# Downsizing-pros and cons



## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

We are thinking of changing to a smaller van after nearly 4 years with a coachbuilt.We love the Autotrail but we no longer have any kids who go with us and it is just the 2 of us and our 2 dogs.

The downside is the obvious one-space,can we live together comfortably in a 6m panel van,will we miss the extra storage that we have now.

The advantages are we want to do more wild camping and go into towns to park up and wander around.

I hope we make the right decision as it could be an expensive mistake if we can't live with it and have to go back


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi;

This is a good account of downsizing from Don Madge....

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-490846.html#490846

Pete


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Size*

It will be smaller! :lol:


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## Tezmcd (Aug 3, 2009)

I'm way too new to the MH community to have a valid opinion, but speaking from a car perspective going from large to small is hugely disappointing and this has always outweighed any benefits.

I currently sit in a very large gas guzzler all by myself most days, but I'm happy and could never image sitting in a smart car all day despite the many advantages.

If I stick to MH's (which I intend to do) I think I will hit the ripe old age of 70 driving a 40 foot American monster - BIG IS ALWAYS BETTER 

Sorry couldn't help the hijack - good luck wherever you land with the choice


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

wakk44 said:


> We are thinking of changing to a smaller van after nearly 4 years with a coachbuilt.We love the Autotrail but we no longer have any kids who go with us and it is just the 2 of us and our 2 dogs.
> 
> The downside is the obvious one-space,can we live together comfortably in a 6m panel van,will we miss the extra storage that we have now.
> 
> ...


Not a good move

You will be disappointed Wak


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

We have cheyenne 632.

No intention of ever downsizing. Just the two of us.

We tried doing it with caravan when kids left home. Big mistake soon change for a larger one the got mh

Pros of keeping same. You know the vehicle and any problems associated with it.
Cost effective to retain vehicle.

Dave p


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

There are only two of us,we are now on the third van in three years,each time we have gone bigger and bigger.No matter what size of decent van,you can't park it conveiently, so we gave up,had space and bought a scooter.SIMPLE.

tony


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

Might be cheaper to tow a small car if you want to visit city centers?


Richard...


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

You can't park a car on the pavement. :lol: 

tony


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## seakay (Apr 10, 2008)

Totally agree with the scooter thing. You can get right into the middle of town and park for free with ease. No traffic jams to worry about either - just ride on by! And for me it definately adds a little more adventure/freedom to the trip to the experience. Wouldn't be without one.


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

RichardnGill said:


> Might be cheaper to tow a small car if you want to visit city centers?
> 
> Richard...


Very true.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Also on the Rhine and Mosel this year,wherever the car parks were to the castles etc,they were always about half a mile downhill from the P O I the roads from the car parks to the castle etc were banned to cars,not to little scooters however unless you mowed the pedestrians over. :lol: 

tony


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## stuffed2 (May 9, 2005)

Its not always very easy to park a pvc in or near town centres now , lots of restrictions on height, length and weight . And security is an issue if parking in a quiet place.


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## 106573 (Aug 20, 2007)

Someone once said on here and I quote: Don't travel in a small cost effective van with all its benefits, only to sit in uncomfortable dissatisfaction when parked up! Unquote.
Tinhut
P S
I think it might have been me who said that :roll:


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Downsize*

Hi

From my experience, I fitted the contents of a tag axle Swift into a Trigano panel van, but, I could not fit in 2 x LaFumas or the usual bulky items such as buckets etc.

Go to a dealer and take a few very bulky items with you - see where they could be stored.

Russell


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## backaxle (Nov 6, 2006)

*Re: Downsize*




Rapide561 said:


> Hi
> 
> From my experience, I fitted the contents of a tag axle Swift into a Trigano panel van, but, I could not fit in 2 x LaFumas or the usual bulky items such as buckets etc.
> 
> ...


This has been my experience too.We down sized to an Autosleepr duetto in 2005 and found that after 6 weeks in France we couldn't live with it (a severe lack of storage etc.) so off we went and bought an Autotrail Mohican,now have loads of storage and everything that goes with it.
Remember; what will carry a lot will carry a little :lol:


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

Only downsize if you find you are not able to properly control your vehicle, need to be able to "nip to the shops" in the same vehicle or if finances force such a move.

Like others there are just the two of use and we like our space. The Motorhome has just a single double bed, mobile luxury for two and it will be a long time before we give it up.

C.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I am with Clive on this. Autotrail Dakota (7.5m) just for me and the missus. LOADS of internal space and storage for all the "essentials" We UPsized earlier this year from a 6m Hymer 

Ask yourself the following question

" If we are away somewhere and its pi**ing down with rain is there enough room for the two of us to relax/read/watch telly/sleep etc for 24 hrs without having a domestic" 

If the answer is no you have the answer to your question!!


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

Don't do it! I think you would seriously regret downsizing. We started off thinking a 6 metre van would tick all the boxes, but it didn't. Beautiful van but we just couldn't live in it. We usually go for a few months at a time and I think a 6 metre might be a good 'weekender' but that's all. We have found that our 7.3m goes all the same places that the 6 metre van did.

Sal


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## motoroamin (May 22, 2006)

I would suggest try and spend some time in a Compact style motorhome (the halfway house between a van conversion and a coachbuilt). You might be able to do a swap, or even hire (a few hundred quid spent now could save thousands later).


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## jocie (Dec 24, 2006)

In September we traded in our 6m Hymer 544 for a 6m Devon Aztec (Ducato van conversion). It took a lot of searching to find a pvc which ticked all the boxes for us- 6'3" beds, great lounge,good storage, and comfortable driving position, great rear visibility. We are very happy with our choice, and in fact the bed is even better than the Hymer, and so is the lounge (for two people slobbing around!) The toilet compartment would be too compact for a very large (wide) person, but if you are normal sized we can thoroughly recommend the Devon Aztec for long or short trips.


