Do I buy a new or second hand motorhome (1 Viewer)

Sep 29, 2011
1
0
Shropshire
Funster No
18,329
MH
Justlooking
Exp
Im a newbie
Hi Just Joined today.

My dilemma is I am in the process or purchasing a 6 birth motorhome in the not to distant future but I cant decide if to buy a new one or second hand one. My budget is up to 35K max. I have read that motorhomes depreciate in there early years. This is my main concern as I don't want to just throw good money away. Is it better to buy one that six months plus old or buy a new one what are the pros and cons. I'm not bothered if its not brand new or not.

Also can anybody help me with the correct choice 6 birth: the best buy and value for money, make and model. As I have never purchased one before.

I also may possibly want to hire my motor home out for so many months in the year. As I work abroad so it would be sat on my drive for a while. Can anyone recommend if this is a good or bad idea? If a good idea can anyone recommend any companies who are good at rentals and could handle this for me. :helpsos:

Hope to see you all on the road.

Regards

Gra1
 

slobadoberbob

Free Member
Jun 1, 2009
6,151
1,960
Kent, garden of England
Funster No
6,953
MH
Winnebago 23' something
Exp
25 years & counting
I for one would not hire out my RV (motorhome)

Firstly, I would suggest you hire one yourself and then you will find out a lot more about motorhomes. It is nice to buy new, but then you lose money in the day you drive off the forecourt.. I do not think you bedget is very big. lots of motorhomes can cost a lot lot more. Remember you need to buy a lot of things extra just to putit on the road.

I would buy a good low lilage motorhome to start with rather than a new cheaper version.

I would not want to hire out my motorhome. not everyone will look after it like you may wish and it is not always a good return for doing so. There are back articles on MMM about this and from my memory it was not highly recommended due to damage, miles on the clock and the actual end return.

You need to look at as many motor homes as possible and get a feel of what is right for you. Other people ideas are different hence so many motorhomes on the road.

Me? well I have an RV - American or yank.. when I see what I get in to of them as standard then there is no question I would not by a european motorhome new or second hand.

But look around visit some dealers.

Bob
 
Upvote 0

Geo

Trader - Funster
Jul 29, 2007
11,757
14,563
Mansfield,Notts
Funster No
35
MH
Autotrail Tracker FB
Exp
45 +years with breaks
Only one comment
£35K will buy you a 6 month old £45K Motor home:thumb:
Work it out:Cool:
Geo

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

chatter

Free Member
Aug 3, 2009
3,689
937
cheshire
Funster No
7,812
MH
5th wheel
Exp
10+
me i would buy secondhand, most are usually low mileage and still in as new condition and you wont loose about a third of the value the minute you take delivery and on the road with it.
Even if you have a rough idea of what you want it can take 2 or 3 vans down the road to find the one as close to your ideal as you can.
I wouldnt hire it out private or even through a company, thats just asking for it to be ruined - others just dont look after things like they should sometimes - (you could even find it hired out for the week at Glastonbury. One hire company ended up in hot water through doing that this year especally when the owners of the motorhomes withdrew their vehicles on learning of where they were going).
 
Upvote 0

lorger

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 11, 2008
9,630
90,344
Dumfries
Funster No
3,262
MH
Knaus Sun 650MEG
Exp
2007
Id go for a second hand one we bought ours with 1000miles on clock and just over year old and saved 9k on new and it also had loads of extras fitted so saved even more.

If you have time go to the show at the nec next month not to buy but at least you will be able to see about 100 different models and layouts spend a while looking round and sitting in them see if they suit your needs.
 
