# new to motor homes and looking for advice



## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

Hi Everyone!

Me and the wife have owned a renault master ambulance conversion for past few years, but we now have a young baby and need something more practical so that we can continue our love of the outdoors and being comfortable!

we have a budget of 10-12k and we're in the market for a proper motorhome. I've had a look around, and it seems that most of what falls into our price range are registered in the mid 90's and have done anything from 30-60 thousand miles. The vans seem older than I was expecting (thought it would be late 90's) but the mileage was what i thought it would be.

now i'm looking for some advice! what are the dangers of buying a van of this age? I know u want a full service history, and to know if the cam needs replacing and the more mechanical side of things, but what about the actual living area, am i being foolish to even consider buying a motor home of this age? Also, are there any chassis models/conversion types to avoid, or go for in particular? and finally does anyone know a good dealership in the bristol area, or am i better looking for a private sale?

all advice welcomed... apologies for the long post and if i've put it in the wrong place


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

You really could strike lucky with a private sale and thats the route I would take with the budget you have. People retire from M/Homing or a bereavement and have to sell their loved M/home 
I wouldnt worry to much by the mileage on the clock as Diesel engines do last well.
But when you buy change the Cam Belt just dont take a risk.
Unless there is a record of when it was changed but I would still change it.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

having said that look here http://www.highbridgecaravans.co.uk...priceMin=0&priceMax=500000&stockType=usedOnly


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

thank you locovan 

i was edging towards the private sale route as well, but have bookmarked the link too. 

is ebay to be avoided, or do you just go on the maxim if anything looks too good to be true, it probably is?


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## thegamwellsmythes (Jul 29, 2008)

All perfectly good points to be considering. I don't have much experience of vehicles to avoid or seek out but these are my thoughts for what they are worth, you may well have all these things covered already.

For the habitation side I would say that you need to make sure everything inside works, if it doesn't why not and if it will be repaired have an idea of how much you could be spending. Ask on here people will be happy to give an idea of cost. Maybe take a gas bottle with you to check the gas appliances if that is possible (you say you have a camper already).

You could buy a damp meter or take along a mobile caravan engineer to check it for you, as with older m/h's damp ingress seems to be the big worry as repairing it can be expensive. A mobile engineer would cost but it might be worth it. Look in all of the cupboards, under sofas, cubby holes etc. for signs of damp.

Really consider the layout as that is what you will need to live with for the duration of ownership. Do you mind making the bed every night or do you want a fixed bed. Do you need lots of storage (garage), do you need lots of evening sitting space, do you need a seperate shower or a combined loo and shower room etc.

Lots of other people have posted about payload so theres loads to read about that.

The base vehicle should be very little different from buying a car I would have thought. Service history, blue smoke on start up, do the brakes work, hand brake works, no clunking noises on full lock, any rust, clutch travel feels OK, any gunge on oil filler cap, signs of general abuse etc.

I would have thought that £12K would get a decent vehicle. A dealer will give you a warranty but a private sale will be cheaper and you may get a newer van for the same money but with no back up. We bought ours from a dealer in November and got a great deal as they were trying to clear that years stock of used vehicles ready for the next years stock of new ones so maybe the time of year will help get a better deal.

We used to have a VW camper and that community always said buy in the winter and sell in the spring/summer. It worked for us as we made a profit on ours.

Whatever you buy, have a fab time.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Ebay have a lot of scams going on but you could have a go on there.
Just be careful

Im sure someone will come on soon and advise :lol:


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/Campe...ers_Caravans_Motorhomes&_trksid=p3286.c0.m301

having a look and there doesnt seem to be any scams :wink:


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## Pippadee (Jul 15, 2011)

We have bought our three vans through private sales. The first was in the freeads, second was from classic van mag i think and the one we have just bought was through ebay. I would say as long as you can see the van, test drive, see paperwork etc you should be fine from scams. Our first two were classic mk1 transits but needed to upgrade as the kids are getting bigger. We looked at loads at a couple of shows, looked at two or three mh sales to decide which layout/cab and build we liked and then just hunted on the internet til we found one. 
I think i would say dont rush to buy the first one, do any checks etc you want, anyone above board shouldnt mind this and enjoy. There are so many out there you can be picky.
Hope this helps some.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Don't be afraid of looking at Ebay - it's a great big shop window and will give you a good idea of what you can get for your money. There may even be some attractive vans close enough to view.

