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With a largish budget there's plenty of scope and choice. With a young family like yours I'd be looking at outfits with forward facing passenger seats-so that you can fit tthe appropriate child's seats-not all have them.
For sleeping- an overcab bed would be ok for Hannah I think. Where will ity be stored? Size of your drive if at home is a consideration of course.
No doubt others with similar aged families will be on to advise- i think there are some decent 6-berths around which would suit your needs.
Where's Peter- JCM- What do Swift have which would suit David & his family??
______________________________________________________________ Chez soi-C“est ou on se stationne!!
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You are brave. I can still smell the stench of changing nappies in a confined space, and both are now in their twenties!
Welcome to MHF.
Dave
Hi David (dwrights),
Welcome to the forum. There are a million and one questions.....and answers, however, there is a lot you'll find in the search areas.
Our days of "a young family" are long gone, and there is only the two of us in a large A Class. Some parents of young families I have spoken to, have complained about the luton area in a C Class, being quite cold at night, especially in the winter. This is not a problem in the A Class with the drop down bed.
You have a good budget, and would want to get it right first time, however, many don't, so don't be hasty. There are a lot of good, well insulated and well built "Europeans" out there, with an abundance of different layouts. What's considered a good layout for one family, may not suit another. It has to be right for you and yours. Will you use large sites, or CL's/Cs's? Will you wild camp? Will your leisure time be associated with a particular sport or hobby?
Ours is a tag, and you have to be aware of extra costings other than two more tyres, ie, increased ferry prices due to length, LEZ charges due to weight as well as engine classification, (£200 each way for us from 07/07/0, and increased fuel costs, etc.
There is so much to consider, and it can be very disappointing if you don't get it right first time.
I wish you luck.
Jock.
______________________________________________________________ It is better to get there safely, than not at all
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You'll find loads of info on here and everyone is very helpful. Have you thought about hiring a motorhome for a week. Although it isn't cheap, it would give you some idea of what layout you want/what would work for your family etc. and it would be much less expensive than buying the wrong motorhome.
Sue
______________________________________________________________ We don“t know where we“re going so it doesn“t matter if we get lost!
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And hello to you too, David, and welcome to MotorhomeFacts.
You might like to wade through the
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that someone wrote a while ago (it's a bit wordy, I'm afraid, but there's a lot of information there).
I think the major consideration (and restriction on options) is the 5 belted seats requirement. There are many motorhomes who state "5 berth" or "6 berth", but don't have the capability of travelling with that number in safety and comfort.
You need to visit a motorhome show if possible (there's one this weekend at Newbury), and look around as many different motorhomes as you can. As Jock says, you have a good budget, and should be able to find something that suits
Gerald
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Visting the Newbury show sounds like a great idea.
It would be nice to get a layout where we can put the youngest kids to bed and still be able to use the main part of the motorhome. We looked at a Chic MH at Lowdhams and that had two singles in the back. Was way over our budget though at £80k!. Beuatifull MH though.
I will look in the FAQ section and start reading.
Thanks,
David.
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We have 3 kids and went through exactly the same process and purchased the Burstner Argos 747. Reasons were:
-TAG axle gave space and stability. Space is important if you have to stay together in the van during inclement weather
-Six properly fixed 3 point seat belts
-Decent cooker with 4 burner hob & oven
-Decent size fridge & freezer
-3 large double beds plus the sofa makes a good bed for one of the kids (teenager) without having to make up the dinette
-Proper central heating system that heats the bedrooms and underfloor spaces. We camped in -8c weather earlier in the year and were snug. Fully winterised if you want to use it all year.
-heat exchanger for heating of the habitation on the move
-Was excellent value for money but the euro exchange rate has pushed them up a bit but they are well specified
-You can close off the rear bedroom for privacy, the overcab bunk plus the cab can be separated off from the main habitation giving a hideaway to read a book or listen to music.
-Huge amount of storage for toys, bikes etc
There are others very similar by Dethleffs (uglier and costlier) and Euro Mobil but the clincher was the completeness of the package and value for money.
I sound like an advert for Burstner.......... but I am just a private owner. We may sell ours but only to move further upmarket to a Burstner Elegance or Knaus Sunliner.
Ownership has not been totally painless and sometimes having a 29ft motorhome has its limitations
My reply may seem a bit base over apex at first, but come with me for a mo' and it'll become as clear as I ever am.
I would look at the choice seemingly backwards. Look at insurance costs, this may be an issue, maybe not cost wise, more importantly, an insurance company may stipulate where you keep the motorhome, and if they see you're not going to keep it in the garden or driveway, then you need storage place, they will inevitably require a Cassoa site ( or at least they did for my quote). So, if it wont fit on your property, how far is the nearest cassoa site,thats a cost implication too, not only for the storage fees, but travelling to and from may be a pain, this then may have an impact on your choice of motorhome size.
However, another option to european is American, they're not all mahoosive great busses, are generally well built and if you do as many do, you can have a stunning family holiday, choose, buy, import and convert your vehicle and still possibly have change from your budget.
Most importantly, I think the best advice so far, is not to hurry. There are literally dozens of layouts, makers, dealers, base vehicles, and types of motorhome to choose from, and £55,000 is a lot of money. In honesty I'd leave this season alone, wait to the big motorhome shows then you can visit all the major manufacturers, sit in their vehicles, and possibly as its end of season, make a deal for some of the bits and pieces you will need.
please note, I say what you need not what you want. This " what you want" list is infinite, and will never, never end.
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, and increased fuel costs, etc.
but I am just a private owner. We may sell ours but only to move further upmarket to a Burstner Elegance or Knaus Sunliner.
