Sacrifices needed to full time in a 6 metre van? (1 Viewer)

[Minxy]

Have you looked into insurance yet? Full timer MH insurance can be expensive if you have no 'fixed abode' so it might be an idea to give some companies a ring and see what their take is on some of the MHs you're considering as some may attract a higher premium than others. It may also affect bike insurance too if it isn't 'inside' but outside, Wissel may be able to help with that.

I know you want to get your 'forever' MH (well 10 year one) but until you are totally sure it might be an idea to get a cheaper/older well priced one and see how you get on, then if needs be change it for another in the future, this reduces the risk of you loosing a lot of money if you buy the wrong MH and will let you try it out to see if what you think you want is actually what you really need.

One thing to think of that I forgot to mention earlier is how 'open' you want the lounge area to be, with a cab based MH (ie coachbuilt) you don't have such a spacious front seating area when the seats are swivelled and if the MH has an overcab bed that will mean ducking every time you get in/out of the cab seats. We have our first ever A-class MH (Carthago C-Compactline 138) and NOT having to duck every time we exit the cab is wonderful and not something we'd really appreciated until we got one.

Our Carthago has a double floor with fixed transverse bed at the rear and drop down bed over the cab at the front with an L-shaped lounge, not massive but sufficient for us (2 adults and 3 dogs!) and the layout suits us very well - we've had a similar layout in our last few MHs/PVCs, ie rear bed and front lounge with kitchen and washroom in the centre and can't think of any other layout that works as well. We didn't want a 'fat' MH as, being used to a PVC we like to go to out of the way places where width can become a problem, hence our going for the Compactline 138 as it's only 7cm wider (2.12m) and 5cm longer (6.41m) than the XLWB Fiat Ducato (2.05m x 6.36m) which our Globecars were based on, but it gives us a lot more space internally than just the extra few cms due to it having 'flat' walls rather than the PVC ones with pillars/ribs etc which cut down on the usable internal space. We wouldn't consider ever having a 'wide' coachbuilt or A-class as we can't see what it would offer us that the Compactline ones don't.

A couple of other things come, first is the turning circle ... the longer the wheelbase the more difficult it is to turn, not such a major issue to those of us who are holidaying but may be more problematic to someone wanting to access CLs etc that may have tight entrances, supermarket car parks etc. Secondly there's the 'bottom swing' for MHs with large rear overhangs ... if you're not careful you can take out other vehicles coming towards you when turning as the bum swings out.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

Have you looked into insurance yet? Full timer MH insurance can be expensive if you have no 'fixed abode' so it might be an idea to give some companies a ring and see what their take is on some of the MHs you're considering as some may attract a higher premium than others. It may also affect bike insurance too if it isn't 'inside' but outside, Wissel may be able to help with that.

I know you want to get your 'forever' MH (well 10 year one) but until you are totally sure it might be an idea to get a cheaper/older well priced one and see how you get on, then if needs be change it for another in the future, this reduces the risk of you loosing a lot of money if you buy the wrong MH and will let you try it out to see if what you think you want is actually what you really need.

One thing to think of that I forgot to mention earlier is how 'open' you want the lounge area to be, with a cab based MH (ie coachbuilt) you don't have such a spacious front seating area when the seats are swivelled and if the MH has an overcab bed that will mean ducking every time you get in/out of the cab seats. We have our first ever A-class MH (Carthago C-Compactline 138) and NOT having to duck every time we exit the cab is wonderful and not something we'd really appreciated until we got one.

Our Carthago has a double floor with fixed transverse bed at the rear and drop down bed over the cab at the front with an L-shaped lounge, not massive but sufficient for us (2 adults and 3 dogs!) and the layout suits us very well - we've had a similar layout in our last few MHs/PVCs, ie rear bed and front lounge with kitchen and washroom in the centre and can't think of any other layout that works as well. We didn't want a 'fat' MH as, being used to a PVC we like to go to out of the way places where width can become a problem, hence our going for the Compactline 138 as it's only 7cm wider (2.12m) and 5cm longer (6.41m) than the XLWB Fiat Ducato (2.05m x 6.36m) which our Globecars were based on, but it gives us a lot more space internally than just the extra few cms due to it having 'flat' walls rather than the PVC ones with pillars/ribs etc which cut down on the usable internal space. We wouldn't consider ever having a 'wide' coachbuilt or A-class as we can't see what it would offer us that the Compactline ones don't.

