Giving up Caravan for Motorhome

If you want to visit a specific 'attraction'....NT/EH etc (even a pub) there will normally be a car park that supports coaches so no real problem there..

parking in a busy town might present more of a problem but on street parking can be found usually within 400-600 yds of the town. If this distance is a problem, perhaps it's likely that owner or passenger will have a blue badge and can park much closer without the need for wrestling with height barriers etc.

We are happy to walk from a more remote parking space but supermarkets are great for MH parking (and for supplies) for a couple of hours or so.

some supermarkets are more welcoming than others....

I would say all of the above  I would suggest the best advice as already given is go for as small as you can comfortably live with, you'll reap the parking benefits if you opt for a 5m van, plus so much easier to use as an everyday vehicle. One thing I guess you'll miss going this small, is a flush loo - most have a porta potty, but its cramped inside with a rock n roll bed out. The nearest 5m thing to a caravan is either the Autohaus Camelot or the 5.4 Hillside Leisure Cromford. Both aren't really spacious if you're above a small build.

Next up really would be your 5.4m Fiat / Peugeot vans, familiar kitchen and loo.

Or up to 6m and the world is your oyster, though many of the european vans won't come with an oven or a grill & habitation door is on wrong side.

Coachbulits the choice is endless.

Automatics of all kinds make a premium. December / January best time to buy, worst time to sell.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

The 5m Wildax Pulsar has a shower and flushing toilet, Dyddy, as has the 5.1m Westfalia Jules Verne.

We don’t know what the OP is looking for other than they’re trying to avoid poor quality. I assume they’ve taken factors like weight, space and fittings into consideration as they say choosing a layout "is not too onerous". It’s an adventure of discovery for sure👍🏻

Very true tinwheeler but he'll be lucky to get a decent Euro6 Pulsar for his budget, likewise with the Verne. An Ocean would be great with a lecky roof but I'd guess that would be too far away from a caravan for him. Though there were a bunch of Pulsars Mk1s & 2's on sale last time I looked, falling in value, maybe not very desirable or something. 

All we can do is offer others the benefit of our own limited experiences.

Apologies for the late response but all of these suggestions/ advice are spot on, giving food for thought.

The difficulty this time of year is offloading one complete outfit before purchasing the MH,  Trade ins are an option- at a cost.

You’re personal experiences are most welcome, thanks for taking the time to respond.

Pete & Kaz

We all like to save money Pete, with you on that one. But for me you come to a point in life where time & hassle are a big factor - Personally I don't begrudge dealers a living and very often the benefits of an easy trade in outweigh the financial benefits of dealing privately.

There's a raft of "Agents" that will market & demonstrate your existing unit for a commission, perhaps this may be a half way house for you. Personally I've little experience of them but would suggest going with one of the larger national concerns.

Developing a relationship with a local dealer can pay dividends for things like aftersales / warranty issues, servicing etc. You don't want a 250 mile round trip if your new pride & joy has a fault to be fixed under warranty.

One last thing, I'd suggest going for a Euro 6, even if you don't intend going near a ULEZ. As time goes on the price gap between E5 & E6+ will only get bigger, plus one day remember you'll want to sell your MH on.

Our hobby is for pleasure & should never be a chore I say.

All the best.

The overriding decision is how do you want to sleep in the van? Small vans with fixed beds will compromise lounging areas, whereas those with make up beds will, by design, require bed making every evening and morning...if the OP is used to a lovely fixed bed in his caravan will bed making be a step too far...

Adria make a Twin on the 5.4 chassis which has a fixed rear bed but a small lounge ....it also has a proper toilet and shower.

something like the Pulsar is a good daily driver (but we don't know of the OP will retain any sort of 'shopper' once he has a MH) but beds must be made up and taken down twice a day....certainly not for us.

Depending on where you tour, small vans with proper beds (ours is 6.4M) can offset the 'requirement' for a large lounge as so much time (other than for sleeping) is spent outside...

touring predominantly in the uk puts more pressure on 'smallness' for our smaller roads, smaller car parks etc but also drives us towards more time inside the van due to our 'interesting' weather....certainly anyone touring here all year round would be subject to short days and long cold nights, switching the emphasis back to a more roomy, comfortable space to spend that time.

so, back to bed making....those who are happy to do this can benefit from the extra lounge space to tackle those long, cold winter spells...yet still have a shortish van...those who need the fixed bed will need to reconcile lass space in other areas...

depends on the weighting any buyer puts on the sleeping arrangements v the space/parking requirements...this should lead to a non/fixed bed layout.

Yes I agree very much with this summary. One of the reasons we went for a 6.4 m length was to get two fixed single beds. We were fed up of making up beds each day and squashing bedding into under bed lockers, but we didn’t want a transverse bed. We both get up a couple of times during the night and couldn’t be doing with climbing over each other.

Going off piste here - but happened to see Million Pound Motorhomes the other day. There's a family of 5 (3 small children) moving into a 5m Transporter. Hats off to them!

I give them four months, six at most.