I never ever thought I would consider buying a new motorhome. In North America, I just don't see it as a good value proposition. There are a ton of much cheaper used options available, and new ones lose 20% as soon as you drive them off the lot. Of course not everything has to be a financial decision... if you have lots of cash, then it may not matter to you.
But from what I'm seeing with European motorhome prices, there is not nearly as much depreciation. I haven't quite figured out why not, but the fact that they seem to be built with a lot more quality over there to begin with probably has a lot to do with it.
And there are so many different interior configurations that it might be tough to find what we're looking for in a used unit. Ordering new, we would get exactly what we want.
So we've been looking at all the various configurations. We want one that is 7 meters (23 ft) or less. Smaller is better in our opinion, keeping in mind that everything is a trade off. We know from our experiences in Europe in 2017, and in Australia in 2019 that we can be happy in a small unit providing it is laid out properly.
And it has to have a full gas oven (or the option to have one installed).
Have a look at this 6 meter (19.5 ft) rig and the intelligent use of space.
We really like the idea of the drop down bed. Most motorhomes in North America have a full separate bedroom that only gets used for sleeping. It really is a huge waste of space, and even though many of the larger European motorhomes also have this wasted space, many also use the drop down bed option. Here is a rig that uses the drop down bed option in the rear, and when the bed is not down you have a huge living room. It's a really unique interior design!
New, that motorhome is listed at €67,000 ($105,000 CAD, $80,000 USD).
Our preference would be to save a few euros and buy a 2018 or so that has maybe 30,000 kms on it. But again, we could be tempted to buy new if it was the right rig at the right price. But again, even the used rigs maintain their value.
Here is an interesting 2017 model with a separate rear "lounge". At 7.5 meters (24.5 ft) it's a little bigger than what we're looking for, but it gives you another idea of good use of space...
Here's another one we really like...
Anyhow, now you know what we're looking for! We sure are excited about the whole idea and looking forward to showing you what our home for the next two years or so will look like.
Anyhow, now you know what we're looking for! We sure are excited about the whole idea and looking forward to showing you what our home for the next two years or so will look like.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6' x 9' Reversible RV Patio Mat with Carry Bag. The blue one and the burgundy one are a great deal!
And in Canada...
What fun! Love looking at the European RVs. The first salesman cracks me up.... he’s not doing a great job if he is trying to make the sale. Maybe he is just a reviewer/critic.
ReplyDeleteI know for us, the making up the bed every night was a showstopper. But maybe you have tried it and it doesn’t cause you issues. That comment of where to store the bedding gave me pause. I didn’t see lots of storage for clothes or bedding.
We have a Renegade Villagio 24 ft Built on a Mercedes chasis. We love it. But I am sure that the quality of the European vans is higher.
Thanks for sharing your RV search with us.
Yep, it sure is fun but of course videos don't let you see the true quality of the motorhome but it does give us an idea.
DeleteWe thought the same thing about that guy, and we have seen him in several different videos, he's a bit annoying. He is not a salesman, just a "YouTuber" that does these walkthroughs for his channel.
We definitely don't want a bed that we have to make up each and every day that would get tiring after a very short time. These beds that come down from the ceiling can be made up and left as is, you just fold the edges of the bedding over the top and then hit the up button to raise the bed, something like you would with a Murphy bed. We won't have lots of clothing so we won't need lots of storage space for that. I think it is surprising how much storage there will be. We didn't have a whole lot in Bundy and Joyce when we were in Australia last summer and there wasn't a lot in Louis either when we traveled through southern Spain back in 2017 and we did just fine both times.
What a great use of space. Sherman may Gey a bit jealous, but oh they sure are beautiful. I like the 24.5 one, however having an oven would be sweet. I look forward to following you again when you get mobile again.
ReplyDeleteThe European units sure know how to make use of every little bit of space, at least the ones we have been looking at.
DeleteSherman is never going to know!