A couple of other things come, first is the turning circle ... the longer the wheelbase the more difficult it is to turn, not such a major issue to those of us who are holidaying but may be more problematic to someone wanting to access CLs etc that may have tight entrances, supermarket car parks etc. Secondly there's the 'bottom swing' for MHs with large rear overhangs ... if you're not careful you can take out other vehicles coming towards you when turning as the bum swings out.

A very useful and detailed critique. The wheelbase and turning circle thing particularly struck a chord with me as, although we are only 6.13m in length, we literally have a wheel in each corner (great for spreading the load). We have watched vans two meters longer than ours turn far more easily -- it is especially evident on the ferry to Bilbao/Santander when you have to turn the van around on the vehicle deck to exit.

 

[TonyC123]

Have you looked into insurance yet? Full timer MH insurance can be expensive if you have no 'fixed abode' so it might be an idea to give some companies a ring and see what their take is on some of the MHs you're considering as some may attract a higher premium than others. It may also affect bike insurance too if it isn't 'inside' but outside, Wissel may be able to help with that.

I know you want to get your 'forever' MH (well 10 year one) but until you are totally sure it might be an idea to get a cheaper/older well priced one and see how you get on, then if needs be change it for another in the future, this reduces the risk of you loosing a lot of money if you buy the wrong MH and will let you try it out to see if what you think you want is actually what you really need.

One thing to think of that I forgot to mention earlier is how 'open' you want the lounge area to be, with a cab based MH (ie coachbuilt) you don't have such a spacious front seating area when the seats are swivelled and if the MH has an overcab bed that will mean ducking every time you get in/out of the cab seats. We have our first ever A-class MH (Carthago C-Compactline 138) and NOT having to duck every time we exit the cab is wonderful and not something we'd really appreciated until we got one.

Our Carthago has a double floor with fixed transverse bed at the rear and drop down bed over the cab at the front with an L-shaped lounge, not massive but sufficient for us (2 adults and 3 dogs!) and the layout suits us very well - we've had a similar layout in our last few MHs/PVCs, ie rear bed and front lounge with kitchen and washroom in the centre and can't think of any other layout that works as well. We didn't want a 'fat' MH as, being used to a PVC we like to go to out of the way places where width can become a problem, hence our going for the Compactline 138 as it's only 7cm wider (2.12m) and 5cm longer (6.41m) than the XLWB Fiat Ducato (2.05m x 6.36m) which our Globecars were based on, but it gives us a lot more space internally than just the extra few cms due to it having 'flat' walls rather than the PVC ones with pillars/ribs etc which cut down on the usable internal space. We wouldn't consider ever having a 'wide' coachbuilt or A-class as we can't see what it would offer us that the Compactline ones don't.

A couple of other things come, first is the turning circle ... the longer the wheelbase the more difficult it is to turn, not such a major issue to those of us who are holidaying but may be more problematic to someone wanting to access CLs etc that may have tight entrances, supermarket car parks etc. Secondly there's the 'bottom swing' for MHs with large rear overhangs ... if you're not careful you can take out other vehicles coming towards you when turning as the bum swings out.

Thanks once again for that advice, and I can only agree that Carthago is an absolutely lovely van, and the slightly narrower body is major plus for a fairly easily stressed driver like myself.
The dilemma for me is that the first example I found was priced at 59k and was a 2014 model with 22k miles on it. Not that 22k is a lot, and the quality build will still show through over the longer term, but I might need it to last nearly two decades, and its very tempting for a newbie with a 59k budget to look at this instead:

Roller Team

www.rollerteammotorhomes.co.uk

It hasnt got the quality of the Carthago or that very convenient narrow body, but its six years younger, no miles, and will have a full warranty. It only has one battery so there will be a cost to upgrade that, but it will hold 2x15kg of propane (I would buy refillable Safefill bottles or get gaslow fitted), and it has got a fitted solar panel, and the floor is 2 inches thick, so I am expecting it will be reasonably winterised, but I dont know for sure yet.
There is another plus with this one, which is that it can be uprated to 3650kg as a paperwork excercise, which brings its payload up to 750kg- and that means I can probably get a bike on the back.
There is that lower cab ceiling with the drop down bed- not ideal.
I dont think I'll end up getting the Pegaso tbh- I think I'll have to look into a used model with a higher rated chassis and a garage, but at first glance, the Pegaso looks decently specced and has decent payload to work with.

