Have you noticed how everything on the road seems to be getting bigger these days? The giant motorhomes with slide-out rooms that just a few years ago we thought of as a purely American thing are here and here in force. Some of them are 40 feet long and deliver as much comfort as your average suburban mansion. If you’ve ever wanted it, it’s probably in these Luxurious (with a capital L) dream machines.
Unfortunately, they can set you back as much as half a mill so it might take a few more favourable changes to the Super laws before they start to outnumber caravans in Aussie van parks. In fact, a number of van parks can’t yet cope with the sheer size of these vehicles. Not all motorhomes, of course, are in the $500,000 Supersize-Me category although you can generally expect to pay upwards of $100,000.
They typically offer comfort, stability, style and space.
The most often referred to drawback of a motorhome is that once you have parked up and set up camp it’s a bit of a pain to pop out for a quick drive … and parking is an issue, too. A lot of motorhomers get around the problem by bringing along another mode of transport, often towing a small 4WD, or bringing a motorbike or a cycle along. I know, I know, I’ve never seen anyone hop out of a $500,000 Winnebago and jump on a push bike either but I’m sure it happens!
For many avid motorhomers, the space and comfort offered by these vehicles overpowers any perceived negatives. They love the feeling of having a luxuries of home ‘away from home’.
The Caravan Industry of Australia issued the following checklist
for people considering buying a motorhome