# Is your M/H your only vehicle



## 88933 (May 10, 2005)

Hi all,
One see`s quite a few M/H on the road now were inot May, but I just wondered how many of you use your motorhomes daily, ie: for dodging about, shopping, going to the bank and such.
We have a Swift Suntor 600S nearly 21 foot in length, which we use as our sole means of transport, we have`nt experienced too much difficulty with local parking as such, but do try our best to be considerate, as 21foot is longer than family car, and anyway I dont want the cost of two road taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs, am I tight or what 8) 
We live in a usual area, part industrial, housing estates, but near to the Shropshire border, and on our estate alone there are 5 M/H which are used daily by there owners.

Not being nosy, just curious  

Mike


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

No, we have a car as well. Maybe because we are relatively new to MHing but we still find that a trip out requires more route planning and some idea of where we are going to park. I don't think I could cope with just going off to do the shopping and having to worry that I would not get a parking space or would have to reverse out of a tight space or into one.

G


----------



## relay (May 9, 2005)

all three of our m/h have been "only vehicles" - all fairly small. We find that to be practical we prefer either a van conversion with a sliding door or a rear door for ease of getting shopping etc (lengths of timber, flat pack furniture :lol: ) in and out. None of the car parks in our town have barriers so parking is not problem - though having said that we generally walk or cycle to town and only use the van for the supermarket shop or big things, so it just wouldn't be worth having two vehicles l- plus we have to park it on the road outside our house and there's only room for one! 
-H


----------



## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi Mike

We are new to motorhoming and still both work, so have a car each and two motorbikes which have got to be sold. Our M/H is 27 ft so is to large to use daily, but will be our only transport when we take up fulltiming.

steve & ann ---teensvan.


----------



## 88751 (May 9, 2005)

*Other vehicle*

Got rid of my car when we bought the motorhome. Bought a little Honda Innova moped 125cc for running around on. Love the thing. Does about 120mpg.

For shopping we use my wifes little Vauxhall.

Ian


----------



## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Hi

we are the same as teensvan, we are still in the throws of to many interests and pleasures

1 Motorhome
2 Cars
1 sportscar
1Motorbike
2 mountain bikes

nedd to streamline ourselves real soon

Paul


----------



## 88810 (May 9, 2005)

Unfortunately not in this household.

We currently have 
Simon's works van, Campervan, my Fiat Uno.

We are awaiting arrival of

My Dad's Ford Fiesta which he has given to us just needs collecting from Northumberland.

We would actually like

A Classic Car Minor, A35, Austin 1300 or so to live in garage but we have a friends Dormobile roof for his Landrover so that will have to wait.
Its only been in there 6 months.


----------



## fdhadi (May 9, 2005)

We also need a car each for work purposes, so 

3 X tax
3 X Ins
3 X Seviceing / mot / Repairs

Now i know where all our money goes.  

Regards 

Frank (the bank)


----------



## Vita (May 16, 2005)

We have two cars as well as the M/H - I have small oldish Honda as I work, and Bob has retired but still has his car. We only use the M/H for hols, week-ends and days out with bikes on back - great not having to find a public bog!
Vita


----------



## 88789 (May 9, 2005)

hi mike we get our new Nuevo es in 14 DAYS and we part chopped our caravan and picasso as part exchange for it so yes we will use it as an everyday vehicle, however as we live in Birmingham most of our shopping and local trips will be by bus (free bus passes) so crazy not to use them. our big shop is usually on sunday and our local shop is asda so good parking and 17ft 10 inches is ok for us.


----------



## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Why do the insurance companies insure the person instead of the car.................my bum only sits on one seat at a time

i thought i heard they did this in france ....not sure

or is it to simple

Paul


----------



## 88933 (May 10, 2005)

Hi everyone, me again, thanks for the replies to my question, yep we had a Picasso before we went and bought our M/H, which was by the way a mobility vehicle, so not really our own, Wife is disabled  but not a problem with that, she just loves the M/H and really talked me into it, we had her for 14 months now and love and enjoy the freedom it gives us. 
Dont really find much of a problem with main shopping as Tesco``s have no height barriers, and have seen several M/H on there car park, do have to be careful on council owned car parks, most have height barriers, and do find that most town centres are not M/H friendly, even got told on one occasion by an irate lady that those sort of things should not be allowed on public car parks, ahh well, takes all sorts  .