The majority of vans on Ebay are probably genuine sales.

Use the same caution as you would with any other seller.


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Look on ebay and do a "nearest to you" search and go look at the van.


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## A37 (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi Lurkster

I notice that you're local to me.

Make sure you go to the Shepton show in september.

Massive selection of vans from dealers and probably a few bargain private sales in the car parks too. We sold our last van there a couple of years ago. 
We couldn't find our perfect van at the show, but did find one a few months later (private sale).

Winter is also better time to buy, lower prices and if we've had plenty of rain you'll have a better chance of spotting a leaky van !
Damp is probably your biggest enemy !!

Patience is the key, take your time and look at plenty of vans. You'll know when your van turns up !

In your price range, private sale is probably the way to go if you're comfortable with it. Dealers want to add a few thousand to the price. Your 10-12k van could easily by 15k+ from a dealer.

I don't think you have to spend that much to buy a decent van tbh, I have never seen this van so it might be a lemon, also now sold, but gives you an idea of what you can get http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250845399306&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I'm always happy to talk vans, we also have two young kids, so if you wanted a chat or fancied looking at my van ( not for sale ) feel free to pm me.

Dan


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

thank you for all your responses, most helpful!

I've been having a look around online over the last few days, and it seems that in our price range at least, there isn't any difference in price between private and trade sales, in fact i've seen a couple of better looking deals at trade, and there seems to be a lot more choice locally with trade. i guess its a matter of how much more you can beat a private seller down by than a trade outlet, or am i wrong?

this is a trade one i've seen, and similar vans have been priced higher than this privately:

http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/...-id/at8a647b6f30b759840130c1243a6b014e/advert

obviously depending if it is in good condition and comes with all paperwork etc, would this be a good buy?

it seems to tick boxes on papaer and we're now in a bit of a hurry to get a van as our summer hols now really depend on it. we were supposed to be going to mallorca to stay with friends but they have decided to move back to the uk! we're not that fussy in terms of lay-out, so long as it sleeps and transports 4 comfortably and safely, and has the usual ammenities you'd expect a van to have. other than that we're fairly open minded 

one other question i have, is it still possible to get 6 month insurance deals? we are able to SORN the van in a sheltered place over the winter months, but despite extensive googling i can't find this type of policy!

once again, thanks in advance for your patience and help!


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## Pard (May 1, 2005)

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it but it's highly likely that motorhomes at the price you are looking for will have been built in an era when seat belts were only for driver and front seat passenger. Because of the construction methods, retro-fitting one for your child could be challenging and very costly. 

European motorhomes tended to fit more belts earlier than UK ones, where the principal market for new vans has, until fairly recently, been retirees, who've been seen by the manufacturers as not needing them -or willing to pay for them, presumably.

Also, dealers with sub-£15K motorhomes are not that numerous. The resale mark-up minimum of circa £5/6k which they seem to expect on trade-in tends to eliminate cheaper vans from their forecourts. So the private-buy route becomes almost inevitable.

Terry


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## Cazzie (Feb 13, 2009)

We bought our 1993 Pilote Galaxy 23 three years ago and have been delighted with it. The fixtures and fittings seem so much more solid and better quality than anything new that you get these days (See the thread 'decline in quality' on here).
We bought privately and only looked within a 50 mile radius so that we could see it a couple of times before we decided, do a test drive and check that everything worked. We also took a friend with us who had been motorhoming for years as he new exactly what to look for.
Happy hunting.


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

thanks Terry, but this isn't a problem with the vans i've seen advertised so far 

cazzie, how many miles did your pilot have on the clock when you bought it? I've seen a few advertised but they've all been fairly old in comparison with some of the other makes and models out there.

i'd still be very grateful for some other suggestions as to makes/models to avoid, if anyone has any. the good news is that we can actually afford to borrow a little more than we thought we would be able to, so our budget is now max £15k


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## Pard (May 1, 2005)

Hi thelurkster

Regarding any vans to avoid, I suspect it's a case of "one man's meat is another man's poison", and unfortunately there are no JD Power surveys to point the way.

