"New" Motorhome / campervan / houseonwheels
well, it's been a rather long time coming, but I've finally gotten around to getting another campervan / motorhome.
I did have one back in the early 2000's and think I 'sold it/gave it away' around 2006. It was an old 1980 VW T25, not the sexy curvy ones that everyone pays silly money for nowadays, but the boxy practical one. Well, I say practical, it had the 2.0Ltr petrol engine in it that did about 15miles-per-gallon and weighed about 3-tonne!
She was great though, we did drive her all around the country, from the edge of Cornwall, all around Scotland and back again - mostly in the rain!
I did say, we would get a proper motorhome "shortly" afterwards..... errr.... well, time flies doesn't it!
I did start to make serious enquiries in 2018 and was going to look at getting a motorhome at the end of 2019... and then COVID-19 kicked in (I so wish I'd just gotten a van at this point - it would have saved about £30,000!!!! oh well.... it is what it is).
After many a discussion with the missus and taking her to view quite a few interiors, we found a layout we both instantly liked.
The slightly small downside is..... that interior we liked is contained within an 8-metre long van - yes, 8 - EIGHT, that's 8x3ft = 26foot long.... wow, that's the length of most peoples lounge/dining rooms in their houses.
Well, here's a side-on shot that shows this in all it's glory:
It's not a brand new model (I'm not THAT rich!), it's a 2015 model that has been used by the previous owner, they've put 20,000 miles on it over the past 7 years, that's pretty good usage, it means it was used and used well. I did look at some that had 3000, 4000, 9000 miles on them, but like cars, I'm wary of vehicles that have low-mileage, it means that they have "sat" for long periods of time and vehicles are not meant to do that, bushes / rubbers / joints / belts perish faster with a non-used vehicle - don't believe the hype that lower mileage is better, it's not. I've got a 2004 Jaguar S-Type that is just about to hit 200,000 miles and it starts/drives and handles better than a 20,000 mile version - anyway, side-tracked a bit there!
As you can see above, yes, it does include a HUGE rear-bottom garage, you can wheel mountain bikes into there without having to remove anything, just chuck them in - again, the question arises? why not just have a smaller van and fit bike rack tot he back? er.rrr.. 1.weather, 2.theft, 3.falling off, 4.hassle to lift them up/down! these can just be bumped up & in. I can replace bikes with anything in this equation, that could be a future wheelchair if it was ever needed.
Now, to the interior...
The fact it has the swivel front seats is normal, however, it has an L-shaped seating area behind the drivers seat that allows for 2 other people to sit as it has seat-belts fitted. These seats fold out and can make a double-bed if needed and 2 different types of table can be setup / used, making this a nice work area for when I travel and do work/work from the van (which I will be doing, I am sure!). You will also note the REAL selling point and that is the HUGE sunroof - it lets in so much light, it really makes you appreciate the space - it's like being in a private jet!
Then moving back a bit, we have an ample kitchen area on the left with sink, oven & hob and a fridge/freezer (a nice big 5ft one) and on the right, the toilet & shower room, which is surprisingly spacious.
Then, we have the bedroom area, now this is ultimately what sold this van to both me and the missus. Not only do you have steps up into bed, they are very well designed and fit wonderfully, with storage underneath each one, but also those steps do open up into the "garage" area also - if that was ever needed. Yes, they do look like single beds with a small bed in the middle - it can be converted to a full double-bed, however, as it is, the "cat" will most likely be sleeping in that middle section!
All, in all, I'm sure there will be a lot of learning / experimenting, the odd failure, but I think this is going to be a great asset to the household for the next 10years worth of usage.
It will be ready for us to hopefully pickup around the end of May / start of June.
......and of course I'll be looking to Kustom-ize this van in someway shape or form, might have much fatter rear wheels/tyres or air-ride suspension to drop her to the floor when parked - I could have the first "Slammed-Kon-Tiki" :-)
anyway, I am sure many adventures await us and much geekiness shall ensue as I find ways to geekify the van (oh, 5G WiFi has already been ordered) and the "spare" cameras I have for robot projects have now been put aside for re-use on placements down the sides of the van to give me that "full 360 degree" viewing from within.
One last point - yes, it does fit onto the driveway - JUST! If you think about it, there are many photo's of the Kustom Vanguagrd being put onto the back of a low-loader pickup truck on the driveway and this motorhome is about that size, so I know it'll fit, maybe not be able to get the other cars on/off - but it'll fit. I am however looking at external storage options close to home in a secure facility, which will probably stop the neighbours complaining that we're blocking out their sunlight! however, I do plan to be out on the road using it most of the time, so we'll see.
and here's a review from 2015 when this was first released/sold.
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