 

[Minxy]

Thanks once again for that advice, and I can only agree that Carthago is an absolutely lovely van, and the slightly narrower body is major plus for a fairly easily stressed driver like myself.
The dilemma for me is that the first example I found was priced at 59k and was a 2014 model with 22k miles on it. Not that 22k is a lot, and the quality build will still show through over the longer term, but I might need it to last nearly two decades, and its very tempting for a newbie with a 59k budget to look at this instead:

Roller Team

www.rollerteammotorhomes.co.uk

It hasnt got the quality of the Carthago or that very convenient narrow body, but its six years younger, no miles, and will have a full warranty. It only has one battery so there will be a cost to upgrade that, but it will hold 2x15kg of propane (I would buy refillable Safefill bottles or get gaslow fitted), and it has got a fitted solar panel, and the floor is 2 inches thick, so I am expecting it will be reasonably winterised, but I dont know for sure yet.
There is another plus with this one, which is that it can be uprated to 3650kg as a paperwork excercise, which brings its payload up to 750kg- and that means I can probably get a bike on the back.
There is that lower cab ceiling with the drop down bed- not ideal.
I dont think I'll end up getting the Pegaso tbh- I think I'll have to look into a used model with a higher rated chassis and a garage, but at first glance, the Pegaso looks decently specced and has decent payload to work with.

Nice looking MH but it's a certainly chubby at 2.35m!

I've just had a quick shuftie at the spec and once you start adding in/upgrading things like uprating the ending, auto box etc it's not 'quite' as cheap, but obviously depends on what you want. I'm not sure about the gas locker capacity as it says 15kg max not 2 x 15kg, could be a misprint though. One thing I have noticed is the 'padded cell' look of the wall cladding ... weird ... unless of course you like that sort of thing.

Wellington is selling her Carthago at present ... not sure what she wants for it or if it will suit but it might do ...

 

[Minxy]

Just spotted this which 'might' appeal ... its got Alde heating too which will be a bonus ...

Laika Ecovip 600 - 2017

Laika Ecovip 600 2017, 4 berth motorhome for sale in West Sussex. Automatic gearbox and Right-hand Drive with 9,096 miles. Find out more.

www.motorhomedepot.com

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TonyC123]

Nice looking MH but it's a certainly chubby at 2.35m!

She's just a big boned ;-)

I do wish there was room for an extra gas bottle though... That's a right bummer is that...
I shall make inquires of your funster colleague Ms Wellington in due course ;-)

 

[TonyC123]

Just spotted this which 'might' appeal ... its got Alde heating too which will be a bonus ...

Laika Ecovip 600 - 2017

Laika Ecovip 600 2017, 4 berth motorhome for sale in West Sussex. Automatic gearbox and Right-hand Drive with 9,096 miles. Find out more.

www.motorhomedepot.com

I feel like a bit like Goldilocks now- "no that lounge is too small" , "no that wheelbase is too long".. .
Its very kind of you to point that van out for me, and it is a lovely example, but ideally I would like a bit bigger lounge. There are some lovely new Carado vans around 7m and around this price, but the lounges were more like dinettes, and I simply had to say no to the German beauties.

PS- I see what you mean about the padded cell walls in the Pegaso. Well spotted there, and cant say I'm a fan of that at all. There are a few people who might suggest it would be useful acclimatisation for me to live with padded walls... I wonder if there are complementary strait jackets in the wardrobe, to complete the ambience...

