Justin and Jane
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Hi all
Does anyone now find the cost of owning a campervan/motorhome expensive? do you think its still worth owning one still?
i my self is finding it prety tough now as its costing more to live and more to spend!!
Hi all
Does anyone now find the cost of owning a campervan/motorhome expensive? do you think its still worth owning one still?
i my self is finding it prety tough now as its costing more to live and more to spend!!
novice1968
Guest
with high cost of fuel, my Mh is more often parked then touring, thought of giving it up a few times lately, Can not make up my mind, will hangon and see.
oldish hippy
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i struggle just to run mine but not giving it up ifit was any bigger then would have to think hard about it
Justin and Jane
Guest
Very true it's a shame that as we all enjoy this freedom of the road we might one day come to an end ! ( sorry that's a bit morbid lol) but the enjoyment we do get makes us I think hang in there !!
Rich c
Guest
It is expensive what with insurance costs nowadays and fuel constantly going up, I went for a self build option as the cost of a brand motor home of any decent age was beyond my budget.
If you call a half decent hotel and find out there rates you would be very surprised how much good value a camper is and you can get a decent breakfast lunch dinner at any time you like. Once our van was in for a service and we visited the new forest the hotel was £125 a night inc rubbish breakfast we had lunch and dinner out plus cost of fuel traveling in car to venue this made our camper seem very very cheap the next time we went away.
If you call a half decent hotel and find out there rates you would be very surprised how much good value a camper is and you can get a decent breakfast lunch dinner at any time you like. Once our van was in for a service and we visited the new forest the hotel was £125 a night inc rubbish breakfast we had lunch and dinner out plus cost of fuel traveling in car to venue this made our camper seem very very cheap the next time we went away.
DTDog
Guest
This is one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions.
Like any hobby or interest, you can go out and spend silly money on the top of the range without really knowing what you need, or you can start at the bottom, collecting information and knowledge along the way until you end up with something just right for your needs.
You can go to a dealer and buy the first thing the sales person points at you and then with there fantastic "1250% interest rate" pay it back for the rest of your life, not having any spare cash to actually use the van.
Or, start of with an old van with a matress in the back, collecting free or cheap stuff as you go along until eventually you have a full camper van. You then part ex that for a slightly newer version until eventually you have a good idea of what you actually want and may even decide to go all the way and buy new, but at least by that time you will know that this hobby is for you.
Cost is also relative to what you want from life.
I am taking my van down through France and in to Spain in the Summer. I will leave the van there for six weeks with the family, giving them the full summer hoilday abroad. This will cost me less than £1,000 including fuel (ferry £160 return).
Try booking a caravan in Skegness for two weeks in the summer and I bet you want get much change out of £1,000.
With the help of WildCamping sites you can go away for a weekend (with like minded friends, if that's what takes your fancy) and all it needs to cost is the fuel. So, say it costs you £50 in fuel. Not that bad for an enjoyable weekend away.
Think about what a football fan pays to get in to see their team (and dont forget to add parking and fuel driving to the away game).
All in all, cost for cost I think my motor-home is worth every penny and that's not including all the fantastic friends I've met on the road.
Like any hobby or interest, you can go out and spend silly money on the top of the range without really knowing what you need, or you can start at the bottom, collecting information and knowledge along the way until you end up with something just right for your needs.
You can go to a dealer and buy the first thing the sales person points at you and then with there fantastic "1250% interest rate" pay it back for the rest of your life, not having any spare cash to actually use the van.
Or, start of with an old van with a matress in the back, collecting free or cheap stuff as you go along until eventually you have a full camper van. You then part ex that for a slightly newer version until eventually you have a good idea of what you actually want and may even decide to go all the way and buy new, but at least by that time you will know that this hobby is for you.
Cost is also relative to what you want from life.
I am taking my van down through France and in to Spain in the Summer. I will leave the van there for six weeks with the family, giving them the full summer hoilday abroad. This will cost me less than £1,000 including fuel (ferry £160 return).
Try booking a caravan in Skegness for two weeks in the summer and I bet you want get much change out of £1,000.
With the help of WildCamping sites you can go away for a weekend (with like minded friends, if that's what takes your fancy) and all it needs to cost is the fuel. So, say it costs you £50 in fuel. Not that bad for an enjoyable weekend away.
Think about what a football fan pays to get in to see their team (and dont forget to add parking and fuel driving to the away game).
All in all, cost for cost I think my motor-home is worth every penny and that's not including all the fantastic friends I've met on the road.
Channa
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I full time so perhaps see things slightly different.
