Motorhome for a beginner

[mattikake]

Hi all,

Just looking to see if there are people on here who own motorhomes and are in the know.

I have a budget for £50-£100K for a lwb van based type 3.5tonne, which from what i can see gives me pretty much unlimited options. But I know nothing about the brands. I.e. what is a good build, reliable, tough and actually something you can live in for years at a time. So high end fully specc'd is where I'm looking. In built tv's, confortable shower, full satnav, very self-sufficient etc

I have a plan for a kind of continental tour that may involve tight places - too tight for the massive luxury bus type base - and may come across bad roads and terrain and I know from my own experiences that lwb vans are built like tanks (I have a swb transit). Solid security also probably required.

[louiebaby]

Are we talking about something like a LWB Sprinter Van conversion to live in, off-grid, long term? For just yourself?

What weather conditions are we talking about? Southern Spain in the winter is a bit different to Northern Scotland in the winter.

Do you have any other requirements? It is was me, I'd need storage for two full sized bikes as well.

<goes off to dream of a simpler life>

[mattikake]

Yeah that sort of thing. I'll be following the summer so as far as Scotland/Norway in summer, Greece/Egypt in the winter kind of thing with a season or 5 following the IndyCar circuit and f1 euro rounds.

Parking from camp sites to forest clearing to beach resorts.

Hope to put 100k miles + on it

[magooagain]

You will get better results in the camping and caravan forum on here. Also if you want to be out in Europe and further for a long time have a look at. "The Hubb" website. It's mainly for bikes but there is endless info for long trips in far off lands for campers etc.

[mattikake]

Bugger. Didn't see that forum. Maybe a mod can move this?

[louiebaby]

Surely the answer is to start with a mobile library, and convert it yourself...?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163800180529

Or perhaps when you go to the racing, you'd like to get a better view, and would be willing to work around the massive pillar in your living area...?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183526786997

Whatever happens, make sure you think about the boring things like washing your clothes.

[oblio]

There are quite a few specific MH forums around which are either free; free for a certain amount of postings; or cost very little to join. To name a few: motorhomefacts; motorhomefun; motorhomer. These are as well as the big clubs who have their own dedicated sites/forums as well.

If it were me and I wanted to go off grid as well as stay on sites, for your budget I'd be looking at:-

- The size of the fresh and grey water tanks - the larger the better
- 2 if not 3 habitation batteries plus good solar panel options
- A refillable gas system
- Good payload capability
- Good internal storage
- External shower point
- External BBQ point
- Fully winterised

I also believe that Fiat do a 4 wheel drive base which Hymer use as a base for a coachbuilt...but for your budget you may be able to get a base vehicle converted if you wanted to stay with a panel van.

An 85cm satellite dish will give you UK TV down at least as far as Bordeaux and across to Koln...maybe further. If you want it to cover Spain than you'll need to subscribe to Sky as I think their dish covers that far south. You may struggle in north Africa though. I am no expert on this but it's easy to research...

Edited by oblio on Wednesday 7th August 10:33

Edited by oblio on Saturday 17th August 10:55

[mattikake]

Thanks. I've got a lot time before any of this happens 10 - 20 years and with that my main concern is what type of fuel will be most common by then. Current heavy electric vehicles have pathetic range atm so I wonder if diesel will be realistic by then - including euro-wide even world-wide support... And also by then, will diesel electirc generators still be in use...

4 wheel drive MH sounds interesting!

Obviously I'll be testing out the MH experience by hiring long before that and maybe sooner.

I'm currently reading through spuffington's blog/post atm with interest.

[mini95]

I have a Hymercar, it is based on a LWB Fiat Ducato and is a panel van conversion. Mine has a pop top roof for more space. They also do a Sprinter based version, and 4x4 etc.

Mine is great and does all I need, I may add solar this year for longer times off grid but I have 2 leisure batteries now.

If you want to buy rather than get a custom built van I would look at the German brands, Westfalia is also another solid van.

Mine is 6m long so easy to drive and park, the downside it is not as spacious as a motor home but has more flexibility in my view.

I looked at a lot of vehicles before I got mine!

[cptsideways]

oblio said:

There are quite a few specific MH forums around which are either free; free for a certain amount of postings; or cost very little to join. To name a few: motorhomefacts; motorhomefun; motorhomer. These are as well as the big clubs who have their own dedicated sites/forums as well.

If it were me and I wanted to go off grid as well as stay on sites, for your budget I'd be looking at:-

- The size of the fresh and grey water tanks - the larger the better
- 2 if not 3 habitation batteries plus good solar panel options
- A refillable gas system
- Good payload capability
- Good internal storage
- External shower point
- External BBQ point
- Fully winterised

I also believe that Fiat do a 4 wheel drive base which Hymer use as a base for a coachbuilt...but for your budget you may be able to bet a base vehicle converted if you wanted to stay with a panel van.

An 85cm satellite dish will give you UK TV down at least as far as Bordeaux and across to Koln...maybe further. If you want it to cover Spain than you'll need to subscribe to Sky as I think their dish covers that far south. You may struggle in north Africa though. I am no expert on this but it's easy to research...

Edited by oblio on Wednesday 7th August 10:33

Having owned a few of the bigger A Class types I built one to my specs much like the OP requires in a 3.0 Boxer LWB L3H2

Essentially I can do 5-7 days off grid, just need water after 5 or 6 days based on two showers a day. Refillable LPG gets me four to six months of hot water via a Truma Rapid boiler & cooking on an 11lt gas tank. Diesel warm air heating & fully insulated is utterly brilliant, it takes me skiing a fair bit from Scotland to the Alps etc. With Solar & 220ah of AGM batteries I have never needed hookup in 3 years. In built storage for my windsurf kit, skis or bikes etc.

It just about fits in parking spaces unlike anything else bigger

[Wonderman]

cptsideways said:

Having owned a few of the bigger A Class types I built one to my specs much like the OP requires in a 3.0 Boxer LWB L3H2

Essentially I can do 5-7 days off grid, just need water after 5 or 6 days based on two showers a day. Refillable LPG gets me four to six months of hot water via a Truma Rapid boiler & cooking on an 11lt gas tank. Diesel warm air heating & fully insulated is utterly brilliant, it takes me skiing a fair bit from Scotland to the Alps etc. With Solar & 220ah of AGM batteries I have never needed hookup in 3 years. In built storage for my windsurf kit, skis or bikes etc.

It just about fits in parking spaces unlike anything else bigger

Any build or finished pictures sounds interesting

[GSalt]

oblio said:

I also believe that Fiat do a 4 wheel drive base which Hymer use as a base for a coachbuilt...but for your budget you may be able to bet a base vehicle converted if you wanted to stay with a panel van.

There's a classic Fiat-based petrol 4WD Hymer B5-something for sale on one of the FB Hymer groups at the moment. They're quite unusual.

The OP's budget is pretty decent, lots of options available. The older <6m Hymers ought to be considered - they're wider than a regular van, but length is often more of the problem with parking rather than width. They're surprisingly rugged, and were available in winterised versions.