crafty

Any american out there buy a campervan/rv in London or Netherlands for traveling Europe? We are looking for something in good condition that has a shower. About 15,000 american dollars.
Carolyn

nukesafe

I can't comment on price, Crafty, but if you plan on staying long term in Europe, as your other thread suggests, I'd think twice about buying a right hand drive vehicle in the U.K. Driving a big vehicle is tough enough on the, sometimes, narrow continental roads, without the additional sight-line problems a wrong-sided steering wheel could bring.

nukesafe

Just an additional thought. You might consider the strategy similar to one used by a friend. He bought a canal boat I the Netherlands, and for many years he has spent the summer cruising the inland waterways. As his 90 day limit approaches, he puts the boat into storage in a convenient marina, goes back to the States for the winter, and picks up his boat the next spring.

Perhaps this would work just as well for your camper.

janisj

You are a long LONG way from being ready to buy a camper van in Europe. First you have a lot of research to do re the visa situation. You can't just head to Europe long term on a whim -- "Hey, let's go to Europe for 6 months. Yeah, that's a good idea!"

A couple of other things to consider: If you think gas is expensive in the States-- in France for instance petrol is approx €1.30 a liter and diesel approx €1.15. That equals about €5/$7.40 a US gallon.

And - you really won't be able to drive or park that often have to park out in the suburbs and take trains into any cities you want to visit.

I owned a small camper van for a while several years ago in the UK. It was fun at times -- but really isn't a big money saver. And isn't all that convenient depending on specifically where you plan on going.

janisj

oops - don't know what happened there . .

Should have read . . . "<i>And - you really won't be able to drive or park a motorhome in many/any city centers in Europe. You'll often have to park out in the suburbs and take trains into any cities you want to visit."

hetismij

Insuring the vehicle would also be a problem, unless you use the Dutch company which "sells" you the van but insures it for you and buys it back at the end of your trip, which is fine if you only want the vehicle for a single trip.
If you are planning to tour mainland Europe then buy in the Netherlands and get a left hand drive vehicle - a RHD one would be a total pain. You will also have to have it tested once a year, in the Netherlands so that it is legal, otherwise your insurance will be voided and you will be liable for big fines and major problems if you should have a run in with the police.
Look into visas if you are intending to stay longer than 90 days. Also you need somewhere to store the thing when you are not here - that is expensive too. Janis has already pointed out the price of fuel here.
Most countries do not allow you to just park and camp wherever you choose - you must use an approved site, and not every site will accept campers. You will need to get say the Michelin book of European campsites to find places to stay. That will add to the expense - campsites tend not to be that cheap.

flanneruk

In fairness to your ideas, it's worth pointing out that - before cheap flights and the general fecklessness of today's young made this an uncomfortable option - three to four decades of young Antipodeans routinely arrived in London, bought a cramped (right hand drive) van and drove themselves, their drinking friends and as many deluded sheilas as were prepared to share the risks around continental Europe till cash, their livers or mutual toleration ran out.

Now it isn't just that today's teenagers are pampered, parent-dependent wooses (though they are). It's often difficult for non-residents to get insurance, and as hetismij says modern safety standards discourage the almost-reliable 20 yo Hillman. But people still buy vans in London, and they're all a great deal more positive about it than the moaning young fogeys who dominate this board. Millions of us regularly drive RHD vehicles in continental Europe.

Go to the Lonely Planet Thorntree board and ask the question of people who do this regularly. Respondents won't just point you to where the markets are: they'll know how to deal with insurance and similar issues.

British-owned and Australian-managed, Thorntree lacks the nannyish risk aversion so beloved of regulars here, and retains a get up and go spirit so alien to Fodors' unfortunate mixture of German ownership and American contributors.

spaarne

Back in the good old days you could buy a used van on the street in front of American Express offices in Amsterdam and Paris. I called it the "Amex Used Car Lot." No more.

Check out Shipside at http://www.shipside.com/index.html. Another possibility is the lease program offered by Renault at http://www.renault-eurodrive.com/.

Flanneruk soft pedals the danger of driving a RHD car on the Continent. There is a very high incidence of accidents within 50 miles of ferry ports on the French side of the English Channel. Some Brits go home in pine boxes. Driving a RHD car on the Continent is stupid. It should be outlawed. Let them rent or lease.

hetismij

Sorry Spaarne but I have to disagree. We hired a car in Ireland and my husband, who learned to drive in a RHD car, and drove one for many years before we moved to the Netherlands, was downright dangerous in the RHD car for the first day. If we had been in our own LHD car he would have been much safer. He is used to driving his LHD car on the left. Accidents are actually more likely after a couple of days, once you are relaxed and not paying quite so much attention to what you are doing.
If you ban RHD cars from mainland Europe you have to ban LHD cars from Britain. Not possible - the tourists just wouldn't put up with it in either direction, and there are too many LHD cars registered in the UK. What do you do with them?

