First Motorhome never done this before

[marky7seven]

Hello all,

We have been looking at purchasing a Motorhome, we have been around a few dealers and the show last week, but the best van we have seen is a 9m used Kon-Tiki, which had a twin/double bed in the back, double over cabin bed, then chairs that turned into a bed. Plus a massive garage, and some serious of grid capabilities.

Couple of concerns.
1/ Its alot more than we was going to spend, but it ticked more boxes than anything else we have seen.
2/ Its massive, I do have the licence to drive one, but would be the biggest thing I've drive. It is a tag axle.
3/ Are there any limitation with having such a big van

I understand the whole concept is about compromise, and working out what you can do without.

Key aspects.
a/ 2 Adults, 2 children and 2 dogs
b/ when we go without the dogs, there will be 4 e-bikes, due to the weight only two can fit on a bike rack, so a big garage is important for paddle boards and just stuff to keep kids entertain
c/ will be mainly used in the uk, not so interested in stopping at parks ex, its more been able to stop anywhere you legally can
d/ the odd trip to France, Spain and possible nordic countries

I've had a VW camper before, it was way too small but was good for days out. My original plan was to convert a crafter myself, but this has now grown into a motorhome, which as intern grown to a 9 meter monster.

We do plan to rent one in a few weeks time, doubt we can find a massive one, but at least if the experience is a good one this time of year, it will be happy days. My kids are 15 and 11, so we might not be taking our daughter when she is old enough to stay at home and she thinks mum and dad aren't cool.

Thank you
Mark

 

[jdk62]

What was the third one?

Burstner A Class - IXEO

 

[Nirvanauk]

Does your wife have a licence to drive if you were taken ill?

 

[dna]

We also like this van https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/product/53028/swift-voyager/ but would prefer leather due to the dogs, and need to check if bikes will fit in (depends if the peddles will go though, as front wheels will be removed).

I have swapped the pedals on our bikes for folding ones, that saves a few inches (cm if you are younger than me) on both sides of the bikes making storage at home and on the van a lot easier.

Good luck with your van hunting. I've experienced the children deciding staying at home is preferable to being away with parents. However, that soon disappears when they realise you are going somewhere they really want to visit! Not long after that you may well get asked to accommodate boy friends / girl friends when the free travel outweighs the lack of "cool"

 

[herald_400rl]

Haven't seen it mentioned but tag axle means you will have to pay more on some toll roads.
Humber Bridge for example £1.50 with 2 axles under 3.5t, £4 with 2 axles 3.5-7t, £12 with 3 axles or more or over 7.5t.

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[Bleau’s]

I have always paid the same as a car whenever we crossed the humber in our tagaxle the only one we do not use is the M6 toll road but sometimes it is the price you pay for space and luxury that will not put me of my tag axle

 

[Brains]

How many Funsters rented a van before buying..?

I know we didn’t and most other motorhome owners didn’t either.

However, the first Moho salesman we encountered told us it would take at least 3 different Moho’s to find the one which suited us… I scoffed at this…

But…. For us, he was right…

First one was a an older brilliant Bessacar with. French bed.. great introduction to motorhoming.

The second - a brand new expensive British Moho. Loved the internal design/ layout (Island bed). Awful build quality, went to Court.

Third Moho - New German van with rear bathroom, 2 single beds and a large drop-down bed. Bingo! Love the layout, love the build quality….. We love Bertie!!

How many Funsters rented a van before buying..?

I know, it's odd isn't it.
Hence why there are so many motorhomes on the market that are 2-3 years old.

They buy one out of the showroom, use it a bit, visit a few sites and park next to some people with another type of motorhome and then realise what they should have bought was ........

Unless you are buying at the cheaper end of the second hand market, I'd suggest that unless you rent a couple for more than a couple of weekends you are wasting your money buying what the salesman says you want, not what you actually need.

 

[herald_400rl]

A question for those initiated, why do some have a tag axle to achieve a higher payload and some not?
At shows I've seen some massive motorhomes over 5t (think Morello) and then others that are tag to achieve?
Are tags just a beefed up van chassis and the larger on a 7.5t base?

