Educate a clueless newbie please :)
Discussion
Hi All
Thoughts of the FamilyPBF are increasingly turning to the idea of a caravan or motorhome as a means to getting away a little more often than we do. I seem to spend all my time workign & need to redress the work/life balance a bit. We're only about 2 hrs (@ MH/Towing speeds) from the Lake District so plenty of nice spots within reasonable striking distance.
We're not going to be able to buy anything for a little while but hey, might get a good price buying in winter
But it's an area I'm fairly clueless on so please educate me with thoughts, tips & pointers on where to look for more info.
Budgets are tight here at the moment so there'd be probably only around £1000 - £1500 to spend, less would be good. (Just been looking ont he Elddis website & drooling. Two chances...)
Random questions/stream of consciousness follows...
We're both in our 40's with a 2½ year old - and I'm a pie eater so small spaces & tents are no longer my thing. (I've camped a bit years ago but wifey is a city girl who's growing to love the outdoors - no power for hairdryer is not an option though I've been told)
I'm open to either caravan or MH. Wife thinks small motorhomes are 'cute' but has rose tinted glasses!
I see a benefit of a caravan in being able to unhitch the car for local running once arrived but is that much of an issue? How do PH motorhome owners find it all works out?
Obviously as a PHer, I find the propect of another vehicle on the fleet enticing but you're obviously going to pay more than for an equivalent caravan.
What sort of things should I be looking for / expect to see damage/damp wise when looking at stuff in that price range - are they all going to be a bit borked?
Is it best to stick to campsites or is 'park-in-a-layby' an option?
What are site facilities like these days? Good places for kids?
What maintenance should I be looking to do on either a caravan or MH if bought second hand? Should I be thinking of cleaning out the water system for example? (or best to stick to bottled for drinking?) Where should I look for general info on how to fill the thing up with water, drain dirty water? What are the gas systems like?
See, told you I knew bugger all!
But any words of wisdom always gratefully received.
Thoughts of the FamilyPBF are increasingly turning to the idea of a caravan or motorhome as a means to getting away a little more often than we do. I seem to spend all my time workign & need to redress the work/life balance a bit. We're only about 2 hrs (@ MH/Towing speeds) from the Lake District so plenty of nice spots within reasonable striking distance.
We're not going to be able to buy anything for a little while but hey, might get a good price buying in winter
But it's an area I'm fairly clueless on so please educate me with thoughts, tips & pointers on where to look for more info.
Budgets are tight here at the moment so there'd be probably only around £1000 - £1500 to spend, less would be good. (Just been looking ont he Elddis website & drooling. Two chances...)
Random questions/stream of consciousness follows...
We're both in our 40's with a 2½ year old - and I'm a pie eater so small spaces & tents are no longer my thing. (I've camped a bit years ago but wifey is a city girl who's growing to love the outdoors
- no power for hairdryer is not an option though I've been told)I'm open to either caravan or MH. Wife thinks small motorhomes are 'cute' but has rose tinted glasses!
I see a benefit of a caravan in being able to unhitch the car for local running once arrived but is that much of an issue? How do PH motorhome owners find it all works out?
Obviously as a PHer, I find the propect of another vehicle on the fleet enticing but you're obviously going to pay more than for an equivalent caravan.
What sort of things should I be looking for / expect to see damage/damp wise when looking at stuff in that price range - are they all going to be a bit borked?
Is it best to stick to campsites or is 'park-in-a-layby' an option?
What are site facilities like these days? Good places for kids?
What maintenance should I be looking to do on either a caravan or MH if bought second hand? Should I be thinking of cleaning out the water system for example? (or best to stick to bottled for drinking?) Where should I look for general info on how to fill the thing up with water, drain dirty water? What are the gas systems like?
See, told you I knew bugger all!
But any words of wisdom always gratefully received.
FiF said:
Can't help on caravans, but also suspect budget won't run to a motorhome.
Yup. Ideally I'd be wanting the sort of stuff that's £10 - £15k but that's a no-no at the moment.MrsPBF is convinced that something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-Traffic-Camperva... will be just fine...
What could possibly go wrong?
I think we'd get a lot more caravan for our money http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/elddis-wisp-400-4-1991-t... as a random choice.
Not going to be great at that money but might be good enough for a taster. Just need to find somewhere local for storage - and fit a tow hitch on the current jalopy. (old c200, should be capable of towing average size caravans ok).
Gassing Station | Tents, Caravans & Motorhomes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff