# Thinking of buying a motor home a couple of questions



## eriba12

Thinking of moving from caravan to a motorhome, however my main concern is mobility with the motorhome.
Due to the size of motor homes and I suspect parking restrictions how do people use them when they are away at caravan sites. Use public transport, walk or carry bikes small motor bikes/scooters. A few views on this would be handy.

Do people with motor homes have a second car or use the motor home as the main means of transport when they ar home.

need to think a lot and explore before I take the plunge


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## DTPCHEMICALS

eriba12 said:


> how do people use them when they are away at caravan sites. Use public transport, walk or carry bikes small motor bikes/scooters.


 Hi and welcome,
You have answered your own question.
Yes we use public transport, walk, cycle and many tow small cars or scooters and motor cycles.

The size and parking problems you may encounter depend on the size and type of vehicle you are looking at.

Panel van conversions (PVC`s) can usually park where you can park a large car . 4X4 or estate.
Larger coachbuilts take up more space but if i use two parking spaces in a pay park i will put two tickets on the screen.
We were caravaners for about 15 years before we changed 5 years ago.
the trouble is we do niot use it enough.
The others will be along soon
dave p


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## Brock

You are right to tread carefully. We changed from caravanning to a motorhome 10 years ago. We've never looked back but are sensible enough to realise there are merits in both.

We found the motorhome on a par with a caravan most of the time. When we left the site, we've walked (when we had a dog), cycled (when we didn't have a dog) and used public transport. We've also taken the motorhome with us as it is great for day's out whether from home or a site. Motorhomes are not so useful if you want to visit major towns and cities although park and ride schemes can be good. It's in the countryside away from the crowds that we find our motorhome comes into its own. It's brilliant for open air shows. 

I never had problems towing a caravan and think they are on a par with a motorhome for ease of driving. However, there is a great feeling of spaciousness when driving a motorhome.

Motorhomes really work well on the continent where there is plenty of room and fewer restrictions.

Size wise, you have to decide on layout and usage. We tend to keep below 22' as that gives us the right balance between ease of use on site and flexibility off site. I don't have a problem with those who want a full sized American motorhome. It comes down to what you want to do with the motorhome.


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## Jennifer

Good morning Eriba 12 and welcome to the site.

Because of the size of my "baby", and being a member of the Caravan Club, I hire a car through Enterprise when travelling in the UK (not ventured into Europe yet, too much to see in the UK first). Enterprise give 10% discount to CC members, and they come and pick you up at the site, and return you when your hire period is over. Prior to this I used public transport (free bus pass in England) or cycled/walked.

I do have another vehicle at home.

Jenny


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## Grizzly

You do have to do a little more forward thinking with a MH than a caravan in terms of choosing sites with public transport nearby if you are going to be there for a day or two. It also helps to realise that some people's idea of "good public transport nearby" is a twice weekly bus 2 miles from the site. It's also a good idea get into the habit of doing your shopping en route.

We use bikes if there is a cycle path (I don't do main roads) and buses, trains, trams and, very very occasionally, hire cars. Part of the enjoyment of a holiday for us is meeting people and seeing new places from the bus and we felt much more insulated in our caravanning days when we used to take the car.

This site:

www.motorhomeparking.co.uk

is handy for telling you where you can park your van for the day and there is similar information for Europe in the Aires de Service Camping Cars book.

G


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## badger

I always had the same misgivings as you, but I think you have to change your way of thinking with a MH as opposed to a caravan.

With a caravan a long weekend as a minimum at any given site, and more suited to longer holidays in one spot. Whereas a MH is more suited to touring with 1 or 2 nights at each stop.

Merits with both, but for different usage.


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## eriba12

*Thanks you all*

Again thanks

Just a couple of questions.
How much do you use a motor home when home based.

Whats insurance like expensive.

We are looking at the chausson range at the moment but that could change. Based in liverpool any dealers you would recommend


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## Jezport

You would be amazed where you can get a motorhome, we did the Western Isles of Scotland last year and Cornwall the year before in our 21ft motorhome with no issues. We now have a larger van but with a bit of planning we will find lots of places to go. We also use busses, bikes and walk.


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## oldenstar

I think this subject (transport options at sites) is still neglected by both major clubs.

I do agree with Grizzly that the bare information that there may be a bus stop within 1 mile of the site simply ain't enough, although I suppose a call to the site should get you more info.

Surely it would not be too difficult for the clubs to produce lists of sites, both main club sites or CL/CS's,either having good alternative transport links or being within say one mile of a town.

For instance I have just booked the Lauder C & CC site in the borders mainly because I see that there is a convenient bus service into Edinburgh (confirmed by Google cameras).

However I have also booked the Dunstan Hill site in Northumberland which boasts a bus service to Alnwick etc., but the Google cameras make that look a bit dubious.

Examples of the sort of site I mean (both clubs) are Chapel Lane, Birmingham (Bus at gates), Canterbury (same), Dingwall and Jedburgh up north with pleasant short walks to town.

I would find this type of info so useful when planning trips as I don't really want to go down the Toad route.

Paul


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## hblewett

*Re: Thanks you all*



eriba12 said:


> Again thanks
> 
> Just a couple of questions.
> How much do you use a motor home when home based.
> 
> Whats insurance like expensive.
> 
> We are looking at the chausson range at the moment but that could change. Based in liverpool any dealers you would recommend


I think most of what I can say has already been said and nothing I wouldn't agree with. We are 'mover-on-ers', so the motorhome suits us well and we are in it for a total of 3-4 months each year.

We hardly ever use it at home as I am into cars a bit, so we have two (new one nine years old, old one 21 years old) which we enjoy using.

Insurance is cheap, providing you have good driving record, as obviously motorhomes are pretty much driven by their (generally mature and sensible) owners who look after them, so claims records are obviously low. Ours is surprisingly cheap, if you can afford the motorhome the insurance will not be a deciding factor - unlikely to be much over £300 and could be less


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## Brock

We're based on the Wirral. We bought our last two vans from Hymer UK near Preston. The service we've received from them over the last ten years has been very good.

Practical Motorhome and MMM run awards for dealers so that will give you an indication of who to think about. You will find plenty of posts on this site about various dealers. Best bet is to arm yourself with some facts and then go and talk to dealers. You will find some who answer your questions properly and some that will try and fob you off.

I do about 6,000 miles a year, just under half of that is for days out from home. 

Insurance varies as you can imagine. Until this year I was always with the Caravan Club for insurance. This year I switched to Comfort having read threads on this site. I saved just over £100. Value of van £35,000, two named drivers aged 55 and 50, clean licences and driving records, van on drive by house; premium £230 or so. Caravan Club quoted £338.

Think about second hand vans not just new ones. You can get a better quality van second hand, most of the delivery faults corrected, and the initial depreciation covered by someone else.

If you intend motorhoming in the winter, look for a 'winterised' van. This usually means insulated water tanks and thick walls and floors. Some, like my Hymer, have double floors which make them more winterised.

Keep asking, it will all make sense in time!


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## Sideways86

I think it is a question of waying up the alternatives, I know we should have bought one years ago.

We started with a Bessie 425 and now we have the Swift Voyager with towbar and motorbike trailer.
We have found difficulty getting in some places but the freedom and experience far outways any negatives.
I think the car hire scheme is getting very popular(if you dont ride two wheels etc)

I looked long and hard before buying the second truck and for me its all about the layout of the truck in suiting your needs.

Our Voyager is around 7.2 metres and thats long enough for our needs really

Enjoy!


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