Newbie to motorhome

Hi popty 

‘be careful.

i have just had a look and 2008 Autoquests appear to range between £20 - £25 K so either you have read it incorrectly or there is something not quite right.

Due to personal circumstances we went from caravanning to motorhoming about 18 months ago and have never looked back.

We originally, like you, wanted space so we bought a dirty great Burstner 747 which was lovey, but...... (7 berth with overhead bed)

This time last year, we traded that in for a Bolero - only two berth but suits us. We have put a 500 litre fiammma box on the back for ‘storage’ but I have to admit I miss the ‘garage’ we had with the Burstner.

I don’t want to state the obvious but non of us are getting any younger. Do you intend to sleep above the cab or just use it for storage? If just for storage then why not go for something with a ‘garage’ rather than the overhead cab? I suppose the main reason we chipped in the Burstner was that my husbands health deteriorated and he just couldn’t get up to the bed anymore, nor could he climb into it very easily.

The Bolero is low profile and just right. It isn’t new (2013) but like most, has very low mileage and should last a long time.

Do you want to go for new when a used one could be so much better value?

Good luck and do keep us posted on what you decide.

If you are not sure if you would like the life style, definitely hire one first. There some dealers who will give you a hefty discount if you hire from them and then buy from them. I would not like to advise you what to buy but mostly the first one is never what is really required so if I had the choice as a first time buyer I would buy second hand from a reputable dealer. That way if you are not happy with the model you would not lose too much when/if you decide to change.

Good luck

peedee

You’ve been given good advice, Popty. Buying new is definitely going to hit your pocket hard and many people find they make a mistake with their first purchase.

I always advise people to buy as small a van as they feel they can be comfortable in as a large van can be a pain in the rear to drive and park when you’re out and about.

Check that your driving licences allow you to drive the van of your choice. The club has advice here -

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/advice-for-beginners/driving-licences/

You may well find other items of interest in the Advice & Training Tab at the year of the page.

The caravanfinder site may give you ideas of what’s around and the prices asked.

http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/motorhomes.html

Hire one first, try before you buy

Hi all, many thanks for your replies & we will take all your advice on board, as yet we are still looking at the pre owned market, we both know that the life style would suit us as we have had a static van for several years on the Essex coast, which we have since sold, as we very much like the idea of being able to travel around the UK & Europe, size is not a factor (no pun intended) as both wifey & I were coach drivers when we were working, so driving & parking are not an issue & our drive would accommodate a motorhome up to 30 foot long, as well as our car.

We are now looking to hire one firstly, & we will check out all the options before we take the plunge & spend some of the kids inheritance.

The Autoquest 100 @ 9k was on this site for sale by a member, but as yet we have had no reply from the message I sent, so we will keep looking, once again many thanks for your help & if an when we buy I will update the post

Hi Popty 51,

Firstly welcome to Club Together. 

It might be worth having a look at our Guide to buying and hiring a vehicle. The Club also offer a 'Try Before you Buy' motorhome hire experience to help people with making the right decision and getting a feel for a motorhome. One of our member's recently trialled this for us and you can read about it here.  It's also worth noting if you are a member of the Club you will receive 15% off motorhome hire through Experience Freedom and Swift Go, more info here: Motorhome Hire

If you haven't purchased your motorhome by the Spring, it might also be worth visiting one of the Outdoor Motorhome Shows as they have lots of motohome dealers and an opportunity to look around the motorhomes. The Club has offers on tickets for some of these shows and these will be available at a later date so keep an eye out on the Club website What's On section.  

I hope this helps and wishing you the best of luck finding your new motorhome. Keep us updated on how you get on and let us know if you have any questions. 

Hi all, thanks for the advice, however we are now very disappointed, as we chased 2 listings for pre owned motorhomes on the classified section only to find out that they were scams, the last scam was reported today, as a 2003 Peugeot Boxer motorhome for £3495, listed as in "Thames Valley", & with a contact of emilymad81@gmail.com, when further checks done she said she was in Inverness & wanted me to pay via ebay, on contacting ebay they had no record of Emily Maddison, and they would not offer any security of my funds if I was to proceed,

Very nervous about investing any of our hard earned pension

 see advert as below and photo, so beware

 
Peugeot Boxer, 4 Berth, (2003) Excellent Motorhomes for sale Beautiful condition inside and out. 4 seatbelts. Manual, Diesel, 2.0l. Bathroom, kitchen with Full size oven. Mot till 03/2019. 28000 miles. Toilet, sink, hob, fridge, oven. I am selling on ...
Price:£ 3,495
in: Motorhomes for sale 

Hi popty51

we took the plunge a few weeks ago and bought our first motorhome a 2 berth end lounge autocruise and are thoroughly enjoying it all.i did quite a bit of research and visited the bath and west show ground caravan and motorhome show and chatted to a few people there to pickup on there advice. I have done a bit of caravaning a few years ago so had a good idea on the layout I wanted.

All I can advise is speak to some seasoned motorhomers and think about what you will actually use the vehicle for (weekend trips or long tours) it’s a lot of money to splash out so be patient and the right vehicle will come up.

Good luck 🚍

Hi Popty 51 and welcome to CT.

I personally don’t think hiring is the way to go ,I would buy a nice pre-owned one ,there are many about,spend some time thinking about the layout cos that is personal to you and no one can really help you decide that.Yes as for storage space I think a garage is much more practical than an overcab bed.The weight is a big issue ,remember if over 3500kg you cannot drive on a car licence.But just take your time choosing ,which is part of the fun ,and you’ll be fine.we have been motorhoming for about 22yrs and are still learning.

Brian & Jo

My thoughts exactly, Brian and Jo. I believe hiring might make you decide it's not for you but hiring a ready-prepared van from a rental firm is not going to tell you about the long term implications of owning a motorhome such as servicing & maintenance, watching your van depreciate, parking restrictions etc.

When we look for a new van, we start by eliminating those we can't buy. How much we can afford, length and possibly width for parking, driving licence restrictions, and the type of motorhoming you expect to do. Think about these issues and a whole raft of motorhomes will be excluded leaving you to sharpen your focus on those you can have.

There are comprehensive guides on buying a motorhome, books and magazines. The best one for buying second hand is on the AutoTrader site.

Remember your schooldays! Keep notes, revise them, and see buying the van as the exam.