For more information please see my blog Aussies Guide to Setting up a Motorhome/Camper. The Knaus BoxStar XL is built on a Fiat Ducato chassis's, a reliable vehicle which makes a great campervan base. I have to be honest and I would probably check other options first to see what other players there are in the market. If you purchase a vehicle and able to put it into your name then you have the flexibility to choose your own insurance company and breakdown cover although you would need to check this as rules may be different depending on what country you make the purchase. It seems a little fiddly at first but if you use Euro Camping Cars, they seem to do all the leg work for you and the outcome is ideal. which is owned and run by the son. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You can live in a motorhome (and yes, you can live in a motorhome full-time in the UK). Also in the UK the insurance is more costly and especially when you extend it to cover Europe, UK insurers are also known to put caveats on the amount of time you can spend in Europe at anyone time. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. If youre a resident of North America, its going to be difficult to get around this. However feedback from a good friend of ours who did go through Europe-Roadtrip said he would likely send people their way. The disadvantage of this scheme is you may get much less for it as opposed to trying to sell it privately. However non residents of the USA, can apply for an exemption if you plan to use the motorhome for personal use of up to 1 year. Clearly, there are pros and cons to getting behind the wheel of an RV. 5 Motorhome RVs in Portland, OR. If you are buying online, from your own country, youre buying sight unseen. Once the company is established, youre able to legally purchase a vehicle and register it in your name through the company. This type of company is not a trading company but one used to hold assets. A large family that wants to get away from the chores and simply enjoys the freedom of the road might choose hotel travel, even though it is the more expensive alternative for them. Switzerland has only 1 type: 1 year is ca. Any opinions I give are my own, but are also just based on my own research. Low-profile motorhomes vary in length from around 5.5 metres to over 8m. Campers and motorhomes come in all shapes and sizes and you can pay anything from 4000 to 70,000 and you get what you pay for. As for language Google 'English-german' and use the translation service there. Everything You Should Know Before Renting Your First RV, Where to Go in 2021: 10 Future Trips You Can Start Planning Now, Your Trip to New Zealand: The Complete Guide, How to Estimate Cost of Gas for a Road Trip, How to Plan an Awesome Family Vacation on a Budget. Why can you not get it on German plates and drive around Europe for six months to make the trip worth it and get the mileage over 6000 to get rid of the VAT. Don't laugh, people do buy motorhomes in shady deals from men in pub car parks. As a company, this address is simply a place where important documents can be sent. Christine and her partner Ben have spent the last few years traveling through New Zealand and then Europe by campervan. If your intention is to travel Europe for 12 months or more, buying your own motorhome, either new or used is a great option. MOT (date of) Driving licence- yes, your UK driving licence is legal in Europe but you might need an International Driving Permit. Best of luck, if you ever do it let me know . If youre planning a long term campervan or motorhome trip youve probably wondered about buying a motorhome in Europe. We bought a 17-year-old Burstner and in the first couple of months we did have to fix a few things like the water pump needed replacing and the lights were not working properly. Plenty of people out there who will see it as a bargain when and if you come to sell. Then I thought hey why not do both? Large cities are not RV-friendly, while remote scenic wonders might not offer many decent hotel options. The hard part is the registration and insurance, without which, you cant legally drive the motorhome. That might happen occasionally (usually by prior arrangement) but most nights, there are camping fees to pay. Looks like this French outfit run by a British couple are worth contacting. Hi Rob, Thank You for your message, I am happy my article was informative. Who knows: you might decide that the mobile lifestyle is for you, but you certainly don't have to. During the colder months late November to early April we will store our motorhome at Camperfun in Hoogeveen for a small fee of 25 a month where it will be kept inside a large shed. Austria has Stickers for 70, euros a year, another one for any 60 consecutive days or 10 days. The vehicle comes kitted out with bedding, towels, kitchen stuff and other essentials that you dont need to purchase. There are cab area, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room, and plenty of storage compartments make it one of the best class C RV. SARL Direction France When you