We are looking to set up a motorhome or a caravan and need a bit of advice and guidance please. I have not towed a caravan for forty years now, and fear it may be beyond me. I am a 1948 model. We want to have an easily accessible vehicle or rig that we can use for short haul trips in Victoria, and we are not bothered about staying on made roads. We see ourselves staying in caravan parks, and the odd night in a motel on longer trips. We are planning to do the big lap in sections, with no more than say eight or ten weeks on the road at any time.
The plan, subject to your input, is to buy a mid sized vehicle, and find a professional crew to fit it out to a minimalist level. Our budget is about seventy to eighty thousand. Vans: Hyundai iload, VW Traveller, Ford Transit. Any thoughts?
Fitout: single beds, toilet or porta potty, single burner stove to boil the kettle, and a fridge, or a chest fridge. I am thinking we need one of those pullout kitchens they use on camper trailers, out the back of the vehicle from under a bed. Then a pop up roof and awning, all done.
Towing: on long trips we envisage towing a small car on a high end AFrame with a good brake set up. Manual Honda Jazz or Skoda Fabia maybe.
The other option, not currently favoured, is to buy a second hand Patrol diesel and an older high quality sixteen footer caravan with shower toilet. Then do a bit of refurb work on both components of the rig. Perhaps a bit cheaper? But we are thinking not as flexible for just getting up and heading off.
Hope you can help!
spida said
04:33 PM Aug 30, 2017
I am a 47 model and have had 5 years on the road so nothing ventured........ age is not the problem - the wrong state of mind can be. Go for it :) Personally I refer a caravan towed with a 4x4 rather than a motor home towing a car. Drop the van and still have a decent vehicle to explore with. Shower/toilet combo for me is a must, but I do tend to free camp where there is a toilet available - or near by. I feel that single beds give more room - can be used as couches also.
macka17 said
04:56 PM Aug 30, 2017
Hi. and Welcome to the best forum here.
A friend just left after visiting for a week.
He's just changed up to a Motorhome.
$83 grand for a 24ft Winebago with 27k km's on clock and 12 mths warranty. FIAT\IVECO. Same.Same. He's 85 this yr. getting a bit hard to move\set up his 6.5mtr van nowadays.
I'm 75, and a spring chicken. (All depends on your attitude up top) Think YOUNG. (LOOK at them.. chuckle) BE young.
We ain't ded yet. and ALWAYS.
Be oldER.... NEVER OLD.
You in Victoria. The HOME of one of the BEST Quality. Better than std van on the market. EVERNEW.
There are zillions on the market. SOME. as new. annual hol's only for 20 yrs. kept in garage.
Coromal are another good value. Light to tow van. Wayy under rated. AS LONG AS. You check first b4 $$$'s outlay.
Look around. there's some cheapies out there. Roadstar. Regent. Compass. come to mind.
I recently bought a 535 Tandem Coromal. In Vict. I live in QLD.
Paid $12k out the drive. Insured for the ins co's "Market Value" for that yr\model. $19.800. We did AGREED value.
Also. Don't be scared to travel for a good one. I got him to go on facial while on phone. and walk round the van with his ph camera. You can see then it's a NOW photo in advert. NOT 5 yrs ago.
IF Building efurbishing. Never give a max figure. Ask what price for job and what quality materials.
There are some real shonk's out there.
PS Spida.
Your age fine. I vanned for over 50 yrs.
Still do. BUT.as you get older you get "creakier.
I sold my 6.5mtr offroader after near 14 yrs.
down to a 535m.
Next one. If I do.WILL be a Motorhome.
Don't worry. It'll come.
I raced 6 man Outrigger canoes till I was 68yrs.
Try a 20km Marathon at 57 to 62 strokes a minute sometime. 1 km sprints at 68 to 70.
75, I wouldn't even think about it. Cruising. Yes.
2 yrs ago. 30 laps of our pool was a doddle. did another 5 or 10 b4 getting out.
Now I'm puffed at 10 or 12 laps.
10\12 laps up down our stairs inside (14) easy.
Yesterday. 3 up\downs. I stopped for a puff.
It comes. Just wait.
-- Edited by macka17 on Wednesday 30th of August 2017 05:08:32 PM
Dougwe said
06:56 PM Aug 30, 2017
Welcome to the gang Old and tired, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Gee mate, I feel old and tired today and I tell you that for free.
I am a full time GN and proud of it. I choose to travel with a 4X4 towing a 20ft van with full ensuite. I do it that way cos I thought if towing a car behind I might just as well tow a CV and have a decent 4X4 to play in. No regrets at all. There are pros and cons in all ways of travel.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
Desert Dweller said
07:22 PM Aug 30, 2017
We're both healthy 1950 models, exercise daily & don't overdo happy hours. With the amount of money you are planning to spend you should be fine.