 

[Wellington]

She's just a big boned ;-)

I do wish there was room for an extra gas bottle though... That's a right bummer is that...
I shall make inquires of your funster colleague Ms Wellington in due course ;-)

‘Tis due to go up via motorhome depot any day. It might be too high mileage for you, though. I loved it, and am only selling (and buying one model up) due to the unbelievable inconvenience of child car seats with a drop down bed. If car seats don’t concern you, I’d highly recommend it.

 

[TonyC123]

‘Tis due to go up via motorhome depot any day. It might be too high mileage for you, though. I loved it, and am only selling (and buying one model up) due to the unbelievable inconvenience of child car seats with a drop down bed. If car seats don’t concern you, I’d highly recommend it.

Thank you Ms Wellington- those Carthagos are rare and lovely things, but sadly not cheap.
Can I ask what model and year it is, and I'll take a look at some examples on youtube tomorrow, to give me an idea of the layout etc?

 

[Wellington]

Thank you Ms Wellington- those Carthagos are rare and lovely things, but sadly not cheap.
Can I ask what model and year it is, and I'll take a look at some examples on youtube tomorrow, to give me an idea of the layout etc?

With pleasure. It’s a 2014 Carthago Compactline 138. A class, rear transverse bed over a scooter garage, drop down over the cab, front dinette and side kitchen. Four berth, four belts. 6.4m, 3.5t (but can be uprated, I believe). It came to me with a felted garage, has fixings for a bike rack (which I took off, but probably still have all the bits) hab air con, coffee machine and a fancy water filter tap and I’ve added a tv in the rear bed, extra sockets and usbs and gaslow (I’m keeping the levellers though). I can pm you pics if you’re interested. Mileage is about 25k. Bit of a way from you, in Leicestershire, though.

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[TonyC123]

With pleasure. It’s a 2014 Carthago Compactline 138. A class, rear transverse bed over a scooter garage, drop down over the cab, front dinette and side kitchen. Four berth, four belts. 6.4m, 3.5t (but can be uprated, I believe). It came to me with a felted garage, has fixings for a bike rack (which I took off, but probably still have all the bits) hab air con, coffee machine and a fancy water filter tap and I’ve added a tv in the rear bed, extra sockets and usbs and gaslow (I’m keeping the levellers though). I can pm you pics if you’re interested. Mileage is about 25k. Bit of a way from you, in Leicestershire, though.

Thanks very much for letting me know about your van Ms W, and apologies- I hadn't realised it was the same as Mel's, and I probably should have- but as a bloke, things don't sink in unless said repeatedly in a slightly raised voice from no more than 30cm away

The Carthago is a lovely van and a brilliant design (especially that narrow body- why don't more of them do that?). It even has the garage which I've recently realised could be quite an important thing.
But I have this weird personal quest to have as large a lounge as is feasible, and for me the Carthago lounge is pretty decent, but maybe not quite long enough- and at the prices these things cost, it needs to be pretty much spot on.
That said, I've found my thoughts on these features have changed even in a few days, so I may be eyeing this up on Motorhome Depot in a week or two.
But thanks for letting me know about it, I do appreciate you taking the time, and I think this may be close to what I end up getting (which wont be till August either), but I'm still trying to find a van with a larger lounge- if that's possible to get with a decent garage. Maybe that will mean rear bunk beds, or a longer vehicle, I don't know- my head is about to explode- but that said, I cant moan- its a nice problem to have

 

[ChrisSue]

Thanks again Maz, I am hoping that 600kg payload will do me, but I'm still working it out.
Obviously I don't need makeup, handbags or shoes, so I can save 450kg on your payload figure
Just kidding, just kidding....

But the safe thing seems to be to get an uprated vehicle so I have some contingency payload available for heavier items.
E.g. it occurred to me that to reduce the number of miles I put on the van, I should consider a moped or lightweight 125cc. So if I'm in a nice CL somewhere, I have the option to bimble around the local area using very little fuel. Also, I can get into any town centres without taking the van, or maybe park it up on the outskirts where these is more room.
And if I used a moped as my way of exploring the nooks and crannies, narrow lanes etc, that then opens the possibility of getting a slightly longer vehicle as well, because I wont have to worry about manoeuvering it around tight spaces. Hmmm, thats got me thinking....