 

[Lenny HB]

My kids are 15 and 11, so we might not be taking our daughter when she is old enough to stay at home and she thinks mum and dad aren't cool.

With daughter's that only lasts for a year then they realise a holiday with mum & dad is a cheap holiday.

Just had a big argument with our 41 year old, I want the new van with cupboards instead of the dropdown bed, she has convinced mum we need the bed so her and the grandchildren can come with us.

I have swapped the pedals on our bikes for folding ones,

Fitted removeable ones to ours, so much easier to get the bikes in & out of the garage.

How many Funsters rented a van before buying..?

We hired twice even though we had trailer tents and caravans for over 25 years.
As for getting the layout right had the first van for 6 years so must have.

 

[marky7seven]

Does your wife have a licence to drive if you were taken ill?

Can't worry about this, she can't drive some of the cars I own.

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[marky7seven]

I have swapped the pedals on our bikes for folding ones, that saves a few inches (cm if you are younger than me) on both sides of the bikes making storage at home and on the van a lot easier.

Good luck with your van hunting. I've experienced the children deciding staying at home is preferable to being away with parents. However, that soon disappears when they realise you are going somewhere they really want to visit! Not long after that you may well get asked to accommodate boy friends / girl friends when the free travel outweighs the lack of "cool"

Thank you, didn't know there was such a thing and the quick release.

 

[starquake]

We also like this van https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/product/53028/swift-voyager/ but would prefer leather due to the dogs, and need to check if bikes will fit in (depends if the peddles will go though, as front wheels will be removed).

Remember that actual soft furnishings like the covers on seats can have leather covers put on them or entirely changed likely cheaper than buying a van with what you want on. Advice I'd give is don't be swayed by what it looks like as you CAN change that for a few thousand (even materials), and you can SAVE more than a few thousand by getting the van choice right in first place.

For example, an uncomfortable sofa would make you change your van quicker than a comfy one you change the seat covers on. When we sat in a variety of vans at shows, we realised some brands seating styles we did not get on with.

 

[Lenny HB]

will be mainly used in the uk, not so interested in stopping at parks ex,

By parks I take it you means sites, wilding in a van that size will limit your choice of places to stop and with the bikes in the back you will be nearer 10m.

Have you looked at A Class vans?
Ours is 7 5m, twin single rear beds dropdown double in the cab. Seperate shower and loo. Huge garage that can take 350kg (could have ordered with 450kg).

 

[marky7seven]

Burstner A Class - IXEO

We saw the Burstner range at the show, but couldn't view due to the amount of people on the stand. Suppose that is a good sign.

 

[starquake]

Main thing I'd reccomend doing if not renting immediately, is go to your nearest big dealer with loads of vans on offer to look around various layouts (ie, one of the big ones, Brownhills is probbaly a good option), SIT on the furniture, and check you fit in various designs and find it "comfortable". Most (good) dealers will let you do everything except take dogs in usually so you can sit on the seats, lay on bed etc. Even making sure you can sit on the loo is a thing > my wife is very short and found some brands toilet layouts meaning she couldn't touch the floor making the loo "uncomfortable" to her (wet room designs typically have a taller loo). We eliminated severl brands from even being viable from this requirement.

Then you'll understand what compromises and where you want to make them -> all vans are compromises in some elements as we've all said.

Final thign is think about where you want the dog(s) to sleep, as that may impact your choice too -> we put our mini schanauzer between our two drivers seats (when they are fully rotated) in a basket and he is very happy (and in fact now jumps in the van to sit in "his" space whenever we open door to get in it anytime). That wouldnt' work with a (much) bigger dog breed...

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[marky7seven]

By parks I take it you means sites, wilding in a van that size will limit your choice of places to stop and with the bikes in the back you will be nearer 10m.

Have you looked at A Class vans?
Ours is 7 5m, twin single rear beds dropdown double in the cab. Seperate shower and loo. Huge garage that can take 350kg (could have ordered with 450kg).

