Talk to me about buying a campervan

[72WayTooCool]

We had a proper shit year last year. I had a cancer diagnosis, nearly lost my job due to the the pandemic and coupled with the realisations that we're not getting any younger and you only live once, DH and I have been talking about getting a campervan. The DC are adults so it would purely be an indulgent purchase for us to get away for the weekend - we're lucky to live in a very popular, holiday orientated part of the country, so weekends away are literally on our doorstep - or we may think about travelling a bit further when things get back to normal.

We ca afford to buy a decent secondhand one outright. We're looking at VW T5s or similar, but it feels so extravagant. We've never had the money to splurge on things like this before, but my critical illness cover paid out so we have the cash to spend.

The thought of being able to finish work on a Friday, drive 50 miles and pitch up for the weekend sounds amazing, but I do wonder if it really is that easy? If you have one, how often do you use it? What are the running costs like? We'd use it as a second vehicle. Is a T5 the best, or are there others we should consider? Do we buy converted or not and get it done ourselves? DH is super keen, but I'm a bit reluctant to part with £20k+ without doing a LOT of research first.

Interested to hear from other campervanners!

@72WayTooCool I wouldn't say easy 😀. Ours was an empty electricians van and we had professionals install the windows. DH lines it with sheep's wool and then hardboard and covered that which was a hard job. We also couldn't get anyone to install a flip top roof as companies tend to want to do the whole conversion.

On reflection getting someone to convert it would have been far far easier but is v costly so I get the dilemma 😣

I have had campers and now have a motorhome. We discussed the pros and cons of campers v caravans but campers won as we also use them for days out in country parks, beaches, etc and it's great for grandchildren. With regad to the packing up - we don't find this a problem as we don't leave lots of stuff out. Make a coffee - replace back in drawer/cupboard. Beds remain made up. However we also take bikes and use them for shopping/local trips. In Europe public transport is also good

We have a pop up one, like the link here, it folds flat to store away, we put it up in less than 5 mins, really easy, has a bathroom, kitchenette and lovely seating and sleeping areas. We towed it once to a site in the lakes and now we store it there, they get it out for us when we want to go up, we pay around 60 per month for storage, but much easier than schlepping it up and down the motorway and storing at home.

www.foldingcaravans123.com/product/do-esterel-top-vol-toilet

we absolutely love it.

I'd definitely not want a campervan as when you park up you can't go anywhere unless you walk or pack away to drive.

I've lived in campervans and absolutely loved it I've thought about buying one in England but I feel like it would be so hard to do in this weather.
It would need really good insulation because they can get really cold at night, especially if it has lots of windows.
I relied on a solar shower, fill it up and stick it on the roof in the sun and it's gloriously warm but that would only work for a couple of weeks in English summer.
We also relied quite heavily on bbq stations that have plugs, bbqs (obviously lol) and boiling water taps to make life easy. I haven't seen anything like that here except for on pay for entry campsites.

Camper vans have their good points but I would ensure you can have a bike rack or motorcycle attached even otherwise you need to move it just to go to the pub. We just camp (same age group) because it's so easy to put up modern tents, going most weekends

Great thread!

I've always wondered, do camper vans get hot? More so than tents?

The one I had in Australia used to get very hot, I've been branded by my seat belt before. She was an old girl with no A/C. We bought mesh so we could open the windows without mozzies and spiders getting in and heat reflecting covers for the windows which helped a lot when it was really hot. It was a different kind of heat to tents though, far less stuffy.

You will pay a lot more just for the VW badge. Make a list of what you want. We did this and then saw a van belonging to a friend of a friend and it ticked all the boxes. We spent a while looking through adverts (they are quite rare) until we found one it's a Murvi Morello conversion in a Fiat Ducato. It has a loo /shower although we usually only use the loo at night and don't use the shower. It has a good kitchen, plenty of storage and a comfy bed. We love it.

@WokeGroaker

Great thread!

I've always wondered, do camper vans get hot? More so than tents?

Opening the roof window has a lovely cooling effect. We also have an extractor fan in the kitchen.

I'm in Cornwall & am buying a second hand transit to have as our family vehicle slash day/sports van. Enough room to sit & have the dog crate & stash all paraphernalia for a night's camping or beach breakfast, but not cluttered by pointless sink etc.
It's a halfway house which I think will suit us, we still need seats for kids.
Still cost g around £15K for a transit in good cond but with fairly high mileage.

We just bought a motorhome this April. So far we've been away for 5 weekends. Love it. We take bikes, paddleboards and the dog.

We splurged and bought one with an electric bed that comes down from the ceiling - it's really comfortable.

We can sit 8 round the table as the 2 front seats swivel. We have a kitchen, fridge freezer, loo and separate shower. Plus boiler for hot water which runs off electric hook up or gas. All in 6 m length. We spent ages researching layouts etc and this works brilliantly.

We've now bought a drive away awning and booked 2 1/2 weeks of sites in July.

Driving away to go out is so simple. Just make sure everything is stowed, gas is off, unplug the hook up and you're off. Less than 5 mins.

You can get last minute places to stay - look at pitchup.com and BritStops - some pubs and car parks let you stay for free or a small fee and you have to buy a drink/meal if it's a pub.

We keep staple foods in there like tea, biscuits etc and some cans of soup, tuna etc ready to use. We have a duvet etc in there and towels, toothbrushes etc. It took us 20 mins to be ready to go last Friday 😁.

Oh and when we went to Wales to climb Pen y Fan, we made a cup of tea when we got back and both had a shower in the car park before we went for a curry! We have been known to park up and have a 'lie down' mid afternoon 😂😂

We bought our T5 in November and use it all the time! It's our only vehicle and have stayed away most weekends. We have a 4 and 5 year old aswell and they love it! We bought it already converted as we just wanted to get it and go! Yes it's expensive and we spent all our savings on it but like you said you only live once. But we haven't found it expensive to run or use and campsites are cheap.
The only inconvenience we have found is that if you want to go out for the day that is further than a walk you have to pack the whole thing up and set it up again for night. But that should be quicker for you with out the small children.
It's given us so much freedom with the kids and it gets us out so much more than we used to. The memories for the kids are priceless 🙂

We have a motorhome, well we’re on our third one now as they’re brilliant for us. It’s kept pretty well stocked up so we can go at a moment’s notice. Pull up at a site & we can be set up with a brew in in five minutes while caravaners are unloading, putting up awnings etc for what seems like ages. We can pack up for a day out in ten minutes.
Would find a campervan too cramped for anything more than a couple of days, whereas we’re often away for a fortnight or more at a time. We have a proper bathroom with toilet, washbasin & shower cubicle . Kitchen area with a full size cooker, same as the one at home, tall fridge freezer, microwave etc. Central heating, a tv, an outside barbecue point. We can be on hook up or not as the roof has a solar panel & we have gas as an alternative which the heating, fridge freezer & cooker can work off as well as electricity. Wet days are no problem as we’ve as much space as many caravans, not sat cramped up together. Wouldn’t holiday any other way, we’ve been all over.
You do need to be aware though that driving is not the same as a car, more like a lorry as that is what he base vehicle is.

I had the world's tiniest motorhome, it's just me and the dog. Sold it last year after two big trips and the dealer said prices were 20% higher than the previous year thanks to Covid. I miss it...

TBH Cornwall has a reputation of being quite tough for campers. All my trips were on the continent and it's much easier with schemes for staying on vineyards, farms etc. Lots of places provide free or cheap aires.

We looked at the VW but wasn't sold on the side kitchen. Seemed to be no floor space when bed is out. We opted for the Ford Nugget.... based on a custom transit, has an L shaped kitchen. Which allows enough floor space for a Portapotty and to get dressed. We are out and about in it most weekends. Its not entirely practical for winter use, having to pop the roof to stand up, I guess that's the same for the VW

Love that folding esterel
But not one video of it being put up
Or one photo of it popped down

Wow, thank you for all the answers! Lots of food for thought. We've veered towards a VW purely because they have such a reputation for being reliable and still go well even at pretty high mileages.

Interesting about the lack of space when the bed is down. I nearly always get up in the night for a wee, so the loo situation needs to be easy. I don't really fancy a trek across a wet field at 2am for a pee tbh.

I'm leaning towards the already converted as I don't think either of us have the nouse to take on such a project. DH keeps sending me links to vans now - he's much more keen than me!

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/reviews/motorhomes/details/murvi-morello-ultimate-showdown-review/899737

We rented one (a VW) with dreams of an idyllic holiday, carefree and spontaneous. We are probably too old (ha) but the bed was so uncomfortable we didnt sleep. It was hugely cramped and getting out to go to the toilet block in the night was a huge effort, getting wellies on etc, plus I was scared walking around a field at 3 am in pitch blackness with just my torch!
The weather was awful and we were freezing, so couldnt sit out, which would have been much better.
We have since decided that they are not for us. I would certainly recommend hiring first just to check its all you hope it will be!

Aren’t they all diesel? That would really put me off.

@2me2u2u2me - I love the one in your link.

How much does it cost to pitch it in the Lakes for a week?

hi @Slothbynameandnature it varies slightly, so we're going in September for 5 nights and it's £30 per night, height of season, so Summer, New Year, usually around £50 a night and out of season around £25 a night.

We stay on a site in Ullswater, The Quiet Site, it's ab fab, great food, lovely bar area, facilities are very clean and fab, great for kids and dogs if you have them, we love it.

Give me a shout if you have any more questions

We have a tourer caravan on a site in the dales permanently. It's only an hour away so we often go on a friday after school has finished and return home late sunday afternoon. We toyed with buying a motor home but the cost was out of our reach, aren't you looking at £40-50,000 upwards for a decent one ? Even secondhand they seem to keep their value.

@2me2u2u2me

hi *@Slothbynameandnature* it varies slightly, so we're going in September for 5 nights and it's £30 per night, height of season, so Summer, New Year, usually around £50 a night and out of season around £25 a night.

We stay on a site in Ullswater, The Quiet Site, it's ab fab, great food, lovely bar area, facilities are very clean and fab, great for kids and dogs if you have them, we love it.

Give me a shout if you have any more questions

We're booked into the Quiet Site later this month. Really looking forward to it.