Motorhome - is it worth it??

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Thinking of purchasing a Motorhome... trying to work out if worth it, annual cost etc etc? Have 3 DDs 13, 11, 9 - any comments, recommendations and opinions welcome!

Try before you buy. We've done Route 66 in a pretty big one but none of us would want to do camper life ever again!

I've only ever hired one for a holiday with my DP, and I loved it, but if I'm honest, hell would freeze over before I went in one with children!

Thank you both! I am worrying about us all squeezing in but absolutely love the idea of just packing up and going off for weekends. Fed up of the prices of caravan/lodge weekends this year 😩

I love the idea of it but it depends on your holiday style and for us it wasnt practical

So the things we like to do on holiday are go out all day every day. If we had a motor home that means a great big lumbering motorhome driving round all day to different spots/towns/cities, worrying about skinny country lanes and parking and car park height restrictions, plus the parking bays etc

Plus the drive away awning thing, how to lock your stuff up properly. Plus we like to have bikes with us (that we dont use on roads so we wouldnt use those for getting around) and they would need to be locked up somewherre and they are too heavy to get inside a motor home
Thats without what I found out about tax/insurance/maintenance/fuel costs

We know that some people get a small smart car to pull along so they go visiting in the day in that but that means we wouldnt be able to put a bike rack on the tow bar, still a problem of how to transport the bikes

All in all, even though I love to look at them on the motor way and they look such fun I discounted it due to the practicalities

However a friend has one and they like to just sort of stay put once pulled up in a campsite and I think if you do that as a holiday, they probably work perfectly

We have a campervan. Love it, wouldn’t be without it.
but you need to hire a couple to know what you’re looking for and what works for you and your family. And it’s really hard to know that without living in the space for a bit.

Plus the idea of it on the driveway put me off too

They are so expensive at the minute. We thought about a caravan and whilst they sound fabulous, I think you may as go glamping and spend less over a longer time period.

Unless you are going to use it very regularly, it may be cheaper to just hire one as and when. DH would desperately like one, but we ran the numbers and it just didn't make sense. Plus we would need to bring a car too for day trips as I couldn't be doing with packing down/up each day and struggling to find a car park without a height restriction. A caravan is the better compromise IMO. Still arrive almost instantly set up with the basics, but have a car to go out for the day in. FWIW we have a folding camper (similar to a trailer tent) to give many of the comforts of a campervan or caravan, but we can fit it in the garage.

(Apologies for quoting. 'Tis the only way to get anything to post since the update on my app!)

Thank you all, really helpful to hear peoples perspectives. We're remortgaging soon so thinking of the investment. I'm guessing we've only got 3-5 more years of the kids wanting to come away with us I'm just trying to maximise it. Maybe I should just put some money aside for the next 5 years for weekends away. Lots to think about

You can rent one for a weekend and I would absolutely recommend that you do.

We bought a tourer caravan a couple of years ago and it's the best thing we ever did although i'd wanted one for a while. Touring isn't easy though, there's a lot to think about and it's definitely more of a hobby than a mode of transport/somewhere to sleep.

I've never been keen on a motorhome because each time you need water or want to go out, you have to pack away/tie everything down for the journey.

If you like it though it could be the best thing you ever do as a family.

Hire one first to be sure you like it. We've owned a motorhome for 4 years now and love it, but you do have to work out how it will fit in with the way you like to holiday.

We take bikes and use those to get around locally - much easier than trying to park in tiny car parks or drive it on narrow streets. Or walk, if you can find a campsite nearby.

You also need to work out if you always want to stay on a site, or sometimes stay off grid. If you have a motorhome with a shower and loo you have more freedom (IMHO) than in a camper van with no facilities. But of course it's bigger and usually more expensive.

Don't look on it as an investment. I daren't add up how much we've spent on our motorhome - repairs, diesel, gas, equipping it, campsite fees, plus of course the initial outlay. Motorhomes do keep their value quite well (especially since the pandemic) but it's not a cheap way to holiday.

