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Subject Topic: Advice re hiring a motorhome please Post Reply Post New Topic
Personcitizen erased
30/8/2016 at 4:36pm
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Hi all

We are planning on jumping in the deep end and taking three months off next year to travel around Europe in a motorhome with our kids (who will be 1 and 2.5). We are complete newbies to motorhoming and would love some initial advice to get us started with the organising.

We want to hire, rather than buy - can anyone recommend dealers/organisations to hire from near London?

Can we hire a left hand drive motorhome from the UK or will they all be right hand drive? We are planning to head straight for France and won't be spending any time in the UK.

Does anyone have any tips re layout that are worth considering? Initially, my thoughts are that we need 2 double beds as the kids are too young for bunks. I also thought we would want a shower/toilet, however after reading a few threads it seems a lot of people prefer to use the site facilities and have the extra space.

If anyone has any advice to offer I would appreciate it!

Thanks


Personmikael
30/8/2016 at 5:03pm
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Depends how big a vehicle you are comfortable driving. Have you thought about a VW T4 or T5 which you can hire with an awning. Drives like a car and much easy to park in cities etc. Use the camp site facilities eg shower, washing up . Much easier. Unfortunately I don't know any dealers in the London area. Good luck !


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Personbarry915
30/8/2016 at 8:39pm
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There is a company called McRent in Waltham abbey Essex , I don't have any personal experience with the company
things to consider
What weight of vehicle can you legally drive?
If the Motorhome is over 3500 kg you will need a C1 type licence.
Do you want some space, comfort an an on board toilet, the Vw type vans are great but they are compact inside
You can rent motorhomes in Europe which will be of course left hand drive.
Prices vary from country to country. We met a Dutch family who hired the van in Germany because it was considerably cheaper than Holland

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Basa


Personmotorhomeguy
30/8/2016 at 10:23pm
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How far are you planning on travelling? I think if I was planning such a trip I would consider buying a second hand A class motorhome (drop down bed for mom and dad and fixed bed / beds for the kids) - if you can finance it I am pretty sure you could own it for 3 months and say 3500 miles or and sell it on at least at break even - or even a profit if you buy well.
France is easy for motor homing - research "aire de camping car" and use a few of these for just a few Euros per night and use campsites when you need facilities.
It may be worth speaking to used motorhome dealers who may be willing to offer advice on a sale and buy back option assuming a certain mileage and condition.
You will also need to consider seat belts and travelling - Child seats will be a comparatively long way behind the front seats so it may be a case of one adult travelling in the back with them especially if the one year old is still in a rear facing seat.and few motorhomes will have isofix seat fixings.

Good luck with you planning.

Guy

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It's only an expensive hobby when it's parked on your Drive....use it, love it , live it.


PersonOpensauce
31/8/2016 at 9:10am
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Motorhome hired from commercial rental company in UK will be rhd & if this is what you are used to then best to stick with that even in Europe. You will have a passenger so they can assist on awkward junctions.

If you are going for 3mnths I would suggest you go for larger self contained motorhome with toilet rather than VW campervan type vehicle which is ok for couple who don't mind peeing in bushes enroute as serious lack of off main motorway clean public toilets in Europe but with small kids I reckon you would prefer more mobile living space. You know who you are though so you can choose accordingly. Obviously a VW camper would be cheaper to hire.

Easy enough to find rental companies. Google 'motorhome rental London'. Plenty of choice. Rental motorhomes from hire companies are pretty standard layouts whatever size you choose so you can't really fail. This company for example.

Alternative is hire broker through which individuals hire out their own motorhomes & also companies that hire out 'classic', ie old campervans & motorhomes.

I would stick with normal hire company, they will have vehicles less than a year old which are unlikely to breakdown &/or internal appliances fail & spoil your experience.

Have you investigated cost of 3mnth hire? For 3mths it might be cheaper to buy a secondhand motorhome & sell afterwards. If you can get a bargain private sale off ebay etc, you might even make money but even buying off a dealer & selling privately afterwards where you are bound to lose money it still could be cheapest option.

