Fitting out a campervan

I've just had to pay £120 for the medical.

Bill

Interesting too that they use the 4.6 tonne chassis

It was a bit of a struggle to get mine organised at 70 and in the end they never invoiced me. Not bothering this time.

Shop around next time, mine cost around £60 the last couple of times. That's with a specialist company that only does driver medicals.

I guess that's why my GP surgery seemed to consider it such an unusual request. Funny, really, I'd have thought it comparatively easy money given that they have the basic records. But maybe not, perhaps the specialists do it as a tick box exercise while surgeries (or rather their insurers) don't want to take the risk of getting caught out.

One thing I found irritating about mine, while they did have a Snellen chart it was not adequately illuminated (as I found out afterwards by looking up the specs). I was borderline for minibus, even though I'd had a proper eye test and new glasses only a month before, and been passed for trailers and 7500kg.

Mine charged £30 for a gun licence renewal.

Then you wont get by with less than £20k

Fuel consumption was never an issue because it never went very far!

But

Well I finally got it started and moved.

I'll clean it up and get it MOTed and have a think

I complained that the test chart was too close. It was probably at the 'correct' distance but still closer than where my distant vision focuses naturally which meant that I was wearing glasses to pass the test (easily) which I didn't really need for 'real world' driving.

My optician recently confirmed that I can pass the standard driving vision requirement without glasses.

Even motorhomes over 3050kg are allowed to do 70 mph on motorways. Plates etc tend to rattle a bit but it is legal.

We whipped around the M2,M20, M26, M25, M3 and back in ours ( over 3.5 T) today for a habitation check. Generally we are are towing a trailer so are limited to 60 but not today and took advantage of it.

Over 3.5T the ?road tax? is cheaper, I pay much less for our A class PHGV than I did for the 3.5T Coach Built. Insurance was all but the same.

The change over date is 1997. So, working back, someone born in 1980 just missed it. Say, those mid mid 40s or older who learned to drive early will, as a guide, be OK.

When you visit sites, it tends to be older people you see in the main.

Yes, I have resigned myself to this.

Also this Clean Air Zone business! It seems that may dictate van base.

Are you sad enough to holiday in clean air zones :-)

On a serious note, how many times do you actually need to enter a clean air zone?

Years ago I was talking cars to a mechanic at a garage and he poinyted out his 5.7 liter American muscle car. I was aghast 'but they only do

"Indeed", he said, "but it only cost me £3400, and the £10,000 I saved will buy a lot of petrol"...

My attitude to campers is that in general its pointless to chase fuel economy. Once you have the equivalent of a Luton body full of a ton of house on the chassis, a diesel will do around 24mpg and a petrol about

But since you do at most 3000 miles year, it hardly is the biggest cost to running one.

No, but that's where the restaurants and supermarkets are, and you often have to pass through these areas.

As per above, I don't know?!

You could always tow a small EV on a trailer :-)

And charge it on the move?

You really need to re-think the achievable MPG from diesel campers. You have either never had one, or have owned a very thirsty one and driven it at speed.

It is best to consider full life-time costs rather than specific perceived key costs.

Well of course. You don't want to be getting in everyone's way at 45mph on a motorway, and I am talking about campers you can stand up in with 'luton' style tops.

Obviously a Mercedes sprinter type van will do better. Until you put a house on the back.