Personally we'd go for the Patrol & caravan. You can always use the caravan as a base & do day trips to explore an area.
Ozzie_Traveller said
08:02 PM Aug 30, 2017
Old and tired wrote:
Hello there.
We are looking to set up a motorhome or a caravan and need a bit of advice and guidance please. I have not towed a caravan for forty years now, and fear it may be beyond me. I am a 1948 model. We want to have an easily accessible vehicle or rig that we can use for short haul trips in Victoria, and we are not bothered about staying on made roads. We see ourselves staying in caravan parks, and the odd night in a motel on longer trips. We are planning to do the big lap in sections, with no more than say eight or ten weeks on the road at any time. The plan, subject to your input, is to buy a mid sized vehicle, and find a professional crew to fit it out to a minimalist level. Our budget is about seventy to eighty thousand. Vans: Hyundai iload, VW Traveller, Ford Transit. Any thoughts?..... Hope you can help!
G'day RFG
Gee mate - I can see we're all oldies of the same sort of vintage !!
I am going to be a bit different from the above responses - I am a confirmed motorhomer, had a caravan when the family were growing up and will never go back to having one. The constant hassle [to me anyway] of hitching and unhitching, down on my knees for winding the stabilisers etc. just got too much for me. [I know others here will love to respond, but I ask you to hold off a while]
Whatever you get will be a series of compromises - nothing is 'perfect'. So, may I offer you my 2-bob's worth as to our motorhome life.
We're on the wallaby for 280-300 days each year, and if we use a caravan park it is extremely rare these days. We love the MH for its ease of driving, ease of parking, ease of zero setting up ... we arrive, turn the motor off and walk to the stove and set off the kettle [sort of thing] and we're done. Occasionally on a slope I need to drive a wheel up onto a 2" block of wood - hey that's the hardest bit.
In a CP, we have a designated site, so we can drive away and come back again to the same place. In a town's showgrounds, or out on a river bank say, we walk to others close by and ask if they need anything at the shops, take any orders and off we go leaving our table and chairs on-site, knowing others will be there for us, as we are there for them when they go somewhere. If there's no-one around sure, we shove it into the boot ... takes a minute or so, but so what? We have a small sign made from concrete mesh saying "motorhome is away for a while, come and visit us later"
The other big thing with the MH is that it's all-in-one. If we need to spend a penny, the loo is alongside us; if we need to do something on the internet, the laptop is there with us; if a camera battery goes flat the charger is there with us; if we want a cuppa or a snack, the makings are always there with us ... there's never a need to take a thermos or a box of food with us in order to have the break, and there's never the comment of 'oh bugga - the xxx is back in the caravan at the van park'
Food wise / shopping wise, just like a caravanner, we visit the shops twice a week for everyday items, we have UHT milk in the cupboard, we have tins & packets of food always available. It's all there, nice 'n easy
ps- for the $$ you're mentioning, I suspect that you can find a pre-loved unit already waiting for you - ln need to get someone to build it. Try the large MH dealer in Melb, Sydney, Brisb or Newcastle if you're close to there
Hope this helps
Phil
-- Edited by Ozzie_Traveller on Wednesday 30th of August 2017 08:07:57 PM
Hey Jim said
08:59 PM Aug 30, 2017
Hi Ross,
If I were you. But I'm Not. I would go and Hire for a week or two the types of rigs you are looking at first. Before spending the coin, so you can make the right call and have no regrets.
Happy travels out in the play ground.
Jim & Lambie
Old and tired said
02:13 AM Aug 31, 2017
Thanks spida
i guess we will not know our capability til we give it a try. We are living in England right now, but I am sort of retiring at Christmas and we are coming home. I will maybe hire a van and see how we go.
O & T
Old and tired said
02:16 AM Aug 31, 2017
Yeah Jim
i will probably do that once we get to apAustralia at Christmas time. I like the idea of a great big old 4wd.
O&T
Old and tired said
02:17 AM Aug 31, 2017
Thanks Doug
Old and tired said
02:22 AM Aug 31, 2017
Good points Phil
appreciate the feedback.
Ron-D said
08:54 AM Aug 31, 2017
Iam a 48 model as well with a caravan and fwd can't understand the comments about hitching and un hitching a caravan being a big deal, it's a ten minute job a monkey can do in my opinion, if thats a big deal you must have some serious health issues...
Bryan said
09:31 AM Aug 31, 2017
Ron-D wrote:
Iam a 48 model as well with a caravan and fwd can't understand the comments about hitching and un hitching a caravan being a big deal, it's a ten minute job a monkey can do in my opinion, if thats a big deal you must have some serious health issues...
