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Hi, my name is judy, and i want to buy a second hand motor home
i used to own a comma wanderer, and it was fantastic...that was a few years ago, and i now want to buy another motor home.
my max budget is £15,000.
it needs to sleep 4 minimum, have a fridge, cooker, toilet, air con would be nice but not essential...not sure about what features i should have or are standard these days....(advice please!) or what make or anything really!
all advice appreciated!
thanks in advance for your help.
regards
judy
The following members of MHF thanked judyeaton for this posting
All I would suggest is go round and look at as many as you can, and in each one sit down and imagine spending at least a week in that van, has it got all what you want, is there enough room etc.
We only have a small Harmony its big enough for us, but when we go away with Tonys Sister and Husband (they have a Fiat Lifestyle), there is not enough room in ours so we usually end up sitting in theirs, having a drink, playing cards, watching TV etc.
Oh what I wouldn't give for a larger van
Anne
______________________________________________________________ our van may be small but we“re cosy.
The following members of MHF thanked annetony for this posting
Good luck with your search, I thinks its worth visiting loads of dealers, especially smaller ones, who will usually have a number of older 'budget' mh's, just to get a feel for what's out there. Sleeping 4 minimum means at least two belted seats in the back so that rules out a lot of lay-outs and I would be keen on base vehicle if you are looking at older vans, some are cheaper and easier to maintain than others and those costs inevitably kick in with age. If you have the time and energy plot all the dealers within within say 30 miles on a map and visit the lot. In my part of the world places like Spinney Motorhomes are ideal for window shopping with large stock levels, but I bought mine from a smallish dealer in South Hereford who usually has some older 'gems' on show.
Don't rush it, view a lot and establish a short list. Once you've decided on a few to target, google them, scour the ads. on here and in the mags, and go for it.
Best wishes
The following members of MHF thanked Jagman for this posting
Take a look on Ebay - not necessarily to buy one there but to get a good idea of what's out there at what price. Today there are 454 motorhomes listed.
______________________________________________________________ Tony
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
The following members of MHF thanked tonyt for this posting
Buy off one of this bunch on here - then you can "Nuke" 'em if the wheels fall off!!!!! Seriously though, since I got mine, the vans I have drooled over have all been on the sales site here.
You can get an independent check which is probably much better than most dealer inspection. I can't begin to tell you what was wrong with mine. All fixed now though. Don't go to Mansfield either!
______________________________________________________________ Diesel pumps should be painted pink!
The following members of MHF thanked vardy for this posting
I'd take all of the 4 that will occupy the 4 berths. ( if poss.) the size of the people inside makes a difference as to layout. i.e. small children, can they sleep in an overhead bed above the cab. If theres only a dinette in the saloon can two adults fit when its a bed.
Pretty much every coachbuilt has a loo, and shower built in, also the kitchen and fridge. It isnt a usual thing to have aircon in the back .
You can check via google the dealers local to you and then you can go take a look. I'd interweb search for dealers sites first and look at the layouts. I think, and I'm certainly no expert, that the layouts for the differing types of motorhome are all fairly similar in principle, theres only al limited number of ways of sleeping 4 people in a motorhome.
So, choose which type of vehicle you want, A class, Coachbuilt, or van conversion, each has merits and demerits, depending on your point of veiw, van conversions are generally smaller, easieer to store, but are restricted in inside room. On the other end of the scale, an American RV vehicle has more space than you can shake a stick at, but are expensive to run and have cost implications for storage. for example.
So, to sum up a huge post, choose the type of motorhome, then the layout, then the bits inside. When you've done that, use the internerd to look at the dealers sites, see if they can get close to what you're looking for, and they wont, you will HAVE to compramise, then, go look. I found it best to do this bit in stages, and have a shortlist of say 3 M/H's each time, and I downloaded a 9 page checklist from this forum, ( under, I think, Importing a morohome, ) apply this checklist rigidly, take someone with you thats as fussy as you can find, then, and only then, when you have made your choice, chat to a salesman, and get everything you agree to , and everything he agrees to , in writing, including the delivery date, and what you get.
Oh and also, its the samll things that add up, hose for water, EHU leads, Leisure batteries, etc. These can pop a couple of hundred quid on the budget for starters.
Best thing is, when you bought it, love it, enjoy yourself, and post piccies so we can all see your toy.
The following members of MHF thanked bandaid for this posting