Advice please - Buying a motorhome for the first time

[Turtletimes]

Husband is 50 this year and I’ve always said I would pay for a ‘big trip’ - this would work out at about £6.5k. We love static caravans with the dog, and I flippantly said the other day “you could have a motorhome for your birthday instead”, to which he immediately said ‘yes’ and would also put money towards. I would put extra money in too on top of birthday present money - prob about £15k combined.

Never used a motorhome! Not sure if being swept away with a pipe dream or if just to go for it! Renting one looks like it would cost £1k and that seems a lot considering our overall budget for the van. But also I get renting one to test out seems wise.

We have a drive but wouldn’t want to MH on it all the time - local storage is about £50 a month. Aware need to factor in servicing, MOT, tax, maintenance etc. Towing a caravan is not an option.

Any advice? Words of encouragement and words of caution?! It feels great to be able to get away with the dog and two of us, and we could still do our ‘big trip’ (was going to Italy) but on a different way!

We bought one and it was based on a Ford Transit van. It was far too small and storage was a nightmare. We had to put all the bedding away as the bed had to be folded back into a sofa. It’s only practical to have one with a proper bed. It cost a fortune to keep as annual costs were sky high. It sounded great, being able to go away whenever we wanted, but the insurance and services plus gas checks etc. were far more expensive than we expected. I hadn’t realised how heavy it would be on fuel. Even a short journey ate diesel like crazy.

We sold it at a big loss and regretted buying it in the first place. The reality was a big shock.

We had a motor home and it was great, we really enjoyed the travelling. You get used to packing things away and the noise and rattles of things that aren’t secured safely. It is a pain when you are on site if you want to go out for the day, we had electric bikes but hence got a Labrador who never got the hang of sitting on the crossbar so we no have a caravan and love it. I would try before you buy to see if it is for you.

Oh gosh that’s what I’m worried about. Roughly what did it cost annually for the “boring” stuff/bills?

I’m working on about £1k a year?

it’s so easy to get carried away with a fantasy isn’t it and think it’s all lovely road trips and coffee/tea by the beach!

I would rent one for a couple of trips first and see if you like it - it's very different to a static caravan in terms of space/equipment especially with a dog. Other good points above around the hassle of setting up at a campsite and then having to pack everything up if you need to drive to the shop for a pint of milk!

Friends have had one for years and love the weekends when they can drive to a secluded beach for coffee and surfing but are also very honest about the ongoing costs and the depreciation. They tend to use it for day trips or a couple of nights away - not for anything longer.

We've been considering buying a camper van for a while now. We've previously hired a motorhome but wouldn't buy one as we want something small enough to use as a 2nd car - we currently have 2 cars but wouldn't want the expense of 3 vehicles. We've looked at a lot of camper vans but are still on the fence as we don't think it's worth the expense if it doesn't get used a lot. And we're retired! We've got a campervan hire vehicle booked for a week in summer to see how we get on with the smaller vehicle before making a final decision on whether to buy or not.
I'd be careful with buying at your budget as it's likely to be something very old so potentially a money pit unless one of you is a mechanic!

Do consider how much use you'd actually get out of it compared to the cost of hiring for the occasional week. We know people whose vans sit on their drives for a very large part of the year.

@TurtletimesIt cost us £1000 a year twenty years ago, so it would be much more now. It was a lot of money for it to sit on the drive a lot of the time. My adult DC used it far more than we did as they went to festivals. It had been one of my dreams to have one, but we should have hired one instead as it was a money pit.

This is something in my bucket list too!

We have been dithering for a couple of years now, it's such a big commitment. Although then I tell myself it is not so big as we can always sell up and would hopefully get 50%+ back.

I've done a lot of research on layouts etc. & am confident I want a fixed bed and happy to sacrifice living space for it. We are looking at 6-8 week long trips to Europe in spring and autumn. Will we ever do it?

I think we will go for electric bikes on the back to try to cover off the 'can't leave the site without packing up' issue.

I'm not sure yet about overall size.

I think your budget is quite small and would be concerned about buying something with lots of issues?

I'm also conscious of the extra cost of even getting to the continent, as well as fuel when there.

We bought one a couple of years ago and love it. We have even adjusted working hours so that we can get away for weekends a lot more often without burning through annual leave.

