Motorhome for fulltime living

    My wife and I have been full time since 2010 in North America. We are
    Canadians and spent winters down south in the US and summers in Canada.
    We own a 45' class A right now.


    We decided to give Europe a try and looking to buy a motorhome. We are
    down to a few brands like Concorde, Morelo and Phoenix, all in the
    8.5-9M just because my wife is a chef and cooks a lot in the motorhome.
    Really need a kitchen counter space and these were the only models we
    could find (if you know of other smaller units with counter space please
    let us know)


    We would like to get feedback on the size and quality between Concorde and Morelo please. Looking at motorhome
    campgrounds and parking we see that a lot of the places we would like
    to visit accept up to 9m units. We are wondering about driving around EU
    in general. We are not concerned with the fuel cost or toll roads but
    more with access.


    We see a lot of motorhomes in that size for sale so wondering what all
    these people do with them if its not feasible to use them? For us its
    about Summers in central Europe or Scandinavian countries and winters in
    Spain and Portugal.



    Thanks!

    Wingover.
    first of all, a warm welcome here at the LinerTreff. The motorhome market in central europe is a very large shape. There are a lot of different types of mobilehomes in the market. Concorde and Morelo are mostly similar so far as the length is alike. Phoenix is in the same class. The length of 9m is ok for the most places. 10m are as well acceptable. The limit for the most places is more than 10 meters.


    Because of Europe wether sometimes it is a good idea to have a kitchen outside (As ZukunftsLinerFahrer) explained. Germans are used to have barbecue at the camper during tripps. So having a kind of open air kitchen is still a good plan.


    Feel free to ask more details for planning your yourney and we will try to answer.


    Martin

    Hi Martin,


    Thanks for the reply. We know that most people do cook outside and we used to do it too while camping a few weeks a year but now that we are living year around in the motorhome it feels like camping when you set up everything outside. We were hoping to find kitchen working space closer to what American motorhomes have here. If we can't find it we will have to adjust.


    Do you know if it is a real issue to travel with a 9m or 10m motorhome in other countries like Spain, Portugal etc? Our life style here is staying in one place between a week to a month. We don't move every day. We like the big cities for good coffee and restaurants but after a few weeks we like the camping feel to relax and bike a lot.


    Are there any known major problems (like structure corrosion, transmission, or engine) for Concorde or Morelo between 2013-2017?


    Thanks,


    Tal


    P.S. ZukunftsLinerFahrer, she cooks way better than Nigella Lawson but nice try ;)

    Wingover,
    We had a Country Coach Allure 470 for 3 years and toured quite a lot around Europe from our UK base. With 8 wheels and a lifting tag and close on 12mt it was a constant test for our nomadic lifestyle. So we sold it and set the limit of 9 mts but ended up with 9.2 NiBi Flair. We have had 4 years of stress free touring and the only downside for us with a European was the missing 4 slide outs we had on the Allure. So as I write this we are 30 clicks from our dealer here in Germany and go tomorrow to take ownership finally of our new Morelo Palace Liner, on a Mercedes truck chassis, only 9.1 metres long but with a slide out lounge and kitchen.
    The extra space is a real godsend in the kitchen area although no increase in worktop.
    Many people without slide out experience believe it will be an issue but in reality (a) you can live easily with the slide in, and (b) the extension is similar to the space needed to access locker doors etc. But you know this already.
    Morelo and perhaps Vario are the only manufacturers that offer a slide out on a short 9 metre Liner.
    Your 9 metre bench point will be a good choice in my opinion and of course with 45ft Yankee experience handling will be a doddle.
    Get a truck based navigator, I use Sygic Truck and CoPilot Truck apps on a tablet which is more flexible as may be the case for you.
    I have met some Kiwis who bought a MH in Europe, leave it here in storage and fly over for 6 month tours.
    So good luck in your research and welcome. By the way I am one of several UK residents on this forum which we have found a great source of info.
    Michael

    Hi Michael,


    Thanks so much for your help. I hear you about the slides. We actually have a telescopic slide in the living area so total of 5 slides and love the space.


    I am wondering if you have any idea of how easy/hard it is to sell used Motorhomes in Europe?


    Here in North America in the last 5 years you can get most of your money back if you buy smart. Most of the time you can get rid of it in about 1-2 months. I see a lot of motorhomes listings in Europe that are over 6 months.


    We were looking at a Country Coach here before buying our Monaco. They are very good coaches. Here is ours inside:

    Monaco are good coaches, indeed there several makes I could buy tomorrow but........
    Resale is tricky in Europe for Yankees it's a very specific market but I sold mine in 3 months and lost about 20% over 3 years. As they say you buy your profit on resale upfront which is what you are saying. I would suggest you buy in Germany, there is a different mindset, 12 % is the starting point, and dealers prefer 5 new customers and make 5k each, whereas UK dealers are happy with one customer and hold out for 25k. I have got a good deal on my Flair PX, still lost some money, but difficult to quantify as I bought it with £-€ 1.30, and my conversion of the cash balance for the Morelo has averaged 1.154.
    I have not really been following the second hand market, but my dealer tells me that the German market is on fire, he would wouldn't he! That said there are several new Morelos on mobile.de that have been there since the end of last year. Maybe someone with some well founded opinions will be along.
    Michael

    2019 Morelo Palace Liner 88LB SLO with slide out on MB chassis

    @Wingover


    Never tried Nigellas food, but found more or less 10 cook books from her in our cabinet (between around 100 others).


    If you are familiar with public transport you just take a campsite nearby a major town and can use the facilities on one hand while be close to the city on the other.


    Just be aware of emission zones in Germany, France, especially London and different others.


    If it comes to the point just drop a new request.


    Solutions can always be found.


    One example for a week in London - Google maps showed me a coach parking at a hotel. Gave them a call, paid 10 pounds a day with navette f.o.c. to the tube station, free hook up and 24h CCTV.