Anyway, the moped thing is another question I think.
On the genny thing, I just dont know. I get the idea that in winter the solar struggles to keep your batteries topped up, so I thought I'd need a backup for the UK winters, but maybe not...
In terms of an off-grid backup, I'm thinking I could rig up some sort of Jack Russell-powered oversized hamster wheel to generate electricity. Just got to get me a brace of Jack Russells, and a laser pointer toy to give them some motivation for the chase. I could be sat back in my large lounge, watching TV and running a washing machine, and all powered by small dogs. Why has no-one thought of this?
The capitalist in me sees it as exploitation of the masses (masses of Jack Russells, I mean)

As the servants of a pair of Jack Russell's please see our avatar as to the slight design flaw. Other than short bursts of enthusiasm when words like "biscuit" or "treat" are mentioned most of their day is spent as quality control inspectors of various items of furniture. Throw a ball for them and say "fetch" and the attitude is "you threw it you fetch it"
You may need to re think

 

[TonyC123]

As the servants of a pair of Jack Russell's please see our avatar as to the slight design flaw. Other than short bursts of enthusiasm when words like "biscuit" or "treat" are mentioned most of their day is spent as quality control inspectors of various items of furniture. Throw a ball for them and say "fetch" and the attitude is "you threw it you fetch it"
You may need to re think

Your Jack Russell overlords have clearly grown lazy and careless. Now is the time to rise up against your canine oppressors!

 

[Puddleduck]

I think Chausson has some 6m vans with end bathroom and garage plus drop down bed.

One thing is that you will have to be tidy and make sure there is a space for everything and everything needs to be in it's place.

One of our members (now departed and very much missed) had the passenger seat removed so there was room for her large dog. You might want to think about that if you are really short of space. Have you thought about renting a self storage unit for some of the items you have but don't need immediately?

 

[Stonemags76]

We full timed for three years, and had a storage unit for all that time which we visited occasionally when we had a need for something! Mostly we managed very well with two of us in a Bessacar E630 end kitchen coachbuilt. As many have said, the width of the van was the main bug bear - particularly in small villages. I think the size of the lounge is less important than the airiness- so rooflights are important. This often precludes a drop down bed, but if you have a bed over garage it doesn’t matter. We made the beds up every night (I use the royal we = it was my husband really!), but not sure if I would if we full timed now (although we do 3 months in our pvc, I’m fed up with making the bed up by the end!).
Another point is that not all cab seats are comfy - A class tend to be better over all, but our Bessacar was on a Fiat Ducatto, & they were quite uncomfortable for any length of time. Just my thoughts & ramblings!

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[bigtwin]

Have you considered one of these?

Broken Link Removed

They have fantastic living space.

Ian

 

[TonyC123]

I think Chausson has some 6m vans with end bathroom and garage plus drop down bed.

One thing is that you will have to be tidy and make sure there is a space for everything and everything needs to be in it's place.

One of our members (now departed and very much missed) had the passenger seat removed so there was room for her large dog. You might want to think about that if you are really short of space. Have you thought about renting a self storage unit for some of the items you have but don't need immediately?

Hi Puddleduck- funny you should suggest that- I actually use a small storage unit now. I moved out of my ex's house over a year ago into a smaller place, and even though I ditched loads of gear I still had too much for my current place.
The thing about storage units is that there is a law of diminishing returns involved. I've probably already paid more than the value of my stored stuff, if I add up the monthly storage fees (which can easily be £70-£100 depending on what space you need).
I don't have any high value personal possessions anyway. There are a couple of 700 watt stage speakers and related gear that I'd like to keep, but they're 22kg each so not going anywhere near a motorhome.
And it's surprising when you actually come out and ask family members to store bulky and heavy items for you, how few of them actually have any space. Most of their houses are already pretty much full with their own stuff and that of their children, including their garages and lofts- and providing a home for my stuff would mean getting rid of some of their own to make room. I don't want to put them on the spot or anything, so I wont press the issue.
So my thinking is, rather than shell out maybe £1000 per year for the next decade for stuff that isn't worth that kind of money, I'll try to sell the things with value (speakers and stuff) on ebay.
Knowing me, I'll leave everything else until the last week before I move out, and just end up handing most of it over at the local council tip.
I don't fancy taking seats out, if I can help it anyway. For one thing I'd like the ability to take passengers (I can take my mum and stepdad for days out when I visit them), and I don't want the van to start looking too hardcore.
I suspect that for a solo traveller of a certain age, full timing can at times be a pretty lonely lifestyle, and whilst I can cope with that for the sake of being able to travel so freely, I can imagine I might get a bit down if my van starts looking like a half constructed commercial vehicle. To keep my spirits up, I have a feeling it will be important to keep the interior looking clean and nice. So no removed seats. Well not yet...

