Am I mad, hopefully not!!

[donk r8]

Well I have finally achieved a dream I have had for a few years.............


We picked Bruce up three months ago from what seemed like deepest darkest Wales! I did the biggest of no no's and bought unseen apart from a few photos from the agent which as it turned out were not very true to life..
I'm quite good with my hands so I kept telling myself, no problem "I can fix that". Well after a brisk blast over the Brecon Beacons and along the M4 we made it home without a hitch. A long list was made and my wife started on the deep clean as she put it.
First job was a good clean as the roof was green, we took out all the vents etc and gave everything a good scrub.Jo took off all the curtains and had them dry cleaned ££££! . The wheels were a bit scabby so I had them refurbed and two new Michelins fitted and then I faced the job I didn't want to do....try and get a shine on the paintwork, dont think it had ever had a polish! Once I had sussed out how everything worked, I have a feeling its going to be a very steep curve,we were nearly ready for our first trip, well a day out in the New Forest. All went well and we planned our next trip.
In the meantime I had the Cam belt changed for peace of mind and attached the bike rack I got hold of and also fixed the basin as it was very discoloured which has come up very well with a few coats of plastic paint, fixed in a microwave,and telly.
We has our first proper holiday during half term at a Caravan and Camping site at Scarborough which was a great introduction to motor homing for us. We had our bikes and had great fun with Bruce...
I have now got hold of a towbar so I can tow our Panda behind on the A frame and roll on Le Mans next year!! After quite a few years camping I'm looking forward to having a comfy bed there.
Loads more jobs to be done but no rush............






Luckily we have room at home for storage (farm) so he is covered now with an oil filled rad keeping the damp at bay..............Chris.

Edited by donk r8 on Saturday 29th November 22:16

[Kneetrembler]

Brilliant enjoy,hope that you have many lovely trips away, they are brilliant for everything.

[GAjon]

Nice van and a great layout for use in the UK aswell as abroad, if you use it you wont regret buying it.

I dont want to be a doom bringer but; Just one thing I noticed in your photos, you have it plugged into the mains and have what looks like an anti rattle pad over the cooker rings.
If you have an electric hob on there, dont cover it or leave anything that could ignite on the glass top either, when your not in the van.

[donk r8]

Thanks for the advice, all taken on board!!..............

[T70RPM]

Did the same thing myself this year & bought a Motorhome after 5 years or more of talking about it. Best thing we have done as a family for years. Come home, jump in, turn the key..instant holiday (not forgetting all the work put in by the Mrs during the days before.!)
Really is a great way to get away, and as I said, as soon as you put the key in the ignition, you feel like you are on holiday.
Hope you have a great time with it.

[Stiggolas]

Just a quickie, it's illegal to tow with an 'A' frame unless it's an emergency. I'd get a small 2 wheeled trailer.
Loving the motorhome though

[oblio]

Stiggolas said:

Just a quickie, it's illegal to tow with an 'A' frame unless it's an emergency. I'd get a small 2 wheeled trailer.
Loving the motorhome though

I'm not sure its as clear cut as that. There seems to be some large grey areas with the whole towing thing which are well documented in many places...such as here for example

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpand...


OP - what Bessacarr is that? We did the same and bought one in July (an E795) and I have to say its the best thing we have ever done. Every 2 weeks we go away for 1 or 2 nights just to keep the Ts and Ps all shipshape. The trick is to find a local-ish site where you can get to easily enough (and with a pub nearby for some beer/grub ...until BBQ season is back again

We had a couple of weeks in France in August in her and have a 5 week trip planned for next summer down to the Italian Lakes

[donk r8]

oblio said:

OP - what Bessacarr is that? We did the same and bought one in July (an E795) and I have to say its the best thing we have ever done. Every 2 weeks we go away for 1 or 2 nights just to keep the Ts and Ps all shipshape. The trick is to find a local-ish site where you can get to easily enough (and with a pub nearby for some beer/grub ...until BBQ season is back again

We had a couple of weeks in France in August in her and have a 5 week trip planned for next summer down to the Italian Lakes

Yep ours is also an E795 but an 05 with a 2.8...................

Edited by donk r8 on Sunday 28th December 19:00

[oblio]

donk r8 said:

oblio said:

OP - what Bessacarr is that? We did the same and bought one in July (an E795) and I have to say its the best thing we have ever done. Every 2 weeks we go away for 1 or 2 nights just to keep the Ts and Ps all shipshape. The trick is to find a local-ish site where you can get to easily enough (and with a pub nearby for some beer/grub ...until BBQ season is back again

We had a couple of weeks in France in August in her and have a 5 week trip planned for next summer down to the Italian Lakes

Yep ours is also an E795 but an 05 with a 2.8...................

Edited by donk r8 on Sunday 28th December 19:00

Nice one

Id be interested in seeing what mpg you get out of her. I got cruise control fitted to mine as I found that she kept on pulling to well over 70mph so it was very juicy. On a 50mph run I can get 25mpg. We have just got back from a few days in w Wales so with motorways at 60mph and side roads up to 50mph I managed 23.4!

[donk r8]

oblio said:

Nice one

Id be interested in seeing what mpg you get out of her. I got cruise control fitted to mine as I found that she kept on pulling to well over 70mph so it was very juicy. On a 50mph run I can get 25mpg. We have just got back from a few days in w Wales so with motorways at 60mph and side roads up to 50mph I managed 23.4!

When we came back from Yorkshire a while ago we got stuck in a lot of traffic but when it cleared I did get a wiggle on and I must say it pulls well over 70!!( I do have the mileages and fuel used written down so must work it out sometime). I was very impressed, but with anything the mpg suffers and before anyone says anything I am used to large vehicles etc etc..............;)