Europe tour or world trip? Luxurious and expensive or inexpensive and simple? New or used? If you want to buy a mobile home, you have to ask yourself a number of important questions. Whether a camper tour will be a pleasure does not only depend on the budget and the quality of the vehicle, but also on the attitude of the traveler. Nine points that beginners should consider.
Motorhomes come in all shapes and sizes and at almost any price. For European trips, compact mini campers and camper vans under six meters in length are widespread. They are light, manoeuvrable and you can use them to find parking spaces in inner cities. However, the car should not be so small that travelers feel like they are in a sardine can.
If you want to expand your vehicle yourself, you are well advised to use a panel van. With a short wheelbase, they are ideal for urban traffic and are still suitable for long-distance trips due to the higher payload. Since camper vans are similar to commercial vans, stealth camping is also possible, i.e. unobtrusive camping.
Semi-integrated and alcove motorhomes (both of which use the cab of the base vehicle) often sleep six and are popular with families. Due to their length (6 to 8 meters), both vehicle types are only suitable for everyday use to a limited extent.
Fully integrated motorhomes and liners are even more luxurious. Some models even have a rear car garage. It’s like having a house on wheels. For vehicles up to twelve meters long, however, there are various overtaking and drive-through bans as well as speed limits; the toll and ferry fees are also significantly higher than those of smaller campers.
Anyone who still has the old “pink rag” with class 3 may drive vehicles up to 7.5 tons. Anyone who obtained their driving license after 1999 must have category C1, C1E or C in order to be allowed to drive vehicles with a total mass of more than 3.5 tons. The costs are considerable: as a rule, you have to reckon with 3500 euros for the truck driver’s license training.
Mobile homes for Europe and mobile homes for world trips – these are two different pairs of shoes and tires. If you want to drive from Cairo to Cape Town, from Alaska to Ushuaia or from Munich to Singapore, you can consider various off-road cars with high roofs, pop-up roofs or roof tents.
Pick-ups with a detachable living area on the loading area and 4×4 camper vans also fall into this category. However, these vehicles are minimalistic from the interior. If you need more space, you should consider truck-based all-wheel drive motorhomes.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the financial means to own an expedition truck. On the journey, the expenses for fuel, shipping, tires, road tolls and many other things add up. If the differential of a Unimog has to be sent to Argentina in the event of a gearbox breakdown, the shipping costs alone will add up to several thousand euros.
Even if there are no major repairs, the vehicle must be shipped at least three times on a round-the-world trip – and the freight costs depend on the size. Added to this is the deposit for the Carnet de Passage; the price of which in turn depends on the value of the vehicle. If you are tight on cash, a smaller vehicle would be a better alternative.
4WD motorhomes can handle the toughest terrain, provided the driver knows their stuff. Just because you have an “Xtreme Offroad Machine” doesn’t mean that crossing the first river bed will be a piece of cake. Four-wheel drive is great, no doubt, but there’s plenty of gorgeous scenery to explore even without a differential lock and fat tires.
One thing is clear: large vehicles are significantly more expensive. Even under optimal conditions, many luxury vehicles and all-wheel drive trucks with a total weight of more than 3.5 tons consume between 17 and 30 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers; a MAN KAT1 allows itself, depending on driving style, even 40 to 50 liters.
Many experienced motorhome drivers claim that older campers are more reliable and robust than today’s new vehicles. However, this cannot be answered in general. The decisive factor in the question of whether to buy a new or used vehicle is rather: Where do you want to travel to?
Environmental zones are playing an increasingly important role within Europe. Many cities can no longer be visited without Euro 6 and a “green sticker”. A new vehicle may be advisable here. Only classic cars that were first registered 30 years ago are exempt from this and may enter any environmental zone.
If you want to circumnavigate the world, on the other hand, you have to think differently. Modern vehicles are much more difficult to repair than older models. With some brands you have to remove almost the entire differential just to change a headlight bulb.
Rule of thumb: A vehicle is of little use for long-distance travel if it cannot be repaired with a rock, screwdriver and tape. You notice that at the latest when you ask the car mechanic in a remote Pakistani village if he has a DLC with which he can read the OBD codes of the ECM because the MIL lights up. Ergo: Everything that a used vehicle doesn’t have in terms of technical innovations can’t break either.
In addition, modern Euro 6 diesel engines depend on high fuel quality and require the addition of AdBlue. However, neither is available across the board in many parts of the world. Within the EU, a maximum of 10 mg/kg sulfur is prescribed (EN 590). Unfortunately, there are still countries with a diesel sulfur content of 2000 mg/kg, and Euro 6 engines are not designed for this.
A higher sulfur content can cause irreversible damage to the engine. If you want to travel to remote regions in South America or Africa, you are therefore better off with an older vehicle up to the Euro 3 or Euro 4 emissions standard, without a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and AdBlue tank.
If you want to travel to other continents, you should also consider not buying your dream vehicle in Germany, but only after you have arrived in America or Africa. Local prices are often lower and other emission standards apply to new vehicles.
If a mobile home is too old or too “exotic”, there can be problems with the supply of spare parts. If you are a mechanic with two left hands, a new motorhome is probably the right choice for you. In this country, nothing speaks against a Euro 6 model, and in the event of a breakdown you can call the ADAC.
If your journey takes you beyond the horizon, i.e. overseas, vehicles that are used by the military around the world are of interest – for them, the supply of spare parts is much better guaranteed.
It depends on the destination and travel style. If you are traveling in remote areas (like the Canning Stock Route, a 1850-kilometer track through Australia’s wilderness), such a tour should only be undertaken with a four-wheel drive vehicle with large tanks and plenty of provisions. With a mini camper such tours are impossible.
For motorhome tours in Europe, on the other hand, mini campers are sufficient if you stay at regular campsites – electricity and water are always available here. If you are traveling as a “nature camper” and want to be mostly free or wild camping, then your vehicle needs more: independent power supply, high payload and sufficiently large tanks.
If possible, borrow your favorite before you buy it and take it on a short test trip. This way you can check whether the vehicle actually meets your expectations.
This article was first published in April 2022.
Information about Christopher Many, his books and travels can be found at christopher-many.com, and the Facebook page for his books offers direct contact with the author: facebook.com/Hinter.dem.Horizont.links.
The first major travel wave of 2022 is imminent in April, when the Easter holidays begin in the first federal states at the beginning of the month. There are still numerous offers for those who decide on the spur of the moment. The corona restrictions have fallen in many countries – but not everywhere.
Source: WORLD / Thomas Laeber