Mike


----------



## GypsyRose (May 9, 2005)

We have an N reg BMW (not much difference in length between that and our Hymer but at least I'll drive the car!! (Will NOT drive the motohome!). We also own an Iveco van as Paul does house removals! He always had motorbikes in the past but not for several years now (know he'd like one though!). Think we pay enough in road tax etc as it is LOL! Ana xx


----------



## 89139 (May 14, 2005)

Hi All

We have a ford mondeo as well has the MH . Unfortunately we both still have to work full time. Not to bad though hubby gets a regular lift 12 miles in one direction and I drive 16 in the other we both constantly dream of full timing I wish we were as brave as some of you good people/align :? 



Rolley

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## 88864 (May 10, 2005)

Hi all
kay has a company car and I have the motorhome I do the shopping,take the kids to school [on rainy days only] and go to collage in it so yes its my only mode of transort, being a mechanic I think its better to use a van rather than let it sit around and everything sieze up.   

chris


----------



## jiffyman (May 11, 2005)

Apart from the Jiffy Romahome, I have a Jiffy Pick Up, Niva 4X4, 1968 Mini Cooper and also the works van.
Use the van the most because of the free diesel, get as much out of them as i can!!!!!!! :lol:


----------



## martkaz (May 9, 2005)

Heres our list......

Autotrail Cheyenne 

Peugeot 306 diesel 

Piaggio X9 scooter

Mitsubishi GTO twin turbo for fun/shows at the weekend (when not out in the motorhome) 

I agree with Paul (RedOne) that it should be the "person" and not the vehicle thats insured, obviously this would be based on the highest insurance group vehicle they own :wink: and as Paul says you can only drive one at any time!!

Martyn


----------



## 88785 (May 9, 2005)

We used to have a largish car before we got the motorhome, but now have got a small car, Nissan Micra 1.0.
We love the little car its great and very cheap to run, don't know why we didn't do it earlier.


----------



## 88814 (May 9, 2005)

:wink: We own a car and Van conversion motorhome, the car is used by my husband for work days and any other trip like going to the shops or parents house etc... we do in the motorhome.

My father-in-law also owns a van conversion by the same company with is his only means of transport, as they go under the height barriers they don't have a problem using it every day!


----------



## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Ok it is obvious I have two vehicles, the motorhome and the tow car, both mine. The tow car is also my run about. The other half has a large automatic estate equipped with hand controls which we could not manage without. Takes the wheelchair all the shopping and the old folks.

peedee


----------



## 88741 (May 9, 2005)

My van is my only transport apart from the bike, no real problems with parking it, just have to think ahead a bit and you soon learn where to park. Bess is 5.3m long and standard Fiat Ducatto wide so will fit widthwise into most parking spaces, lengthwise will overhang but can usually find some low bushes or grass to reverse over. Reversing indicators are a god send, probably one if not the best thing I have bought for the van.


----------



## 89264 (May 18, 2005)

hi all

We started out with Honda Accord and MX5, chopped the Honda for the MH, which was great. MH and sports car - perfect :lol: 

However, job and house move means I now go 65 miles in one direction and Andrew goes 30 in the other    

Therefore, he takes bike and train (unless being really lazy when he takes the MX5) and I take an LPG converted golf as it's the only way to afford the miles! Should really sell the MX5, but it would break my heart  It's bad enough knowing it will have to go when we go full timing around Europe next year - only one more summer........maybe we should tow it....... :lol: 

Rachel


----------



## MOTORHOMER (May 9, 2005)

We have the motorhome & a little corsa.


Motorhomer


----------



## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

No....I wish it twer. I have a £300 Fiat Tempr estate for work and a Dayo, DayyyyyyOOOH, Mondeo for everything else. Plus another two cars I paid for my sons, one of which is leaving home - only one to go.


----------



## badger (May 9, 2005)

We have an old Rover for work and general running around, but I try to use the HM as often as poss (i will even go to work in it sometimes).