Having an oven or a space where one can be installed is one our top must haves for when we actually end up buying a unit over in Europe.
We are also looking forward to being mobile again. :-)
How would you have a nap during the day if you had to bring the bed down and Ruth was busy doing something else? Just curious!
ReplyDeleteI rarely use a bed for my afternoon nap. In this case, I would expect that one or both of the front seats would recline enough to do the job.
DeleteWe traveled the US for 3 years in a Winnebago Trend, which has the drop down bed. Not many here do and we loved it. It was great and did save a great deal of space. We really wanted a bed that we didn't have to convert every evening and morning and it did the trick.
ReplyDeleteWe had two units in on our caravan trip last winter in Mexico that had the drop down bed. They were both Trek units and both said how much they loved that design, I think we would too.
DeleteWe also don't want a bed that has to be made up each day, so it is nice to hear that you love this feature as well and yes, it definitely makes more space by doing that. :-)
I wish the drop down bed was in the cab! Those front seats are such a waste of space when you're camped.
ReplyDeleteWe find that we use our front seats quite a bit when we are "camped". Kevin often has his nap in one because they recline. :-)
Deletetry autoline.com You may already have checked it out but thought I would pass along. good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks. In Germany, mobile.de is actually much more popular.
DeleteHow exciting! Looking forward to seeing your eye open posts! Have you looked into a Winnebago revel? One of the ambassadors of that van have been to Europe. It is small, all electric and I think fits what you might need when you go to Europe.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is exciting and we can't wait to get going and show you all some of the new adventures we will be having over in Europe.
DeleteThe Winnebago Revel is a North American unit, we are wanting to buy a European unit for our travels in Europe. Also, all electric is not an option for us anyways but thank you for thinking of us. :-)
I misspoke about the revel being an all electric, I meant, it does not have propane for cooking or heating. It has a nice drop down bed, it comes with solar but, it uses diesel fuel. I guess my husband and I are a little late to join your Mexico travels. :).
DeleteThe thing is we want to have propane for cooking and heating. One induction burner would not be significant for our cooking needs. Plus, we aren't looking to buy a North American unit, we are wanting to buy a European unit to travel through Europe in. :-)
DeleteAs for trips to Mexico, we still might do one again in the future but it most likely won't be for a couple of years at least. This winter isn't looking good to be doing at trip through Mexico anyways with COVID-19, many places are still closed.
Hello... I sometimes read your interesting blog as a link from The Bayfield Bunch. Are you aware of The Chouters? https://thechouters.com/about-us They are currently touring Europe in a used motorhome which they purchased there last year. Best of luck in your endeavors, Annette in Nebraska
ReplyDeleteYes, Kevin has looked at their blog before but we don't follow them. Their type of travel is a little different from ours. I am sure we will check out their site from time to time when we do start traveling over there ourselves though.
DeleteI am one of the different ones. I can't see the big deal about converting a bed twice a day. Takes me less than 5 minutes each time.
ReplyDeleteI guess we would just prefer to have a bed that stays as a bed. You also don't have a place to store the bedding during the day. I know it's not a huge deal but we would just prefer it that way. I always remember what it was like when we had guests staying in Sherman for 2 to 3 weeks and having to make up the jackknife couch each night and then having to fold everything back up in the morning.
DeleteTrek Envy ...... Yes!!!!
ReplyDeleteYep, both those Trek units were nice and spacious inside with the bed up. Definitely something we might look at once we are ready to buy something in North America again.
DeleteWow, those rigs looks so cool! :-D Hope you find one you like as much as we like ours. I miss "Romy" and traveling around Europe in our German RV. Hopefully next March we'll meet up with you guys somewhere. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThey do look pretty neat, especially when you compare them to our North American motorhomes. None of them though tick all our boxes but then again we really didn't expect them too. We hope that we find one that we will like as you do yours.
DeleteFingers crossed we will be able to meet up somewhere in Europe next March or so. You just never know where life is going to lead you.