Buying a motorhome – what to consider?

After we made the decision to discover the world with our motorhome, the real adventure had started: buying a motorhome. We were brand new to the motorhome world and we had absolutely no idea what to look for, how to choose the most suitable model or what technical features to pay attention to. Back then the largest motorhome fair was taking place in Düsseldorf. As we don’t live far away, we decided to visit the fair to check out the different manufacturers and their range of models. At the end of a busy weekend and after careful consideration, we were convinced: it will be a RIMOR.

If you value practical details as much as we do, you are definitely in good hands with RIMOR. A huge team has carefully pondered how to make everyday life in the motorhome the most pleasant experience. The motorhome world may seem overwhelming to a newbie, but it’s actually not as complicated as it may seem at first. If you take a moment to ask yourself few questions, you will be able to refine your search for your ideal motorhome:

1.1 How many people are travelling with you?

An important criterion to consider is the number of passengers. Will you be traveling alone or as a couple? Do you intend to take friends, children or grandchildren with you on a regular basis?

We obviously wanted to travel together as a family, so 2 adults and 3 children. We immediately knew: we need one with at least 5 seats and beds. Since we were still undecided whether our family planning was complete or not, we wanted to be on the safe side and also foresee a place for child No. 4. So we filtered our motorhome search for a model with 6 seats and sleeping spaces. It quickly became clear to us that we needed an overcab model.

1.2 How long can the motorhome be?

There are two categories of people here: some want to keep the motorhome as short as possible, others like to have more space as possible. We clearly belong to the second category: if there would be a bad weather day on our travels, we wanted to have enough space for all the children to spend the day inside.

However, many people prefer motorhome below the ‘famous’ 7 meters. From experience, however, I have to say that you quickly develop a good sense of the length and you can estimate what is possible and what’s not. With our motorhome, we’ve been in the rush hour of big cities, in tiny historic old towns with incredibly narrow streets. So far, we have always been able to drive through every situation without any problems.

1.3 What about the bed?

The real key question is: how many ‘fixed-beds’ do you need? We mean beds that do not have to be folded or converted. These beds are always ready and you can lie down at any time. We also use the bed surface as a kind of play area for the children. Since this area does not have to be converted or closed, we can leave all the toys where they are when we continue driving.

We chose the model with two double beds (one in the rear and one in the overcab, above the driver’s cab). We are still lucky at the moment that all of our children fit into one bed. We parents sleep in the other double bed. The seating area can be converted into a third double bed. When the children grow older and we won’t need the car seats in the sitting area, this corner can easily be converted into a sleeping area every evening.

Rimor offers models like the Seal 50, with even 6 fixed-beds: 2 bunk beds (4 beds in total) and a double bed in the overcab. As a large family we will definitely keep an eye on this model.

1.4 Should the toilet and shower be separate?

There are models with or without a separate shower cubicle. For us personally, it was important to have them separate, as we found it to be more comfortable. We have once travelled in a rented motorhome with a convertible toilet/shower cabin, it can be a good option to save space, but you should think twice if it can be practical for you.

If you’re not planning to use the motorhome’s shower often, you can definitely choose a model with an integrated toilet and shower cubicle. Here’s the crucial question: do you intend to sleep mostly in the nature or you prefer to stay in a camping site? Because in the second case you will be using their facilities most of the time and a spacious bathroom can be secondary for you.

We wanted to free camp as much as possible, even during the night. In order to have the feeling of being at home wherever we go and not having to sacrifice our personal space in the surrounding area outside the motorhome, we therefore decided for a spacious bathroom with a separate shower cubicle.

1.5 How much space do you need in the garage?

It’s amazing how much space you can have and how much you can actually take with you. It was always important for us to take our bicycles, the children’s bikes and the bike trailer for the baby. We therefore knew that we needed a lot of space in the garage. You can even fit a motorcycle into the garage of our Seal 5. As far as packing is concerned, we quickly learned one thing: less is better! Don’t take too many things with you and concentrate on what you really need on holiday.

1.6 How big should the fridge be?

As a large family, it is important for us to have a large refrigerator, we therefore paid attention to its size when buying our motorhome. We didn’t want to have to go to the supermarket every day. We were actually surprised by how spacious our fridge really is, we can fit in much more that we thought. So far we have always managed to put all our groceries as a family of 6 into the fridge. And we often shop for a whole week. Including tons of ice-cream for the kids 🙂

1.7 What is your budget?

Last but not least, one of the most important factors in the decision. You should not only pay attention to the base price, but closely look at the options and functions that are already included and fit your needs. For us, these were, for example, a rear-view camera, a large refrigerator, anti-fall net (especially recommended when small children are on board), mosquito net door (a must have!), awning (to have enough shade for the children in the high sun), seat covers in the driver’s cabin (first for your own comfort and also for the protection of your seat – when traveling with children is an important feature :-)), an additional battery (to be independent from electricity sources when you’re champing for several days into the wild).

Once you have thought about all these questions and you have made your mind, visit the dealer nearest to you to find out more. You can find the closest Rimor’s dealer here:

Once you have chosen your motorhome, you can start dreaming about all the destinations on your bucket list. Have fun!

Sincerely yours,

Also known as TouristsWithKids