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hi all (Just got back from 4 days away- have a lot to catch up on). We usually just have the Motorhome and Mountain bikes to do the shopping and visiting (too large and expensive to use for shopping). This year we bought a car for the wife to run around in as we are changing over motorhomes and had Hospital appointments to attend. 8)


----------



## phoenix (May 9, 2005)

Hi Mike

We have a 600s too, the Marquis model and a Swift Suzuki car.
Motorbike and pedal bikes in garage, when not on back of MH.

Our prev MH was our sole vehicle, used by hubby for work and all our shopping etc trips but we realised it really bumps up the mileage, so when time came to buy new (er) MH, bought small car for runabout.

(I use the bus to work, he picks me up on his way home in evening)

Amazed how many of us have more than even two vehicles here!!  

Lyn


----------



## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi,

no, it is not my only vehicle. But it was a near miss: 

When we had got our van in December 02, we had originally decided to sell our normal car. We were living in about 20 minutes walking distance to the city centre and had a well-served tram stop right 'round the corner. We were both either walking to our offices or took the tram when the weather was bad. Which was not too frequent in the upper Rhine valley. At that time our car was slowly corroding in the garage, as we hardly ever used it.

However we never intended to use the van as a day-to-day vehicle. Instead we intended to live without a car, just using our feet, bikes and public transport during the week and the van for recreation only. As I had already done (without van) until '95. I had already written the ad to sell the car, when...

...suddenly my company was aquired by a Dutch company. It was very foreseeable that things would change. And just some weeks later I was offered a position in their headquarter in Holland. So here I am now, in a position I always tried to avoid: Being dependent on a car. 

Now I do not want to use the van for daily travel. Wear and tear would increase dramatically as I have to drive about 80 km per day under all weather conditions, and I intend to keep the van for a long, long time. So better wear down the car...

Best Regards,
Gerhard


----------



## 88933 (May 10, 2005)

Hi everyone,
Again thanks for all your replies on my question,  I think the only time we tend to miss a small car is when on site, as it is sometimes out of the question to try to get a M/H into some of the small villages and seaside towns around our shores.

The Wife being disabled has her electric scooter, which is ok for a good 20 miles on full charge, I`ll have to think about getting a bike or something to keep up with her, or make a small trailer, and she can then tow me :roll: 

But yes I can see the point of having a second vehicle, I was just curious as too how many of you might use the M/H alone for everyday use, if we did have a small car, I would have no where to park it, the van takes up all of our driveway, just about fits in, anyway, thanks once again.

Mike


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Your wife can't give you a croggie on the scooter Mike ?  

G


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hey midlander. If you had some Roller blades, your wife could tow you. No need for a trailer, much more exciting. 8O


----------



## Maverick (May 9, 2005)

As well as the motorhome we have a Smart car I use day to day and we tow it behind the motorhome on longer trips. The wife has a Citroen Saxo.


----------



## rod_vw (May 10, 2005)

Hi Mike,

We use the camper for everything, but it's easy as we have two! Greedy b****s!
Nearly finished converting the new one so must sell the old one soon. It's the blue one see my Avatar.
They are both LWB T4 VWs so don't take up much more space than a Volvo estate in the supermarket carpark.


----------



## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

I think we qualify for the most:
1x Motorhome
1x Scooter
3x Minibus
9 x London Cabs
43 x Saloon cars

M&D


----------



## gromett (May 9, 2005)

I Had an Audi 100 and a Chrysler Crossfire. I got rid of them both last week when I got my MH. I miss the fun of the Crossfire and the ease fo parking but now I am used to it I am getting a lot more exercise 

As I am going full time as soon as my house sells I didn't think it was really practical to have more than 1 vehicle.

Karl


----------



## 88790 (May 9, 2005)

Kath has a Ford Focus and I have a Micra (given to me when my mother stopped driving). The Micra is a gem costs £7.00 a week for Tax, MOT and Ins. Its only done 8500 miles and is ten years old.

If I took the MH out in this area it would probably get scratched or stripper thrown on it. this has happened to cars evenparked in sideways here!

