Vans for motorhomes

jetj · Guru

Vans for motorhomes

robkim · Veteran Member

WOW, I would love a big motorhome. No van to tow it would be nice. But you need to tow a car. So when your parked up you can get about. And that means a lot of money. So its a van for us..

jetj · Guru

Thanks for you reply. Caravan is out of the question, had one for years on the front lawn that went nowhere. I'm not capable of hooking one up anymore.

I don't want a big motorhome, making do with a Hiace at the moment but a toilet and shower would be nice. I don't want to tow a vehicle either.

Scotty01 · Senior Member

Hi Janette, As with almost anything to do with this lifestyle it all comes down to personal preferences, and that is never going to change. I have just completed the process you are going through and it's confusing to say the least. I looked at all of those you listed with the exception of the Transit ( was never considered ) I didnt like the idea of the Fiat as they are front wheel drive ( mostly I think) and have very low ground clearance at the front. Iveco and Merc seem to be pretty much on a par and are both rear wheels drive. I chose a Mercedes Sprinter based Jayco Conquest and am extremly happy with it so far. I have only had it a few months and done a couple of short trial runs and it has performed very well all round. Plenty of room and storage. I plan to live in it full time from about June and as far as I can workout so far will do the job well. I also tow a suzuki Sierra behind it on an Aframe. As RobKim says you do need to tow something for getting around in. As far as cost, you can spend what ever you can afford. A good size late model van and something suitable to tow it with would set you back around $150k depending on how late you go. I have spent less than $150k including the MH Suzi, genereator, and fitting solar to MH. If you tow with say a late model Cruiser your running (fuel) costs will be very high. My Merc returns around 13-14l per100km even when toying the Suzi @ 90kph. Bet you cant get a Cruiser or patrol to do that! Hope this gives you food for thought but as I said it comes down to personal choice and of course the bank balance.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Do you really need to tow a vehicle though? My brother had a motor scooter on a sort of frame thing. And the people next to us in the caravan park have a pair of push-bikes on the back. I'm inclined towars a battery assisted push-bike as Jimbo had. Just make sure they are secured safely on the back!

Scotty01 · Senior Member

You can use whatever suits you Gerty, again personal choice. I have my Suzi set up so I can leave MH somewhere and go "bush" camping for a couple of days where the MH just cant go.

Yuglamron · Guru

Hi Jannette,

You say you want to build or buy a motorhome.

I would just like to put my pennies worth in.

If you build you will have to pay lots for each item used unlike a manufacturer who buys generally in bulk.

Yes, you do get charged for what's built into your MH but to do it yourself unless you have the skills or know someone who does it would be an expensive proposition.Labour being a large part of the equation.

Buying an existing motorhome is just like buying a caravan,all the different configurations,set ups,facilities etc. are all personal likes or dislikes.

Have you done any travelling before or is this all new?

Maybe it would pay to look at one of the relocation companies which need MH's moved from one city to another and do a trip and see if the vehicle set up suits.You can try different models that are available Mercs Iveco's etc and see if any particular ones suit you.

Just a thought because everyone has horror stories about this or that vehicle,some love Mercs some Fiats and it's a personal choice again.

Hope this hasn't muddied the waters too much and I hope you find something that suits.

Safe Travels

jetj · Guru

Thanks, some good advice. I have a Hiace which I have outfitted with garage sale stuff, works ok, more a backpacker type van as well as my vehicle. Suits 2 purposes so pays for it's keep whether I travel or not.

What does bother me greatly about motorhomes is the life of the vehicle that powers them. A 10 year old vehicle to me is getting to the stage where it needs more spent on it to keep on the road and would prefer a newer vehicle. How does one afford to update a $150K vehicle. You can't just put the motorhome section on a new vehicle.

I know some campervans have 400K on the clock and continue to go around OZ with backpackers but at what expense for parts.

The MH relocations are great way to sample vans, but hard with a dog.

I hope I make sense.

fireheart · Senior Member

Hi Janette,
Welcome to the forum, I am looking at buying a MH once my house is sold, I have researched quite a bit, and still a lot to learn. It seems that Ford are gutless, that is coming from others with and from my son who is a Ford salesman, Mercedes don't seem to have a problem, Iveco I have been told to steer away from both from my Brother in law who has a trucking business and once again my son, it seems that if there is a problem there is a shortage of parts in Australia and where as you maybe off the road for 2 days with another make, with Iveco it could be 2 weeks waiting for parts that seems to be the main problem. Both Cory and Neil, the aforementioned, would not have them in their fleet because of the unreliability also.
However having said this, the MH I am really wanting is on an Iveco chassis so not sure how I am going to get around that one. I guess it is up to the individual and each make will have its problems and pluses.
With the Mercedes the name in itself gives confidence and the parts and service is readily available. For me it is back to the drawing board some more and a little more investigating.
Good luck with it all.

sharon.

wendyv · Guru

Have you considered buying a Toyota Coaster converted to a motorhome - or getting one converted so you can have exactly what you want.
The Coasters are a real workhorse - very sturdy.
From what I can see, those that have been professionally converted seem to hold their resale value well.

scotia59 · Senior Member

I like the VW van, loads of space, not sure if they are custom setups or not.

Also the Toyota hiace.

jetj · Guru

The coasters seem to be mostly manuals and I need an auto (crook foot) and I would think the coasters would be expensive to run fuel wise.

I would welcome any feedback on the coasters please. Expensive for fuel???

Landfall · Guru

Coasters are very popular but underpowered, which makes them slow.

There are now a number of Mercedes Benz Sprinter M/H's on the market that are ex rentals.

The prices is very competitive and a better choice han the coaster, layout wise IMO, but as already stated that is a personal choice.

Some of the Sprinters have the 2.7CDI engine.

Our ML270 has go 321,000km on the clock and runs like new. Admittedly, we have just spent $1,400 getting a new intake manifold and associated bits replaced, but the garage tells me that it should now be good for a further 200,000km's.

The auto in these vehicles are just about indestructable, if serviced.

Partsand servicing is on a par with Toyota, we have had both brands.

Dusty

signwilson · Senior Member

Stay away from Iveco my son drives one interstate a lot for a paint company and it has proven to most unreliable and expensive to repair. mercedes are pretty good. Toyota Coasters are excellent if you get the Turbo Diesel.

beiffe · Guru

Forget about the fuel part if you are going full time as it is a small part of your budget if done right.

Remember you are out there to look around not to partake in a marathon.

I had a Mazda T3500 (similar to a coaster) and I got about 7km a litre towing a 1.5 tonne trailer as well. I think on its own it gave about 9km a ltr but the trailer was never off when I was on the road.

Have now progressed to a Hino bus towing the same trailer so hope I get similar results.

My fuel bill over a year was about av of $80 a week and often it was less than $50 as I filled in $50 lots and often went a week or more with one tank. When you stop to enjoy the country you will stop in one spot for days and often move just a few Ks for the next great spot.

Remember that none of the good spots will run away so amble along and enjoy yourself.

I find the bus is better but that's me. You can get out of bed and be driving in a few seconds if you need to but have never had to do it thankfully.

You will adapt to the size of the vehicle so get the best you can afford and then get out there and enjoy.

Regards
Brian