We have avoided all 4 berth as we assumed they would be suitable, but now going to look at these.

 

[iamarobot1999]

Hello all,

We have been looking at purchasing a Motorhome, we have been around a few dealers and the show last week, but the best van we have seen is a 9m used Kon-Tiki, which had a twin/double bed in the back, double over cabin bed, then chairs that turned into a bed. Plus a massive garage, and some serious of grid capabilities.

Couple of concerns.
1/ Its alot more than we was going to spend, but it ticked more boxes than anything else we have seen.
2/ Its massive, I do have the licence to drive one, but would be the biggest thing I've drive. It is a tag axle.
3/ Are there any limitation with having such a big van

I understand the whole concept is about compromise, and working out what you can do without.

Key aspects.
a/ 2 Adults, 2 children and 2 dogs
b/ when we go without the dogs, there will be 4 e-bikes, due to the weight only two can fit on a bike rack, so a big garage is important for paddle boards and just stuff to keep kids entertain
c/ will be mainly used in the uk, not so interested in stopping at parks ex, its more been able to stop anywhere you legally can
d/ the odd trip to France, Spain and possible nordic countries

I've had a VW camper before, it was way too small but was good for days out. My original plan was to convert a crafter myself, but this has now grown into a motorhome, which as intern grown to a 9 meter monster.

We do plan to rent one in a few weeks time, doubt we can find a massive one, but at least if the experience is a good one this time of year, it will be happy days. My kids are 15 and 11, so we might not be taking our daughter when she is old enough to stay at home and she thinks mum and dad aren't cool.

Thank you
Mark

Personally I would go with a smaller MH or van.
Having had an 8M van for 5 years we recently down sized and find it much better.
We have kids of the same age and to have the option to just jump in the van and leave the site for days out works much better for us.
We found as the kids got older they prefer sleeping in pop up tents than in the MH! So for us a 6 berth MH that just gets used to sleep 2 people was more of an inconvenience.
Most of our time is spent outside and rarely even cooked in the motorhome.
We used to look at booking sites near towns within cycling distance for shopping and entertainment for the kids, as moving a big MH once set up is a right hassle, not to mention finding suitable parking!

We now have a CV80 that sleeps 4 if needed but after the initial novelty of sleeping in the pop up roof the kids are back in their pop up tents as they get to lay in!
We no longer have to plan trips around proximity to a town/supermarket and it,s so easy to chuck surf boards in the back and drive to the beach or go out for the day!

There’s always a compromise but I don’t miss the planning, parking and restrictions that come with big MH’s

 

[starquake]

We now have a CV80 that sleeps 4 if needed but after the initial novelty of sleeping in the pop up roof the kids are back in their pop up tents as they get to lay in!
We no longer have to plan trips around proximity to a town/supermarket and it,s so easy to chuck surf boards in the back and drive to the beach or go out for the day!

Oops replied without finishing -> I would note that on sites/places we've stayed with ability for pup tents, they are VERY popular, and yes, the kids preferred them (in summer at least).

I would wager at least 50% of larger familys at CACC sites use pup tents for the kids. Also as children get older, and maybe have boyfriend/girlfriends eventually, this is ALSO what they done. (We saw one extended family with 3 units, 2 MH, 1 caravan, and 3 tents for 12 people).

 

[Just us on Tour]

Hello all,

We have been looking at purchasing a Motorhome, we have been around a few dealers and the show last week, but the best van we have seen is a 9m used Kon-Tiki, which had a twin/double bed in the back, double over cabin bed, then chairs that turned into a bed. Plus a massive garage, and some serious of grid capabilities.

Couple of concerns.
1/ Its alot more than we was going to spend, but it ticked more boxes than anything else we have seen.
2/ Its massive, I do have the licence to drive one, but would be the biggest thing I've drive. It is a tag axle.
3/ Are there any limitation with having such a big van

I understand the whole concept is about compromise, and working out what you can do without.