It's an extra vehicle to insure/tax/MOT but we use it a lot, sometimes even as a base for a day trip somewhere. We are currently planning 2 and a half weeks in Scotland for later this year and loosely planning 2-3 weeks in France/Spain next year.

We do plenty of weekends at campsites, 1-2 a month usually.

Road tax is £365 PA, insurance for dw and I is about £500 PA (but that price includes breakdown and apparent discounts for membership of a recognised club, parking on the driveway with CCTV and 4,000 miles a year), diesel is £120 to fill the tank and will get us about 400-500 miles. An MOT is the same price as a car.

A yearly habitation check is £200-300 (not legally compulsory but recommended) plus any work that needs to be done.

Parts for the living area can be expensive, and kit can be never ending if you want, and it is easy to get sucked into the latest gadget/accessory so you need to be strict with yourself!

You get used to packing it and having it set up how you want it, but there are plenty of people that buy them, don't use them and sell them on.

My only concern would be that with your proposed budget of £15,000, you would be looking at something high mileage/very old which may then need additional money spent on it.

Probably better to hire one (they are around £1,000 a week to hire) and go away for a couple of weeks and spend the money on campsites, fuel etc and see what you think form there.

Happy to give more info if you want to PM.

We thought the same about a fixed bed/smaller living area, but our next one will have a bigger/comfier living area and we are happy to make up the bed every night. You really won't know until you use it!

Yes I’m thinking in a similar way re depreciation - we’d get something back. If the £6k was spent on a 10 night trip in Italy for example, that would be utterly fabulous but it’s also spent money.

I’m not sure if we can or want to go any higher in costs but do hear what people are saying about our price range. Neither of us are mechanics or know our way around an engine etc.

I think the guidance here is very much saying “hire before you buy”. Hard to find somewhere that does long weekend hire but I’m sure they’re there somewhere.

I’m sort of at that point in it where you know/hear the cautions but are a bit “yes but”
as you want it to work!

Having had Caravans and motor homes for much or our adult life, you must rent a few different layouts before you commit to invest in one. Talk to a few local rental companies and see what they have cheap just try a day out etc, I feel a couple of days should be fine to consider what's best for you.
In the motor home world £15K isn't much so I would recommend you take someone who can inspect it, damp, leaks hidden mould and rust will be the issues. You must see everything working too.
Do your homework our van has lost about £1000 in two years possibly less as some brands depreciate more than others. We prefer the German manufactured ones as they are very good quality and often winterised so you can use them all year round.
The sum you need to do.
If I pay £x for one and keep it 5 years then what will I get back? This is the true cost plus loss of interest on money in the bank, then servicing, we do our own about £250 a year, habitation check apart from the appliance checks its just money for old rope you can do your self, (I believe the mobile people are cheaper)
On the plus side we have had loads of great holidays in ours, it's a different holiday experience. We often stop at pubs that let you park for free as long as you eat in the pub, this is usually cheaper than a camp site, we also wild camp as we have solar panels and our own toilet so self contained. It's nice just to go for a day out and park in a forest or beach you have all your own facilities. Do a list of all the stuff you will need to take with you. Chairs, table Barbecue etc, think about storage. We now will only buy one with a fixed bed as Its so much easier, we also have a garage so all the stuff is packed away but easily accessible when you need it.
Location
We can be in Wales in 45 mins, beach in 30 mins lakes just over an hour so loads on our door step. You don't have to go far.
Have a look around and if you see a particular van find the Facebook group for it and you can then as about common issues what to look at etc, you may also find one for sale.
I would say do your home work don't rush in and it can be great. Friends of ours didn't listen rushed out bought a van only to trade it in 6 months later as they didn't like the layout and had no room for all the stuff. Any questions just ask, we started with a £500 van bought from a scarp yard and worked our way up.

We've had campervans for over 15 years starting with a 1989 vw in 2009 then upgraded to a new panel van conversion in 2018.

You really need to decide on 1)layout and 2) what type of campers you are. The biggest reason people resell quickly is they've chosen the wrong layout for their needs. A statistic I read said on average people don't get the right layout until 3rd van. We did immediately but we researched for about a year before purchase.