Post last edited on 31/08/2016 09:15:31


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Personmotorhomeguy
31/8/2016 at 9:18am
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After a quick google - i don't think you will see much change from £10k for a 3 month hire - possibly a lot more.plus fuel and site fees.
Bearing in mind "average" private motorhome mileage is only about 4500 per year if you bought a low mileage second hand van in the £30-40k there is no way that you would lose anything like £10k over 3 months.

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It's only an expensive hobby when it's parked on your Drive....use it, love it , live it.


PersonGreg M
31/8/2016 at 9:27am
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Quote: Originally posted by motorhomeguy on 31/8/2016
After a quick google - i don't think you will see much change from £10k for a 3 month hire - possibly a lot more.plus fuel and site fees.
Bearing in mind "average" private motorhome mileage is only about 4500 per year if you bought a low mileage second hand van in the £30-40k there is no way that you would lose anything like £10k over 3 months.

Hi,
Totally agree with the above comments about buying instead of hiring.
During the Rugby World Cup 2015 met many rugby enthusiasts who had done their research and found it a hell of a lot cheaper to buy (including comprehensive breakdown insurance).
Many left their vans with an agent to sell for them afterwards and most were well in pocket on their returns home.
Good luck with your trip whichever way you decide.
Regards,
Greg



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Growing old is not for sissies


Personcitizen erased
31/8/2016 at 11:53am
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Thanks for all your comments so far. We did consider buying and reselling and realise that hiring is the more expensive option however if we bought we would have nowhere to keep it. We are also moving to Australia as soon as we return so didn't want the hassle of trying to find a buyer quickly. I also feel like there is less risk with hiring relatively new. We are thinking of the holiday as 'once in a lifetime' rather than a cheap way of seeing Europe (that's our justification, anyway!).


PersonGreg M
31/8/2016 at 1:06pm
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Quote: Originally posted by citizen erased on 31/8/2016
Thanks for all your comments so far. We did consider buying and reselling and realise that hiring is the more expensive option however if we bought we would have nowhere to keep it. We are also moving to Australia as soon as we return so didn't want the hassle of trying to find a buyer quickly. I also feel like there is less risk with hiring relatively new. We are thinking of the holiday as 'once in a lifetime' rather than a cheap way of seeing Europe (that's our justification, anyway!).

I see your reasoning,but as I said earlier ,a lot of foreign visitors left their vehicles with reputable brokers (I am still in touch with a few of the visitors) and the money was forwarded on to them.
Have a safe trip and enjoy your new life in Australia.
Regards,
Greg


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Growing old is not for sissies


Personbadger54
31/8/2016 at 3:41pm
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If all your travels will be in Europe, you should seriously consider renting in Europe. I bought a 4 month old ex-rental MH from a German company in Gutersloh last year and the firm were very professional and have a wide range of vehicle types and sizes for rental through the summer months. They were very helpful and the contact I dealt with spoke good English. I would imagine that if you were renting for 3 months or so you would get a better deal than just multiplying the weekly rate.


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PersonFiona W
31/8/2016 at 4:29pm
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If you can get to the Motorhome & Caravan Show at NEC Brimingham in October, you'll see all the layouts (can't be more than about 6 basic layouts), how big the loos are for an adult helping a child, what the different vehicles feel like to sit in (window size can make a van feel light or claustrophobic) or sit behind the wheel, the different meal prep areas (I was told one huge MH had a tiny kitchen because folk eat out every night in Europe....), van conversions vs panel built etc. If you're planning to explore narrow mountain roads you may feel width is a key factor. Best to get a baby sitter though, it's a long day for small people.
Sounds like a great adventure, however you do it.

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2024 = 20 sites / 41 nights. 2023 = 9/23. 2022 = 13/35. 2021 = 11/29. 2020 = 4/20. 2019 = 13/35. 2018 = 20/33. 2017 = 10/22. 2016 = 19/33. 2015 = 15 sites / 27 nights. Didn't count 1976 to 2014.


Personcitizen erased
31/8/2016 at 9:38pm
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That's a great idea Fiona - we will try to get along to that!



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