My husband and i have 2 boys 4 and 11 and are thinking of buying a autotrail 700se 2003 model, it is priced at 23k has done 20k miles, we dont really want to spend a fortune on a new van until we know that we really enjoy it, yours views,opinions and advice for a newcomer would be much appreciated, any good sites/overnight stops etc, also your help and advice on the home we are considering buying would be of great help....is it a good price for it?
Thanks in advance for your help and responses...
I spent 2K on mine - it's all about what suits your lifestyle really. No way could I get two adults and two children in mine (that's how I planned it, hehe). Just me and the dog.
Think about the sort of holidays you want to take and where. I think you could probably go just about anywhere in an autotrail though! Sounds good with low miles, go for it! But look around first and see what else is about, do a test drive or two, see if you like how it handles.
Hi,Only you can decide what type to go for,for your needs,A couple of things to think about is how much you will use it for how much you are paying for one,have you room to park it or will you have to pay for storeing it,it all mounts up,but if you are not sure if it will be your cup of tea,have you thought of hiring one to see if its to your liking,it would also be cheaper than spending all that money and find you dont like it,but most people who have motorhones love it,Me & the OH wished we had done it years ago,best of luck,Pete.
Post last edited on 06/04/2008 23:07:19
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
All i can say is that i was relucant to spend the amount i did (30K+) but now that we have been away with our kids (4 & 6) and i see the amount of pleasure the get from it, i would pay double.
The freedom and fun is second to none, also you get to meet some nice people on the way.
As well as the above, your motorhome will not deprecieate the same as a car. if you like it you can allways trade up with out losing a lot of money. I brought a 2005 Autosleepers VW Gatcombe coach built, for £30,000 in 2006, we thouroghly enjoyed it. We decided this year to have a brand new 2008 Trigano Tribute 650 £31,000 we went back to the same dealer and he gave us £28,500 for our Auto-Sleeper so in 2 years we lost £2500, and had holidays in France, Cornwall and upteen weekends away, and now a brand new van for only £2,500 plus som extras fitted.
Quote: Originally posted by Klipdrift0 on 07/4/2008
xanzak,
All i can say is that i was relucant to spend the amount i did (30K+) but now that we have been away with our kids (4 & 6) and i see the amount of pleasure the get from it, i would pay double.
The freedom and fun is second to none, also you get to meet some nice people on the way.
GO FOR IT.
Regards
KC
This is a similar situation to our selves.
I believe if you are going to try something go at it full tilt. We paid a similar ammount for ours. We too have boys 9-11 yrs. As kipdrift says I would pay double. we have been to numerous places throughout Europe and have just returned from a 10 night break in Scotland coupled with some skiing.
At the end of the day it will be down to you to decide what way you go about it financialy. If you opt for a newer van and decide its not for you then you can sell it on and lose a few quid. A hire van for a couple of weeks is good advice for some but personaly I believe its money you could spend on a van as its not cheap to hire. also it took us a lot more than a fortnight to work out how to get the best use of our van, something we would of not of done in a fortnight.
I am not sure of the layout of the van you mention, only to say that the make is generally regarded as a good make.. However the layout should be the most important thing that is considered especially with kids your age.Ours has rear bunks that are left made up and loads of storage accessable from the outside for toys to keep the kids ammused. A roof rakc for the kyak, and a bike rack for hte mountain bikes.As well as kitted out with playstations, laptop and DSes. Our kids love to wild camp as it gives them a sense of adventure and we mix that with staying on sites.
Motorhoming is a really good way to spend time together as a family and get away from the busy lives that some of us lead. To spend as much time away with your kids as we do is a blessing for us in our busy work schedules. We have met many likeminded motorhomers whilst were on our travels and enhanced the learning of our kids as we have done so. Some of those we have met we have been lucky enough to call friends now.
If you can get yourself to the Peterborough show where you will find a collection of motorhomes new and used to look around. Me and a thousand others will be there giving advice. It will also be good opportunity to see if a paarticular van takes your fancy.
Check out our blog to see where we have been with ours and you can always mail me from there if we can help further.
Before we bought our new motorhome, I had neard from many people about layouts and choosing wisely. So, I wanted to buy a 2nd hand one 1st, firstly to see if this lifestyle was for me, and secondly to see which layout I prefered. Unfortunately, my OH was having none of it, and saw the motorhome they wanted and would not budge! We ended up splashing out over £30k on our Avoldale and have no regrets, ok it has had its problems, but wouldnt swap it for the world... Just go for it!
Home is were you park it, go on be a devil you will not be disapointed.
We,ve had two tents, 1 vw campervan, 2 coachbuilts my latest a 03 ci ducato oh and not forgetting a 66 vw splitty ready for summer. My moto is bugger the tent,so you can say its worth the money.
If you can afford it and you like it go for it.............I am sure you will love it, as others have said on here in the past it will be 'your cottage in the country' or 'a villa by the sea' at times the restaurant with 'the very best view'.
What I love is you chuck everything in and go....................and the same coming back no packing no airports etc etc
------------- 'A motorhome is for life, not just for Summer'
I think you already know this way of life will suit you and your family but the initial outlay is high , once you have committed to the purchase you will realise what a great decision you made. We looked at motorhomes for two years changing our minds almost weekly before we purchased , The ideal set up for you is probably not out there and some compromise is called for but the autotrail is pretty good, i would also have a look at the CI carioca , good design for families at a good price i saw last years models at the price you mentioned at pioneer caravans in eye nr pererborough
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Topic: New to Motorhomes......