John


----------



## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> Your wife can't give you a croggie on the scooter Mike ?
> 
> G


Where can I get one and how much are they?


----------



## eddied (May 9, 2005)

:roll: 
Would love to use just the M/H for running around, but unfortunately live in a fairly mountainous area, plus it's a work of art just reversing out of my garden with the aid of a hand-held reversing camera - takes about a dozen manouevres and 10 mins, so no good for just popping off to the shops or down to Sorrento. Have an ancient Landrover Discovery with 250000 miles on the clock that goes like a bomb and runs as sweetly as a Swiss clock as a run around (it used to tow a caravan). Wife has a Fiat 500 Sport in which I refuse to sit as a passenger!.
saluti - eddied


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Pusser ! I took you for a man who knew what a croggie was !  

( while you are on line is it possible to let me have the instructions for the wooden wedge door "lock" you patented before the crash ?)

( a croggie was dialect where I grew up for the cross bar of the bike. You sat-painfully- on the crossbar in front of the rider -hence "giving someone a croggie" = a lift )

G


----------



## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> Pusser ! I took you for a man who knew what a croggie was !
> 
> ( while you are on line is it possible to let me have the instructions for the wooden wedge door "lock" you patented before the crash ?)
> 
> ...


I knew that :roll: Just diggig out pics. These were sent to me by a member and I hope I can give him credit for it if I can find his name.

AS tick.

p.s. FOUND them - do u want to pm me your email address and I can forward the orginal email and pix from Clive (Not sure that is a login name though), or, I could stick them all up in the right section. Up 2 U


----------



## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Our MH is 7m so tend to use our car for general running around at home it is easier to park and parking in Paignton would be difficult with the MH although the varous supermarkets on the outskirts of Paignton/Torquay are ok. It would be nice not to pay for 2 road taxes, insurance, servicing etc and perhaps in time will have to ditch the car..........when I get poorer  8) 
Rita


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Pusser; when eventually I get my brain in sync and do this properly : I think there were others who wanted details of the door wedge so perhaps a general post would be a good idea - ?

Thanks,

G.


----------



## 89307 (May 19, 2005)

Jan and I also have a Vauhall Astra as well as our Cheyenne. We sold two cars last year when we retired and bought the Astra. 
Jan will only drive the motorhome on m/ways, dual carriageways and wide A class roads.
Around our area we have some narrower roads but Jan is too nervous to tackle those, hence the car as a second vehicle.


----------



## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> Pusser; when eventually I get my brain in sync and do this properly : I think there were others who wanted details of the door wedge so perhaps a general post would be a good idea - ?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> G.


I did try that but NTL is having a bad day. May have to post pix in my album.


----------



## JustRadio (May 21, 2005)

I use the VW for everything, but then I chose it because it's low enough for multi storey car parks. I don't think I'd use it the same way if it grew up to be a Hymer, (hoping soon).


----------



## 89358 (May 20, 2005)

We use an Automatic Vauxhall Corsa for the school run and shopping, Christine can only drive automatics and will not drive anything larger.
I use a bus everyday back and forth to work whilst the M/H is on the drive.
My 1960 Humber Super Snipe Estate stays in the dry in the garage!
My Mountain Bike has not seen the light of day for a couple of years - really must get out on it again and dust it off - Christine does not cycle!

Don't see any option other than running two vehicles unless I can find an automatic M/H no larger than a Corsa!


----------



## phylymann (May 9, 2005)

Just sold my Fiat Punto so van only vehicle now.[20ft] 
Was going to tow the Fiat but decided its not worth the expense ins, tax, tow bar etc. Now will hire a car for the day if we must have smaller transport at home or when on site.


----------



## beagle (Sep 25, 2005)

*Austin 1300???*

Austin 1300? Haven't seen one of those for years, thought their subframes would have turned to dust by now! my dad had one - loved the horizontal- red -strip-speedo thing! *IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII*


----------



## merpb (May 10, 2005)

Wife has a Toyota Yaris.
I have a Merc SL500 (the ultimate)
Son has an escort xr3i,
Eldest daughter has a Citroen Saxo and the youngest is learning in her Matiz.
We are an oil burning pig of a family.


----------

