Obsessed with Motorhomes!

ShirleyH

Hi all,

I'm not a very regular poster, but when I google motorhome, this forum keeps popping up- so I guess you are the go-to guys for motorhomes.

We are regular tenters, both in Ireland and abroad, but the more time we spend on campsites, the more I want a motorhome!

Our budget is small, although I'm sure I could increase it by getting my parents to go 50/50 with us....

But my questions are many. I've been reading through the threads here, and still have a few questions. Sorry if I'm repeating already answered queries, and I'd be delighted if anyone can help, or post links to threads.

If I for instance, buy a camper from adverts.ie:D, what is payable on it, i.e. vat, vrt, tax and insurance.

Is the best option for starting out just to buy a second hand one here, rather than going about importing or converting one?

We would ideally like a 4- 5 berth, but beggars can't be choosers, and any advice whatsoever would be greatly appreciated.

peasant

In my opinion the most important thing that you can do before you buy is to stick your nose (and bum ) into as many motorhomes as you possibly can.

There are so many differnt layouts about, you absolutely need to narrow it down a bit. How many beds do you need, how many of those need to be permanent, how many can be made up from seats ...do you want a rear u-shaped lounge or a dinette ... what kind of bathroom, where do you want your kitchen, all that sort of stuff.

It would be a terrible waste to jump for the first motorhome within your budget, only to find out after the first trip that the layout doesn't work for you at all.

stapeler

Well to start with, if you buy one here and it's already registered as a camper/motorhome then ignore VRT & Vat. Just your annual tax & insurance to worry about. Insurance currently works out around €350 and tax around €80.

If you import secondhand or convert and then vehichle registeration is required. Size,age, condition and type of motorhome are the factors here. Typically a vehicle over 3tonne attracts a vrt charge of €60 where as a vehicle under 3tonne can be 13% - 30% of market value (depends on internal height etc).

There's quiet a bit of choice out there and the Buyandsell etc are full of them. Peasant points out above that there's a huge ammount of layouts to choose from. Go to the dealers and view as many as possible.

Get an idea what you're looking for and decide on budget. Then you'll have to start getting technical and watching out for the faults/problems that occur with motorhomes such as leaks,ingress,cracks etc.
Good news is that their prices seem to be coming down in recent times.

ShirleyH

Thanks so much for the advice- excellent points. I hadn't put too much thought into layout.

I think as a first timer, opting for an already registered camper would be the best option, as I'm sure once you are out and about on the sites in a motorhome, you become more in the know about importing etc, by talking to others.

I've been nosing around a lot of them in the dealerships over the last few months.

I'm enjoying reading through all the posts on the forum.

Thanks again.

peasant

Choice is certainly getting a lot better over here and prices seem to be going towards more realistic levels lately. So, for a first time buyer buying local is probably a good idea. At least you don't have the pressure of an already booked ferry ticket burning in your back pocket when you're trying to decide whether to buy or walk away.

ShirleyH

True, plus at least we could use our holidays abroad to scout for motorhomes under less pressure..and maybe import one down the line.