit of time in France using a wide variety of sites and I think in many you would not have much of a chance of getting in. Have seen British plated US RV's on three occasions in france, once when the ownere was struggling to get out of a site near futurescope (CC Approved), once at a service station when a guy had wiped it againt the barrier trying to get LPG into the tanks and once at an Aire when the guy said he could find nowhere that could accomodate him. I did fance a vehicle like this but have been put off by these three experiences.

[Guest tom silver]

We to looked at RVs but decided on a pilote 78mx as it had the space for two + two dogs at one stage over christmas there was seven of us (not all staying overnight though) we are working up to our next trip which will be about 4/5 weeks round Scotland may/june then france/spain/italy August/November and dont see any problem!