Uni and a motorhome - pros, cons and advice

[SFD]

Hi

My gf and I are off back to bournemouth uni in september and are toying with the idea of living in a motorhome instead of renting a flat.

We have about £6-8,000 to spend on a motor and are looking at fiats and mercedes and were wondering whether we'd save any money in doing this.

Could anyone give us an idea of price of gas a week for cooking and heating, for both summer and winter?

Also how long, roughly, do batteries last with general use?

Is solar energy, both electric and water, worth looking into?

We'd also be grateful to get people's opinions on this, if it's really feasable to live in a localised area in a motorhome for a long period of time...

We reckon it'd be a laugh but need to weigh up all the pros and cons and need help!

Thanks

Si and Dee

 

[tony]

welcome to you both.
im sure someone on here will coment on your request for info.
tony

 

[Channa]

Hi you two and welcome.

I have lived fulltime in a MH for just over 12 months, But my itinerary was slightly different in so much as a I was touring about.

I reckon my gas costs me approx £1 per day averaged out.

The problem I think you will possibly have is wilding, From reports on here I have seen of the Bournemouth area it doesnt sound the easiest.

I have /had a similar option to you in the Dordogne. TBH know I know where I would be settling, I would sell the MH and buy a caravan.

It is only my opinion of course, but you could for your £8000 budget buy a van for £3000 with possibly a bit more space and to equal spec. An old Volvo or Disco to tow it with would set you back perhaps another £1500. so you have £3500 to live on.

In terms of site, Perhaps one of the Cl's local to your Uni and this may cost another £50 a week possibly including electric ( so batteries dont become an issue). You are supposed to move on every 28 days...but some people dont seem to keen to enforce that bit. You could earmark a couple of Cl's if you wanted a bit of variety.

You also have a car for transport....One thing that is a potential pain is if a MH breaks down your home is in a garage also possibly parking.

An additional consideration is when you need to nip to the shops you dont have to pack anything away.

There are advantages with MH's you can wild a lot of places that caravans cant. And after a couple of weeks I dare say you will have worked out various venues.

I am not trying to put you off, I am sharing an opinion.. and hopefully a little food for thought

Channa

 

[kangooroo]

How old are you? The (few) policies I've seen won't insure anyone under 25.

 

[SFD]

Hi

Thanks for the comments and words of wisdom

I had not considered a caravan for the reason that it would be more difficult to Wildcamp, Also my drivers licence only permits me to tow a small trailer, so I would need to take another test (only a small hurdle)

Fortunately due to living only 50 miles from Uni, should anything go wrong it is possible to commute to uni from home or we could crash at a friends house.

I am only 19 - but I have found insurance for around the £2200 mark - not cheap but affordable for two


What are CL's?

Would be great to hear peoples opinions on feasibility of long term wild camping.

 

[Channa]

Hi

Thanks for the comments and words of wisdom

I had not considered a caravan for the reason that it would be more difficult to Wildcamp, Also my drivers licence only permits me to tow a small trailer, so I would need to take another test (only a small hurdle)

Fortunately due to living only 50 miles from Uni, should anything go wrong it is possible to commute to uni from home or we could crash at a friends house.

I am only 19 - but I have found insurance for around the £2200 mark - not cheap but affordable for two


What are CL's?

Would be great to hear peoples opinions on feasibility of long term wild camping.

CL's are certified locations...small campsites affiliated to the Caravan Club or Camping and Caravan club.

It totally went over my head you passed your test post 97 so have restrictions on towing.

Channa

 

[walkers]

Hi

Thanks for the comments and words of wisdom

I had not considered a caravan for the reason that it would be more difficult to Wildcamp, Also my drivers licence only permits me to tow a small trailer, so I would need to take another test (only a small hurdle)

Fortunately due to living only 50 miles from Uni, should anything go wrong it is possible to commute to uni from home or we could crash at a friends house.

I am only 19 - but I have found insurance for around the £2200 mark - not cheap but affordable for two


What are CL's?

