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Thinking of changing from caravan to motorhome, i know there are many pro,s cons but never spoke to anyone who has actually done it.  Also can you part ex your caravan or car against one.

many thanks to any replies

Hi dancingdriver. I have just done it! I sold my car and caravan (after 30 years of caravanning) and bought a campervan (still not sure what the difference is in a motorhome and a campervan) anyway I bought an autosleeper harmony. Oatree motorhomes took both my car and caravan in part exchange and they gave me a good price. We have only used it 1 weekend so far and were very happy with it. We are going to Norfolk for a week next week so that will give it a better trial.

regards Robin

Personally we call motor homes those vans that are specailly designed to be used as one and campervans those that are normal vans customised to be one but that might just be us lol

We changed from a caravan to campervan about 18 months ago the difference is great ! Where before we had to think twice about fetching the caravan out of storage so went away very few times we can now just hop in the campervan in the drive and off we go !!

My husband is more relaxed as he never really liked towing and we don't have a huge van so it's fairly easy to drive and park. We are much more self contained and less likely to need electric now so can "wild camp" if we see a good spot. And it's quite a reief we can have a small run around vehicle for home use not a huge tow vehicle.

All in all I can't imagine going back to a caravan.

You do tend to have less space in a Motorhome, and unless you tow a Car or Motorcycle, you have to pack away everything to drive off site. But those are the only two disadvantages

But a Motorhome gives you a lot more freedom to wildcamp, you dont have to use storage, none of the hassle that goes with towing, you can park it on the road, outside your house if you dont have a driveway, so its easier to clean and do stuff to. Also you can leave at a drop of a hat. Very often i decide to go away for a few days, that same day. Just chuck some clothes in a bag, and go. Its not so easy to do that with a Caravan.

I would say though, that the large coachbuilts only get used for going away in. Its a lot of moneys worth to be parked up and only used for holidaying or weekends away. This was the reason i downsized to a Panel Van Conversion, as it can be used as everyday transport as well.

We changed and have never looked back. We are a young family and most people tried to tell us that we should not do it as Motrohomes meant you were stuck on site all day. Most people only pointed out the negatives against motorhoming. But in my opinion the positives outweigh the negatives.

However you need to be sure that it's for you. Most caravaners like to go and stay on a site somewhere for a period of time and explore the area whereby having a car is quite a benefit in terms of parking etc. Whereas with our motorhome we tend to tour, not spending more than a couple of nights a time on the same site. We do our exploring on the way to a site. If this sounds like you then its for you. We also make sure that we chose our sites more carefully ensuring that either public transport or a town is in walking/riding distance.

What we really like is to be able to arrive plug in electrics and job done. We also like to be able to just stop somewhere and jump in the back to admire the views whilst eating lunch. The biggest benefit is that you are not towing, thus making driving more enjoyable and enabling you to cover greater distances. A compromise is a good panel van conversion that is easier to park and incurs roughly the same running costs as a tow vechile. Some are really nice and are as well equipped as our larger coachbuilt. You can of course then use the van for getting around as parking is not as difficult. 

I personaly would never go back, we love motorhoming, we love the atmosphere of owning one and the community that comes with it. But each to their own. Only real advice is take a long time to ensure you get the layout that will suit you properly for your needs.

Good luck.

We had a caravan back in the 1990s and loved it but when we changed to a motorhome the difference was simply amazing; no towing, no having to be at a certain site by a certain time, no worry about setting up camp in the rain - just park and go in the back. Couldn't be easier.

Since we made the change we ind it is much easier to get away, in fact we are more inclined to get up and go more often.

on my 2nd one now and still love it, comes into its own when on a day trip. stopped for a few days and you do have to pack up if you want to go anyplace, but then you take your cafe/changing room/ loo ect, with you so its a bonus even that way. parking can be a problem if shopping. but like its been said, few clothes and your off. we keep clothes in the camper all the time so its just a matter of jumping in and away.

just look at a few different ones first, we had a middle lounge in the first one and with the bed up all you could do was sleep. we found  that we lounge and watch tv a lot, so a good end lounge was what we needed. just work out what you will be doing a lot of in the van and pick somthing to sute. hope that helps.

floppy

Hi

Well I am doing the opposite !!!  I am going back to a caravan because I need a little more space.  In my experience most large motorhome dealers will take a caravan in part exchange although invariably it is better to sell privately to get a better price.

I did approach a caravan dealer about my Autosleeper Executive and was told that it is unusual to revert from motorhome to caravan and part exchange is unrealistic but was only too happy to put my van on sale for me - at a price of course.  

Our Swift 630G offers the best of both worlds!

At 23' it's not too long, hustles around the lanes very well, and cruises at 70mph.

We have 6 berths, all possible amenities and a 620kg payload, with the added bonus of a 'Scoot in the Boot!'

The Scooter is ready to ride within 4 minutes of pitching, and takes us both, plus the small Dog in a specially converted topbox.

The biggest improvement was the fitment of swivelling front seats, which complement the rather upright pullman dinette layout (Not comfy on it's own) and open up the whole cab, creating a far nicer ambience too.

If we don't need the Scooter, I take a Honwave inflatable and outboard motor instead...

Comparing it to the largest Caravans during a recent trip to the Excel show, we didn't feel it lost out much at all.

Those island beds are tasty though, eh?

Quote: Originally posted by JacquiF on 26/4/2007

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Found this thread really helpful - we have just ordered a camper today, although it wont be ready to pick up until July.  I can't wait to get going.  Glad to have found this site.  Cheers.

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Hi Jacquie. Congratulation on the purchase of your new camper. I bet you are all excited! It's the most wonderful feeling knowing you have the means to just go whenever an opportunity presents itself.

Welcome to the great and adventurous world of camping.

Nice!  A VW, we saw these at the motorhome show at the Bath and West a couple of years ago.

Ali

Yes the Danbury Rio....

Classic Vee Dub Type 2, with none of the horrendous reliability issues of the original, no rust, and water cooled so you actually have a heater.