Join the group Forums

barryd

Hello

My wife and I are looking to purchase our first motor home and need as much help and advice as possible. Our situation is this. We are looking for a MH that we can spend long periods of time in. In the not too distant future we plan to take at least a year touring Europe. We have looked at a few vehicles and the one we really like is the Swift Kontiki with the rear U shaped lounge, dinette and over cab bed. We looked at a couple that were 1991 and 1992 models for around £11000. We have up to £20000 to spend but I would like to fit a scooter rack, buy a small scooter, a dinghy / rib and whatever other bits that we may need for such a trip all within the £20K budget. I think we may need a left hand drive if we are going to spend lots of time abroad. The questions are endless but here are a few of the main ones I have thought about.

What other MH are similar in layout and size to the Kontiki?

Is LHD the best way to go for us?

Should I look at buying a LHD from abroad, say Germany and if so where to you start?

One of the Kontiki's I looked at claimed to have air conditioning in the roof which was 240v. How do you stay cool if you don’t have fitted air con or access to 240v?

What about insurance for abroad and also breakdown cover?

We will spend time on some campsites but where possible we would like to camp wild (is that the correct term). What should we be aware of? Which countries are MH and wild camping friendly?

Are there any no go areas in Europe. We are probably going to stick to western and southern Europe but may travel down to Greece. I am concerned about security as many of the MH I have looked at don’t appear to be very secure.

We live at the top of the Yorkshire Durham border. I am happy to buy private but does anyone know of a suitable dealer that can meet our requirements within 100 miles or so of our home?

I will probably think of loads more and will spend some time trawling this site. Any feedback / suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

bandaid

the easiest way to try to assist you is suggest you look at the forums importing from the continent. also, theres a database on the varying layouts. Also, theres threads on just importing vehicles, a checklist, which is essential to use when inspecting your van.

I do know that its a good idea if you want to go to germany, I used Golden air, which are a german budget airline, used hotels .com for the budget hotel, had a blooming good time.

someone will help you out shortly no doubt.

chapter

hi barryd and welcome to mhf i think you will need to look at the max payload of any van you are keen on if you are looking to have a scooter a rib ect
also there are age limits with some b/down cover but it can be added to you insurance
chapter

Grizzly

Welcome to you both; you've come to the right place for advice.

Chapter has said what I was going to say - if you are full-timing for a year and want to add extras then be careful about overloading and look carefully at the payload. Some vans have barely enough for the usual things you take away for a week.

The layout you suggest is one we like too - gives a nice spacious feel to the van. If you've not slept in an overcab bed before then test it carefully. Some find them claustrophobic and find it difficult to get up and down the ladder- especially in the night !

G

loddy

there's a Kontiki for sale on this site 11.5k

Loddy

safariboy

In answer to your question about air conditioning.
A 240V system is the most practical if you want air-con when stationary. There are two possibilities for 12V. The first is via an inverter but it will draw about 80A from the battery and is not really practical. The other is an evaporative system. (This cools by evaporating water) It works well if the humidity is low but badly or not at all when it is at all humid. It is not a non-starter but for Europe likely to disappoint. We have in cab air-con but not a system that works on site. A fan is a good investment. get as big a fan as you can reasonable carry. Big fans work better. Another think we find helps to keep the van cool is to close all the windows on to sunny side and fit Aluminium foil screens.

I do not think that you will find a LHD Swift. Basically I don't think they have made them until recently. There are a very very few Ex-demo models but they may not even have reached the market. I am sure that Swift will tell you what might be available.

I have been happy driving in Europe with a RHD vehicle; but for a whole year.....

Think of gas. You either need a vehicle with a gas locker that will take a continental cylinder or have a gaslow system (see plenty of entries on the forum). (other makes available)

TheFoxes

Hi, just to let you know that Swift did make a LHD, we have got one! Swift Kontiki Fairway Sweden. I think it is similar to the 640. Ours is a 2001, 5 berth, rear fixed bed model, and very nice too in my opinion.
I would reiterate what has been said about payload though, we have just been away for our first week in the van and decided to put everything we thought we would need for our planned tour of Europe in it and then call in at our local weighbridge en-route.
Well, we were 10kg over the 3500kg max, rear axle on the limit front axle a little under. I say this because we carried two pedal cycles on the back not a scooter! Also we haven't fitted the second leisure battery yet!
Hope this helps
Regards Paul

allan01273

There are 9 questions being asked here. My suggestion to you Barry is that you pay the £10 to become a member of Motorhomefacts and ask the questions singularly.
Then you will get a good and well considered answer to each question.