# Buying a second hand Rapido - anything to watch for?



## SwampThing (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi there, 
We are intending to buy our first motorhome, a Rapido 9010DF on Friday and I would be grateful for any suggestions for things to look out for.
The van is 2nd hand (3 years old) and being purchased from a dealer. So far I am very happy with the process - all queries have been dealt with quickly and professionally and they have agreed to fix the few items we identified as needing attention.
Hope those of you with more experience can help me finish this process as happy as I started!
Thanks


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I would ask for a certificate from them saying they have checked the vehicle and there are no damp issuesd with it.

Also insist on a 12 month warranty for base vehicle AND habitation.

Once you have those get out and ENJOY YOUR MH!!


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## ched999uk (Jan 31, 2011)

It may sound harsh but do not pay or accept the vehicle until you have checked everything (water, gas, electrics) and all fixes you requested are complete. Get them to show you everything!! Give them a couple of days warning that you want to see everything working or they may use some excuse to avoid taking the time to show you.

The reason is that there are some less scrupulous dealers who will take money and then offer no service. 

Sorry to sound so down but there are some bed stories on here.

Good Luck and hope you get a great van and enjoy it.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

If you identify the dealer there may well be a previous/curent customer on here who can give an opinion based on personal experience !!


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## SwampThing (Mar 9, 2012)

Thanks for the quick responses.
The dealer is Southdowns Motorhome Centre in Portsmouth. As mentioned in my original post, so far they have been extremely helpful.
They suggested a Friday handover so they would have time on a quiet day (as opposed to weekend) to run through everything with us and have suggested we camp on a local site Friday night so that if we do identify anything wrong (or that we don't understand :? ) that we could drop back in on the Saturday for them to assist.


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

Hi, we have owned our current Rapido for nearly 4 years, and had another for 4 years before that. We think they a well built MH and we have not had any issues with either. I hope yours will be the same and you have years of trouble free camping in it.
As the previous poster says, make sure you understand fully all the bits and pieces on handover, however long it takes. We take a camera and note pad as backup just in case. Most things on the Rapido are straightforward, the fresh water drain can be hidden away, and the heater cotrols take a bit of sorting out, but I am sure you will be OK. On your first night make sure you try everything out, heating, shower, fridge on all settings, on and off hookup, all bed variants etc, while you have the chance to go back for retraining should you need it.
This is a big outlay you are making, so you need to be confident you have made the right choice. I am sure you will be sitting in your new MH with a big grin next Friday!! 

Good Luck,

Colin


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

Would agree Rapido is a well built van.

Would advise you check the payload - as with any van. Some of the 3500kg vans are almost illegally overweight before you put anything in them. I don't know what weight your van is, I merely mention the 3.5 as an example. I would ask the dealer to put it on a weighbridge before you sign anything - and yes, I have had my fingers burnt!

Sal


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## wooly (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi , As above I would check out the other thread running on Rapido motorhomes with reference to gross vehicle weights, as someone has just found out they have absolutely no capacity for passengers let alone all other clothes food and other rubbish that we all cart around. I might be scaremongering but better forewarned, we have people in the past that have bought and then find there is no load capacity, the stealer wont want to know once he's got your cash.
Michael


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

We've been very happy with our Rapido, and despite a few searches, have not found anything we want to replace it with (not that we have the money  ).

My first "problem" was the gas manifold. As a hardened camper, I knew it might take a while for the gas to get from the bottles to various bits, especially the fridge and heater. We had an "on/off" control before the regulator, another one after the regulator, another one integral with the distribution manifold and 4 taps on the manifold itself, sending gas to the various appliances. Remembering exactly which way each tap had to point became confusing, so I stuck little diagrams nearby and I still refer to them every trip: now I know it's not them if something doesn't light (it REALLY DOES take a while for gas to get to our heater - I always light the hob for a few seconds first to ensure gas has got that far, at least).

Our handbrake has to be off before I can swivel the driver seat (but it's an old Merc, so may not affect you).

If you've searched the threads, you'll find a few complaints about gaps around fridges.

Another bugbear in many MHs is cracking of the shower/toilet floor - well worth getting on hands and knees to check.

Recently there have been a spate of problems with plastic windows crazing because people have cleaned them with a chemical - it seems to occur where fixings pass through the transparent material. Apparently expensive because the window needs to be replaced. As you can imagine, these are not specific to Rapidos.

Enjoy.


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## bigbazza (Mar 6, 2008)

Spares are expensive, but not compared other brands.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-122204.html


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

We purchased our present van from them, 4 years ago now, we had a couple of problems that they checked out and fixed without any quibble.
My only suggestion is, if it is a Fiat, check for the dreaded judder in reverse on an incline and ask if the modifications have been done.
what size engine is it, as Fiat claim that there are no problems on the 3.0ltr engine, but some owners would disagree with that.

I will point out that all mechanical work is sent out, as Southdowns workshop only deal with the leisure side of the vehicle, I am told.

Rapido are a good product and am sure you will enjoy it.

cabby


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

We also own a Rapido, the 7090 - owned from new, one thing I would seriously ask them to do, is take it to a weighbridge and get a certificate, with the necessary water and fuel if possible, although you can work out those weights, and see what payload is left.

Is it a 3.5t, 3.7t or the 4.35 (as Ray and I have) - you may find like the poster on the thread already mentioned that you will not have room for your goods and chattels and no children....

Seriously some 3.5t motorhomes have little or no payload. A certificate will give you some piece of mind, before you buy and spend a lot of money

We had a problem with a split tank in the first year, as another member did, and it was replaced by Rapido France without quibble (and fitted by Wokingham Rapido) even though we purchased ours new in Germany. We have also had a damp issue found last habitation check which was also carried out at Wokingham. 

If a UK purchased MH it will only have a 3 year warranty, ours having been purchased in Germany does have a 5 year warranty, so we still have time.

The only other thing has been a broken bathroom lock, which was fixed by a locksmith in Ireland....ours near home couldn't do it!!!

Lovely vehicle - and all will have bits go wrong occasionally...

Carol


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

Another positive vote from me - our previous van was a Rapido and I was always impressed by the build quality, innovation and finish. 

Although happy with the van we have at the moment (Chausson), would have no hesitation considering another Rapido if the budget would stretch.


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## mcpezza (Aug 16, 2008)

We took delivery of a used Bürstner from Southdowns last weekend. The vehicle was immaculately prepared, with great attention to detail.....except the salesperson forgot to tell the workshop to attend to a couple of points. Overall a great experience.


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## SwampThing (Mar 9, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies - definitely a few points I hadn't considered.
The van is plated to 3700Kg (from 3500) so I am hoping there is a reasonable payload..... I will ask the dealer to get it on a weighbridge.
I haven't asked about the uphill reversing mod. If it hasn't been done does anyone have an indication of how much it costs to get it done?
Thanks


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## wooly (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi, Please be careful on the weight, you will be amazed how much weight you add from a completely empty van, think passengers, food, clothes, gas, gas bootles, water chairs, bikes awnings, tv, satellite, tools, extra battery, solar panel and so on. The experts on here will tell you, but think at least 400kg for just a small trip
Michael


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

My experience of Rapido after sales customer care is five star, their mission seems to be to position themselves beyond criticism.


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