Thinking of buying a campervan - anyone got any hints?
Discussion
t 
MonkeyMatt said:
Fastdruid said:
Don't get a VW unless you don't want to get anywhere, have a thing for patrolmen in uniforms or just like to sit by the side of the motorway.
Judging by the numbers I see broken down every summer heading for the coast anyway.
Im guessing you mean he old ones?Judging by the numbers I see broken down every summer heading for the coast anyway.
I don't get campervans(or caravans, but they are marginally better) unless you are retired or have months and months of time to spend in them.
Have to pay site fees which can be around half a cheap hotel in some parts, or else sleep in a dodgy roadside location.
If you decide to go into town for a drink or a meal you have to pack everything up and stow it all away unless its close enough to cycle or walk.
Likewise if you want to stay somewhere for a week, every day you have to pack everything up and stow it safely before you can go anywhere.
PITA to fit in car parks especially in cities.
Fuel efficiency of an eco-box golf or something must be far higher, must be considered when planning to do big distances.
The cost of buying the thing in the first place, how many other holidays of similar quality would that buy you?
Road Toll fees and Ferry fees are usually higher, again more cost.
Crap to drive, marginally better than a car+caravan perhaps.
I could go on, but those are some of the main things.
Have to pay site fees which can be around half a cheap hotel in some parts, or else sleep in a dodgy roadside location.
If you decide to go into town for a drink or a meal you have to pack everything up and stow it all away unless its close enough to cycle or walk.
Likewise if you want to stay somewhere for a week, every day you have to pack everything up and stow it safely before you can go anywhere.
PITA to fit in car parks especially in cities.
Fuel efficiency of an eco-box golf or something must be far higher, must be considered when planning to do big distances.
The cost of buying the thing in the first place, how many other holidays of similar quality would that buy you?
Road Toll fees and Ferry fees are usually higher, again more cost.
Crap to drive, marginally better than a car+caravan perhaps.
I could go on, but those are some of the main things.
We were minded to buy one last year so for once used a bit of intelligence and hired one for a week to make sure we liked it. We've had caravans in the past and I used to have a transit and I've also towed some big boats so used to driving "bigger rigs" than a normal car, but nevertheless I found it a bit of a challenge. we hired a Fiat two berth one and yes it was very nice being brand new and it had a shower and loo, cooker, fridge, microwave and all the mod cons you can think of including aircon.
But overall I didn't like it.
The main problem we found was parking. We went to the South Coast for a week and visited Eastbourne, Hastings, Brighton all along the coast and we'd had in mind that we'd go to the seaside, park up and have a walk along the front with the dog and then find a camp site for the night. Wrong. Nowhere lets campervans in their car parks, they've all got bars across at 2 metres high primarily, we found out later to keep out the 3.142 locksmiths. So you can't park up anywhere apart from say Tescos or Saiunsburys and they're not the most salubrious of places to stop for lunch.
Campsites are whatever standard ytou want, we found them OK but you've got to be very organised. No good finding a campsite, parking up then realising you're out of milk 'cos you've got to pack the whole thing up to go off shopping. oir what if you're on a site and fancy a meal out or a take away? Again, pack the whole shebang up, go find a nice restaurant with a double sized parking spot that'll take your turtle anbd then find your way home to the camp site later trying to keep your manoeuvering to a minimum so you don;t wake the kiddies who are in a tent on the next pitch to you.
So we decided it's not for us and are toying with the idea of another caravan.
My advice to you is to hire one for a week just to see if you like it.
Oh one other thing. If it's cold or raining you come in to the campervan direct from the outside so drag all the bad weather with you whereas if you've got a van, then you leave all that in the awning.
But overall I didn't like it.
The main problem we found was parking. We went to the South Coast for a week and visited Eastbourne, Hastings, Brighton all along the coast and we'd had in mind that we'd go to the seaside, park up and have a walk along the front with the dog and then find a camp site for the night. Wrong. Nowhere lets campervans in their car parks, they've all got bars across at 2 metres high primarily, we found out later to keep out the 3.142 locksmiths. So you can't park up anywhere apart from say Tescos or Saiunsburys and they're not the most salubrious of places to stop for lunch.
Campsites are whatever standard ytou want, we found them OK but you've got to be very organised. No good finding a campsite, parking up then realising you're out of milk 'cos you've got to pack the whole thing up to go off shopping. oir what if you're on a site and fancy a meal out or a take away? Again, pack the whole shebang up, go find a nice restaurant with a double sized parking spot that'll take your turtle anbd then find your way home to the camp site later trying to keep your manoeuvering to a minimum so you don;t wake the kiddies who are in a tent on the next pitch to you.