Key aspects.
a/ 2 Adults, 2 children and 2 dogs
b/ when we go without the dogs, there will be 4 e-bikes, due to the weight only two can fit on a bike rack, so a big garage is important for paddle boards and just stuff to keep kids entertain
c/ will be mainly used in the uk, not so interested in stopping at parks ex, its more been able to stop anywhere you legally can
d/ the odd trip to France, Spain and possible nordic countries

I've had a VW camper before, it was way too small but was good for days out. My original plan was to convert a crafter myself, but this has now grown into a motorhome, which as intern grown to a 9 meter monster.

We do plan to rent one in a few weeks time, doubt we can find a massive one, but at least if the experience is a good one this time of year, it will be happy days. My kids are 15 and 11, so we might not be taking our daughter when she is old enough to stay at home and she thinks mum and dad aren't cool.

Thank you
Mark

Hi Mark
welcome to the fun . I agree with a lot that folks are saying on here . Tag axles give a lot of space , however parking may have challenges. Traction on the front wheels is a strong consideration often overlooked especially as you will be fairly well loaded with the family , dogs bikes etc . You will hear about lots of stories about “bad” manufacturers or faults people have had . This happens with all makes , quite often someone will be unlucky to get the Friday afternoon van , however nearly all problems may be fixed and as long as the van has a service history with hab checks you should be ok.
From what you say there are a number of vans that are just over 8m on single axles . That may be worth a consideration. I am not familiar with all the makes and layouts. Have you looked at the Autotrail Scout ? I am sure Swift do a similar van layout and length.
Good Luck and welcome to the fun

 

[Reevsie]

I had a Kon-iki 649 (8.5)meters) for 5 years. Fantastic van and built with the British motorhomer in mind. Not a problem and was sorry to see it go.

Swapped for a Frankia 840 (8.4 meters) 2 years ago. The build quality is far superior, but the layout and the kitchen is not as family friendly. But has enormous garage.

Never been stopped at any campsite due to length, but had had to call up twice and they were fine. I wild camp most of the time and still don't really have a problem. Road holding is fantastic due to the tag axle. But if you are pulling off on a slop and turning left or right can struggle for traction in the wet. (worse in an automatic) but I have never been stuck, but I must have used a bit of extra rubber with the wheels spinning. Good advice in renting one before you buy. If your kids are young enough you will want a separate bedroom for then they go to sleep and you will need 4 belted seats.

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[starquake]

Should also add if you planning on going places with limited sanitation .. think music festivals and F1 like you say (ie, limited water and toilet facilities) you need to be able to handle arriving with full water tanks within the weight limit (and leaving with full waste). This is probably your limiting factor given 1l of water is 1kg, so a full tank in a big motorhome can be 100-150kg.. Unlike other sites where I would usually fill up on arrival going to a festival they "encourage" a full fill prior to arrival.

Worth reading so you know!

Glastonbury Festival - Campervans and Caravans

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts

www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

^ suggests over 8m is a no-no for the actually AT glastonbury camping unless you use the site that requies you to park in Bath and bus in to Glastonbury (you are not walkable to site), so efectively over 8m limits you to one campsite only if that matters to you and you want to go to Glasto with the kids and "stay" at the festival.

Just with your childrens age, and you mentioning F1 thought I should point at the various "rules" on camping around. Silverstone seems to be 9.5m max with no negotiation on longer so you fine there, but you may want to check other european F1 sites if you plan to drive and stay!

 

[Jo662]

I have had a Kontiki Tag axle for over 8 years now,and out of the three motorhomes we have owned,it is by far the best one. We have never been turned away from a campsite for being too long,but we do always do a bit of research before we go anywhere.
The driving side of it you will get used to very quickly,they are nice to drive.

Welcome aboard and buying a motorhome is great for all the family… my advice would be to do some research on the Kon-Tiki as it’s well known to be called the kontiki leaky, they have a knack of getting damp so please make sure you are researching it adequately for your needs…

There’s lots of advice on here and doing a search in the “search tab” you will get some further information on the type of motorhome you want….