have finished your holiday, youre able to sell the campervan or motorhome, as the titled owner, to anyone you wish. No one questions whether it would be seized when they hire their vehicle. Money has a way of doing all kinds of weird things to relationships. If that is their country of residence, then they can sort it out like they would their personal vehicle. There was a time when RV travel was something only for retirees, but those days are long gone. This is called different things in different countries but its basically a test of road worthiness. However, if you plan on visiting the following countries then you need to carry the green card with you and may be asked for it at the border: We were asked for it at the Montenegrin border! Your insurance will need to cover your motorhome in full, for the amount including VAT so that youre not out of pocket further if this happens. The excess though is quite high at 720 euro. This is because they have the title. Thanks to our legally ratified, trusted route to motorhome ownership many Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and Americans are now enjoying the . My Car Check is a service that will give you information on the vehicle such as number of previous owners, outstanding unpaid loans, written off or even stolen. I will discuss these in a separate blog. This is the problem that all these solutions are trying to solve. It is an un-assisted, solo navigation of the [] Read more, A few days ago Sebastien from movera.com paid us a visit to talk about his catalogue and shop. How can you buy and register a vehicle when you dont have an address. If you dont have an EU licence, then its a good idea to have an IDP as some countries may ask for it. As a non-European resident without an address you can not register your vehicle in your name. IdeaMerge recommends starting your rental in Germany: "even if the bulk of your itinerary lies outside Germany." Fortunately, Vaughan is very handy, so he could fix most of the problems and what he couldnt fix we had done at a garage. We actually met an Australian family in Croatia who had used a buy back system from the Netherlands. If you are reading this, the chances are that you have been looking into the options for motorhome or campervan ownership in France already and we expect you will by now be surprised at just how complicated the question of vehicle ownership here can be. Hi there, I share some tips for New Zealand in case you want to include any. COVID has put a hold on this for the time being but we still hope we can at least buy a van in 2021. 5 RV Types Compared: United States Vs. Canada. Swift Kon-Tiki Sport - 63,105. Comes with basic 2-month warranty covering the engine. There are certain circumstances where the VAT that you didnt pay, under the scheme, can come due. Consider how those fit into your preferences as you look at your budget. It's often wise to rent an RV for a long weekend trip that doesn't take you too far from home. One such company is Happy Camper/Europe Road Trips. Our experience was based on buying though Camperfun not Europe-Roadtrip, even though we had no major problems I feel that if anything had gone wrong we would not have received good service, we were lucky. Now you would get discounts with that, hire companies usually discount for long term rentals, but even so. Once you buy it, you have to try and work out how to register and insure it. 1 Motorhome RV in Cuba, MO. What are the benefits of buying a motorhome to travel Europe? in Germany you will buy them on the border, when you enter or any petrolstation, that is the same in Austria, where we have that already for some time. You have a purchase contract which says that you have ownership for a short period of time. Id love to hear from you. COPYRIGHT INFO 2021 Wheeling It. Reasons to buy a motorhome- spending more time in nature and beautiful countryside. You might need to spend $100,000 or more to buy a new RV, so it only makes sense to try a rental for a few times before considering the added financial commitment of a lease or full ownership. Here are some points to consider when trying to decide whether or not to buy an RV in Canada or the U.S. Here's whether RVs cheaper in Canada. For example, if you were to purchase a vehicle in the UK then you need to know the following: In short, UK insurance companies are restrictive and expensive in comparison to European Insurances and even more of a pain if you are not a UK resident. Having never owned a MH / imported a vehicle into the UK I have in the past 10 days gone to Germany and imported an A Class. Camping in Europe is pretty darn cheap (the biggest attraction, really). How can I buy a motorhome in Europe as a non resident? 7.5 m (~25 ft) is considered a larger size rig. We got caught out with this when the water pump packed in only 3 weeks after collecting the vehicle. The buy back percentage can be anywhere from 30-70% of the total that you paid. They also kind of align with certain countries. You own the company, the company owns the motorhome, ergo, you own the motorhome. The biggest thing to be aware of is compliance with New Zealands regulations. You have full ownership. The difficulty of purchasing a motorhome/camper is not in the actual purchase but the registration, you need to be a European resident with an address to be able to own a vehicle. In saying that though, you can probably pick up some bargains on Gumtree and eBay if you prefer a right-hand drive, but they are likely to be older vehicles and getting them through the UK MOT might be painful. Our proven scheme is a unique, carefully researched and legally verified route to ownership which has been ratified by both our chartered accountants and legal advisors. The funny thing was it started as a plan to drive through the US, but after looking at US motorhomes, they are all big behemoth vehicles with terrible interiors, all timber and marble, brown and beige etc like straight out of the 80s. At the time of writing, this blog a company called. Will it be the UK or the continent? Experience this fantastic lifestyle! Finding information on buying a motorhome in Europe for non residents! International Money Transfer companies fees change so its worth shopping around before choosing one. Camperfun have a Australian bank account so you have the option of transferring the amount into that account to save on conversion fees. They may help you sell the motorhome, thats up to them, but theyll need to be involved. For those that want more "space". We also considered next time maybe buying one in the UK. If your driving in the UK youll also need to pay road taxes. Although you own your motorhome and it is a registered vehicle, not all insurance companies in the UK cover non residents. Eurocampingcars was established to service the growing demand from overseas visitors who wish to own a motorhome or campervan to travel in Europe. Before making that purchase there are few things to consider: Probably the first thing you should ask yourself is how long do you intend to travel for and would renting be better than buying. Youre required to transfer large sums of money, often to unknown people and places. Braitman & Wouldenberg Campers (Amsterdam). Selling at the end of your trip, what are your options? I would like to spend more than the 90 days allowable in the Shenzhen area. Dont just assume that you are. However they were really happy with it. 8-9 m (~26-29 ft) is considered HUGE. Its the most expensive continent to travel, especially Western Europe and Scandinavia. Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Israel, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine. Full-time motorhome life may not be for you, but your motorhome can be a spare room for visitors or used as temporary accommodation if you're having work done to your house. You dont have to worry about trying to sell it at the end. If they dont have a motorhome you like, they may also be able to help you find one for a small fee. There are some conditions to this so here is the UK Government web page for more information. For example if you had a friend or family member in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, it really doesnt matter. And that, my friend, is the catch. Should you be interested in using them please feel free to. Happy Camper and Europe RoadTrip (run by the same family) in the Netherlands also do the same thing but I have received feedback from past clients about poorly maintained vehicles, dodgy insurance, and poor customer service so I dont recommend them to people anymore. They are all different and have different pros and cons. We aim to make buying and owning a Motorhome or Campervan in Europe an absolute pleasure. What I hope to do was give you a push in the right direction so you have a good starting point. Our bilingual contacts might prove invaluable during your motorhome trip, Our solution in France for overseas buyers, Popular examples from the 2020 BluCamp Range, Planning your arrival/collection day (password protected). The Green Card is an international certificate of insurance providing visiting motorists the minimum compulsory insurance cover required by the law of the country visited. In short, if you're the type of traveler who likes all-inclusive resorts, and eating in restaurants and staying in interesting hotels are highlights of a road trip for you, think long and hard about this option before making a serious commitment. does anyone have an idiots guide with who to contact and how to import a van from europe. You dont have to worry about getting it registered, or insured because the company will help you. Contrary to popular belief, parking an RV for the night is usually not free. Alternatively, the company you buy from will buy it back from you at a pre-agreed percentage. Electrical compliance is non-negotiable. You cannot sell a motorhome bought through a buy back scheme in the Netherlands without the involvement of the company that youve purchased it from. A good starting point from your own country, youre buying sight unseen motorhome and it is registered. 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