Wait until you're in your seventies. I'm now 72, I was fine until a couple of years ago and there was nothing I coundn't do and I used to wonder why some people battled with simple tasks. Well wear and tear finally caught up with me and now I understand. At least I'm alive and still enjoy life albeit at a slower pace.
Wizardofoz said
10:48 AM Aug 31, 2017
A great idea to hire one 1st, I did it for 4 months and that was the best decision I made. The caravan was then my choice as I had no trouble with it and also It enabled me to decide on the design and features that I wanted, my resultant purchase proved to be near perfect (you will never get perfection).
i imagine you would achieve the same result hiring a motirhome, although their hire rates are fairly exorbitant compared to a caravan suitable fto your requirements....$75+ per night for a caravan against $250+ for a motor home.
Hello there.
We are looking to set up a motorhome or a caravan and need a bit of advice and guidance please. I have not towed a caravan for forty years now, and fear it may be beyond me. I am a 1948 model. We want to have an easily accessible vehicle or rig that we can use for short haul trips in Victoria, and we are not bothered about staying on made roads. We see ourselves staying in caravan parks, and the odd night in a motel on longer trips. We are planning to do the big lap in sections, with no more than say eight or ten weeks on the road at any time.
The plan, subject to your input, is to buy a mid sized vehicle, and find a professional crew to fit it out to a minimalist level. Our budget is about seventy to eighty thousand. Vans: Hyundai iload, VW Traveller, Ford Transit. Any thoughts?
Fitout: single beds, toilet or porta potty, single burner stove to boil the kettle, and a fridge, or a chest fridge. I am thinking we need one of those pullout kitchens they use on camper trailers, out the back of the vehicle from under a bed. Then a pop up roof and awning, all done.
Towing: on long trips we envisage towing a small car on a high end AFrame with a good brake set up. Manual Honda Jazz or Skoda Fabia maybe.
The other option, not currently favoured, is to buy a second hand Patrol diesel and an older high quality sixteen footer caravan with shower toilet. Then do a bit of refurb work on both components of the rig. Perhaps a bit cheaper? But we are thinking not as flexible for just getting up and heading off.
Hope you can help!
Hi. and Welcome to the best forum here.
A friend just left after visiting for a week.
He's just changed up to a Motorhome.
$83 grand for a 24ft Winebago with 27k km's on clock and 12 mths warranty.
FIAT\IVECO. Same.Same.
He's 85 this yr. getting a bit hard to move\set up his 6.5mtr van nowadays.
I'm 75, and a spring chicken. (All depends on your attitude up top)
Think YOUNG. (LOOK at them.. chuckle) BE young.
We ain't ded yet. and ALWAYS.
Be oldER.... NEVER OLD.
You in Victoria. The HOME of one of the BEST Quality. Better than std van on the market.
EVERNEW.
There are zillions on the market. SOME. as new. annual hol's only for 20 yrs. kept in garage.
Coromal are another good value. Light to tow van.
Wayy under rated.
AS LONG AS. You check first b4 $$$'s outlay.
Look around. there's some cheapies out there.
Roadstar. Regent. Compass. come to mind.
I recently bought a 535 Tandem Coromal. In Vict. I live in QLD.
Paid $12k out the drive.
Insured for the ins co's "Market Value" for that yr\model.
$19.800.
We did AGREED value.
Also.
Don't be scared to travel for a good one.
I got him to go on facial while on phone. and walk round the van with his ph camera.
You can see then it's a NOW photo in advert. NOT 5 yrs ago.
IF Building
efurbishing. Never give a max figure.
Ask what price for job and what quality materials.
There are some real shonk's out there.
PS Spida.
Your age fine. I vanned for over 50 yrs.
Still do. BUT.as you get older you get "creakier.
I sold my 6.5mtr offroader after near 14 yrs.
down to a 535m.
Next one. If I do.WILL be a Motorhome.
Don't worry. It'll come.
I raced 6 man Outrigger canoes till I was 68yrs.
Try a 20km Marathon at 57 to 62 strokes a minute sometime. 1 km sprints at 68 to 70.
75, I wouldn't even think about it. Cruising. Yes.
2 yrs ago. 30 laps of our pool was a doddle. did another 5 or 10 b4 getting out.
Now I'm puffed at 10 or 12 laps.
10\12 laps up down our stairs inside (14) easy.
Yesterday. 3 up\downs. I stopped for a puff.
It comes. Just wait.
-- Edited by macka17 on Wednesday 30th of August 2017 05:08:32 PM
Gee mate, I feel old and tired today and I tell you that for free.