You always hear about the bad ones,which out of the thousands they sell are,imo,very few.
In the 8 years of owning mine the only problems I have had are with the Fiat end.

There are many Euro brands in the same format,[rear garage, Island bed, fixed twins, front bed ect], they come in at well under the 9mt length.
Look for one that can be upgraded to over 3500kg. Check the actual carrying capacity of the garage, some are as lowly as 150kg.
Mike

We wanted a large lounge and an island bed. Very few Euro motorhomes offer that,and mostly have small lounge space.

Haven't seen it mentioned but tag axle means you will have to pay more on some toll roads.
Humber Bridge for example £1.50 with 2 axles under 3.5t, £4 with 2 axles 3.5-7t, £12 with 3 axles or more or over 7.5t.

I have never been over the Humber bridge in my motorhome,but on the tolls in France we are mostly class 2. On the odd occasion we have been charged higher we just press the button and say “camping car s’il vous plaĩt “ and it’s always been dropped down to class 2.

 

[Just us on Tour]

I had a Kon-iki 649 (8.5)meters) for 5 years. Fantastic van and built with the British motorhomer in mind. Not a problem and was sorry to see it go.

Swapped for a Frankia 840 (8.4 meters) 2 years ago. The build quality is far superior, but the layout and the kitchen is not as family friendly. But has enormous garage.

Never been stopped at any campsite due to length, but had had to call up twice and they were fine. I wild camp most of the time and still don't really have a problem. Road holding is fantastic due to the tag axle. But if you are pulling off on a slop and turning left or right can struggle for traction in the wet. (worse in an automatic) but I have never been stuck, but I must have used a bit of extra rubber with the wheels spinning. Good advice in renting one before you buy. If your kids are young enough you will want a separate bedroom for then they go to sleep and you will need 4 belted seats.

Good advice . Tags have their advantages , however they also have disadvantages. Pulling of a junction and turning right or left in wet weather will no doubt cause wheel spin and loss of traction , but hey as long as you know your van will wheel spin a bit it’s shouldn’t be a problem. Just ensure you have plenty of room to pull out all MH are about compromise .

 

[DerryW]

How many Funsters rented a van before buying..?

I know we didn’t and most other motorhome owners didn’t either.

However, the first Moho salesman we encountered told us it would take at least 3 different Moho’s to find the one which suited us… I scoffed at this…

But…. For us, he was right…

First one was a an older brilliant Bessacar with. French bed.. great introduction to motorhoming.

The second - a brand new expensive British Moho. Loved the internal design/ layout (Island bed). Awful build quality, went to Court.

Third Moho - New German van with rear bathroom, 2 single beds and a large drop-down bed. Bingo! Love the layout, love the build quality….. We love Bertie!!

To answer your first question, we did. Having been advised by so many people not to swap from a caravan to a MH because “they’re bloody expensive, can’t go anywhere once you arrive at a site unless you tow a car behind which defeats the idea behind a MH etc etc” so before spending a small fortune, we decided to hire. We hired a 7mtr Roller Team from just go for 28days, we set off for mainland Europe mainly France and Spain, it turned out to be one of the best holidays we’ve ever had. 2 months after returning we spent a small fortune on our first MH. Something we’d never done had we listened to the ne sayers, or indeed hired that MH from just go.

I said to the wife just before hiring “it’ll be the best or worst £1100.00 we’ll ever spend. As it turned out it was the best.

 

[funflair]

A question for those initiated, why do some have a tag axle to achieve a higher payload and some not?
At shows I've seen some massive motorhomes over 5t (think Morello) and then others that are tag to achieve?
Are tags just a beefed up van chassis and the larger on a 7.5t base?

I guess that you mean Morelo whilst there are a few older version of the Home on a tandem axle Fiat the majority are on a minimum of IVECO daily chassis which is twin wheel rear wheel drive meaning that it has 4 wheels on the rear axle, there are two chassis that Morelo from the daily range and these are 50C so maximum weight 5.8t and only used on the Home model, then you have the heavier chassis which is basically the 65C but this can be ordered as 72C version which can be plated up to or even over 7.5t then of course you move onto truck chassis and the sky is the limit.

