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As said - 2 different things for different purposes. If you move on after a few days - go for a motorhome but you will have no onsite transport without packing stuff away.

If you are staying put for a week or so. Go for a caravan.

If you are going to be going all year round then you will be getting plenty of use.  For a couple moving around from pitch to pitch then a motorhome might be the obvious choice.  If you like to stay for a week or two in one place then a caravan would give more freedom.

A caravan suits us because there are usually 4 of us and we like to pitch up and use the car to get around and see the sights in.  We can only get away a few times a year due to work.  When we retire and there is just the two of us then we might consider swapping and get a motorhome.

Quote: Originally posted by iwalani on 23/1/2011

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Bear in mind that if you want to stay anywhere for any length of time with a motorhome, you will need to use campsites that are within walking distance of places of interest/shops etc, or near to public transport, or else you will need to take bikes with you.  On the other hand if you go abroad you can free- camp in some places, or use aires for overnight stops, much more easily than with a caravan.

 

I've never quite got this argument - but it is one that is used often.  We have a campervan and we don't just go to sites within walking distance of things.  We use it to DRIVE around and see places and takes us all of 5 minutes to take off!  There is a trick - keep the campervan/motorhome clutter-free and you can be off on no time. 

The advantage of a campervan, for us is that we find it easier to just go somewhere, even in winter, at the drop of a hat.  When we had the caravan we never camped in winter - just seemed too much bother.  I'm quite sure there will be others who will tell you they use their caravan all the time!   Horses for courses.

MMm Caravan, say £16000, Motorhome, say upwards of £25,000. Big point to consider.

Where there are two of you you may find that the other follows the motorhome in a car so that you have transport for getting out and about once pitched. Motorhomes are not as good around the small villages where many a camp site is situated. Again extra expense.

Phil

Quote: Originally posted by Surfer01 on 24/1/2011

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Isn't there more depreciation on a motorhome than a caravan?

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Yes there certainly is. We lost a fortune when we went back to caravanning as we hated the motorhome. There are lots of caranners that have tried the motorhome route and have gone back to caravanning.

Motorhoming is too restrictive!!

I always believe that if you can trial something first then it's easier to make a decision prior to purchase so my advice is to hire a Motorhome for a week first and see if you like it then go round the showrooms and have a look at the various caravans and layouts. This will enable you to focus better on what would suit your needs.

What put me off Motorhomes and to remain with caravanning is I did my research and asked myself a question. Why is it that the majority of Motorhome hire is in Scotland? and I found out why. The highway law differs in England and Wales compared to Scotland in the fact that in England and Wales you cannot legally stop overnight in a lay-by and the Police have the powers to move you on whereas in Scotland you can, so no more research needed on this issue. This means that in Scotland you can tour round without having to pay site fees every night, but then you have to consider finding a site with a Motorhome service point so you can replenish your on board fresh water tank and empty the cassette toilet, and they do make quite a hefty charge for this privelage too. I also considered the fact of fuel consumption that in a Motorhome you get no relief from consumption whereas with a caravan you do. Once the caravan is unhitched and your car becomes the tourer, you get better fuel economy, no parking restrictions especially if the there are overhead restriction height barriers installed and of course then there is the weekly shopping task to consider as well, at home and on site.

But there is also one other point to consider in all of this. Although Motorhomes are more expensive to buy in comparison to caravans as already mentioned, it all depends if you or your partner are registered disabled or not. If you are and in receipt of the higher rate of Disabilty Living Allowance, you can purchase a brand new one that is totally exempt from VAT charges which is currently 20%. Quite a huge saving not to be sniffed at so you could end up paying less for a brand new one than a second hand one that's only a few years old. No discount with a new caravan though as it is classed as a luxury so you have to pay the value added tax at source.

Well there's my input regarding the two choices, but I would really consider the hire of a Motorhome first if this information still leaves you undecided between the two.

We often ask ourselves the same question. We have caravanned for 30 years and it suits us at the moment. One thing that scares me about changing to a motorhome is the cost for the one that we would like. It is such a lot of money, even a fairly modest one would cost between £30000/£40000 . (I would not entertain a secondhand one) I would still need a car, albeit a smaller one than currently. Your difficulty is, as I understand it, is that you have neither caravanned or motorhomed before so either will be a bit of a stab in the dark! As has been said think about how you will use it. If you want to stay in one places for several days and tour from a site then car and caravan might be the best option. However if in the main you want to tour from place to place staying no more than one or two days then go for the motorhome option. Good luck with the choice.

David

many are content to get to a site set up windbreak/screens draw the curtains and put TV on.

then there are those of us who get away to see and experience new parts of the country. try getting to and from a Devonshire village or drive to a fishing village to see the sights for the day in a motor home. with lanes that are one car wide its far from easy. every thing has to be packed away each time you go out. and if the place you visit fails to meet your expectations its again a chore getting away and on to another place of interest.

with a caravan you set up and go to and from each time with ease, in the vehicle and get to far more places of interest.

if you are a walker its fine but if your idea to go away for a time is to chill and relax then its a caravan each time no contest.

in the UK you have to use a motorhome as a caravan, which puts the m/h user at a disadvantage.

Wonderul summary Tentz.   

Phil

The other thing is how able you both are? we have a caravan for ease of use as my wife is disabled and finds walking any distance a problem and a balance issue which is not helped on public transport . Therefore we prefer our caravan it gives us freedom to explore when we are sited with out the humbug of packing stuff away each time, having traveled with motorhome friends I can see the attraction as they are much quicker to set up or move off with but we still enjoy the freedom the caravan gives us.