I cant ever see me getting back on the housing ladder, and part of me isnt bothered more in fact I have got use to floating around.
I think the problem for most people comes about when their disposable income becomes eroded......For example in recession less overtime etc etc that perhaps folk spend on the luxuries.
You can counteract this partly, by perhaps looking at how you shop as an example......Is a Marks and Spencer chicken pie actually worth more than Aldis that retails at £1.50 less?
For tasteful reasons I will let you work out the same analogy for yourselves on toilet rolls considering its end use....does it need to be Andrex ?
This of course diverts monies .....but you only can do it once ....and then for some if the books dont balance perhaps it is time to sell.
Dtdogs analogy of football is spot on .... for a while I have wondered how a Dad perhaps takes his lads to watch a game on a Saturday afternoon with admission prices ,parking travel and then of course there is a pie and bovril at half time, programme and if the kids really get hooked peer pressure etc dicates the latest kit.......
I have spent most of February at Elland road and Oakwell (Leeds and Barnsley) both championship sides £ 6.00 for parking at Elland road .......God knows what Premiership clubs charge.
Sadly, I am daft enough to smoke, and drink more than I should .......a smoker 20 a day £7.00 a packet and most smokers will never pack in if it was a tenner a packet ...they sadly find a way....but that is £49 a week £2548 per year.
Considering most peeps dont use their motorhomes in Winter, perhaps weekends away and a long holiday is normal useage.
There has to be change from £2500 ........take into account the analogies, the pleasure it provides......I still think a good deal ...And of course my analogy considers one person , for most people husband /wife combination actually use a motor home which makes even better value .....
Wildcamp ???? .....well I have convinced myself.
If you were to ask the quesation of any rational person, motorhome or 20 fags ???......its a no brainer
Channa
I cant ever see me getting back on the housing ladder, and part of me isnt bothered more in fact I have got use to floating around.
I think the problem for most people comes about when their disposable income becomes eroded......For example in recession less overtime etc etc that perhaps folk spend on the luxuries.
You can counteract this partly, by perhaps looking at how you shop as an example......Is a Marks and Spencer chicken pie actually worth more than Aldis that retails at £1.50 less?
For tasteful reasons I will let you work out the same analogy for yourselves on toilet rolls considering its end use....does it need to be Andrex ?
This of course diverts monies .....but you only can do it once ....and then for some if the books dont balance perhaps it is time to sell.
Dtdogs analogy of football is spot on .... for a while I have wondered how a Dad perhaps takes his lads to watch a game on a Saturday afternoon with admission prices ,parking travel and then of course there is a pie and bovril at half time, programme and if the kids really get hooked peer pressure etc dicates the latest kit.......
I have spent most of February at Elland road and Oakwell (Leeds and Barnsley) both championship sides £ 6.00 for parking at Elland road .......God knows what Premiership clubs charge.
Sadly, I am daft enough to smoke, and drink more than I should .......a smoker 20 a day £7.00 a packet and most smokers will never pack in if it was a tenner a packet ...they sadly find a way....but that is £49 a week £2548 per year.
Considering most peeps dont use their motorhomes in Winter, perhaps weekends away and a long holiday is normal useage.
There has to be change from £2500 ........take into account the analogies, the pleasure it provides......I still think a good deal ...And of course my analogy considers one person , for most people husband /wife combination actually use a motor home which makes even better value .....
Wildcamp ???? .....well I have convinced myself.
If you were to ask the quesation of any rational person, motorhome or 20 fags ???......its a no brainer
Channa
Viktor
Guest
Exactly why my campervan is my only vehicle and serves as my daily transport too. Discounting the boat fare I can get away with spending much the same on food when getting a break on the mainland as at home with of course a little more on fuel...try that in a car and having to pay for hotels every day...especially if you have a family.
Firefox
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The other thing I find mind boggling, is those people (mostly on other forums) who buy a £60,000 brand spanking new van and then proceed to "lay it up" for half the year. They seem to delight in asking for tips how to drain this or shut down that, or even joy of joys, where to buy winter covers. These vans are fully insulated and heated. Use them! That's what they are made for, not for sitting around on your drive 8 months of the year where they will depreciate and deteriorate... yes that does cost money:lol-053:
Deleted member 3802
Guest
as my good friend corporal maingate once said these people only have a motorhome because they can't afford a yacht :boat:
mitzimad
Guest
if you think a motor home is exspensive get a boat
whitevanwoman
Guest
Since getting my Tranny van in Nov 2011, I have already made new friends, and had several great short breaks which I wouldn't have had otherwise. I can't afford (as a singleton) to have proper holidays - I resent single supplements which together with either the cost of kennelling or hassle of finding someone (and paying them) to pet sit, would make it financially difficult to have a "proper" holiday. And to be honest, a "proper" holiday within my means (ie a cheap package deal) is not my kind of thing. I would much rather be able to take the dog, and visit parts of this country in the Tranny which I probably would never get the chance to visit otherwise. And I would much rather sit on a fell or moor or in a field on my own with the dog with my camera and sketch book or just a good book to read, than sit on a crowded beach or in a hot stuffy bar - each to their own.