2. what type...this links to van size. Are you wanting easy access, to go down small UK lanes etc, to park easily in the supermarket, to move on daily with a quick set up. If yes you'd want a smaller van. If no, then you could look for a bigger van. This of course then links to 1).

Do you mind making a bed up every night. Yes you'd need a bigger van to get fixed bed, no then you could look at smaller.

These are just 2 things to think about!

With your budget you'd best have good breakdown cover or be handy mechanics yourself. Our 1989 vw had an issue every trip we went abroad but it was part of the fun!

For us it works as partner lives in ours during the week as he works away so win win.

Depreciation....zero for us. Our van to buy new would cost about £20 -25k more now than 2018. Second hand they're not far off what we paid new!

Honestly £15k isn't going to get you a lot and I'd rent before you committ.

We have a German manufactured one and it has changed how we holiday. No more airports :) DH is able to work from it so we go off for weeks on end in Europe, summer & winter. Fixed bed and just under 6 metres long and very discreet we can park anywhere that a car can (heightwise we need to be careful). Solar panels and lithium batteries mean we can be off grid for up to 10 days. I do think your budget is a bit low so perhaps rent one first & if you like it save for a while.

We've had two camper vans (one after the other!) in the last 20 years - no other vehicles, and our current small camper cost about £16k second hand about 12 years ago. It has no onboard facilities like a loo or shower, but is of a type not made anymore and fairly sought after, so has not depreciated considerably. Your budget of £15k nowadays will get you a much older and smaller vehicle than you might like.

As others have suggested, unless you have already tried various layouts you have no idea what suits you and whether you mind having to make the bed up every night and whether onboard facilities are an essential for you. Have a look round dealerships at different sizes and layouts of campers and motorhomes, and consider renting to see how you like it, but as you say this is not easy and not cheap.

We've had great fun, but the UK is getting too clogged up now with motorhomes and camper vans - the continent is brilliant, especially France which has literally thousands of wonderful and cheap campsites (check out the ACSI off peak scheme and weep at the campsite prices in the UK). We don't go off grid because we don't have onboard facilities and actually like being on campsites with decent showers and toilets you don't have to empty.

Think about what it is you want to do as well, are you sporty, like walking, cycling, and/or cities and culture. We did a great trip to southern Italy in our camper van, but also a few years later did a similar trip by train, which was just as fabulous and rather less stressful.

Don't rush into anything but at the same time don't be afraid to follow the dream!

Even with your (relatively low) budget, I think it would be money well spent to hire one and see if the reality lives up to the dream.

We have owned moho's for years, as did both our sets of parents although it was noticeable that my parents used theirs much more than my IL's.
My parents would be on the content for several months of the year, just popping back to sort out life admin before shooting off again. When in the UK they would go away every week for a couple of nights
They bought a brand new Moho every 2yrs (they never had to get an MOT) and when traded in for the next one, they had covered 20-30k miles but the MoHo's were always still in fantastic condition (they knew how to look after them).

We buy new but tend to keep them a bit longer, current Moho is 1yr old and we will probably keep it for 5-6yrs when we will look at replacing it.

Do your homework and decide on the layout that suits you.
We like a central dinet/lounge with a separate rear U-shaped lounge, gives us lots of space with the 2-Ddogs.
Tried a fixed bed once, BIG mistake! All that daytime space wasted just to save 2-minutes in the evening making the bed. We kept that Moho almost 3yrs but never liked the layout so we made sure that when we ordered out next one, the layout was our tried & tested format.
I sleep in the rear (U-shaped lounge makes into a beautiful bed) with the 2-Ddogs while my OH sleeps in the overcab bed which he says is superbly comfortable. This leaves the central dinet free for whoever is up first to prepare breakfast (this area makes into a third double bed but we never use it for this).
Drop down beds are popular and although we have had them we were not very keen, when down they do limit living space.

As for sites, we are long time members of CAMC and love their sites. Not cheap but nicely laid out, usually close to the places we want to visit, well run and spotless.

We use our Moho all year (UK only) but if for any reason we have not been away for a while, we go on day trips to a local point of interest and use the MoHo as a base while walking Ddogs. It makes somewhere cosy to warm up, have lunch or just a cuppa, on-board toilet etc.

