motorhoming lifestyle - articles - Buying a motorhome (part 2)

Article:Buying a Motorhome or Campervan Part 2

This is the second part of a two part article. Link to Part 1

In the first part of the article I discussd size of vehicle. After having considered size you will need to consider layout and lifestyle.

Do you have the skill or desire to change aspects of a pre-loved motorhome or do you want to jump in and drive away? Living in a motorhome is a very individual thing and not everything will be exactly as you want it. Do you want to add solar, or change the layout of the beds, or accommodate more or less people than the original design? Making these small (or large) changes can make all the difference in the comfort of the motorhome and therefore how much you enjoy it.

If you are couple do you have a particular desire for single or double beds? This will make a difference as many motorhomes with a double bed (or larger) are very difficult to convert to single beds although it may be easier to convert singles to a double depending on the layout. In selling our current motorhome the most asked question is "is there and island bed". Island beds are great but difficult to find in a motorhome under about 30 feet. As discussed earlier everything is a compromise and the compromise with an island bed is the wasted space with nothing in it will lead to the need for a larger vehicle.

Do you get up to the toilet in the middle of the night? If so you may need to consider the bedding layout and access to the toilet without disturbing your partner. A reason for and island bed maybe!!

Do you have a physical disability that would make entry up steps or movement around a confined space difficult? If so you may need to consider bars to assist you up the stairs or arrangement of the layout to assist you movement. Can you climb over from the driver's seat or passenger seat into the living area of a smaller campervan or "cab over"

Are you physically agile enough to climb up a ladder and possibly over you partner to get into bed? If not you may not want to consider a "cab over" where the only bed is over the cab. The larger "cab over" designs do have other beds if you can go the bigger model and use the upper bed area for storage.

Do you want to accommodate only yourself and your partner and kids or do you plan to have the occasional or frequent visits from grandchildren and other family members? We have two children so the prospect of a vehicle to accommodate 4 is a very different one from a vehicle to accommodate 2. As grandparents you may want to take the grandchildren away with you for short trips so you will need to ensure you have an area that will accommodate visitors temporarily. These needs will change over time also. Our very first campervan was built for two and then we had to rebuild it for 4 when we had kids. As they are now teenagers and in high school they always want to take a friend away with them. Luckily our current motorhome can accommodate this. The plan for our motorhome in retirement is to be built for two only as the kids will have left home and may not want to travel with us.

What are you hobbies? Do they require you to travel with equipment that will take up space? Do you need a computer desk and office area or will a laptop literally on your lap suffice. Do you need room for your long beach fishing rods? Do you want to take all the tools from the shed? Decide what you can not live without then make sure you plan to have enough storage space.

Are you a driver who wants to sit on 100 kph wherever you go or are you happy to putter along and then slow down even more on hills? This is a major consideration when deciding to buy new or second hand as many of the older buses will not sit comfortably on 100 kph and if they do they will slow down considerably on hills. Obviously weight is a big factor here and the heavier you are the slower you will go. But some people are very happy with this. We once met a couple in Esperance who had just travelled there from Perth. They asked us if we had seen any wild flowers. I said yes and was talking about how wonderful they all were and how many dozens of different ones we had seen and all the colours etc. They were very surprised as they had not seen any at all. On talking to them a bit longer we found they have travelled direct from Perth sitting at 100 kph on the highway. A very good argument for taking it slowly.

Do you like to cook? If so the size and layout of the kitchen will be a major consideration. If you like to bake you would probably like and oven which appear not to be a standard item in motorhomes these days.

When you have answered all these questions it will give you some idea on where to start looking. Of course you will see many that you can not afford but dreaming is always nice. It also gives you good ideas on what features to look for so do not only look at those within your budget

When it is time to start looking make sure you try out everything. If you are going to be living in the vehicle for some time you will want to make sure that you actually fit in the shower, your knees aren't up against the wall when you sit on the loo and your feet aren't hanging out the end of the bed. Try everything, open every cupboard and try every switch. You may feel silly at the time but it will be worthwhile in the long run. If you are not 100 percent happy use it as a negotiating tool on price.

It is an exciting time buying a new motorhome or campervan but it is a big decision and sometimes a lot of money so take your time and work around the compromises you need to take for your lifestyle. Then go for it.

In the next article I have published check list we use when we are looking for a motorhome so that we can make sure we have all the right information to make the decision that is right for us.