So we decided it's not for us and are toying with the idea of another caravan.
My advice to you is to hire one for a week just to see if you like it.
Oh one other thing. If it's cold or raining you come in to the campervan direct from the outside so drag all the bad weather with you whereas if you've got a van, then you leave all that in the awning.
Do you have kids? If so, how old are they and are they boys or girls? It does make a difference as to what layout you want.
As with everything there are compromises so go to a few sites & look around a lot of vans to see what suits you.
We had one for three years & all four of us (2 kids) loved it, sold it as it had been used twice in the last year we had it due to weather and other commitments. We will have another one day.
Things like Aircon are nice but not really necessary, get the right layout & then worry about the other stuff.
As with everything there are compromises so go to a few sites & look around a lot of vans to see what suits you.
We had one for three years & all four of us (2 kids) loved it, sold it as it had been used twice in the last year we had it due to weather and other commitments. We will have another one day.
Things like Aircon are nice but not really necessary, get the right layout & then worry about the other stuff.
A lot depends on size of family and what else you use it for.
Our bongo was used to transport dogs to agility shows in muddy fields so 4x4 came in useful. Also good for surfing, somewhere nice and warm to change, also good at bike/car racing. Although it's small and narrow it's very easy to drive in the city and narrow country lanes, i wouldn't want more than 2 people in it though.
A t4/t5 is wider so you have more living space but you will pay more for one.
Our bongo was used to transport dogs to agility shows in muddy fields so 4x4 came in useful. Also good for surfing, somewhere nice and warm to change, also good at bike/car racing. Although it's small and narrow it's very easy to drive in the city and narrow country lanes, i wouldn't want more than 2 people in it though.
A t4/t5 is wider so you have more living space but you will pay more for one.
One of the biggest problems with motorhomes/campervans/caravans is damp over the winter.
I bought a de-humidifier in autumn and leave it on permanently in our new Eldiss motorhome, and have to remove a container full of water at LEAST every two days, sometimes every day. Where would that water go otherwise?.... Into the interior walls and upholstery. Probably over the course of a winter four or five bathfulls.
Also keep the battery fully charged by using an accumate or similar.
Get one, you won't regret it.
I bought a de-humidifier in autumn and leave it on permanently in our new Eldiss motorhome, and have to remove a container full of water at LEAST every two days, sometimes every day. Where would that water go otherwise?.... Into the interior walls and upholstery. Probably over the course of a winter four or five bathfulls.
Also keep the battery fully charged by using an accumate or similar.
Get one, you won't regret it.
Always had camper vans in our family - we've had many fantastic holidays in them.
They can be very comfortable and as a plus, our Cali is a superb family wagon - footprint the size of a large estate car with a better turning circle, every luxury you can think of (cruise, climate, satnav, bluetooth, heated seats, auto wipers, etc, etc, and for camping - remote controlled diesel heater, electric roof, sink, fridge, cooker), moves along well with 180bhp, goes almost anywhere with AWD, everything is covered with the VW warranty, insurance and tax are dirt cheap (unlike with converted vans), I've had countless people asking about it and it quite simply makes me, the wife and the kids smile every time we even look at it.
£40k gets you a nealy new 140 or even a 180 if you're lucky. The older 5 pot engined one was only found in T5 vans and did have a few issues. The new engine (2.0 4 pot - single turbo is 140, bi-turbo is 180) is well proven and so far bombproof.
And you get to do stuff like this:
They can be very comfortable and as a plus, our Cali is a superb family wagon - footprint the size of a large estate car with a better turning circle, every luxury you can think of (cruise, climate, satnav, bluetooth, heated seats, auto wipers, etc, etc, and for camping - remote controlled diesel heater, electric roof, sink, fridge, cooker), moves along well with 180bhp, goes almost anywhere with AWD, everything is covered with the VW warranty, insurance and tax are dirt cheap (unlike with converted vans), I've had countless people asking about it and it quite simply makes me, the wife and the kids smile every time we even look at it.
£40k gets you a nealy new 140 or even a 180 if you're lucky. The older 5 pot engined one was only found in T5 vans and did have a few issues. The new engine (2.0 4 pot - single turbo is 140, bi-turbo is 180) is well proven and so far bombproof.
And you get to do stuff like this:
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