Sorry, I did forget something. It is probably the most important thing of all.
Seat belts, it matters not how many beds are available in a van....unless it has the seat belts for that number of passengers.
It could be a way of leaving children at home, or even grandchildren. They must be forward facing also. But some vans, maybe Elddis and Auto-sleeper branded, do have what are called if I remember correctly, 'jump seats' that lift out from beneath the forward facing dinette seats.
Look at Chausson vehicles, they are pretty innovative / adaptable in the front area and with facilities or beds in the back.
One more thing, to buy at the back end of the season could save a load of dosh.
N.B. 6th to 8th September are the dates for the Motorhome show. You need a WHOLE day at least.
Well, good luck with your search. I don't know how many dealers you will find in Somerset. I wasn't too badly off when living in Hampshire, but here in Aberdeenshire, dealers are very thin on the ground. Point is, you may have to travel more than 50 miles to get the right van for you, so don't get too hung up on distance.
Austin makes a very good point about seat belts. Even if there will normally only be two travelling, you may want to carry others on occasions.
I don't know how much experience you have of motorhomes, but if you are totally new to them, you might do well to rent one for a week or so to make sure it's what you want to spend your hard earned dosh on.
Talking of money, if you are thinking of buying new, or a fairly expensive van, remember the road tax is much higher. You will also potentially get ripped off by the warranty conditions that your van gets (often unnecessary) habitation checks.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Chausson do drop down beds, which sound like it would work for you. Somerset is blessed with plenty of retailers. Try Highbridge first as they are the biggest so you will get to see lots!
We are noobies and have a Ford Transit minibus conversion. We made up the double bed on our first night and left it made up while we were away. Luckily the weather was nice enough to lounge about outdoors and in the evening we simply got into bed!
Thank you all for your replies. We went to a motorhome show last weekend. We now know exactly what we would like. We definitely don't want a van conversion. We definitely want a fixed bed.
We have an Elddis 185 with 2 single beds and 2 lounge bench type seats that lift up and there are 2 jump seats underneath when you need them, great for the grandchildren, works for us
Basa, I thought, but was not sure that they called them 'jump seats'. Do they take up a lot of room under the beds?. I think it is a great idea and just wonder how much storage is lost because of them.
Our van has 4 belts we only ever use 3 and not very often to be honest. Just when we take a friend with us.
Caris, glad you found the time and went to a show. Can I suggest that you buy a magazine called MMM, it is a very good mag and is very informative. You do not have to subscribe to it, of course you can do, and it is delivered in the post for a discount to the retail price in newsagents.
Have a good day at Shepton Mallet. Bargain if you can for a good discount. It is getting to what dealers call 'end of season', buy the right van and use it all year.
Austins, the seat folds down quite a lot and there is still storage space either side of the folded seat and a small space at the back. They obviously do reduce the storage space but it’s worth it to get 2 fully retractable seatbelt seats.
I can fit children’s car seats onto them which the grandchildren (6 years old) are more than happy with.
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: First motorhome
via mobile 04/8/2019 at 12:53pm