As DT Dog said above, it doesn't have to be a top of the range MH to make a difference to your life. For me, my unconverted Tranny, which is little more than a tent on wheels, with a camping stove, a sunlounger for a bed and a homemade bucket loo, suits me perfectly and is much more comfortable and easier than the alternative of tent camping or bivvying. And safer for a woman on her own who has no-one to check that she's ok, that she got home safely, and who might not be missed for days or even weeks if something happened.
Of course, if I won the lottery, I'd definitely upgrade to something more luxurious but I'm happy with my Tranny for the moment and have already got things planned in my diary for the next few months which I wouldn't be doing if I didn't have the Tranny.
Cost, for me, is an issue - in just tax and insurance alone the Tranny is costing me approx an extra £50 per month. But I don't go to pubs, I don't go out at night (unless away in the Tranny), I don't have any activities which cost significant money (eg gym memberships etc) and I make sacrifices to cover the cost eg I am the local charity shop's best customer, I shop at Aldi, I spend time online researching everything before purchase to make sure I get the best deals.
For me it is a trade off - I can't put a price on the pleasure and new opportunities I've already had, and the peace of mind of having a second vehicle in emergencies (like leaving the interior light on inside the Partner so that the battery is completely flat!) is worth the cost and the sacrifices I make for it.
And with a new career as a freelance trainer about to start in the next couple of months where I might need to travel all over the country with the dog, the Tranny is going to pay for itself in terms of cost savings on overnight accommodation and will eliminate the stress and hassle of having to get up at silly times to travel long distances before delivering a full day's training.
So for me, it's a big thumbs up.
As DT Dog said above, it doesn't have to be a top of the range MH to make a difference to your life. For me, my unconverted Tranny, which is little more than a tent on wheels, with a camping stove, a sunlounger for a bed and a homemade bucket loo, suits me perfectly and is much more comfortable and easier than the alternative of tent camping or bivvying. And safer for a woman on her own who has no-one to check that she's ok, that she got home safely, and who might not be missed for days or even weeks if something happened.
Of course, if I won the lottery, I'd definitely upgrade to something more luxurious but I'm happy with my Tranny for the moment and have already got things planned in my diary for the next few months which I wouldn't be doing if I didn't have the Tranny.
Cost, for me, is an issue - in just tax and insurance alone the Tranny is costing me approx an extra £50 per month. But I don't go to pubs, I don't go out at night (unless away in the Tranny), I don't have any activities which cost significant money (eg gym memberships etc) and I make sacrifices to cover the cost eg I am the local charity shop's best customer, I shop at Aldi, I spend time online researching everything before purchase to make sure I get the best deals.
For me it is a trade off - I can't put a price on the pleasure and new opportunities I've already had, and the peace of mind of having a second vehicle in emergencies (like leaving the interior light on inside the Partner so that the battery is completely flat!) is worth the cost and the sacrifices I make for it.
And with a new career as a freelance trainer about to start in the next couple of months where I might need to travel all over the country with the dog, the Tranny is going to pay for itself in terms of cost savings on overnight accommodation and will eliminate the stress and hassle of having to get up at silly times to travel long distances before delivering a full day's training.
So for me, it's a big thumbs up.
veedubmatt
Guest
IMO a motor home is cheeper to keep on the road then a car i got rid of my car for this reason
MOS
Guest
Hi
I have a sideways slant on this one ,we have been MH'ing for a while mainly mercs (i like old mercs),they are not cheep to run and if i had to pay garage bills i would keel over and clasp my chest ,anyway to cut a long story short HA ,mavis merc has been off the road for a while having a refettle brakes welding rad exhaust electrical etc .so during the meanwhile and suffering from withdrawl symptoms we purchased a small demountable camper on a proton pickup ,as a camper its compact and comfy but perfectly useable i can mount and demount it in less than twenty minuits each way on my own ,
but the truck is so usefull its been a treasure fetching logs for the log burner ,collecting ebay purchasses from the length of the country (Hi KP )and best of all tip runs during the house renovations .
