Any other Motorhome owners here?
Discussion
Anyone else got a motorhome?
We have a Fiat Ducato 5 berth - picked it up on a private sale on ebay last August and had it over the channel 12 hours later on a whim - best holiday ever, and the kids think it's great.
Very heavy, very slow, very high (most scared I have ever been was doing 30mph down a windy M1 in it, and I have done 180+ in a couple of cars) but it's wicked fun.
We have a Fiat Ducato 5 berth - picked it up on a private sale on ebay last August and had it over the channel 12 hours later on a whim - best holiday ever, and the kids think it's great.
Very heavy, very slow, very high (most scared I have ever been was doing 30mph down a windy M1 in it, and I have done 180+ in a couple of cars) but it's wicked fun.
Garlick is partial to a home on wheels so i have heard 
I'm still on the fence where motorhomes and caravans are concerned. I've stayed and used both including small VW vans and a couple of mid size coach builts (Swift Kontiki) and also a couple of different caravans. Both positive and negative to say about both with a regular caravan just nipping ahead on money/comfort terms.
I think I would be more interested in a well kitted out day van (which could be used as a daily driver) and either carry a good tent or use the local travelodge for overnight excursions.
I think I would be more interested in a well kitted out day van (which could be used as a daily driver) and either carry a good tent or use the local travelodge for overnight excursions.
That looks smart,A Ci/Rollerteam of some description,loving the wing mirror to awning leg clothes line idea I use the bike rack for airing purposes!
Liking the folding chairs too,I lose deals on a regular basis because the punters are looking at a van that cant store their ludicrously huge garden chairs!
Liking the folding chairs too,I lose deals on a regular basis because the punters are looking at a van that cant store their ludicrously huge garden chairs!
nagsheadwarrior said:
Motorhome Salesman and I've taken most of my Holidays in borrowed stock vans for the last 10 years and Im only 31, one day every one will have one!
I really want to try this out. Now turned other side of 50 the back is too fragile for camping and reckon this may just be for me.What should I be looking for ? Tips and traps welcomed.
Farm boy said:
Tips and traps welcomed.
Damp and leaks.I'm currently replacing all the timber in the roof of my Talbot Express and some other bits of the frame. The seals on the sides need to be replaced every five years or so, nobody bothers so they dry out and start leaking. A neighbour's five year old van has started leaking this winter.
What's worse is the interior coverings are non porous so you don't know until the panels are actually rotten.
Get a damp meter if you're going to buy one.
Farm boy said:
nagsheadwarrior said:
Motorhome Salesman and I've taken most of my Holidays in borrowed stock vans for the last 10 years and Im only 31, one day every one will have one!
I really want to try this out. Now turned other side of 50 the back is too fragile for camping and reckon this may just be for me.What should I be looking for ? Tips and traps welcomed.
2- Its impossible to truly know what layout works until you've owned one for 6 months,bit of a catch 22 so look at as many as possible and dont spend 50k on a brand new one to begin with,anything used upto 35k or new in a similar bracket will hold its money superbly.
3- Buy from a proper Motorhome specialist dealer,there are so many things that can go wrong in a Motorhome that you wouldnt think to check so buy from a dealer and the van should be properley prepped,checked and warrantied,if you're not spending dealer cash (under 15k) ask to see everything working if buying privately buy a damp tester and check EVERYWHERE for unseen water ingress.
4- DAMP. As said by the other poster damp is a killer of coachbuilt Motorhomes,you wont see it or smell it untill its done its work as it eats its way in from the outside so buy from a dealer or get the van checked over, where I work we find ingress in 90% of px's to some degree even 1 or 2 year old vans,its not a problem if you are aware of it and catch it early.
5- The base vehicle is the least important bit,the moneys all down to the conversion,you'll see budget vans on Mercs and 100k+ vans on Fiats, the base vehicles are all very close to each other and all very reliable being commercial trucks so 6000 miles a year with Morris and Doris is an easy life for them.
For my ten penneth worth I think the Fiat/Peugeot cab wins for the best combo of civility,economy and handling. Transit for a builders van,Sprinter for a delivery van but for a Motorhome you want something quiet,economical and stable and thats where the Ducato/Boxer come in.
If I can be of any help to yourself or anybody else please feel free to PM me.
Jody
weve got a Chausson Flash 09, based on a ford transit with bunks in the back. I bought it for racing weekends, promising not to become a "motorhomer" however weve been away for a few weekends and its great and its particularly ideal for music festivals!
Edited by Obiwonkeyblokey on Monday 19th March 10:18
Zanderman said:
I dont mind the idea of jumping in one of these and heading with the family to the south of France etc.
Do we have RV's over here (not sure if they are called that in the UK) that can sleep 5 in comfort?
ours will sleep 6 easily with only having to covert the sofa to a double. it has bunks at the back and a huge comfy double above the cab.Do we have RV's over here (not sure if they are called that in the UK) that can sleep 5 in comfort?
Always wanted a motorhome since my parents borrowed a Leyland Dormobile back in the '80s. Scary thing, we had the roof tent thing up, my dad was utterly convinced it was going to blow over in a storm so we went off to a B&B for the night. The site we left was a battlefield next day, bits of ruined caravans all over the place.
Brilliant holiday!
Brilliant holiday!
nagsheadwarrior said:
That looks smart,A Ci/Rollerteam of some description,loving the wing mirror to awning leg clothes line idea I use the bike rack for airing purposes!
Liking the folding chairs too,I lose deals on a regular basis because the punters are looking at a van that cant store their ludicrously huge garden chairs!
Yep its a CI, Italian build, LHD. Very well built, 1998 but a very modern interior, seen 2005 MHs with worse. It also has a seperate shower cubicle which is cool, TV, solar panel and 5 decent berths.Liking the folding chairs too,I lose deals on a regular basis because the punters are looking at a van that cant store their ludicrously huge garden chairs!
Ours wasn't as pricey as some here, you can manage to get a private bargain on ebay for less than £15k - we did - and we fell lucky. Taking it to France the next day meant we found out everything about it and what was up with it pretty quick. We had the habitation service done when we got back, and mechanical service too.
Basically all that was up with it was the hot water didn't work, fuse holder on the board was broken - cost me nothing to fix and it's all 100%, flew through the hab service with no damp on meters, and everything else OK - guess a combination of luck and judgement. We had seen a few and there is a lot of crap out there. The dealers do charge quite a premium, so worth shopping around if you do the research, and its more fun that way.
After camping for years and vowing never to get a caravan, this ticks all the boxes, loads of freedom, slept in a forest, on a beach, in a few Aires and some campsites in france, did a 5 person holiday for 10 days for £700 including ferries! Barbeque every night too.
So how about a Motorhome forum Garlick?
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