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Hello All, just found this great site thru trusty ol' Google and have been having a browse. Don't know if there are any other members in the same boat as me, but the current economic climate is making me seriously consider taking early retirement, renting out my house and going travelling for a year or so. Obviously I'd need a pretty high spec motorhome for an adventure of this kind, something sturdy and reliable. Anyone got any suggestions? What sort of ball park price would I be looking at and what are the running costs of this sort of vehicle?

Thanking you in advance.

Fisty.

HI Fistyboy welcome to the forum.

A lot of what you want rather depends on your budget you can get a very very good older unit for £5/7k or you could spend 25/50k on a unit it all depends on your budget and circumstances .

If I was in your shoes I would be looking at a hymer or similar .

My best advice would be to look on ebay at the different models available then go to a dealer to have a good at what you have seen online thwen make your decision from there.I hope this has been of some help you please keep us all informed as to what you decide.

Delboy

Thanks Delboy and Bruce. I've had a look at some hymens on eBay, but they seem a bit big for my requirements. My wife passed away 17 months ago, so there's just me now. A lot of those hymens are five and six berth which just seems a bit excessive for my needs. I spose what I'm really after is something fairly comfortable (dare I say "plush"??), but not vast inside. I've had a look at a couple of Mazda Bongos, but they seem not to have much in the way of kitchen/bathroom facilities. I hope I'm not sounding too picky here lol! Anyone else got any suggestions? Also, being a bit new to "the scene", a lot of the jargon here is going over my head ("fiamma wind out awning and blockers" ??) - is there a Glossary anywhere? Perhaps one could be added to the site for other newbies?

Thanks again, one and all.

Fisty.

Hi again Fisty. For fiamma google it andyou should get their web site. Also worth looking at bongo fury web site if only to get some idea whar peeps are talking babout.LOL. I bought my bongo a month ago and chose it 'cos I can use it as a town car as well as a camper.

I am towing my Spitfire down to le manns in September with the bongo so if you see a bango with a bright green spitty behind it flag me down for a chat and a cuppa. LOL

Best of luck with your search

Bru

I wouldn't get something as small as a Bongo if I was planning anything more than a weekend away, even on my own!

Suggest you look at van conversions like Autosleeper, Danbury, Trigano, Timberland. They are easier to handle and for parking than the bigger coachbuilt & A Class, but many have bathrooms and reasonable sized kitchens.

Go to a dealer and have a furtle round to get an idea of what you could live with.

Thanks for your advice, Caz.

As I said I'm new to the scene so all advice is much appreciated. Certainly though from what I've seen, the Hymens seem far too big and the Bongos far too small! Looking to strike a happy medium - something that will be comfortable enough for just myself, not too cramped, with good kitchen/shower facilities, and which I can easily kit out with little luxuries like DVD player/flatscreen telly, footspa and chocolate fountain etc. Obviously I'd never contemplate making such a major purchase without having a nose round a few dealerships first, but I'm slightly wary of talking to a dealer absolutely 'cold', without at least a couple of ideas in mind - and that's where I thought you guys could help! I once made the mistake of buying a HiFi system without any proper research - the dealer persuaded me that what I really needed was a Linn/Naim set-up, and altough it sounded lovely, I was nearly four grand down!!!

Fisty.

Look at something like a Euromobile or another German make as they have double floors and have better insulation for winter months, unless you are planning to spend your British winters in a warm foreign country that is?

Burnster are also well respected make - picture below - low roof so now overcab bed, but big storeage area over read fixed bed - plus point is that you have a bed already made up and large storage area for all your stuff. But remember your overall weight - you can get one of these for approx £33k and it's based on a Renault engine..

As Delboydriver has already said - everything depends on your budget - so spend plenty of time looking at the trade shows and also invest in a copy of MMM in newsagents monthly - there are loads of S/H vans for sale and every large company, such as Fiamma advertise in there.

Your looking at a long time away from your home so ensure you get the right choice of van - a small bathroom may look good at the time, but prove impractical when you are away for such long periods.

Also a fixed bed model may look inviting but you loose valuable seating areas unless you go for a long 6 Meter plus van like above. Overcab beds are great for storeage, but are a struggle to get in and out of, so again think of every issue and eventuality

Hope that helps a little - good luck

Now I'm confused. What/where exactly is the typo? Have I been looking for the wrong thing?

Fisty

you should be looking for a HYMER.

But there again you are a VIRGIN motorhomer.

I have a 650 Trigano Tribute too, it's great parks a lot easier than a coach built and it has every thing that we need. Cruise control, full size fridge, massive freezer,decent bathroom, 4 burner hob, oven and rottisierie, even bracket for flat screen TV, plus lots more. only down side not much worktop.

John.