Sorry Crafty, we digress.

alanRow

The biggest problem with buying any motor vehicle (let alone a RV) in mainland Europe is that it's very difficult to register it and virtually impossible to insure unless you are a legal resident of the appropriate country.

It's a lot easier to register - but still very difficult to insure a RV in the UK and many class A motorhomes are LHD as the European manufacturer doesn't do a RHD version.

http://www.duinsure.com/sites/duinsu..._Van_Insurance

BUT $15000 won't get you very far in anything but the most basic or old of UK motorhomes

Personally I'd just rent

ribeirasacra

In the Netherlands you have to be registered and an Address to register and insure a vehicle.
In the U.K. you should have an address where you can purchase and register a vehicle, but you do not have to be registered at that address.
Yes a vehicle over 3 years old has to have an APK or MOT (roadworthiness certificate). Newer verchiles do not. To renew the certs you have to return to the said country, expect that NL seems to have an agreement with Belgium to undertake an APK in a few garages now.
If you have a U.K. insurance the companies usually issue certs for European travel which is limited for 90 days in any one year. They will ask you for things like ferry receipts if you need to claim, so you cannot get away with having a limited time on mainland Europe.
When leaving or entering the U.K. your number plate is photographed and a warning goes out to the police if your vehicle does not have road tax, MOT or insurance which is not paid up to date. The police are seizing illegal vehicles so you will end up loosing it and a fine.
In the U.K. you can easily purchase a LHD camper if you want.
You have to carry all of the paperwork associated with the vehicle with you when travelling either in the U.K. or mainland Europe. In some countries your vehicle can be seized if you do not do this.
Have you thought about breakdown cover too?
What about reselling the camper after use? It will not be so easy, especially if your paperwork is not in order. And as someone has said the visa needs to be obtained too.

I feel that the days of the dreams of purchasing a camper and heading onto the road are over.

Suspaul

Hi crafty -

here is a website about a couple and their daughter who are traveling all over the world, I think they bought and picked up their camper in Amsterdam, maybe you may want to take a look and contact them

www.soultravelers3.com

Susan

hetismij

You may find these links helpful too:
http://tinyurl.com/56lowx

www.bwcampers.com/ is where many people buy their campers.

And complaints about them:

http://tinyurl.com/mtxxhr is another possible place to try.

http://tinyurl.com/n348px

crefloors

I was just going to post that website. Yes, they bought their camper in Amsterdam. They will be on the road for several years...I think it's three years already. There are a lot of links off that website, band blogs, etc. so if you are TRULY serious, that's a good place to start. This couple and their daughter prepared for that trip for a couple of years I think. Good luck.

alanRow

I'm wary of websites that offer advice on long term stays in Europe yet never mention Schengen.

helen_belsize

They said they have Spanish ancestry so if it is bona fide they may have opted for dual nationality by claiming Spanish citizenship. That is another possible route around residency rules now that the US recognises dual nationality.

nukesafe

Hey, Crafty, are you listening? Lots of good advice folks have given you, but you never call, you never write ---

khunwilko

Actually the founders of Lonely Planet were POMs.....

In UK the "olds" are taking to the roads in RVs in their droves now.......this is a double edged sword as it gets a lot of caravans (trailers) of the road but they still form enormous queues on the windy country roads. THe RVs in Europe are in general smaller and a lot more expensive then in US - cost of fuel etc....if you are a competent driver it really shouldn't matter where you sit to drive but if you are a bit set in your ways you might find a RHD manual transmission a bit distracting. second hand vehicles are traditionally very cheap in Netherlands.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the capital lay-out on the vehicle may well be the least of your expenses - there is yearly road fund tax and insurance which you will need for all of Europe - that's a lot of different countries - you may also want a recovery service - e.g. AA or RAC (UK ones).

crafty

We are looking for a older used in good condition campervan or small rv about 19 or 20 ft.I wasn't aware that we would have to have insurance from every country. I would think that we could get insurance that would cover all the countrys. We will be checking on this also.We are retired from the USA and will be able to support our trip we our income.
thanks for all the comments and info.
crafty

janisj

Your current car insurance doesn't usually cover you for driving overseas. Driving in Europe is similar - not totally but similar. When you live in one of those countries, you can get insurance that covers you - but the coverage is not automatically the same all over Europe. But you won't have an address from which to establish insurance.

Rental cars are different since the rental company or a credit card can provide coverage in most countries. But when you OWN the vehicle it is a whole different thing. And you will want a very high level of coverage.

Maybe others will be able to give you advice - there are lots of expats on here. Unfortunately my own experience owning cars/RVs is old and probably out of date. But it isn't just a straight forward -- arrive in the Netherlands, buy a motorhome, start traveling. Doesn't happen that way.