tandytommo Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I've recently retired and as well as doing a lot more shooting I'm looking at doing a bit more travelling with the Mrs and the dogs. I'm thinking about splashing out on a motorhome we had a caravan for a couple of years but didn't use it much because of lack of time and didn't really enjoy going long distances with a van on the back of the Defender and couldn't share the driving. The big disadvantage of a motorhome that I can see is once you're on a site you have to stay there and go everywhere on foot or bike you don't have a vehicle to go touring round without packing everything up. I've seen motorhomes towing round little cars (I guess to get tround the issue I've just mentioned) but I don't get the point of that as you may as well have a caravan if you don't mind towing. Does any body out there have a motorhome? and can they let me know what the pros and cons of owning one are ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet1747 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I had a hymer about 7 years back paid 48 grand had it for touring went round France ,holland ,Germany ended up at the foot of the alps best thing I've done ,down side couldn't take it in to the towns not a lot of places to park one lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshie Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 An obvious con is that you have to keep a motorhome taxed, mot'd and insured all year, but a caravan you can just hitch onto your car whenever you feel like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) I speak as someone who has never owned one but due to my business do speak to a lot of owners. I think it depends how much you are talking about spending. If its £15k use it a lot at weekends and so on great idea. If you are talking 2, 3 or 4 times that i would have a long think. Pros: Once on site you can just plug in your hook up and your done, no leveling, unhitching or winding down legs, you can fill your water tank as you arrive so no carrying it from the tap to your van, easier to move if you fancy a change of view or don't like the site you are on. Cons: Very expensive to buy and service, in Cornwall you can't get to so many of the best places because the roads are too narrow or there is no car park for motorhomes, insurance and tax all year round, fuel costs, if you are staying somewhere for any length of time and need to go out everything must be packed away or it will all end up on the floor. We do see quite a few bigger motorhomes towing a small rubbish car in this case I would buy a £8k caravan & a £30k car to tow it. If i was in the market for such a thing at say £30k - £40k i would bin the idea and spend 3 months a year in a hotter country. But each to their own, we have one couple staying at the moment in their Hymer and they stay all of September and stay about 4 months a year at other places. Edited September 15, 2012 by rimfire4969 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I've recently retired and as well as doing a lot more shooting I'm looking at doing a bit more travelling with the Mrs and the dogs. I'm thinking about splashing out on a motorhome we had a caravan for a couple of years but didn't use it much because of lack of time and didn't really enjoy going long distances with a van on the back of the Defender and couldn't share the driving. We don't have one but have hired one a couple of times. Having grown up caravanning round Europe I really can't see the point of motorhomes (apart from the fact you can hire one and away you go). Surely with a defender you should be able to get a caravan that's light enough that it's a doddle to tow? The wife could do stints on long runs starting and stopping at service areas so there's no mucking about with tight corners/ reversing etc. Nial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Best option is chop the defender in for if you have to go landrover a discovery, then buy a reasonably priced caravan and go from there. Motor homes are fine if you really want to travel and move on every day but the cost is huge before you talk running an extra vehicle. We borrow the Missus's mums caravan occasionally and it's no issue with my l200 park it up and you can still travel about and see everywhere without having to do a full pack. Personally though I'd take the advice above and save the money and spend 3 months a year abroad. If you do want to pursue the idea then it's well worth hireing one and seeing if you get on with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Are you intending to use it for your everyday transport as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigga Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 whats the law regarding drinking once youve parked up for the night ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) whats the law regarding drinking once youve parked up for the night ? I can answer that definitively as it was a subject that came up on a course I was on. It is illegal to be over the limit in charge of a vehicle. Its an absolute law which means there are no conditions or exceptions. The law doesn't state that the car has to be on the road or moving. It doesn't state that you have to be in it even. So the law is so vague you could (in theory) get done for sitting in your own house with the car parked outside. The way I would interpret that is that you are no more at risk in a motor home than you would be in a caravan with a car parked alongside. Lorry drivers routinely drink at lorryparks in their parked up lorries. It is an interesting subject though because it does raise anomalies that cause you to think twice. The case we discussed concerned a young man who had been down the pub on a sunday lunchtime then came back and decided to install a new sound system in his car which was parked off the road on the drive of his parents house. The police ended up getting called about the noise and found him obviously over the limit working on the car with the music blaring. He was breathalysed and arrested, the case went to court and he was found guilty. If I remember correctly he appealed and the conviction was upheld. But in reality its not going to happen to you is it? Million to one chance. But people do get done for sleeping it off in the back of their cars in pub car parks and police have got people out of bed at home and arrested them. I know of a case where that happened. That case had a few more troubling issues which we don't need to go into here. Edited September 15, 2012 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) I can answer that definitively as it was a subject that came up on a course I was on. It is illegal to be over the limit in charge of a vehicle. Its an absolute law which means there are no conditions or exceptions. The law doesn't state that the car has to be on the road or moving. It doesn't state that you have to be in it even. So the law is so vague you could (in theory) get done for sitting in your own house. The way I would interpret that is that you are no more at risk in a motor home than you would be in a caravan with a car