# Taking MH to USA and back



## OldGitRay (Sep 2, 2007)

Hi, new boy here asking for advice,
I'm thinking of purchasing a MH and shipping it to the USA and Canada for about a year and then bringing it back.

I know it sounds a bit mad but my wife wants to buy one when we retire, make it our home and kit it out to our own tastes (as we will have sold our house and have nowhere else to sleep etc) and keep it rather than keep swapping/buying/selling due to continental differences. 

We can ship for about £2000 each way. We want to add a towbar for hauling a couple of dirt bikes during our trip stateside and on our return and finally settling down somewhere in Spain (Yes I know we are too old for the bikes but you only live once!!) We will not be emigrating, we will be refugees from traffic wardens and speed cameras - sorry - soap box.

It is a couple of years till we retire and as I'm sure many of you have experienced I am on a steep learning curve. 
I am seeking advice on all aspects of it from the differences in MH services, i.e. Voltage, gas types etc to insurance etc bearing in mind that it will have UK plates on.

The alternative is akin to living in a mobile hotel - you only own it for a definite period of time.

I have considered buying one in the USA and bringing it back but a 6.8 litre 10 cylinder engine is not appropriate in Europe.

I am reasomnaby adept at DIY, mechanics and electrics so reasonable mods are possible so this is more a feasability study to see if it is worth it.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

OldGitRay said:


> I have considered buying one in the USA and bringing it back but a 6.8 litre 10 cylinder engine is not appropriate in Europe.


I have to disagree. It's a fantastic engine, and only cost around £90 extra per 1,000 miles as regards fuel consumption compared with the European "normal" of a 2.5 diesel. Multiply that by the number of miles per year you travel, and it's not normally a significant figure, particularly when you also consider the amount of money you've saved with the van purchase.

Dougie.


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Hi

A couple of links for you to look at

Info 1

Link 2

Stew


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Forgotten I had posted Link 2 Stew  I still dream of taking my motorhome to the states, for me its a no brainer but I still have too many ties in the UK to leave for any length of useful time. MMM did an article about this about 3 years ago and I think there was also mention of a book about what was involved as well. Someone maybe able to recall where to find these? My files at the moment are in such a mess I stand no chance!

peedee


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## OldGitRay (Sep 2, 2007)

asprn said:


> OldGitRay said:
> 
> 
> > I have considered buying one in the USA and bringing it back but a 6.8 litre 10 cylinder engine is not appropriate in Europe.
> ...


Dougie, Thanks for the post.

I did not consider that, they are a whole lot cheaper out there. What are the approximate MPG figures for a medium sized American RV

Stew, Thanks for the links - food for thought.

peedee, The link has expired but I can look it up. Thanks anyway.

Ray


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## takeaflight (May 9, 2005)

Just a thought, remember to check how long you can stay in the USA on a holiday visa, think its 60 days. If I was going to take a van there then I would chose a Merc sprinter based motorhome. The sprinter is available in the USA, so parts etc should not be a problem.

However saying all that I would buy there and either ship it back or sell it before returning.

Have a read of http://home.mindspring.com/~salmonjt/2007home.htm

The other way round but :roll:


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## WSandME (May 16, 2007)

I was going to post a link about a couple who bought an RV Stateside for the duration of their adventure, but on checking, the site was no longer available.

Then I came across:

http://web.archive.org/collections/web.html

and plugged in the old link I had:

http://www.gigaday.co.uk/ayear/

and Hey, Presto!:

http://web.archive.org/web/20061208092706/http://www.gigaday.co.uk/ayear/


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