 

[PeteH]

Interesting "thesis". We "Full timed" in all but name for 2 years, whilst doing a self build. But that was in a 28ft R-V. Later upgraded to a 32ft. Having driven "big stuff" on and off over the years, size to be fair has never bothered me. What I would warn against, as indeed others have, you do need to keep an eye on Payload. What I cleared out of my last R-V when I sold it, damn near filled our double garage!. I was finding stuff I had forgotten. IF I was ever to do "Solo" Full Time. I would be looking for (possibly) one of the "bar" version Hymer`s of the recent past with a drop down bed 3 Captains seats and the long bench one side. The kitchen at the rear with Corner Toilet + Shower?. A quite versatile layout in my opinion?

 

[TonyC123]

We full timed for three years, and had a storage unit for all that time which we visited occasionally when we had a need for something! Mostly we managed very well with two of us in a Bessacar E630 end kitchen coachbuilt. As many have said, the width of the van was the main bug bear - particularly in small villages. I think the size of the lounge is less important than the airiness- so rooflights are important. This often precludes a drop down bed, but if you have a bed over garage it doesn’t matter. We made the beds up every night (I use the royal we = it was my husband really!), but not sure if I would if we full timed now (although we do 3 months in our pvc, I’m fed up with making the bed up by the end!).
Another point is that not all cab seats are comfy - A class tend to be better over all, but our Bessacar was on a Fiat Ducatto, & they were quite uncomfortable for any length of time. Just my thoughts & ramblings!

Thanks Stonemags- this issue about the width being a nuisance has cropped up quite a few times, and that is starting to worry me a bit.
My initial assumption was this:
Most A class and coachbuilt MHs are about 2.3m wide (or a tad more), so that must be ok, right? If it was a problem they'd be making them a bit narrower.
One of my possible ideas for managing the challenge of the vehicle width is to use an ebike or a small motorbike, so that instead of manouevering around in a small village looking for a parking space, I will park up a mile or two before, or after, and ride a bike into the village/town.
I know the Swift Rio is a bit narrower, but I don't like their layouts, and if I start restricting my search to narrower MHs I think that will but down my available options a bit too much.
I do agree that even a PVC lounge can feel spacious if there is plenty of light, but the only one I felt came close to the feel of a coachbuilt lounge was a Wildax constellation with a front lounge- there were windows on 3 sides plus a skylight.
Width is a kind of nagging worry in my mind, but short of opting for a PVC I feel I don't have a great deal of options to resolve it.

 

[TonyC123]

Have you considered one of these?

Broken Link Removed

They have fantastic living space.

Ian

Thanks Ian, that is exactly the size of lounge that I would love to have- exactly.
My slight concern with that example is that it would take up pretty much my full budget, and its already 6 years old with 26k miles, and that's a fair bit of usage of that interior and the facilities, so there will be the odd thing wearing out every month or two- not a major problem of course.

But when you see that for very similar money you can buy a brand new Carado I338:

Broken Link Removed

or maybe a Roller Team Pegaso 590, the newer vehicle does have a lot of appeal to me personally- although I accept that will be based on my lack of knowledge and experience to be fair.

I feel that spending 60k on a six year old vehicle, no matter how reputable the maker, is not something I'm happy to do. For that kind of money I can get a large lounge in a newer vehicle- I dont want to compromise too much on quality, but dont want to pay too much for it either.