Would be great to hear peoples opinions on feasibility of long term wild camping.

You can get caravans that weigh less than the 750kg limit that class b has or you can take a test for your class b+e. It's swings and roundabouts though a motorhome is one unit and easier to manage, a caravan can be left on a site and you still have a smaller vehicle for shopping and going to and from uni in. Long term wilding in a place like bournemouth could be problematic. It's a holiday town and if your not using a site jealousy might make hoteliers b&b's and maybe even campsite owners complain and have you moved on.

 

[tony]

Hi

My gf and I are off back to bournemouth uni in september and are toying with the idea of living in a motorhome instead of renting a flat.

We have about £6-8,000 to spend on a motor and are looking at fiats and mercedes and were wondering whether we'd save any money in doing this.

Could anyone give us an idea of price of gas a week for cooking and heating, for both summer and winter?

Also how long, roughly, do batteries last with general use?

Is solar energy, both electric and water, worth looking into?

We'd also be grateful to get people's opinions on this, if it's really feasable to live in a localised area in a motorhome for a long period of time...

We reckon it'd be a laugh but need to weigh up all the pros and cons and need help!

Thanks

Si and Dee

hi again please let us all know what you decide , we await with interest.
whatever you decide good luck for the future.
tony

 

[ian81]

Sorry to pour a little cold water on this but I think there is one serious flaw -where will you park cheaply and without upsetting the locals for an extended period particularly in the Bournemouth area.

It is perfectly feasible to live in a motorhome -many do but when doing so they either reside on a campsite or move on every other day.

You would be hard pushed to stay for a considerable time even in many parts of motorhome friendly France for more than 2 or 3 days.

Suggest you work out the parking logistics first. Also consider waste disposal and the joys of a British winter.

 

[jotwca]

Good idea, I say but you need to know where you can park up.

I use the gaslow system for heating etc and this is a lot cheaper than buying the refill bottles.

 

[Deleted member 967]

Hi

My gf and I are off back to bournemouth uni in september and are toying with the idea of living in a motorhome instead of renting a flat.

We have about £6-8,000 to spend on a motor and are looking at fiats and mercedes and were wondering whether we'd save any money in doing this.

Could anyone give us an idea of price of gas a week for cooking and heating, for both summer and winter?

Also how long, roughly, do batteries last with general use?

Is solar energy, both electric and water, worth looking into?

We'd also be grateful to get people's opinions on this, if it's really feasable to live in a localised area in a motorhome for a long period of time...

We reckon it'd be a laugh but need to weigh up all the pros and cons and need help!

Thanks

Si and Dee

Hi Si & Dee

I went to College in Luton and lived in digs for my first term. Then I bought a Sprite Musketeer Caravan and stayed on a Caravan Club CL beside a rural pub and a petrol station. My home was in County Durham.

The petrol station toilets provided a place to dump the loo. As a long stay user the pub allowed me to use their bathroom if I needed to. There was water and somewhere to dump waste. Out of courtesy we move sites weekly and cut the grass using his mower. At one point there were four of us long term on site in three units, an airline engineer, two civil servants and myself.

I had no hook-up but had my leisure battery in the boot of the car on a split charge relay. Every time I used the car the battery was charged up. I fitted an inboard fresh water tank under a bed locker. I was then not affected by frost cutting off my water supply.

I was able to take my home on field trips. I found it rare to go up to the 28-day limit. When I did, I moved to another site for a week then went back, or wild camped in a lay-by for a couple of nights. There were travellers in the lay-by next to the filling station. Nice people I found them no trouble. They kept and left the site (lay-by) clean.

I ran a Carver SB1800 heater and a gas fridge. I used about one 15kg red Calor bottle a month.

I think a Motorhome today may provide better facilities but a caravan and car will be easier for parking at college.

 

[Firefox]

I'd be hesitant to try wilding if you have a regular commitment like a job or uni lectures to go to. I think you need a CL or a CS, or a network of them to provide a steady base.