It's been a very worthwhile purchase for us. Although we did buy a significantly older motorhome, accepted it would be a bit slower/less refined than a modern motorhome - but that's the pace we've got used to travelling at.

It really depends how you travel, where you travel, and how often you travel. We enjoy being spontaneous and making up the trip as we go, and circumstances mean that we can usually get in a 3-4 week trip in summer, and several shorter trips and weekends throughout the year. In our first year of owning it we took in six countries on one trip, staying in a mixture of sites, car parks, and family driveways.

Your base running costs are:

• MOT


• Insurance (and breakdown/recovery)


• VED


• Servicing


• Storage fees (if you can't park it at home)

I would estimate it's costing us slightly over £1k per year without fuel. If you need finance to purchase one, you need to add the interest. Fortunately depreciation is traditionally low (lower on continental models than UK built models), but it remains to be seen the effect that Net Zero policies will have on larger, fossil-fueled vehicles.

Yes and no
Cost wise its usually no but quality family time its great.
We had loads of fun over the years starting in a £100 caravan!
Kids still go on about the trips now years later.
You can go to loads of places and wild camp Daughters away most weekend camping often for free in her camper van, some spectacular locations, many pubs offer free camping on the car park.
I would defiantly hire one first as you need to get the size and lay out right for you.
Currently debating on selling ours but we will no doubt use it again in the summer and keep it for another year as its quality time.

It really depends on how much you use it but also you need to accept being constrained to school holidays, and assuming you use sites with a reasonable level of facilities that there is no such thing as cheap caravan/motorhoming. Motorhome are incredibly expensive and friends who had one found it a real pain being the only mode of transport once on site, so ended up taking their car as well

We had a caravan and the kids loved it. We loved the outdoor life anyway.

You have to be really well organised planning when going away and booking sites. A year ahead gets you pretty much the pick of sites.

We found that using on a weekend wasn't really feasible. The notion of getting the van/MH out and setting off is fanciful with kids. It is packing clothes, sorting food etc..... most sites want you gone by 11 am so reality is a weekend is Friday night (late) and Saturday then home to all the chores so minimum was a bank holiday weekend.

Wished we had bought it sooner. However, once they got to 16/17 they were not so keen but we have lots if found memories in the U.K. and abroad....note we did have lots of foreign holidays in it we wouldn't otherwise had, one being a month in Europe.

I would like another one once we retire but that's a long way!

It’s the upkeep and storage that puts me off. I’d rather rent one as needed.

Presently campervans are holding there pric, so you could sell it in a couple of years and not lose money

as others have said, try before you buy and how much will you really use it?

we had heating in ours so went away after Xmas before new year

it was set up and ready to go, towels, towelling robes, wash bags, store cupboard food. This made it easy to literally drive off with three changes of clothes bunged in and away we went - stop at supermarket on way to shop, then pop in fridge.

we’d go for days out and picnics

most sites want you gone by 11

we would book and pay for Sunday night, then leave about 7pm

We hired one for 2 weeks (just the 2 of us) and loved it but would never buy one.
We went up to Scotland and the Outer Hebrides where the roads are really easy to drive a motor home - although single track there are passing places and very few walls, hedges, trees so you get a clear view of the road ahead and you could pull in to a passing place in plenty of time. In fact in 2 weeks we hardly had to reverse at all. We reflected on other places we could go in one (we had a 6 berth) and concluded that places like Corwall and lots of Wales would be a nightmare. And we holiday in term time so relatively quiet.
Add that to all the other reasons listed above and it was a no from us.

God no! Family members have them and there are so many things that can go wrong!! I never forget as a child coming back from a long journey camping trip and then having to lug all the things from it to be washed. Honestly I can't remember the holidays, just the this!

If your idea of a holiday is a relaxing get away with no domestics like cleaning then short breaks are ideal and can be very cheap through sites such as Travelzoo.

Just the thought of driving in something that could get scratched, could go wrong, and the horrendous cost of fuel and lack of fuel efficiency and then parking in those awful noisy suburb on wheels caravan parks and eati g from plastic plates: ugh.

With 3 DC I'd prefer a caravan over a motorhome. Days out in a car will be easier and packing up the motorhome every time I wanted to drive to the supermarket would drive me crazy. At least with a caravan one of you can pop off and leave the other with the DC in the caravan doing their thing. They'll soon get fed up of having to go everywhere with you all the time.

Did you get one in the end OP?

For my twopenethworth I would say try before you buy and if you like it, go for it!

Had motorcaravans for years and yes they are expensive (a half decent new one is in the region of £100k nowadays) and time consuming to own but the freedom is great.

We keep ours on the driveway (which is one way of keeping costs down) plus it means you can just pop out to it if you want to put something away (clean washing etc).
We never unload, it is left fully equipped (apart from perishables) so when we go away (which is most weeks) it is as easy as loading the fresh food and away we go. We can empty water & toilet at home if we haven't been to a site
We tend to use CAMC sites only, not the cheapest but always nice sites with good facilities and usually in great locations. At times we use CL's and our onboard facilities.
Other times we don't even stay over and we just use the van as a base for a day trip. We have lovely countryside on our doorstep and will often just drive for 30-mins and then park up (suitable locations for a 7.5m van can sometimes be awkward to find but you soon learn) and take the dog for a walk. Best bit is that you come back, rest your feet, have a cuppa and a bite to eat and then out you go again for another wander. Great having all you need (Inc toilet) with you, plus the dog is well walked!

Cost wise it can add up but in our case this is our lifestyle so no other holidays etc have to be factored in.
Purchase (as already stated, £100k for a decent sized one if you are looking at new). Servicing & insurance don't have to cost more than a normal car but there is the annual habitation check (not compulsory but required for warranty) and when required, tyres can cost more. Check your roadside assistance as "normal" policies won't cover anything over 3500kg (which many vehicles are). Your driving licence may restrict you to the maximum weight you can drive but if you have a C1 entitlement and go for a larger van, your annual VED will be less! Things like food, gas etc we don't factor in as if we are away we aren't using anything at home. Likewise fuel, we accept that to go away we have to buy fuel.
Site fees vary, as I said we use CAMC which are not the cheapest but they generally mean a decent location.

There are different ways to enjoy your motorcaravan and of course you can do it on a (much) smaller budget but each to their own and after the house, our vans have been the next most significant purchases we have made.
They are not investments as such (apart from the COVID spike they still cost more to buy & run than you will get back) but for us they are an investment in happiness.

We thought about a MoHo or campervan ten years ago when I got early retirement in my mid fifties.

In the end we bought a small caravan - Elddis Xplore 304 - instead.

Two things clinched it. First was that MoHo/van would have to double up as our second car with all the complication of heights etc. Second was thinking through our camping holidays in a tent with growing kids. Usual drill was that I went off in the car for bread with one or both kids and Mrs B got everything ready - coffee etc. That wouldn't work in a camper.

It also seems that at least some campervans have no loo.

We are though planning on hiring one to visit the Isle of Harris in late September to coincide with an event there.

I had one and while it was great fur festivals the practicalities weren't great. The upkeep of another vehicle , loads of car parks have height barriers or short car lengths so parking is a nightmare you have to pack everything away properly before you go out for the day otherwise things in cupboards fall and break. We changed ours for a caravan only one vehicle and can be left when you go out

We bought a caravan a couple of years ago and we love it! We've used it loads, 2 adults and 2 kids. I mean it's not the most luxurious of holidays but the kids love it and it's much more luxurious than a tent!

Only thing to think about with a motor home is that you can really drive anywhere once you've set up.