8.2 metre van advice please!

Impsfan

Impsfan

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Hi, we have just viewed a lovely motorhome which ticks all of our boxes BUT it is 8.2m long. Can anyone offer any advice please on the potential problems with this length of vehicle? We currently have a 7.3m van and have been fine with car parks etc but are concerned that the extra length might cause unforseen problems. Any advice appreciated - before money changes hands! Thank you in advance x
 
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Parking up in most towns etc for shopping will be very difficult, otherwise no real issue for most campsites.
Obviously much less of an issue once you cross the channel.
 
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Its about 3 foot longer and in most cases will be on the overhang so not that much difference I would think. Mind you I decided to keep at 7.5 as an 8.1 would have been too much fun to parallel park on our drive....
 
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Thank you. We're still reasonableynew to Motorhoming and haven't left the UK yet, but it is in our dreams. Parking for the day in various towns is something we do a lot of though, so it looks like it might not be such a great idea going longer. But we really liked the van though...

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Well at 8.7 metres I am obviously going to say “nah it will be OK” but being serious I would say go back in your memory of all the places you have parked recently and then ask yourself would another 0.9 metres have made much difference, on that basis we decided to go 8.5 to 8.7 but we didn’t factor in the attitude of wardens and THS Marshals but that may be the height intimidating them a bit.

Edit I should say only some wardens and marshals.
 
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funflair said:
Well at 8.7 metres I am obviously going to say “nah it will be OK” but being serious I would say go back in your memory of all the places you have parked recently and then ask yourself would another 0.9 metres have made much difference, on that basis we decided to go 8.5 to 8.7 but we didn’t factor in the attitude of wardens and THS Marshals but that may be the height intimidating them a bit.

Edit I should say only some wardens and marshals.
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Yes I had a run in with a warden on site when he told be my van was to big!
Said you have a tag axle over there with a car on the back so he’s longer than me.
He then said I’m too wide to get through the gate, some of them caravans over there are 2.5 wide and I’m 2.4 !!
He then give up after I said to him I’m not leaving as I gave you the dimensions on an email and you accept that and took payment plus it’s taken me 4 hours to drive here.
He then backed down I drove on the pitch and never see him again.

One thing I always do is send them an email giving my van size.

And I have had occasion when I wish I had a small van to park in towns but the bigger van plus outweighs the negatives 😁😁
 
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funflair said:
Well at 8.7 metres I am obviously going to say “nah it will be OK” but being serious I would say go back in your memory of all the places you have parked recently and then ask yourself would another 0.9 metres have made much difference, on that basis we decided to go 8.5 to 8.7 but we didn’t factor in the attitude of wardens and THS Marshals but that may be the height intimidating them a bit.

Edit I should say only some wardens and marshals.
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How high is yours Martin?
 
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Coastal Cruiser. said:
Yes I had a run in with a warden on site when he told be my van was to big!
Said you have a tag axle over there with a car on the back so he’s longer than me.
He then said I’m too wide to get through the gate, some of them caravans over there are 2.5 wide and I’m 2.4 !!
He then give up after I said to him I’m not leaving as I gave you the dimensions on an email and you accept that and took payment plus it’s taken me 4 hours to drive here.
He then backed down I drove on the pitch and never see him again.

One thing I always do is send them an email giving my van size.

And I have had occasion when I wish I had a small van to park in towns but the bigger van plus outweighs the negatives 😁😁
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We went to a car park at the back of a pub and it looked a bit tight when we turned up and there was nobody a else in, we said our friends are booked in as well so he said, “smaller than you?” NO Concorde with a car in the back and 9.4 metres 😄 “no problem I will just move my car” another 4 vans turned up after us 😄 and the guy wasn’t fazed at all, guess that is why he was pub stop of the year.
 
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We have a tag at 8.9 sometimes we cant park exactly where we would like but have e bikes or catch the bus. Not had a problem on campsites, but as others have said always contact them beforehand to confirm it, I'd rather have the space and comfort in the van.
 
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funflair said:
We went to a car park at the back of a pub and it looked a bit tight when we turned up and there was nobody a else in, we said our friends are booked in as well so he said, “smaller than you?” NO Concorde with a car in the back and 9.4 metres 😄 “no problem I will just move my car” another 4 vans turned up after us 😄 and the guy wasn’t fazed at all, guess that is why he was pub stop of the year.
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Then you get the young ones on site’s in Italy showing you to your pitch and a PVC has struggled to get in there, you then say no way and they look at you as you are a crap driver😁😁
Again after I sent the email with van dimensions ☹️
 
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Chris/Tracy said:
We have a tag at 8.9 sometimes we cant park exactly where we would like but have e bikes or catch the bus. Not had a problem on campsites, but as others have said always contact them beforehand to confirm it, I'd rather have the space and comfort in the van.
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Yup, same We had an AT Scout with towbar mounted bike carrier on the back so about 8.5m.Was no different to the 7.4m vehicle we had after.Just needed to allow for the extra overhang.
 