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## Koppersbeat (May 10, 2005)

We have just downsized,last week in France,from a Rapido A class 9048 with double floor storage to a Rapido A class 903.
The new van is just 5.99m which is the same length as most panel vans.
We now have lots more easy accessible storage with a good size garage that is big enough to take a scooter.We now have a double fixed bed as well as the drop down double bed.
My husband can lounge on the back bed,which has a proper window at the end and a skylight and good reading lights,whilst I am cooking or watching tv.
We have 4 belted seats so could take the grandchildren safely.
The spare wheel now goes in the garage instead of struggling with it on a carrier underneath. We will no doubt use the Cadac and the La Fumas more often as they are also in the double entry garage.
We collected the van from our dealer in Rennes on Wednesday and had 3 nights on the road getting back.The aire at Avranche was full of gypsies and so we stayed on the normal car park by the gardens and fitted into a car space quite happily.
So after 450 miles we are more than pleased with our decision and although on a Fiat 2.3 and after some serious reversing in Avranches we have NO Judder at all.
Helen


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## teal (Feb 23, 2009)

wakk44 said:


> We are thinking of changing to a smaller van after nearly 4 years with a coachbuilt.We love the Autotrail but we no longer have any kids who go with us and it is just the 2 of us and our 2 dogs.
> 
> The downside is the obvious one-space,can we live together comfortably in a 6m panel van,will we miss the extra storage that we have now.
> 
> ...


We also have a 634L for the two of us and would never go back to a panel converted type like we had hundred years ago which was a VW Autosleeper, lovely engine etc but on rainy days did not know what to do with ourselves.Few years ago we did change from a Bessacar 645 down to a Hymer merc S520 which was great but would not go any smaller. Hope you make the right choice.


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Hi
We have a VW T5 so less than 5m. We love it, it's got everything we need and if it did rain all day we can read our books, do jigsaws, Nintendo games, watch a DVD, sew, cook .... or just go out somewhere in it. However if we were able to have dogs, even one dog (Son-in-law is allergic to dogs so it would make it difficult for us) we would definitely have a larger camper. We have seen a couple with a large golden retriever in a VW California and it looked a squash!
lala


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Many thanks for all your thoughts and suggestions.

We actually took out a 6m panel van conversion on a test drive,it was very good to drive and I was impressed with the X250 cab.When we got home and sat in the lounge of the Autotrail our minds were made up,we prefer the extra space of a coachbuilt.

The original idea was to use the pvc as a second vehicle occasionally and also have more manouvereability in town centres.I don't think there is such a thing as the perfect m/home layout.We would all like to drive a small compact vehicle and have the living space of an RV.

So we are sticking with our van,finance didn't come into it,it would have actually cost a fair bit to change.We will have to plan our trips more and try and get a site near a bus or train route.I did go down the towcar route previously but didn't like the restriction of a toad on the back.

We like to make the journey part of the holiday and explore different places on spec. and sometimes wild camp,not easy with a toad.

So we are staying with our Dora(the explorer)  ,and must get these unsettling distractions out of our minds about changing vehicles and continue to enjoy what we have got


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## backaxle (Nov 6, 2006)

"So we are staying with our Dora(the explorer) ,and must get these unsettling distractions out of our minds about changing vehicles and continue to enjoy what we have got "

Don't worry about it.Almost every MH owner is looking for the next,that is why the shows are so popular.You have probably made the right decision,until next time.
Good Luck.
Backaxle.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Not sure if you have bike licence but as a one or two on here have said, why dont you get a scooter? We have a 7.5 metre 6 berth and there is only two of us. We have a 100cc scooter on the back and it is simply the only way to go for a great MH holiday. On our summer trip to Europe we did 6000 miles in the van but also 1500 on the bike. All the little side streets and narrow roads that others cant get down are accesible and as for parking, well you just park wherever you want. We always find fantastic wild camping spots as well as you can use the bike to scout ahead and find all sorts of hidden gems.

Its a 2 minute job to get the bike on or off and requires no real strength or effort and once its on you dont even know its there, makes no difference to handling, reversing etc.

Cheers
BD


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

I think if you haven't tried a scooter that is definitely an option to consider. Despite having a PVC which we can park anywhere there isn't a height barrier, I still consider the scooter on the back an essential motorhome accessory. The freedom, flexibility and fun it gives are amazing.

The PVC is great for ~3 weeks max, which suits us fine until retirement. Then the dilemma will be scooter (wouldn't want to downgrade in power to a weedy one), more powerful bike in a garage or a Smart in a garage. I'd prefer to avoid towing a small car.

As to an earlier comment about downgrading in car size, I have happily gone from a large Merc E-class estate, which was a joy from new for 11 years, to a Fiat 500 and am still loving it after 26000 miles 

Dave


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

DABurleigh said:


> I think if you haven't tried a scooter that is definitely an option to consider. Despite having a PVC which we can park anywhere there isn't a height barrier, I still consider the scooter on the back an essential motorhome accessory. The freedom, flexibility and fun it gives are amazing.
> 
> The PVC is great for ~3 weeks max, which suits us fine until retirement. Then the dilemma will be scooter (wouldn't want to downgrade in power to a weedy one), more powerful bike in a garage or a Smart in a garage. I'd prefer to avoid towing a small car.
> 
> ...


Got to agree on the car thing. Had all sorts of rocket ships over the years and got over it eventually. Now drive a Diesel Golf! How exciting is that. I think the Fiat 500's are fab! Especially the Abarth model. Only thing that puts me off is I once owned a Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo which was incredibly fast but couldn't pass a garage without stopping to have something fixed!


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