So yes tag or being pedantic tandem axles motorhomes are nearly always on beefed up van chassis and front wheel drive.

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[iamarobot1999]

MH and Camper van payloads are terrible at best! On a big trip with 2 adults and 2 teenagers [basically 4 adults] and all the kit
Awning
Bikes
paddle boards
Surf boards and wetsuits
Camping equipment
chairs, tables and all the other stuff need on a family trip, not to mention my wife and daughters clothes and make up etc, I would say we were always well over our limit in our old MH.

With our smaller van we tow a trailer with all the kit so the weight issue is solved, but speed limit is restricted!
The compromise again!!!

 

[marky7seven]

What about grounding out on the 9m vans, watch the Roaming folks on YouTube, I think it was a Kon-Tiki 874 which he bottom out, and looked to ground out on the reverse also.

is there such a thing as a motorhome left?

 

[BikerGraham]

I have always paid the same as a car whenever we crossed the humber in our tagaxle the only one we do not use is the M6 toll road but sometimes it is the price you pay for space and luxury that will not put me of my tag axle

avoid the Tyne Tunnel. the system is linked to DVLA.

when I upplated mine it immediately changed. Its now £4.40 each way as its over 3.5T

at least with the Dartford crossing, as its a motorhome they only charge £25.0 each way.

 

[starquake]

What about grounding out on the 9m vans, watch the Roaming folks on YouTube, I think it was a Kon-Tiki 874 which he bottom out, and looked to ground out on the reverse also.

is there such a thing as a motorhome left?

Yes, thats why we mentioned it - Radfords have had air suspension added after this I believe to allow the rear of motorhome to be lifted to fix. A few grand to have fitted and more weight, but also increases your payload so gets offset usually by the benefits. It also makes the van nicer to drive. They have a video of it being fitted and the indicative price and payload increase they achieved (it's in the thousands range to have done).

whether you need it depends on how steep a hill you intend to take or if you want to go on some of the more interesting Ferrys. Some you can get on without any of this as the ferry port has no hill, but it's why we all reccomended you look at videos with people with the van you looking at for drawback as the smaller vans don't have to worry! A simple example is our street, we have a hill with a speed bump on it which if we had a longer van we would 100% ground out on as we went back up on EVERY trip. In general in most places you won't need to worry about it (it's a small issue) though apart from some "nasty" speedbumps in some towns. Even some smaller vans suffer from same (those with large overhangs), which is why the air suspensions exist. And in some cases you can avoid grounding out by driving up a hill at an angle if there is no traffic in opposite direction (some drivers are basically rubbish and don't do this).

It's (one of the reasons) why we ended up downsizing what we wanted ourselves from initally looking at 8.5m vans to looking at 8m max as we do plan on going to some interesting ferrys which would mean we would also need air suspension (think Scotland and calmac ferrys). (And when you look at pre-owned vans not many have had these kind of upgrades like air suspension fitted). It is also worth comparing prices on ferry trips on a 7-8m van versus a 9m as some Ferry companies do charge by the metre, and DO measure you - you can't cheat by self-delaring lower. We are 6.6m and our Ferry budget for next year would be roughly double what it is now with a over 8m. You asked for the drawbacks of a 9m van, and the simple fact is that things are more expensive typically with one and also require a bit more pre-planning as the owners of them have pointed out on this thread. "https://www.calmac.co.uk/article/5327/How-do-you-charge-for-vehicles" -> over 8m in Calmac land (ie, scotland) you are treated as commercial NOT as a motorhome (so higher prices).

Get the facts before you buy so you not surprised by things like above. I've already shown the differences in how Glastonbury treats a over 8m van as an example -> you may have no interest in Glastonbury, but it's why you need to research what you plan to do with the van, as to research avoids disapointment later.

Informally I've heard quite a few sites will treat a 8.2-8.4m van as 8m in reality -> so won't penalise the van owner though, so it's not all bad as the owners of them here have said.. it's just not all sites are as "nice".