I am a full time GN and proud of it. I choose to travel with a 4X4 towing a 20ft van with full ensuite. I do it that way cos I thought if towing a car behind I might just as well tow a CV and have a decent 4X4 to play in. No regrets at all. There are pros and cons in all ways of travel.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
Personally we'd go for the Patrol & caravan. You can always use the caravan as a base & do day trips to explore an area.
G'day RFG
Gee mate - I can see we're all oldies of the same sort of vintage !!
I am going to be a bit different from the above responses - I am a confirmed motorhomer, had a caravan when the family were growing up and will never go back to having one. The constant hassle [to me anyway] of hitching and unhitching, down on my knees for winding the stabilisers etc. just got too much for me. [I know others here will love to respond, but I ask you to hold off a while]
Whatever you get will be a series of compromises - nothing is 'perfect'. So, may I offer you my 2-bob's worth as to our motorhome life.
We're on the wallaby for 280-300 days each year, and if we use a caravan park it is extremely rare these days. We love the MH for its ease of driving, ease of parking, ease of zero setting up ... we arrive, turn the motor off and walk to the stove and set off the kettle [sort of thing] and we're done. Occasionally on a slope I need to drive a wheel up onto a 2" block of wood - hey that's the hardest bit.
In a CP, we have a designated site, so we can drive away and come back again to the same place. In a town's showgrounds, or out on a river bank say, we walk to others close by and ask if they need anything at the shops, take any orders and off we go leaving our table and chairs on-site, knowing others will be there for us, as we are there for them when they go somewhere. If there's no-one around sure, we shove it into the boot ... takes a minute or so, but so what? We have a small sign made from concrete mesh saying "motorhome is away for a while, come and visit us later"
The other big thing with the MH is that it's all-in-one. If we need to spend a penny, the loo is alongside us; if we need to do something on the internet, the laptop is there with us; if a camera battery goes flat the charger is there with us; if we want a cuppa or a snack, the makings are always there with us ... there's never a need to take a thermos or a box of food with us in order to have the break, and there's never the comment of 'oh bugga - the xxx is back in the caravan at the van park'
Food wise / shopping wise, just like a caravanner, we visit the shops twice a week for everyday items, we have UHT milk in the cupboard, we have tins & packets of food always available. It's all there, nice 'n easy
ps- for the $$ you're mentioning, I suspect that you can find a pre-loved unit already waiting for you - ln need to get someone to build it. Try the large MH dealer in Melb, Sydney, Brisb or Newcastle if you're close to there
Hope this helps
Phil
-- Edited by Ozzie_Traveller on Wednesday 30th of August 2017 08:07:57 PM
Hi Ross,
If I were you. But I'm Not.
I would go and Hire for a week or two the types of rigs you are looking at first. Before spending the coin, so you can make the right call and have no regrets.
Happy travels out in the play ground.
Jim & Lambie
Thanks spida
i guess we will not know our capability til we give it a try. We are living in England right now, but I am sort of retiring at Christmas and we are coming home. I will maybe hire a van and see how we go.
O & T
Yeah Jim
i will probably do that once we get to apAustralia at Christmas time. I like the idea of a great big old 4wd.
O&T
Thanks Doug
Good points Phil
appreciate the feedback.
Iam a 48 model as well with a caravan and fwd can't understand the comments about hitching and un hitching a caravan being a big deal, it's a ten minute job a monkey can do in my opinion, if thats a big deal you must have some serious health issues...
Wait until you're in your seventies. I'm now 72, I was fine until a couple of years ago and there was nothing I coundn't do and I used to wonder why some people battled with simple tasks. Well wear and tear finally caught up with me and now I understand. At least I'm alive and still enjoy life albeit at a slower pace.
A great idea to hire one 1st, I did it for 4 months and that was the best decision I made. The caravan was then my choice as I had no trouble with it and also It enabled me to decide on the design and features that I wanted, my resultant purchase proved to be near perfect (you will never get perfection).
i imagine you would achieve the same result hiring a motirhome, although their hire rates are fairly exorbitant compared to a caravan suitable fto your requirements....$75+ per night for a caravan against $250+ for a motor home.
http://www.hiremycaravan.com.au/listing-details/luxury-regent-caravan.html
https://www.discovery-campervans.com.au/search_vehicles.php?SUPPLIERID=&RESRESTRICT=VEHID&RESVEHID=4stsd&CATEGORY=4berth&PULOC=syd&PUDATE=25%2F9%2F2017&DOLOC=same&DODATE=9%2F10%2F2017&DRIVERLIC=aust&x=99&y=29&DRIVERLIC=aust
-- Edited by Wizardofoz on Thursday 31st of August 2017 10:49:28 AM