Motorhomes & in's & out's but from the owners

Hi and welcome.

The thing we learnt from our first MH was that big is not good and the smaller the size of the MH that you can comfortably live with, the better. Size matters but in terms of less is more. No doubt if there are 6 of you, though, you won’t have a lot of option on size.

Check there are enough belted passenger seats for the number of people you need to carry and that you have the correct driving licence for the weight of the vehicle you are contemplating. There is much info in the Advice and Training tab at the head of the page.

I can’t really help regarding fuel consumption as our MH is much smaller and lighter and I’m not sure which Fiat engine you're thinking of.

Certainly  agree  with  TW  there.  The  parking  of  m/homes  of  any  sort   can  be  real  pain.  many  carparks/supermarkets  etc  have  height  or  width  restrictions  which  are  not  conducive  to  pleasant  motoring.  I  have  had  the  occasional  problem  and  I  only  have  a  Van  conversion  --  a  tiddler  compared  to  a  6-berth.

Fuel  consumption  is  likely  to  be  low  20s  at  best,  I  think,  if  you  are  carrying  6  people  &  their  requirements.

So  what  would  I  recommend  -->  HIRING  one  of  the  relevant  size  but  not  necessarily  the  one  you  want  --  it  might  not  be  available  to  hire.

Take  it  out  onto  a  site  with  a  full  load  &  a  notepad  --  write  down  the  good  bits  and  bad  bits  --  then  sit  down  over  a  cuppa  &  re-think  your  plans  /  wishes  then  come  back  and  tell  us  how  you  got  on.

B

You make some good points there, Brian. Parking can certainly be a nightmare with larger vans as can getting around the lanes of the Westcountry and similar places. That’s what leads people to tow small cars - another hassle to contend with.

Hiring is a good idea. Although it’s not cheap, it’s cheaper than buying the wrong van.

Your mention of 6 people and all their gear made me think of payload which may be tight with all that aboard. I’ve no wish to put the OP off but it sure is a lot to consider.

 

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😲😲😲

We bought our only motorhome, never camped nor caravanned previously. Almost an impluse buy 😲😲. Day out at a large dealers with friends who had camped and had a small day van. Lots of discussion between us all on layouts on offer. OH pressed the dealer very hard and got £7000 of the already offer price, weren't really serious but we couldn't not in the end.

Any regrets? Possibly engine size but hey ho were on holiday so take our time. Often nave a nose if we're passing, not in our area, dealers but haven't better our layout storage and payload yet 😂😂

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Maybe use google to see if there is a Swift Motorhome Owners club that could help regarding the Swift model you mention.  

Hello Carol. Motorhome Fun is a good forum although for advice, I prefer Motorhome Facts, linked to the Out&About website [Warners Publications] which has plenty of motorhome advice. Use both! I would also buy motorhome magazines. MMM and Practical Motorhome are magazines that cover van tests [bit biased in favour of the manufacturers] and motorhome lifestyle articles. What Motorhome focuses on road tests. There are several good books/booklets on buying/owning your first motorhome.

If you want a six berth, does that mean you want six seatbelts or you just fancy the extra room. Six berth motorhomes, and the Swift twin axles do, require a C1 licence entitlement because by the the time they are loaded up, they weight more than 3,500kg.

Usual advice is to go as big as you need to do what you want to do with your motorhome and as small as you can get away with. A long twin axle model will be like a caravan with an engine on the front and ideal for pitching up for longer periods if you can find sites/places to pitch an 8m+; they are not easy to manoeuvre. A small 6m van is ideal for pitching up for a night or two and then moving on.

Depreciation will be the biggest cost. Fuel consumption will be around 22mpg for the large vans, around 28mpg for those below 7m, and over 30mpg for Panel Van Conversions. Driving style has a big impact.

My advice is not to buy a motorhome! It's like being seduced by a gigolo or lady of the night. It'll give you a great time and many happy memories but it will leave you poor financially!

Hi, and to my new friends, thank you for the advise, there are some really good points for us to consider.  I think this verifies that we are doing the right thing by doing our home work a year in advance. 

You certainly are.