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[nicholsong]

Tony

Re width, if the miroors in front of you will go through the gap the rest will.

I find with our 'A' Class and its big windscreen we probably look like a 16-seat coach. 'White van man' often pulls over and flashes us through.

I think the fear is in your mind, but in reality it would be easier than you think. If in doubt about passing an oncoming vehicle, I just stop till gap is clear - we MHomers are not in a hurry, unlike DHL/UPS etc. Get out and test drive when allowed.

May I suggest taking a day or two off from this thread, then quietly reading and digesting all the advice.

Geoff

 

[Langtoftlad]

Motorhome truisms:
1) MH's are built on commercial vehicles, so 26k is barely run in
2) Older MH's are better built with quality fixtures and fittings - so your new blingy shiny Carado or Roller Team will have bits dropping off it in a couple of years whereas an older quality marque [which has been taken care of] will still be rock solid in another decade.
3) Depreciation. The six year old vehicle has already lost most of what it will lose... the brand new vehicles take a huge hit in the first few years... which is important because you won't get the first purchase right

 

[Manic]

You say about one can only taking one cylinder, I would look into a gas tank underneath rather than bottles which free’s up the gas locker.

 

[Wellington]

Thanks very much for letting me know about your van Ms W, and apologies- I hadn't realised it was the same as Mel's, and I probably should have- but as a bloke, things don't sink in unless said repeatedly in a slightly raised voice from no more than 30cm away

The Carthago is a lovely van and a brilliant design (especially that narrow body- why don't more of them do that?). It even has the garage which I've recently realised could be quite an important thing.
But I have this weird personal quest to have as large a lounge as is feasible, and for me the Carthago lounge is pretty decent, but maybe not quite long enough- and at the prices these things cost, it needs to be pretty much spot on.
That said, I've found my thoughts on these features have changed even in a few days, so I may be eyeing this up on Motorhome Depot in a week or two.
But thanks for letting me know about it, I do appreciate you taking the time, and I think this may be close to what I end up getting (which wont be till August either), but I'm still trying to find a van with a larger lounge- if that's possible to get with a decent garage. Maybe that will mean rear bunk beds, or a longer vehicle, I don't know- my head is about to explode- but that said, I cant moan- its a nice problem to have

Anytime. Definitely try the layout before you commit, though. I was dead against a dinette and bed over the garage layout, but I was absolutely wrong!

 

[bigtwin]

Thanks Ian, that is exactly the size of lounge that I would love to have- exactly.
My slight concern with that example is that it would take up pretty much my full budget, and its already 6 years old with 26k miles, and that's a fair bit of usage of that interior and the facilities, so there will be the odd thing wearing out every month or two- not a major problem of course.

I feel that spending 60k on a six year old vehicle, no matter how reputable the maker, is not something I'm happy to do. For that kind of money I can get a large lounge in a newer vehicle- I dont want to compromise too much on quality, but dont want to pay too much for it either.

Motorhome truisms:
1) MH's are built on commercial vehicles, so 26k is barely run in
2) Older MH's are better built with quality fixtures and fittings - so your new blingy shiny Carado or Roller Team will have bits dropping off it in a couple of years whereas an older quality marque [which has been taken care of] will still be rock solid in another decade.
3) Depreciation. The six year old vehicle has already lost most of what it will lose... the brand new vehicles take a huge hit in the first few years... which is important because you won't get the first purchase right

You need to make sure that you are comparing like for like (the Frankia is around £100k new now) as I think you’ll find a big difference in the quality of the Frankia compared with the two examples you gave. The link I provided was intended as an example; if you’re not ready to buy yet put it on your list and keep an eye out for other examples. We bought our Dethleffs at 3 years old and we’ve had it for more than ten years now with no real problems with quality/durability.

As Langtoftlad says, 26k is barely run in.

Wishing you luck on your journey to find the right vehicle.

Ian

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[TonyC123]

Tony

Re width, if the miroors in front of you will go through the gap the rest will.

I find with our 'A' Class and its big windscreen we probably look like a 16-seat coach. 'White van man' often pulls over and flashes us through.