as most of our motorhoming tends to be trips over to the continent we do lay up our camper for long periods due to work comitments, so after havind the littleun (brian )because of the shell on his back ,we are seriously considering changing over to a demountable full time ,this one is going soon as mavis is up for an mot soon and a trip to spain and portugal is planned for the the spring .but the sheer practicality of Brian and his shell is bending our arm quite a bit .
he drives like a car, tax and mot are the same as a car he has modern brakes power steering and is parkable anywhere we can even leave the pod on site and go exploring in the truck ,
MOS
I have a sideways slant on this one ,we have been MH'ing for a while mainly mercs (i like old mercs),they are not cheep to run and if i had to pay garage bills i would keel over and clasp my chest ,anyway to cut a long story short HA ,mavis merc has been off the road for a while having a refettle brakes welding rad exhaust electrical etc .so during the meanwhile and suffering from withdrawl symptoms we purchased a small demountable camper on a proton pickup ,as a camper its compact and comfy but perfectly useable i can mount and demount it in less than twenty minuits each way on my own ,
but the truck is so usefull its been a treasure fetching logs for the log burner ,collecting ebay purchasses from the length of the country (Hi KP )and best of all tip runs during the house renovations .
as most of our motorhoming tends to be trips over to the continent we do lay up our camper for long periods due to work comitments, so after havind the littleun (brian )because of the shell on his back ,we are seriously considering changing over to a demountable full time ,this one is going soon as mavis is up for an mot soon and a trip to spain and portugal is planned for the the spring .but the sheer practicality of Brian and his shell is bending our arm quite a bit .
he drives like a car, tax and mot are the same as a car he has modern brakes power steering and is parkable anywhere we can even leave the pod on site and go exploring in the truck ,
MOS
Robmac
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I'm thinking of buying a small inflatable with 3HP motor for a trip to loch lomond, it will easily stow in the van and can carry myself and enough camping gear if I want to stay overnight on one of the islands. That way I can take the van and still get on the water without resorting to a trailer.
kangooroo
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A motorhome is expensive but, as I see it, there are two ways to minimise costs:
1. If you choose carefully and buy one which will hold its value with minimal depreciation, then it is possible to resell for close to its original purchase price. I bought one, used it for 4 years then resold it for more than I’d originally paid for it – so it can be done! Admittedly, there is a lot of cash tied up in a potentially-depreciating asset but with bank interest currently around 3% at best, the opportunity cost is low.
Alternatively, buy the cheapest reliable and almost fully-depreciated campervan available, or even a panel van with space to sleep in, which will keep both the investment value and depreciation to a minimum. Then, as above, the only outlays are the running costs, tax, insurance and fuel.
I wouldn’t want to be without the freedom and flexibility of a vehicle I could take off in, regardless of the type of vehicle. It’s my main hobby and, with the ever-escalating costs of fuel, it’s not a cheap one but we only live once and have to have some enjoyment in life!
1. If you choose carefully and buy one which will hold its value with minimal depreciation, then it is possible to resell for close to its original purchase price. I bought one, used it for 4 years then resold it for more than I’d originally paid for it – so it can be done! Admittedly, there is a lot of cash tied up in a potentially-depreciating asset but with bank interest currently around 3% at best, the opportunity cost is low.
Alternatively, buy the cheapest reliable and almost fully-depreciated campervan available, or even a panel van with space to sleep in, which will keep both the investment value and depreciation to a minimum. Then, as above, the only outlays are the running costs, tax, insurance and fuel.
I wouldn’t want to be without the freedom and flexibility of a vehicle I could take off in, regardless of the type of vehicle. It’s my main hobby and, with the ever-escalating costs of fuel, it’s not a cheap one but we only live once and have to have some enjoyment in life!
whitevanwoman
Guest
A "home cooked" pot noodle in a damp leaky old Tranny van listening to the rain on the roof and the sound of the surf :lol-053:
antiquesam
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What's the alternative to a motorhome? A week in a cottage somewhere at £300+ or a B&B at £35+ pp. or a Travelodge with lousy breakfast at £7.99 and no freedom, all having to be planned weeks in advance. Surely the cost of a m/h is worth it?
kangooroo
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No, no, no, no, no! You've got it all wrong!! They need to be blasted rapidly for 28 minutes at 280deg!
Bacon cremation time is now down to 18 minutes as I get to grips with this new-fangled cooking lark.... :raofl: