It looks fab - and I recall the Concorde, also a big old beast. Those costs to up plate sounds horrendous to a layman but I am sure they are good value overall.... I'm an oldie so have C1. Never did really enjoy driving the big rigs though... but whenever I am with the kids (now 31 and 30 - and I have 3 grandkids) we invariably end up talking about camping times... not always positively but def memories. Being overtaken on the M62 by HGVs on way back from lake district is one I recall - the espace was a lovely car but 115hp was def not enough (it replaced a 200 bhp+ 3 litre Vauxhall people carrier!) For now I'll stick to trips abroad although as retirement beckons I will no doubt revisit a home on weels....
Does your motorhome incorporate a Tardis, Spuff - you've jumped into the future! Or was it too much Guinness? Congrats on the new motorhome!
Thanks for the kind messages fellas. Just to wrap this up, the finance went through on the new van today and I'll spend the weekend emptying the Knaus of all of our wordly possessions and eBaying all the bits I bought specific to the van. The numbers are pretty frightening in terms of how much the van cost me in the end. A quick tot up using the Pistonheads calculator I keep up to date is showing me £3 per mile, which over a little over 10k miles gives me c. £32k over 20months! Have I got the value out of it? Well, I think that's subjective. I don't regret owning it. Sure, I'd like it to have cost less. But it's a vehicle I've thoroughly enjoyed over many different trips. My Wife and I talked a lot about it last night and we had to remind ourselves just how much had changed in the 20months since we pulled the trigger on it. The van was bought at a time where I'd had a pretty scary health diagnosis (which I've subsequently managed to u-turn with big dietary & lifestyle changes), I had just changed jobs with a big payrise and was finally turning a financial corner from the divorce, my Wife was earning good money (got made redundant 4wks later and hasn't worked since!) and we had one full-time child and a very part-time (9days per month) daughter with us. Fast forward through that time and I'm the sole breadwinner, we have 3 kids full-time and I no longer have the luxury of indulging myself only in a very expensive toy for me. None of the changes were really foreseen. We'd tried and failed on many occasions to have the final child and had written off the possibility. My wife's job was senior and going well, had no cause to consider it would not continue and the idea of having to go to Court to get custody of my daughter was unfathomable at the time! I genuinely felt this van would be the perfect solution for years to come. The new van will cost the same on a monthly basis (give or take) but will accomodate all of us in comfort and provide a basis for real adventures and memory-making. It would be just plainly rude to hold on to the camper to satisfy myself when my earnings aren't just 50% of the pie but instead 100% and needed to be enjoyed by everyone. I'll be collecting the new van in a fortnight but dropping off this one early next week to save me a few weeks on finance and get rid of that horrible feeling of responsibility/worry you have when you're px-ing something and desperately trying to ensure it's not damaged in the interim!! Thank you for the memories, Freddy! I hope you find happiness with your new owners and they cherish you just as much.
A great way to sign off this ownership experience Duncan. If we used tomorrow as the final point in any decision making, nothing would ever happen. The unknown is exactly, that, unknown, and trying to make an informed decision as to anything is challenging. The nagging "what if" can so easily come to the fore. At the time the Knaus was the absolute right choice, it fitted beautifully into your life, and that of the family, at that juncture. As you have described, a whole series of other events unfolded pretty much straight after the purchase. However, it sounds like there are absolutely no regrets over the ownership experience, and so there shouldn't be. Enjoy each moment, embrace it for what it is and live life. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the adventures you and the family have had in this one, kind of vicariously lived the experience with you all! I've always had a little tiny "wouldn't a camper be a great idea" thought, but have never, nor probably ever, done anything about it, so sharing in your journey has been excellent, thank you. The new one is something else altogether! I'm pretty sure you won't be attempting the Ireland trip in this one....... More fun and adventure to come in the near future. Enjoy.
I agree with everything that @Wynne71 says, it has served you well over the 20 months and the new motorhome is on another level! If the monthlies are roughly the same it looks like a lot more value for money
Well - I didn't expect to be writing this, but 2wks after dropping off Freddie at Cranhan Leisure, I'm picking him up again tomorrow to bring him back to the new storage unit originally destined for the Argos. It's been a complete pain in the backside since I've had to re-insure it and re-instate the Tracker subscription too. I am somewhat excited about picking him up again, but frustrated at the same time as I'd said my goodbyes and eyes are now set elsewhere. Let's see what happens over the next week or so. He's now relisted on eBay and VW California Owners Club. If I get a bite that will be helpful going into discussions on the new van, worst comes to the worse I'll PX (at acceptable level) or real worst case scenario.......put it up for Sale or Return at a local dealership and see if they have any luck shifting it. Whatever happens, someone is going to get a very lovely and well cared for van at a fraction of its new price.
So, another update - Freddie's new owner came to view him today after putting down a deposit last week. A thoroughly lovely chap and I feel Freddie will be both in safe hands as well as being used properly to earn his keep. Collection next week. Just need to clear finance on Monday then do the old bank transfer jobber and away he goes. In a funny way, the way the stars have aligned with this sale is exactly how I'd envisaged it late last year. Early Feb - a lot of interest (I had 5 serious enquiries, all looking to view quickly) and closed the deal substantially above PX price from Jan and slightly above PX quoted for the new van. In any event, if it retailed, it would have been a lot more. I think a fair outcome all round. Things are moving forwards...
Thanks guys - all done. Freddie has driven off together with his new owner; an absolutely splendid chap who I have no doubt will lavish as much care and attention on him as I did as well as really enjoy him in a racing paddock and other travels. I'm super lucky to have had another really good experience of selling privately. It's the fifth motorhome out of six where the transaction has been concluded respectfully, cleanly and easily. Internet banking has a lot to do with making it easy, but I've been lucky with the kind of person I've dealt with. Lots of tears from my 4yr old this morning but I'm sure he'll forget once the new one arrives.