I think the fear is in your mind, but in reality it would be easier than you think. If in doubt about passing an oncoming vehicle, I just stop till gap is clear - we MHomers are not in a hurry, unlike DHL/UPS etc. Get out and test drive when allowed.

May I suggest taking a day or two off from this thread, then quietly reading and digesting all the advice.

Geoff

Hi Geoff, it does seem that 2.34m width does sometimes cause some concerns- but at the moment, whilst I am taking that issue on board, I am still leaning towards a normal width coachbuilt- as a few people have said, this is all about making the right compromises that you can live with reasonably well, to get the benefits you want most.
I've had so many informative and helpful responses that its highlighted a number of things that weren't even remotely on my radar a week ago, and I will certainly be going back to re-read the replies and make sure I've picked up on the key info.
This thread has shown me how much more thinking I need to do about what distinguishing between what I want and what I actually need, what compromises I can live with, and what I can afford.
It will also help a lot when I can get a chance to visit the more distant dealers who have the van I want to take a look at, and take some test drives.

 

[maz]

Motorhome truisms:
1) MH's are built on commercial vehicles, so 26k is barely run in
2) Older MH's are better built with quality fixtures and fittings - so your new blingy shiny Carado or Roller Team will have bits dropping off it in a couple of years whereas an older quality marque [which has been taken care of] will still be rock solid in another decade.
3) Depreciation. The six year old vehicle has already lost most of what it will lose... the brand new vehicles take a huge hit in the first few years... which is important because you won't get the first purchase right

Spot on!

 

[Langtoftlad]

Nothing beats practical experience - rent first.
Doesn't really matter what... but it'll give you an idea of what is actually important to you rather than what you imagine is important.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Its very easy to get it wrong, I've already said this on several threads but we thought we wanted a front lounge and then we could make the bed up at night - this is a 5.4m PVC by the way as that's the right length to fit on our drive. We'd been to all the shows, in and out of vans/motorhomes on dealer forecourts, we were absolutely positive that this was the perfect layout for us and 2 dogs. We ordered one from a converter, waited for it to be built and then collected it. After a few nights away I knew we'd got it wrong - the lounge settee wasn't right for a lounge it was too rigid and uncomfortable and when it was made into a bed there were joins in the wrong places. The bed blocked access to the captains chairs and so when one went to bed the other had to as well. The little niggles which we hadn't foreseen when looking became magnified and it got that the most enthusiastic one (me) hated the van.

I did a major internet search for something different in that length and came up with 4 possible contenders all sitting on a dealer's forecourt and 2 weeks later we were the owners of the one we have now and it was sitting on our drive. It has a rear transverse fixed bed - we thought it was a gimmick that the bed could be folded up and out of the way of the storage area when we were first looking all those months ago, but we've collected our son and friend from Southampton after a gruelling sponsored cycle ride from Southampton on the windiest Friday last year with their bikes and that bed came into its own. It has a dinette - who would want one of those? so small and tight for space except as it turns out its perfect for 2 dogs to sit on for travelling with harnesses on and clipped to the seat belts, perfect for me to sit on while keeping an eye on something cooking on the hob, perfect for one dog to sleep on at night with the other in a bed on the floor under the table.

The driver and passenger seats are really comfortable for sitting in the evening and if Mark is watching a movie on his laptop then I can decamp and sit on the bed, round the corner with my back against the washroom wall, listening to music on my earpods, doing a bit of knitting or crochet, or just chilling with my Kindle.

Mark has tinkered a bit and its not the same van as it was when we bought it as it has mifi, a maxxfan over the bed, then there are the hydraulic levellers and the underslung gas tank. When we were originally looking, this wasn't what we wanted at all but now we're happy to say that we were wrong!

 

[John Barrett]

SNIP
It will also help a lot when I can get a chance to visit the more distant dealers who have the van I want to take a look at, and take some test drives.

Whilst test driving our first motorhome, the B640 Sprinter, I asked Adrian, the owner of Viscount Motorhomes, how many buyers do this. I was surprised to hear that only one or two in ten take them out!
"We get quite a lot back after a couple of weeks..." he said.
John

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