The car you already have provided its big enough to tow a caravan & a secondhand caravan will always be more cost effective than a campervan. Unless you want to use campervan for your daily driver then you will need a car as well.
If your usual format is to stay on a campsite for a week or more a caravan is probably more practical. If you want to tour around & stop overnight off site sometimes then you will prefer a campervan.
Never had a motorhome, but my opinion:
Motorhome for - no hitching/unhitching; when you arrive, you just get out of the driving seat and everything is set up; similarly, when leaving, just start the engine and drive away.....ideal if you are touring and stopping at a different place each night or couple of nights.
Against - if/when you want to go to the shops/local town/local attraction, it's a large vehicle for short trips - possibly parking difficulties - all of this especially if you're staying at one location for more than a day or two, and use awnings/windbreaks etc.
So (IMO) it depends on your holiday style...
Good luck with your choice!
Gram
------------- What's the difference between a chicken?
We've just gone family tent to family caravan (4 in a motor home was too tight so not an option IMO) but for 2 a mh would be fine. As others say depends on style of camping, do you tent for a week or a weekend ? The caravan is a diddle to set up compared to a tent, it's warmer and much more comfortable, BUT you have to learn to tow the darn thing. I find that the hardest bit. So factor that in to your decision too. Once on site I think a caravan has more room though. For 2 of you have you considered a vw van and drive away owning, we figured that's like camping but with a quicker set and comfort level (we' ve never actually done it mind.)
Thanks everyone, it's a really tough decision to make. We don't have long holidays due to work commentments so normally only go on weekend breaks. The tent is just not comfy anymore and I have a dog that likes to escape lol.
May be with a dog go for a two berth caravan . A nice easy to put up porch awning ( an air ) . This gives you a bit more space. With dog when raining etc. if you have been used to camping and putting up a tent you will find a caravan quite easy .
If you have place to keep your caravan where you live it's a bonus.
The bonus is you don't need another car .
If you have two cars . And don't go far I have seen some people arrive on site with a motorhome and partner driving a small car . Not sure about towing the car though.
We've had both. Changed from 21 ft motorhome to caravan last year as now have 5 young grandchildren and can leave caravan on site for them to use.
Motorhome pros - easy to set up and move but you need to keep everything very tidy; we often travelled overnight so missed the traffic, slept in off road layby and then went to somewhere with a large carpark eg siper!arket or shopping centre before moving on to site; easier to manoevre and reverse.
Motorhome cons - extra vehicle engine etc to maintain, no vehicle when on site, don't fit into car parking spaces, if you use an awning you need to attach after each trip out.
As said if your looking at short breaks the motorhome gives you more time away, also good if stay in one place for a short time. If looking at longer time then caravan is good.
------------- Jean
Sometimes a little rain must fall before you reach a rainbow.
The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you finish the work.
We caravanned for about 6 years then, over the next 8 years or so, we had first a campervan then a modest sized motorhome. For France, the campervan/motorhome was great. In the UK, anywhere touristy the double yellow lines and height barriers frequently made life difficult. So, in 2001, we went back to a caravan, and do both the UK and France with the van. Sleeping is more comfortable, too. For us it is the caravan every time, but it is a personal choice and only the OP can decide which way to go.
Best wishes, whichever you decide.
Bertie.
The usual reasons for a caravan - have a car to tour, set up a nice pitch with awning etc. etc.
But the most practical one for me was: My budget was less than £20K. Buys a nice new shiny mid-range caravan or a fairly ancient motorhome. Motorhomes cost a fortune!
------------- Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.
We have had both and now have gone back to a caravan.We prefer the caravan, the main reason was for more room and having a car on site.
We didn't want to tow a small car, might as well tow a caravan.
Hi We have a motorhome - upgraded from tents and trailer tents but have never owned a caravan.
If you plan to drive to a site and base your self there for a week or 2 - then buy a caravan - it's less of an outlay and you will be very happy and have more freedom than if you need to pack the camper van just to drive to the shop.
We use our motorhome for days out and weekends in the UK but motor homing and touring really comes into it's own in France and Europe and we love the freedom the motorhome affords there. - it is parked on our drive ready to go at a moments notice - often just to park up by a river for walk and dinner in the van and then home or a weekend away.
it really is a 5 minute process from pulling on the handbrake to sitting down with a cuppa or a glass of wine.
A friend of ours who only holidays in the UK has just sold her 10 year old VW camper and bought a 2nd hand Skoda Yeti and comfortable pre-loved caravan for the same price and that suits her needs better.
Motorhomes are expensive but hold their value well so although a sizeable purchase if you buy well then the cost of ownership over 5 years can be very low. I would buy 2nd hand. the average annual mileage of a motorhome is only about 4,000 miles so 2nd hand / nearly new condition is normally good. (camper vans will often have higher mileage as can be used as main car)
I realise I am sitting on the fence but it really depends on how and how often you will use either. both motorhomes and caravans are almost pointless if they spend 50 weeks of the year parked on your drive.
------------- It's only an expensive hobby when it's parked on your Drive....use it, love it , live it.
i originally thought a motor home would be the way forward but bought a caravan because i could buy a 7 year old caravan for the price of a 25 year old motor home (and all the problems you might expect from a 25 year old vehicle).
now i have a caravan i am glad i went that way because having pitched next to motor homes i can see its good to be able to use the car as a car and leave the awning up etc....
i have 2 sons so i think a motor home would be cramped.a camper van is not really much better than a tent. most dont have a toilet which is important if you have children. i had a colleague who had a VW T5 camper. it was great until his second child came along...
i often pass older motor homes towing my caravan since they are heavy and not that fast.
i only have to Tax and insure and MOT my car rather than my car and also a vehicle i might use 5 times a year.
however, if you dont have kids and are likley to wild camp or tour stopping one night in each place i can see why a motor home would be attractive.
Thanks everyone, I think I might go with a caravan as it will be cheaper than running another vehicle. I can get a lot for my money. And will still have the advantage of using my car, even if it's long weekends away.
Now for the next hard choice, what, how much, where and size lol.
If you are keeping the car you have now then check what it can tow.
The main thing to look for is the cars Kerb weight. Then take 85% of that and that is the limit you can safely tow.
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Topic: Caravan vs Motorhome