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You’ll be amazed where you can stuff it… I’m 9.35m long and very rarely get (too) phased by anything… actually, the length isn’t the issue, height is the bigger stress… it’s low branches and overhanging buildings in rural France that present a greater concern… that and pollarded trees on campsites. 🤦‍♂️
 
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My van is 8.3 mtrs, in most larger supermarket car parks I can park taking up two spaces, i've never tried parking up in high streets, I check out sites on Google earth to make sure they are big enough, all the sites i've stayed at have had pitches at least 8 mtrs long so I may have hung over at the back a little. No issues at all in France and Spain. However I have a motorcycle with me to visit places once i'm parked on a pitch so you need to think about how you would get around once at your stopping place.

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ChrisL said:
My van is 8.3 mtrs, in most larger supermarket car parks I can park taking up two spaces, i've never tried parking up in high streets, I check out sites on Google earth to make sure they are big enough, all the sites i've stayed at have had pitches at least 8 mtrs long so I may have hung over at the back a little. No issues at all in France and Spain. However I have a motorcycle with me to visit places once i'm parked on a pitch so you need to think about how you would get around once at your stopping place.
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I forgot to mention we have two dogs with us, so can't use bikes. But Google earth is a fine idea
 
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I have a Bessacarr 599 which is 8.1m and I have a motorbike rack on the back which would take it to over 8.5m. I've been driving vans most of my adult life, so it wasn't really an issue. Just be extra cautious when driving in supermarket carparks and go a bit wide when going round a corner, but on the roads it's totally fine so long as you're a confident driver.
 
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Coastal Cruiser. said:
Yes I had a run in with a warden on site when he told be my van was to big!
Said you have a tag axle over there with a car on the back so he’s longer than me.
He then said I’m too wide to get through the gate, some of them caravans over there are 2.5 wide and I’m 2.4 !!
He then give up after I said to him I’m not leaving as I gave you the dimensions on an email and you accept that and took payment plus it’s taken me 4 hours to drive here.
He then backed down I drove on the pitch and never see him again.

One thing I always do is send them an email giving my van size.

And I have had occasion when I wish I had a small van to park in towns but the bigger van plus outweighs the negatives 😁😁
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And there is some on here ( Funsters) say they are only doing their job..
I am really really sorry .. but they are no more than bully's trying to intimidate us..
Yes I expect they are not all like that but let's just say I no longer accommodate club sites because I do not know what sort of arrogant and outspoken warden I am going to encounter..
Sorry.
 
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We have an 8.9m van…the first Motorhome we have purchased.

You soon get used to the length (oo, er Mrs) and have had no problem with overnight stays as we always check they can accommodate a 9m vehicle wherever we are planning to go.

As previously mentioned we appreciate the interior space and payload our van brings.
We have found there are compromises which ever route you take. Just do what’s right for you👍🏻

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I would just be wary of the rear overhang, it may be a lot longer than you already have and as such doing tight turns the back end will swing in the opposite direction to the steering. I've seen a van clip a road sign trying to pull away from the kerb whilst steering round a car that had parked in front of them.
 
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We have an 8.5 mt Hymer and have not had any issues at all. Besides going to Spain for 3 months we use it a lot in the UK on CAMC rallies. We even did the NC 500 in it. Just be mindful of the extra length and take it steady. If in doubt terf SWMBO out to watch you round.
 
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The overhang is as useful as it is intimidating for me, my greatest concern is moving away from busy and tight fuel forecourts, I avoid them when I can

But most supermarkets, Aldi and Lidl especially usually have places where we can back up and put overhang over grass reducing our length to same as any other Sprinter.

A Waitrose in Ponteland we have used many times, after initially panicking when I pulled in as it looked very tight, we ended up with our overhang over a river at the back of the car park much to the horror / surprise of other shoppers 😁👍 went back several times always got the same place
 
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h8ten said:
I would just be wary of the rear overhang, it may be a lot longer than you already have and as such doing tight turns the back end will swing in the opposite direction to the steering. I've seen a van clip a road sign trying to pull away from the kerb whilst steering round a car that had parked in front of them.
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I have driven our 7.5m van for the first time this week and OH had a bit of a squeaky bum moment when I turned right and just cleared a large retaining wall with the overhang. Great tip and logical thinking (which I have issues with sometimes!🤪) to say the overhang goes in the opposite direction! I thank you for saving our overhang!🤣
 
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Almost another metre is a big step up in length, it doesn’t seem much when you measure the extra with outstretched arms but stick it on the back of what you already have and it’s a lot.

Have a test drive first
 
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