What can you buy on a £30K budget?

I took a drive to JMT Leisure in Weston Super Mare to see if I could really buy a decent motorhome for around £30K.

Watch the video and make up your own minds.

[StuartTiffany]

I've recently finished my own van conversion (Transit L4H3) and designed my layout based on my 58 years of camping experience in tents, caravans and campervans.
I definitely did not want to lose so much living/relaxing space by having a fixed bed! On average you're asleep for 8 hours and relaxing and doing campervan stuff for 16 switch the kettle on when I wake up and me and the wife can have the bed, bedding and all window blinds packed up before the kettle boils 😊... so not a big deal really, and you gain quite a lot of valuable space!
Our living, kitchen and bathroom areas are quite spacious, and we have a garage big enough to carry 2 electric mountain bikes, awning, water barrel, chairs and loads of other other bits and bats 😀
Good luck with your search for the right van for you 👍

[Russtynailer]

Love the to say DONT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THINKING YOU HAVE TO BUY FROM A DEALER!!!.Plenty of private sales out there. You can get SO MUCH MORE for your money without paying inflated dealer prices. Plenty of companies who can do initial checks & you can buy comprehensive warranties which equal or even better dealer warranties.

[johnshaw]

Likelihood is that any second hand panel van you buy will have been driven fairly hard and have a high mileage . Campers tend to be driven calmly by older folks and often cover less miles, so I would go for a factory built camper in your situation

[bepto]

In my opinion once you go over 6 meters it doesnt really matter (within reason) how long it is. The only reason to strictly go 6m or less is for parking in normal spaces. That 1st one would be my choice out of these.

[andrewpaton]

Vans used to have a lot of damp problems due to some of the materials used, and conditions of course., so much better now as they use composite materials to combat these issues, composites yes are mainly plastics and other non damp attracting materials, so a lot better than older vans, which for me is a major problem combatted.

[tubeMonger]

Thank you for the interesting reviews. It's nice to see how different budgets and use cases for motorhomes can be. What I notice also, it appears motorhomes are a bit cheaper here in Finland.

I started looking at 10, 000 euro motorhomes and soon realised I had to go up to 27, 000 euros (that's all I could afford without taking a loan). I bought a Carado/Transit - a bit longer and different layout compared to what you were looking at. 

Since the Transit is an old vehicle, I've serviced it, bought new summer tires with alloy wheels, new mattress, installed USB-A and C ports, led strip lighting, and bought heaps of other the necessities. I feel I can trust the motorhome and that it is ready for this year's season.

I've been using the motorhome to work remotely on the road, away from my remote office at home. Of course when the wife and I have a vacation we will use the motorhome for leisure travel as well.


The most surprising thing is that the Transit consumes only 7.5 - 9.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres depending on the speed (80 - 100 kilometres per hour) which is very little.

[margmcgill]

Thank you. I like the Airstream except for the skylight mold.

[aileenl]

We looked at all of these and ended up with a vwt5.1. Love it. We're putting in Ushape bench bed to create more space. Best part is that we can park anywhere. Lots of car parks are installing 2m high barriers up north. Never been a problem for us. Good luck on whichever you decide on.

[WunHungLo]

Why do the interiors look like they were designed by Hyacinth Bouquet.

[stephengrayson]

I’m with you on the dinette, they took so much room, I am looking to change my van for one with side benches and rear bed, makes it so much more roomy 😊

[DeanW-]

I’ve fallen in love with The Peugeot that lay out is the best !

[philsagar]

really enjoying watching your search for a motorhome and viewing all these for sale, id still stick to buying a factory built one over the self build, but i havent seen what you have planned for one too.

[terryhere]

Love your channel btw as I’m in the same stage of life as you as taking early retirement this year and my dream has always been to buy a home on wheels and hit the road for as long as l can..

[linz_in_NZ]

I like the space of the lounge areas in the Bailey and the Airstream. If the Sofas are long enough to use as two single beds they'd be perfect - if you use a Duvalay or giant sleeping bag is a two minute job to 'make the bed' and if there is just you, you have a comfy sofa and a bed without all the palaver. Was there a large outside locker with the Airstream or a huge wardrobe rear left? We have a self converted 2004 Mercedes Sprinter which has done over 500, 000kms, previously belonged to the Ambulance service, older vehicles that have been serviced regularly can still be a good option.

[MrSidMuff]

We have a Bongo pop top, conversion etc...and we love it for its size and auto box. The size is also the problem. I would love a larger van with a toilet/shower and auto box.

I would be looking at £30k max...and I'm delighted to have found this channel. Gonna be fun watching your journey 👍

[daletinsley]

Remember! When searching for a used vehicle It's not how much use it has behind it. It is how much use it has in front of it. I would prefer to spend 30/40k on a well looked after 15 year old hymer. They're not thrown together on a factory production line where supervisors and managers have targets to hit.

[russellwithey]

Great video I love the French bed layouts

[allanb]

A few things you guys should know before you buy a motorhome versus a camper. Motorhome folks tend to stay in their van and watch TV..because they can. If they drive anywhere it is more difficult and they can't really explore. When we in our camper park with them we never see them except when they are emptying their toilets or filling up water, their stomachs or larders. We, on the other hand in our Vivaro camper are out and about all the time because we are in a warm dry tent. So ours is an adventure, theirs is a hotel-driving holiday. So you decide what you want in your old age....I am 72 and active.

[terryhere]

I’m with you with the fixed bed but if it’s just for you I don’t understand going so big, if you plan to live in it full time and not travel very far fine but if you plan to travel you need to think about parking and getting down country lanes etc, and with regards to USB’s etc that can all be fitted quite easily.

[kinross]

Buy at least 2015 or younger to get access to the new Low Emissions Zones in most cities now in the UK and EU.