Motor homes

[Marra72]

Hello everyone,
I’m looking to buy a motor home for the first time and need advice on witch is best . Thank you in advance x

 

[Jenrai]

Well, honestly you don't give us a lot to go on. If there was a "best" motorhome, the holly grail i'm sure we would all be owning it. For me the best motorhome is £200,000 so if that interests you, happy to provide a link.

Which is best for you is a better perspective based on cost, size, layout and how you intend to use it. Feel free to flesh out your question.

 

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

What is best it's the one that fits your needs visit lots of dealer sites look at lots shows are good to look with out buying.
Fiat Peugeot seem to be the most popular base vehicles..2.3 180 bhp are Great and pull well.

 

[trevskoda]

Whatever you buy do make sure it has solar panels and a proper mppt regulator to charge both hab and starter battery

 

[Rogerdodger]

My advice would be to visit your nearest dealership. Buy just about any one of the cheapest 2nd hand vans on the forecourt, and use it for a year.
Then you will know what you do and don't want in your ideal van.
You will be able to PX or sell your van for roughly what you gave, possibly even make a profit.
Then you can spend big bucks confident that you-
a/ Enjoy Motorhoming
b/ Have your needs met.
c/ You know what you are doing
Our first van was a huge old Elddis Coachbuilt with U lounge. We learnt that it was too big, and we preferred a fixed bed.
We now have a fabulous LWB Boxer conversion, and after 13 years still haven't seen anything better (for us).

Good luck.

Roger

 

[wildebus]

Well, honestly you don't give us a lot to go on. If there was a "best" motorhome, the holly grail i'm sure we would all be owning it. For me the best motorhome is £200,000 so if that interests you, happy to provide a link.

Which is best for you is a better perspective based on cost, size, layout and how you intend to use it. Feel free to flesh out your question.

£200,000? Cheapskate! Have to say I would be expecting to pay around the $2,000,000 mark for a US Motorhome Coach by Newell or Prevost based.
But seeing as most of use live in the real world sadly ......

 

[HurricaneSmith]

Many people buy too quickly without sufficient knowledge and end up quickly changing it for something else.

Rather than buy a motorhome, you'd be better off renting one for a week, and make notes about the things you liked, and the things you didn't, and that will crystallise your thinking.

 

[RichardHelen262]

We are on our 3rd motorhome the one we have now is perfect for us but wouldn’t be perfect for other people,
There is no such thing as a perfect motorhome.
It is a matter of finding one that works for you, which is unlikely to be the first motorhome you buy,
The best thing you can do is hire one for a week to help you work out what you like about it and what you dislike

 

[Pudsey Bear]

There are many different types and styles, mainly front or rear lounge, kitchens can be front back or central as can bathrooms, you also need to think about where it will be parked, how long can you easily park on the drive at home or will it need to go into storage, there is a weight issue too, over 3.5 tons and you need a different licence.

I would get to a few dealers, go into a van you like the layout of and sit there quietly imagining how you might use it, where you would put things, see if there is anything you might find difficult to do, and then go home and discuss it, maybe go look at some others, take a few pictures of the ones you like most

Don't get too hung up on what extras they have solar isn't too expensive and is an easy enough DIY job but if you will mainly use campsites then you may not need it, refillable gas is handy to have but again can be a DIY job to fit.

We started off with a tiny rear lounge van and quite liked it but we've have both front and rear lounges over the years big and small vans too.

How you use it will be the biggest thing to consider, and how long each trip will be, longer means perhaps you need more storage, try to get low down storage for tins and jars etc, a decent wardrobe for dresses etc, so many aspects that your simple question needs a lot more thought to be answered fully.

But we're here to help, and best to ask before spending thousands on the wrong van or accessories after buying one.

 

[The laird]

Also German built do well

 

[trevskoda]

I find an end bed fixed is best, and no clutter in the middle of the van where you will be cooking, lounge or turnable seats at the front work well, I looked at many vans and found very few met my requirements, so ended up building my own from a library bus.

 

[nabsim]

It was the open look/feel that did it for me, nearly 5 years now and still love it

 

[wildebus]

Nice and open, Neil
It is all down to personal preferences but something I am not keen on is the mid-ships bathroom as it tends to split the motorhome into two halves.
I have this layout .....
The front

Cheyenne635SE - 3 by David, on Flickr
With the overcab bed which is effectively a permanent bed that stays fully made up and just pulls out to use.
Towards the rear

Cheyenne635SE - 4 by David, on Flickr
With a brilliant bathroom at the back with a separate shower, cupboards and wardrobe.

For me, ideal and really well packaged within the length of the vehicle.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

One thing I find very useful is Remis blinds for the cab windows, Curtains do do the job, but I like the blinds.

I also prefer Sietz A4 roller or S5 concertina blind windows, Polyplastic ones are not as nice and they let more light in.

May as well join in.

Our 07 Swift Ace Siena, 2.2 Fiat Ducato 100 Multijet.

 

[trevskoda]

Lots of nice vans there, but all seem to be only for 2 as no forward facing belted seats, mine has 6 belted seats and 2 full beds.

 

[wildebus]

Lots of nice vans there, but all seem to be only for 2 as no forward facing belted seats, mine has 6 belted seats and 2 full beds.

I don't want passengers, so a great excuse not to take them

 

[wildebus]

One thing I find very useful is Remis blinds for the cab windows, Curtains do do the job, but I like the blinds.

I also prefer Sietz A4 roller or S5 concertina blind windows, Polyplastic ones are not as nice and they let more light in.

May as well join in.

Our 07 Swift Ace Siena, 2.2 Fiat Ducato 100 Multijet.
View attachment 66138

Nice lounge to sit at and see all around

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Nice lounge to sit at and see all around

Rear is best, but we had to fronts that were quite good too, with central kitchen and across the rear bathrooms, Kontiki and a two Bessie E745's.

 

[Heppy]

W

Nice and open, Neil
It is all down to personal preferences but something I am not keen on is the mid-ships bathroom as it tends to split the motorhome into two halves.
I have this layout .....
The front

Cheyenne635SE - 3 by David, on Flickr
With the overcab bed which is effectively a permanent bed that stays fully made up and just pulls out to use.
Towards the rear

Cheyenne635SE - 4 by David, on Flickr
With a brilliant bathroom at the back with a separate shower, cupboards and wardrobe.

For me, ideal and really well packaged within the length of the vehicle.

We have the same layout in our Autocruise Starburst. Love it

 

[Pudsey Bear]

We loved this Bessie most of all it had tons of extras on it, 1st owner spend £8k on stuff, Sat dish, Mortice locks, removable steering wheel, Remis, alloy wheels, T bar, loads of things I forget now, but I was buying and selling and I got it fairly cheap so it had to go but this was a great layout as it had two singles, not the silly L shaped version, it had 32 or 36 cupboards/lockers in it, we liked it so much we searched and searched for another one to be out last van as we have the space, but the one we did find turned out to be a disaster so I got shut via Motorhome depot and only just avoided losing money on it.