Fiats have come in for a lot of fault-finding over the years, but, then, their Ducatos are far and away the most numerous as motorhome bases and are thus bound to throw up the most problems taken as a whole. I suspect that, comparing on a more level playing field, the more commonplace vans are much of a muchness when it comes to reliability. We who own Mercs like to think they are that little bit more dependable, but I'm not tempting fate by bragging _too_ much!

As others have mentioned, I suspect the biggest concern is ensuring that there is no sign of leakage in the coachbuilt bit, and so a damp test is worthwhile. And don't ignore the potential for a soggy floor as well as a mouldy ceiling/wall... In regard to water ingress, I'd suggest you are less likely to suffer problems with something like an Autosleeper fibreglass monocoque, or something that has a one-piece roof overlapping the walls - and not too many holes cut for later additions of aerials, etc.

Have you had a look at www.knightmotorcaravans.co.uk? Or www.kampersandkars.com? Not on your doorstep, but not so very far either. Happy hunting!

Terry

Terry


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## A37 (Sep 22, 2009)

I suspect that this van is worth more than 15k, I don't know an awful lot about Concorde's except that they make quality vans.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/motor-hom...mpers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item20bb2c817a


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## jonse (Nov 2, 2008)

*vans*

I don't think you should consider a petrol van at all stick with a diesel, you should also get a 2000 or 2001reg modal for the money you want to spend, although the base unit might be an 1998 damp will be the one thing to look for and take note of the other advise given on this site


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

thelurkster said:


> thank you for all your responses, most helpful!
> 
> I've been having a look around online over the last few days, and it seems that in our price range at least, there isn't any difference in price between private and trade sales, in fact i've seen a couple of better looking deals at trade, and there seems to be a lot more choice locally with trade. i guess its a matter of how much more you can beat a private seller down by than a trade outlet, or am i wrong?
> 
> ...


We have had one of those :wink: 
Check the damp in the Luton right in the front under the mattress as the seals let in water if the Sealant has dried up and cracked round the front window. Other than that a great first time buy.


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## Cazzie (Feb 13, 2009)

Hi lurkster
Our Pilote had done 66,000 when we bought it nearly 3years ago. It's now up to 83,000.
Cazzie


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

Again, thank you all for your advice and pointers, much appreciated… so much so I’ve forked out for the subscription, so you’re stuck with me now for a year at least.

I have another newbie question, I’m afraid! In quite a few of the van interior photos I’ve been looking at, when the seating area(s) are photographed, the table seems to be missing where it looks like there should be one. Is this just a convention to make it look more spacious, or is it likely the table has been removed and is maybe missing? If it’s the latter, are they easy to replace?


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

an update for any interested parties... still waiting for the loan to come through, as the building society have been useless. this is especially painful as we have found our perfect van at what seems to be a good price.

its a '98 6 berth elddiss autostratus, exactly the layout we want and its in excellent condition.

fingers and toes are now tightly crossed the money comes through before the van goes :?


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

there was something wrong with that post. i didn't ask a question. let me put that right.

can anyone give me an indication of how much it would cost to a solar panel on a van such as an autostratus?

thank you


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## masie123 (Nov 9, 2010)

suppose we have been lucky we bought our last 2 off eBay.. paid cash for both very good deals..
be very careful though i and others on this forum would advise not to pay anything through pay pal if you do go eBay route cash on collection only..good luck masie


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

hi masie, thank you, definitely not paying by paypal 

still waiting for our loan to be approved thanks largely to the incompetence of our mortgage company, and its likely to be a couple of days yet. its absolute cos we are watching our dream van slip through our fingers


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

just put down a deposit on this beauty:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....270005&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_528wt_1139

pick up on friday, am feckin' excited


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## thegamwellsmythes (Jul 29, 2008)

It looks very smart, I'm sure you'll be very happy together.


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Looks cracking. Make sure you do a thorough checking before departing with the balance

stew


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## thelurkster (Jul 15, 2011)

thanks TGS, i'm sure we will be too  

Stew, with help from the buying guide on here it was given a thorough checking last night. can't believe our luck really, its almost like getting dealer quality service with private buyer prices... new belts, exhaust, brakes etc, all with the relevant paperwork. and everything that was originally fitted still has the manuals, in good condition.


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