Before we started motorhoming, we had no idea on standard pitch sizes, ferry prices etc -> its just stuff you need to know before spending a likely 6 figure sum on a motorhome that hopefully will last you many years - and so you accurately know the potential downsides which may never apply to how you use the van so not even be downsides to you!

 

[herald_400rl]

I guess that you mean Morelo whilst there are a few older version of the Home on a tandem axle Fiat the majority are on a minimum of IVECO daily chassis which is twin wheel rear wheel drive meaning that it has 4 wheels on the rear axle, there are two chassis that Morelo from the daily range and these are 50C so maximum weight 5.8t and only used on the Home model, then you have the heavier chassis which is basically the 65C but this can be ordered as 72C version which can be plated up to or even over 7.5t then of course you move onto truck chassis and the sky is the limit.

So yes tag or being pedantic tandem axles motorhomes are nearly always on beefed up van chassis and front wheel drive.

Haha I couldn't be bothered googling the spelling, I figured someone would know what I meant
Interesting, thanks.

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[marky7seven]

Yes, thats why we mentioned it - Radfords have had air suspension added after this I believe to allow the rear of motorhome to be lifted to fix. A few grand to have fitted and more weight, but also increases your payload so gets offset usually by the benefits. It also makes the van nicer to drive. They have a video of it being fitted and the indicative price and payload increase they achieved (it's in the thousands range to have done).

whether you need it depends on how steep a hill you intend to take or if you want to go on some of the more interesting Ferrys. Some you can get on without any of this as the ferry port has no hill, but it's why we all reccomended you look at videos with people with the van you looking at for drawback as the smaller vans don't have to worry! A simple example is our street, we have a hill with a speed bump on it which if we had a longer van we would 100% ground out on as we went back up on EVERY trip. In general in most places you won't need to worry about it (it's a small issue) though apart from some "nasty" speedbumps in some towns. Even some smaller vans suffer from same (those with large overhangs), which is why the air suspensions exist. And in some cases you can avoid grounding out by driving up a hill at an angle if there is no traffic in opposite direction (some drivers are basically rubbish and don't do this).

It's (one of the reasons) why we ended up downsizing what we wanted ourselves from initally looking at 8.5m vans to looking at 8m max as we do plan on going to some interesting ferrys which would mean we would also need air suspension (think Scotland and calmac ferrys). (And when you look at pre-owned vans not many have had these kind of upgrades like air suspension fitted). It is also worth comparing prices on ferry trips on a 7-8m van versus a 9m as some Ferry companies do charge by the metre, and DO measure you - you can't cheat by self-delaring lower. We are 6.6m and our Ferry budget for next year would be roughly double what it is now with a over 8m. You asked for the drawbacks of a 9m van, and the simple fact is that things are more expensive typically with one and also require a bit more pre-planning as the owners of them have pointed out on this thread. "https://www.calmac.co.uk/article/5327/How-do-you-charge-for-vehicles" -> over 8m in Calmac land (ie, scotland) you are treated as commercial NOT as a motorhome (so higher prices).

Get the facts before you buy so you not surprised by things like above. I've already shown the differences in how Glastonbury treats a over 8m van as an example -> you may have no interest in Glastonbury, but it's why you need to research what you plan to do with the van, as to research avoids disapointment later.

Informally I've heard quite a few sites will treat a 8.2-8.4m van as 8m in reality -> so won't penalise the van owner though, so it's not all bad as the owners of them here have said.. it's just not all sites are as "nice".

Before we started motorhoming, we had no idea on standard pitch sizes, ferry prices etc -> its just stuff you need to know before spending a likely 6 figure sum on a motorhome that hopefully will last you many years - and so you accurately know the potential downsides which may never apply to how you use the van so not even be downsides to you!

Thank you that is really helpful. Will go to a few more places at the weekend, now I have a little more knowledge. I had AirSuspension fitted to my VW camper, it cost over £6k for the system and was complete rubbish, there was a very tiny window were the van drove ok. I'm guessing things have come along way since then.