Friends buying a Motorhome

Milothedog replied on 04/03/2018 09:57

Milothedog

Posted on 04/03/2018 09:57

We have 2 very dear friends who are very serious about buying their first motorhome and they have asked me to help them. My only experience of MH's is from the 80's when we had a 73 Mk1 Ford Transit Ci wayfarer (Lift up roof) my knowledge of today's models is very limited, so I would like to ask for your views and tips on the subject.

So they have been to the show last month, visited many dealers and narrowed their choice to 3 makes/models. Last night over dinner they told us they think they have found the one for them. Its a 1 year old Knaus Sun Ti 700 on Fiat chassis. with very, very low mileage. one problem is it's 150 miles away so if going to view we need to be armed with as much info as possible.

A few questions then.

What extras will they need? I assume a EHU lead, Step ?, Leveling ramps. Gas bottles. Anything else?

Should it come with the thermal blinds for the cab windows?

Does having the habitation door on the O/S cause any issues in the UK (club sites?)

Whats your experiences when doing the deal. Is the screen price set in stone or are some dealers open to negotiation.

All help greatly appreciated

11 replies

Milothedog replied on 04/03/2018 20:26

Member

Milothedog

Caravanner

Posted on 04/03/2018 20:14 by young thomas

Yes you can, but only to a degree....

the chassis/engine/gearbox will determine some distribution, but so will the coachbuilt design....short/long overhang, low profile or overcab styling.....

the other limiting factor will be the siting of the available storage....the Knaus will have a large underbed locker as its primary storage area, with the front dinette possibly housing the Combi heater or even an inboard water tank (another thing generally not found in a caravan).

the thing is, a load placed between the axles will add part of that load to,each axle (depending on position)....however a load placed behind the rear axle in the rear locker will add (say) 125% of the load to the rear axle and reduce the front axle by 25% of the load...this is the fulcrum effect with the rear axle being the pivot point, hence its importance....

you are doing the right thing, raising awareness so as to understand the weighing results and to make an informed choice going forward.

im happy to help further if you come back with some numbers....

it may well be ok, but best to be sure, plenty of cash involved...