We have camped, caravenned, trailer tented and now have a pennine folding camper and in our 36 years together, we have never taken a holiday outside of the UK. I have a small lump sum attached to my prospective pension which I am thinking about taking early and a small 2 berth motorhome may be on the cards. Now, I have been totally shocked by the price of motorhomes and my £25k budget seems very little when looking around. We particularly like the Neuvo 2 berth and just wanted some opinion please on second hand models, or any other recommended model to looke at. Many thanks in advance. Gary
We have an Adria twin which is a 2 berth with a fixed bed across the rear and is a van conversion so everything is fitted inside a standard long wheelbase van body
Should get an 8,9,or 10 year old on your budget
Brian, thank you for your reply. As a complete newcomer to motorhomes I have absolutely no idea about them and any advice is gratefully received. Thankyou.
Hi Gary,
25K is big money in anyones book.
My advice would be sit down and work out what you would want from your prospective van. Will you want a shower?, lots of storage?, can you manage in a smailler space than perhaps you have been used to?.
I would then go and see as many models as you can and see whats available.Also have you any motorhomes locally?.Most people are happy to run through the pros and cons of their outfits.
If you are unfamiliar with motorhomes if you consider buying,take either a qualified person or someone who knows what they are about with you.
Panel vans are generally fitted out to a high order and are great parking wise.
Some people however find the smaller living space restrictive.
Many people jump in without thinking what their requirments will be.
The main thing is do a lot of research to avoid dissapointment.
Hope you enjoy your retirement.
Good luck.
Regards,
Greg
You should have no trouble getting a decent van for under £25k. I would start by looking at Autotrader Motorhomes. You can enter your requirements and see what's available, where the dealers are and what the prices are like.
Visit as many dealers as possible and have a chat with them.
I would also suggest that you get passports and start travelling abroad. Europe is much more motorhome friendly and generally cheaper.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
As I have said many times before, if you are a complete novice with motorhomes, Its worth considering hiring one for say a weeks holiday, if done in the quiet season,ie not in school holidays, they will not be so expensive, living in one with a family and touring round should convince you if this is the recreational lifestyle you like.
To buy one outright, and find out it is not as you had hoped it would be saves you losing money on it when selling it. Good luck.
Hi Gary , been in similar position, jumped right in with a bessacarr 2011 Low mileage for a good price. 18 months later decided to change to a van conversion. Many reasons... though not cheaper, but affordable as we sold Car and now use van as Car too. One set of running costs, servicing etc etc. We should have gone for van initially so it’s worked out more expensive really in the actual purchasing and end result. Hope though this is van for life, but if we change our minds 10 years down the line it will have held its value enough to change to a decent car and have some left.
So think very carefully about layout, running costs, what you want your van to do for you etc etc. It can be costly to change later.
Gary, this far you have had responses from some of the most helpful responders on this forum. They will help you with anything, just ask. I said, 'this far' as now I have joined the frame LOL.
I have taken a look at the number of Motorhome dealers in your area, and it would seem you have a few of them. You could even reach more within a 50 mile radius of where you live. One of those dealers, Marquis, is a huge company with dealers nationwide. If the one near you does not have in stock the one you would like at the end of your enquiring journey around, they would move one for you if in stock elsewhere. May I suggest that you go out armed with nothing more than an inquisitive mind, viewing and visiting at as many dealers as possible. Sit in, move around in, and relax in any one or all of them that look to you that they would fit the lifestyle you are after. Make no decisions, ask a lot of questions. If you find you fancy one type of van....come back here and ask members how they get on with that type, and you will have many answers on the actual van. All I say at this stage is, low mileage is nothing to go by as most motorhomes do not have a mileage matching their age. Ask to see all of the MOT certification that verifies mileage, the ANUAL Habitation certificates, that verify work done etc.
It is serious money that you intend spending, and is for leisure and pleasure. Take your time, and hope to see you back here saying that you are ready to roll. Enjoy.
Gary, was in the same situation as you, shopped around and luckily found a 4 berth 2003 Buccaneer Clipper, for £17,500 only 21,000 mls from new and excellent condition throughout, we were made up, everything we wanted in a Motorhome, we now have a small towcar for the back also and use this daily, i appreciate Motorhome prices are high but take your time, shop around and you will find what you are looking for at a reasonable price, good luck.
Thank you all so very much for the great advice. We spent Saturday visiting 2 dealers, 1 being Marquis and the other P&P in Gosport. We particularly wanted to have a look at the Nuventure as it is a small 2 berth, but the newer sidedoor version was way out of our budget. We looked around different types of vans/motorhomes and despite the obvious loss in parking ability in certain areas, we think a small motorhome rather than a van conversion would suit us best. I fully understand the implications of catering for 2 set of running costs, but as we get older I would rather have a little more comfort and room. My nearest and dearest unfortunately visits the loo on average 5 or 6 times during the night and I want to make her life as easy as possible. We are in no hurry as our folding camper is a great bit of kit and will serve us nicely until such time as we find the motorhome for us. I will of course still pop on here from time to time to pester you all with more questions should we see one we like. Thank you all so much and who knows, we might get lucky.
Well Gary, the one thing that no one has suggested yet is to build your own diymotorhome.
Having owned caravans for years and to be honest not really understanding why anyone would want to drive around in a motorhome which so restricted freedom of movement, I then started to look at professional panel van conversions which appeared to be so much easier to drive, but I simply couldn't find one which had an interior layout that suited our exacting requirements. Neither could I come to terms with the simply bonkers charges being levied for a panel van with a bit of poorly designed furniture and equipment stuffed inside it.
Then one day I saw a simply amazing Fiat Ducato XLWB with the most beautiful interior and a layout which ticked quite a lot of my must have boxes, it was also so superbly trimmed internally, so on asking the owner of this palace on wheels what was the manufacturer, you can imagine my surprised response when I heard the owner had built it himself!
So I looked into the possibility of building one myself and soon discovered that it wasn't all that hard to do most especially as there are one or two truly excellent forum based websites that can help you along the way.
In the end I bought a 2nd hand van and fitted it out totally myself to an exceptionally high standard of finish which is far in excess of anything that you can buy from any manufacturer and yet in total, including the cost of the van my total outgoings came in at only slightly over £11,000.
Since then, I have met a large number of diymotorhome owners who have all converted/built their own vans, some even buying brand new vans and others rattling old bone shakers.
If you possess moderate DIY skills, I can assure you that it isn't all that hard to do such a thing, and then, when finished, you are away at some out of the way hidden gem of an overnight stop, you will sit there in the comfort of your own self made van and a warm feeling will spread over you as you realise "bloody hell, I did all of this"!
Why not pop along to diymotorhome.co.uk and have a look at what is honestly quite easy to do?
------------- There is a great World to be found out there, but by the very day, to find where it is becomes more of a challenge!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Should I , should I not......
