Campervan as second car

Faeiry

Hi, we were going to get a caravan for our family holidays (3 kids 1-7 years) but we'd need to get a new car for towing so now we are wondering would we be able to get a campervan for the same price we would have spent on car and caravan (about 27-30k) and use it as second car. Unfortunately we aren't very handy so wouldnt be able to do a van conversion ourselves. I'm just starting to research vans and would be very grateful if anyone could point me in right direction. I'm trying to figure out what would suit us so I can price it up & have a look at some campers in person. Camper would be used to go to work each day 10km each way in heavy traffic. We'd like some thing suitable for wild camping as a have parking spot we can use in Donegal and for weekends and week/fortnight long stays in campsites in Ireland, uk & France. I'd be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations.

CJhaughey

Faeiry wrote: »

Hi, we were going to get a caravan for our family holidays (3 kids 1-7 years) but we'd need to get a new car for towing so now we are wondering would we be able to get a campervan for the same price we would have spent on car and caravan (about 27-30k) and use it as second car. Unfortunately we aren't very handy so wouldnt be able to do a van conversion ourselves. I'm just starting to research vans and would be very grateful if anyone could point me in right direction. I'm trying to figure out what would suit us so I can price it up & have a look at some campers in person. Camper would be used to go to work each day 10km each way in heavy traffic. We'd like some thing suitable for wild camping as a have parking spot we can use in Donegal and for weekends and week/fortnight long stays in campsites in Ireland, uk & France. I'd be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations.

I don't think camper insurance policies will cover commuting in heavy traffic daily, they generally are only cover holiday usage.

Faeiry

CJhaughey wrote: »

I don't think camper insurance policies will cover commuting in heavy traffic daily, they generally are only cover holiday usage.

Thanks for that, I knew I wouldn't be able to get the cheap holiday camper cover like dolmens but didn't think that standard insurance would be an issue. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the heads up!

colm_mcm

For the usage you’ll have for it surely a caravan makes more sense?

Faeiry

colm_mcm wrote: »

For the usage you’ll have for it surely a caravan makes more sense?

Well that's what I am trying to figure out, a caravan may make more sense but I want to look into all our options first and make sure we make the right choice before we make the investment. Although another problem I should have mentioned above is that we will have to find somewhere to park a caravan as our estate rules prohibit caravan's parked on drives but campervans are ok!? We have neighbours with both caravans & campers. The caravan works out fine for those that have family out in the country nearby where it can be parked but we'd have organise a parking space (there is no storage facility nearby that takes caravans) although I'm sure we'd figure something out.

autumnalcore

You can pay Dolmen an additional premium to drive a camper as your main form of transport which should cover social domestic and pleasure and commuting, it would not cover you for any form of work related use other than commuting e.g. house calls, site visits etc.

One downside is you'll lose your NCB in time unless your otherwise insured so if you want to go back to a car it could be an issue. Although some insurers may give some discount for named driver NCB on your other car.

One major issue with camper as a daily driver I find is height barriers, multistorey parking and parking in cities in general. I certainly wouldn't like to be driving a 5 berth coachbuilt as a daily driver.

alias no.9

You mention 3 kids... so you'd really need to be looking at a coach built 5 or 6 birth, on a Ducato or Transit chassis. They're not the most practical for commuting. You could try something smaller which might be ok short term but your kids will get bigger, fast.

Similarly, you mention wild camping, which isn't really a runner in a caravan.

More thought will definitely be required.

Faeiry

autumnalcore wrote: »

You can pay Dolmen an additional premium to drive a camper as your main form of transport which should cover social domestic and pleasure and commuting, it would not cover you for any form of work related use other than commuting e.g. house calls, site visits etc.

One downside is you'll lose your NCB in time unless your otherwise insured so if you want to go back to a car it could be an issue. Although some insurers may give some discount for named driver NCB on your other car.

One major issue with camper as a daily driver I find is height barriers, multistorey parking and parking in cities in general. I certainly wouldn't like to be driving a 5 berth coachbuilt as a daily driver.

Thanks so much for that information & advice!

Alkers

Forgot to be anyway suitable as a daily driver you'd be looking at something like a bongo / transporter size which doesn't sound like it would be suitable for your needs.
Would you consider a folding camper?

Moomat

If you can drive a Transporter as a daily driver, you'll be well able to handle something a little bigger which will give you much more usability.

An older model of something like this or this would be ideal. Car-like handling once you get used to them.