I am currently thinking about buying a motorhome,in a few weeks we are having a week away in a hired vehicle so as to see if it suits us.Personally I think it will.My question is do motorhomes drop in price around christmas/jan/feb time is that the best time to buy.As I say I have no idea how the market works,so I just thought I would ask the question on here....thanks in advance ...
I think the market slows down rather than prices drop so there may be a deal to be done but no noticeable difference in screen prices - most new vans will be ordered / built in the off season with their part ex's hitting the market in Spring so arguably high summer when people are window shopping for their next purchase is the time to actually buy.
What age van are you looking to buy? how do you intend using the van? - do you need a four berth for children or occasional adult guests? how many seat belts do you need? - how much kit do need to carry? (rear lounges have very little cargo space where as a fixed bed or even bunks can have a garage big enough for bikes)
If you can, visit the caravan and camping show at The NEC in October - get to know what lay out suits you best and try over cab / dinette beds for size. - what is called a double in a brochure may be far from a usable double in reality.
We are a family of five and bought a one year old, 6 berth coach built (double bed over cab, rear bunks and convertible dinettes) which suits us fine and was a good saving against new, however, had we been in the market for a 4 berth I think i would have gone for an older A class (Hymer, Burstner Etc with drop down bed over cab seats) as they offer a more comfortable lounge.
I don't know if you caravan or camp at the moment but most motorhomers are very approachable and would be happy to talk you through their reason for buying and what they would change next time you are on a site.
Guy.
------------- It's only an expensive hobby when it's parked on your Drive....use it, love it , live it.
Hi, and a warm welcome to the forum. The market works in mysterious ways. I do not have a clue as to how secondhand (or new vehicles) are priced so highly. If I say just keep looking for a 'layout' that suits your needs and that of the number of people that you will have aboard in a 4 berth 'van.ie...4 people = 4 travel seats, complete with 4 three point seatbelts. It is a must. Think of storage for clothing, bedding,pots and pans, food etc. Does it have a 3 way 'fridge, i.e 12volt for use when driving along, Gas for when not on hookup, 240 volt for when on hookup. The next most important thing...and sellers will assume that you know this ( or will not bother if you do not) Are you legally able to drive the weight of vehicle that has stolen your heart. Check the classes on your driving licence. Will it get on your drive/in your garage. Try to buy as close to your home as is possible,even new vans have little niggles that will take an age to sort if 100 miles or more from home. You are doing a sensible thing asking on here, we are nosey lot, and are mostly helpful about anything you care to ask. Also, hireing the one you are about to is a great idea. Better to find out if you like the whole experience first. I would suggest you buy a few magazines on Motorhomes, that way you can see more of what is on offer to suit your needs. Plus if you add your location to your profile, I am sure that many people will have loads of magazines that they usually bung in the bin that it may be possible to let you have if local to them. I certainly do have anyway. Good luck with your new experience, so hope you like it, and that you will be soon a member of the 'waving' fraternity!
thanks guy interesting post,looking at a 4 berth because we have 2 dogs,also would prefer what I have seen described as a french bed type,the motorhome we are hiring is a Auto Roller 695 'Family with an island bed,so we will see how we get on with that.....thanks again for the reply...
There are about half a dozen layouts for MH interiors, which you'll see at any show (The Birmingham one is huge) or decent retailer. We opted not to have the fixed bed type as it doesn't double up for anything else during the day, when it becomes wasted space, so it will be interesting to hear how you get on with the island bed. It's also why we opted for a van with storage cupboards over the cab rather than a bed. Each layout suits someone, but what steered our choice was the size of windows / amount of light coming in, as some MHs can feel quite claustrophobic and hemmed in.
We have one dog, she sleeps in the passenger foot well, her food goes in a readily accessed cupboard. Just one word of caution - make sure your two dogs are secure when you drive, as they'll have access to the front (which they don't have in a car) and may get under your feet. We had to barricade the gap between the front seats for our first dog, and the current one travels on a lead attached to a handle at the rear of the cab.
Are you back from that week away in the hired palace yet?
Thinking of the dogs now...Fiona is so right about secure travel for them also. Never leave anything/one/dog/cat or whatever loose in a van. They become missiles in an accident. Best to get your pets a travel harness and secure them ( and you) in the event of sudden/hard/emergency breaking. Even microwave ovens have a warning on them to remove glass turntable plate before setting off. Hope you are still enjoying or have thoroughly enjoyed your time away...
I wouldnt think just one week at anything is enough to commit to spending thousands of pounds on it long term. There are loads of places i may enjoy spending a week or two on holiday, but wouldnt think of living there. A week is just novelty factor, committing long term may prove different.
As eluded to, it'd be nice to know whats happened since the first post.
Right where do I start.....cancelled the hired motorhome,bought a 6 berth lifestyle swift 2006 model of a guy I know,been away this weekend just got back had a great time.......Would like to thank everyone on here for all the comments and help,both in this thread and other threads I have written.Went to Lucksall in hereford really enjoyed it, the wardens on there are great and guided me in the right direction and away we went.Cant wait to get away again next weekend,so far so good.
We have two dogs that come with us ,we got two rear seatbelt connectors leads for them that just slip into the rear seat belt connectors so they have a bit of room to move but are safe and secure and can be released fast if needed ,
Good idea if you have rear seatbelts, Radbourn, but our Autosleeper has lengthwise couches, not front facing seats, so we have no rear seatbelts. We're still looking for a suitable collapsible crate for the dog, meanwhile the lead is better than nothing.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Thinking of buying a 4 berth motorhome
The market works in mysterious ways. I do not have a clue as to how secondhand (or new vehicles) are priced so highly. If I say just keep looking for a 'layout' that suits your needs and that of the number of people that you will have aboard in a 4 berth 'van.ie...4 people = 4 travel seats, complete with 4 three point seatbelts. It is a must. Think of storage for clothing, bedding,pots and pans, food etc. Does it have a 3 way 'fridge, i.e 12volt for use when driving along, Gas for when not on hookup, 240 volt for when on hookup. The next most important thing...and sellers will assume that you know this ( or will not bother if you do not) Are you legally able to drive the weight of vehicle that has stolen your heart. Check the classes on your driving licence. Will it get on your drive/in your garage. Try to buy as close to your home as is possible,even new vans have little niggles that will take an age to sort if 100 miles or more from home. You are doing a sensible thing asking on here, we are nosey lot, and are mostly helpful about anything you care to ask. Also, hireing the one you are about to is a great idea. Better to find out if you like the whole experience first. I would suggest you buy a few magazines on Motorhomes, that way you can see more of what is on offer to suit your needs. Plus if you add your location to your profile, I am sure that many people will have loads of magazines that they usually bung in the bin that it may be possible to let you have if local to them. I certainly do have anyway. Good luck with your new experience, so hope you like it, and that you will be soon a member of the 'waving'
fraternity!