parked alongside. Lorry drivers routinely drink at lorryparks in their parked up lorries. It is an interesting subject though because it does raise anomalies that cause you to think twice. The case we discussed concerned a young man who had been down the pub on a sunday lunchtime then came back and decided to install a new sound system in his car which was parked off the road on the drive of his parents house. The police ended up getting called about the noise and found him obviously over the limit working on the car with the music blaring. He was breathalysed and arrested, the case went to court and he was found guilty. If I remember correctly he appealed and the conviction was upheld. But in reality its not going to happen to you is it? Million to one chance. But people do get done for sleeping it off in the back of their cars in pub car parks and police have got people out of bed at home and arrested them. I know of a case where that happened. That case had a few more troubling issues which we don't need to go into here. I used to run drink/driver courses ( the one convicted drink drivers can take to get 1/4 off their ban ) , one on the course in exactly the circs you mention plus a lorry driver drunk in charge sleeping in his cab . Will be same for motorhomes , disqalifiction discretionary . Edited September 15, 2012 by Zulu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 So the police now go onto private camp sites and drag people out of motor homes to brethalyse them? Surely they have better things to do with their time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 So the police now go onto private camp sites and drag people out of motor homes to brethalyse them? Surely they have better things to do with their time? The ones I mentioned and have knowledge of were on public road/public places Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) So the police now go onto private camp sites and drag people out of motor homes to brethalyse them? Surely they have better things to do with their time? Thats the point I was making when I said realistically its not ever going to happen. but technically............... Edited September 15, 2012 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onefulham Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 It is a great idea to hire a motorhome for a week to find out how much you like it, we have a caravan and love it and make as much use of it as we can, though that is not always easy. We would not have a motorhome because of the reason of it being your main vehicle when your away, unless you have a bike or motorbike, or tow a small car (then you may as well get the cheaper caravan option) it does help us that we share the diving and towing. Not much use for shooting trips I accept but one place made for motorhomes is France, you can take your dogs, great roads, great food, great weather, Aries, a bit like service stops/camp sites but for motorhomes, usually very near a village so you can walk into shop, eat or drink. We hope you enjoy your retirement whatever you choose, I do not want to wish my life away but the idea of being retired sounds sweet to me ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 So the police now go onto private camp sites and drag people out of motor homes to brethalyse them? Surely they have better things to do with their time? Hope not or i could be left with loads of motorhomes and no drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SakoQuad Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Am in the same position as yourself! We have spent a long time trying to decide which would be best and have talked to a lot of people who use one or the other. We have concluded that it all boils down to how you holiday really. If you enjoy going to a place and staying for a period, getting to know and exploring the area and don't mind the towing, then a caravan probably fits better. If you want to use sites for overnight stops but mainly keep moving on, doing your exploring en-route, then a motorhome could be a better fit. You can always carry bikes or a motor bike strapped to the back and / or use public transport if you fall in love with a place and want to stay a bit longer occasionally. Motorhomes with cars in tow can cost a serious amount of money to run, and I have been assured also cost double in ferry fees, site fees etc which all adds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Had a motorhome and just changed to a caravan. As has been said, if you are touring and move every day then motorhome has a lot of advantages. Otherwise I would say go for a caravan. To get the space and luxury of an 18 grand caravan you will need to spend upwards of £75K on a motorhome, and it will be a huge beast to drive around. £50K buys you a very cramped area to live in for a few weeks, especially if it is raining all the time. Cost to run massive compared to a caravan. Shopping, going out for the day, you have to move your entire outfit, pack up all your outside gear etc. Same for filling up with water / emptying grey water tanks unless you are on a fully serviced pitch. They still need levelling if you are on a sloping pitch and want to get a good nights sleep and dont want your beer sliding off the table and into your lap, and levelling them on two planes is a right ballache compared to a 'van with a motor mover. We had a lot of fun in the motorhome but now I wish we had got a caravan years ago. Everyone's circumstances are different though. I do recommend hiring a motorhome for a week or so and see how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandytommo Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Are you intending to use it for your everyday transport as well? in effect it would be the 4th vehicle between the 2 of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 An obvious con is that you have to keep a motorhome taxed, mot'd and insured all year, but a caravan you can just hitch onto your car whenever you feel like it. No you don't. If it's occasional use chop in the tax when your not using it and re tax when you need it. we taxed ours twice a year and saved a fortune. as mentioned before you can tow a small car OR what I was looking to do was purchase 2 electric scooters. they look just like a moped but only do 14mph. 20+ miles on a charge was good enough for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 whats the law regarding drinking once youve parked up for the night ? Iv heard of people sleeping in their cars after a night out and being arrested for being drunk in charge of a vehicle, because the keys were in the ignition. Apparently they would have gotten away with it if the keys where not in the ignition.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 I have not had ether but for what they are worth my thoughts are motor homes are really meant to be used in big countries like the US Canada Australia with big open roads but in Europe with our narrow windy roads I would plum for a caravan that you can park up on a site and go and see places in your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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