Depending on the size Moho you go for you may need to check your driving license for C1 entitlement. Anything over 3500kg requires you to have a C1 and TBH, it can be too tempting to overload your Moho with all sorts of things you "might need" and find you are overloaded. Roadside checks do happen and you will be fined (and have to unload the excess weight).
We have larger vehicles which are rated at 4-4500kg but the good news is that the bigger, the cheaper your road tax (£165 this year)😆
Check your roadside assistance as many car orientated policies will not cover a MoHo. We have used Britannia Rescue for decades as the cover is excellent (all vehicles in household) plus they cover MoHo's up to 8m & 7.5t.

Where would you keep it?
Ours is on the driveway at the side of the house but secure storage is available from about £35/M (we put ours into storage when moving house plus when we were having building work carried out). Secure storage can make your insurance cheaper so it may balance out cost wise.

Running costs are not insignificant.
Tax, insurance (you may be starting a new policy with no NCB to transfer), MOT (if applicable), servicing, habitation service, tyres (due to the low use many MoHo's get, tyres can age & crack before wearing out) plus all the little jobs that crop up when you own a house on wheels!

Go for it and let us know how you get on.,😁👍

Thank you all for you very thoughtful and experienced feedback!! In terms of layouts we prefer the ‘U’ seating at the back with kitchen and toilet in the middle/towards the front. We defo don’t want a fixed bed. My licence is up to 3500kg but husbands is the older version. Would prefer van <3500kg but I’m not against topping up my licence.

Currently trying to rent something for a long weekend but it is much harder than expected - will look into this more at the weekend, as well as visiting some dealers though of course their products will be way out of budget. We think we can stretch to £20k for the right MH, as well as thinking through what we could do to the house and alternative holidays etc for that money. We don’t have children and firmly approaching/in “middle age” so husbands view is a “let’s do it - now or never” type approach!

Someone once said to me you remember the good holidays long after the cost is forgotten.
If you spend it on the house what will you gain compared to a Camper?
Friends of ours have just retired for a life of Motor homes and caravans due to ill health, but they are not sad or contemplating the cost, they had great adventures and met some great people so any money was money well spent.

There's one up for £14k on Motorhome Madness on FB today..

Don’t buy one until you have done a trial run. We did an RV trip in the US and said “never again” as did some friends who rented in the U.K.

What happened?!

This is good advice, we bought a brand new motorhome a few years back, we were really excited. Very quickly got fed up and sold it, the big drawbacks for us was the lack of availability of pitches, there is a reason you often see a mh towing a small car (once you have pitched up, at a site often in the back of beyond, you don’t want to move again, so you need bikes or a small car. If we had hired one first we never would have bought one.

We hired one from a place near Weston-super-Mare https://www.motorhomeholidaycompany.com/
It cost us about£1500 for a week back in 2022.

It was a bit of a faff. Packing the whole thing up if you needed a vehicle to get to the nearest supermarket was a bind. Teen DS had to wait until we went to bed in order to access his bed which was remote controlled to descend from the ceiling of the living area. It was also very bumpy sat as a passenger in the back seats.

So as it happened there was a motorhome show yesterday not far from us and we pretty much spent all afternoon there. Definitely know the layout and van preference - I always thought we would want a ‘coach built’ design but the van conversions with a toilet and both rear and side doors are actually what worked the most for us. It was good to see storage space, sit on toilets, lock selves in with the blinds shut , speak to other people etc. Still not driven but this was a really good start. It’s such a lot of money. Next step is hiring one. Like with possibly anyone I want my cake and eat it - motorhome breaks and holidays abroad on a hotel but for us is will defo be one or the other!

Travel sickness like I have never known, the infernal rattling of everything in every cupboard. Having to pack up every time you wanted to go anywhere. Finding parking in supermarkets, near attractions and car parks with height restrictions. Tiny toilet in a cupboard. Emptying the toilet. Tiny cooking facilities. I would much rather camp in a tent. Finding somewhere to park every night also wasn’t easy in the US (if you don’t fancy Walmart’s car parks etc). All that far outweighed the convenience of being able to make a cup of tea with your own teabag in a lay-by and not spending any money in the local community. It just wasn’t for us.

Agree with the rattling, even after 20 years haven't cured all the noise, it's a bit like taking your kitchen for a drive 😆