Upvote 0

EthnGeoff

Free Member
Jan 13, 2010
263
236
County Durham
Funster No
9,932
MH
Low Profile
Exp
April 2009
I bought new but would never do it again. The wait for delivery was agonising, especially when the expected delivery date kept getting put back. There also seems to be so many really low milage vans on the market, makes you wonder why their owners ever bothered purchasing them. You can always put in new mattresses/ toilet cassette etc if you are concerned about those, although I'm sure a good dealer would arrange that for you. Best of luck with your search.
Geoff.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

tonka

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 2, 2008
10,795
21,440
Cannock, Staffs
Funster No
3,141
MH
A class Burstner 800
Exp
Since 2000
Go for used...:thumb:
I dont think many people buy the right vehicle first time.
You can always trade up but once you buy new you loose 20% (vat) straight away..
Also if you buy out of season ie. now till March you should haggle a better deal.

Just look around and see how many 1 and 2 year old vans there are..
Cant help with rental..

Good luck..
 
Upvote 0
Jul 28, 2010
1,710
617
The world
Funster No
12,902
MH
Small car
Exp
1
Hi Just Joined today.

My dilemma is I am in the process or purchasing a 6 birth motorhome in the not to distant future but I cant decide if to buy a new one or second hand one. My budget is up to 35K max. I have read that motorhomes depreciate in there early years. This is my main concern as I don't want to just throw good money away. Is it better to buy one that six months plus old or buy a new one what are the pros and cons. I'm not bothered if its not brand new or not.

Also can anybody help me with the correct choice 6 birth: the best buy and value for money, make and model. As I have never purchased one before.

I also may possibly want to hire my motor home out for so many months in the year. As I work abroad so it would be sat on my drive for a while. Can anyone recommend if this is a good or bad idea? If a good idea can anyone recommend any companies who are good at rentals and could handle this for me. :helpsos:

Hope to see you all on the road.

Regards

Gra1
buy a second hand American RV
you will not loose as much as in a euro model plus you get a far better spec for the price
 
Upvote 0

grumps147

LIFE MEMBER
Jun 6, 2010
1,838
2,442
St.Helens
Funster No
11,938
MH
Between
Exp
MH 12 yrs -Tent/Caravan 49 years
very good advice on here previously is the layout is the key feature.

There are not may six berth models new under 35k, so unless your swmbo is like mine then second hand is a no brainer given the above advice.

Our experience new was there were lots of niggles to sort, buying secondhand most of these should be sorted. (See Link Removed )

Make sure you have a reputable dealer, its worth travelling some distance to get one.

Be careful with six sleeping berths, its not always six seat belted positions (that is the driver and five other belted seats), which you will need if there are six being driven in it.

Watch which have cab air conditioning in the six berths, especially for lots of continental touring when its hot in summer, some do not have it.

Watch also the weight allowance you have available if there are six of you in a MH, and be aware weighing does take place for enforcement purposes.

whatever, good luck and :welcomefunster:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

jonandshell

Free Member
Dec 12, 2010
5,476
8,299
Norfolk
Funster No
14,648
MH
Not got one!
Exp
Since 2006
Make sure you have a reputable dealer, its worth travelling some distance to get one.

I would advise the opposite, if your DIY skills are lacking.
The cost of fuel and inconvenience running back and forth will make your warranty worthless to you. Things will fail and fall off whether your motorhome is new or SH.
Don't expect too much from the industry as a whole!:Sad:
 
Upvote 0

Wildman

Free Member
May 30, 2008
0
8,470
Ilfracombe, Devon
Funster No
2,913
MH
Amazon Ambassador
Exp
since 1967
I assume you other half will make use of the motorhome when you are away, you need to keep those wheels a-turning if you don't want problems every time you come home.
Second hand every time, £10k loss the min you drive it off the forecourt. Most people get the layout they really want by the third van, until you use it you have no real idea of what pushes your buttons. As to hire, well not for me I'm afraid, no one looks after your property the way you do, there is always ah well its insured culture, which means your pride and joy ends up tired and worn out by the time to come to use it.
As already said Seat belts should match the number of Berths that you need. Also if you need to drive around/through London remember LEZ compliance.
 
Upvote 0

callumwa

Free Member
Jan 16, 2011
4,110
4,480
Tyne & Wear, sometimes..
Funster No
14,968
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
4 yrs +, 30+ yrs motorbike touring
Look at as many vans till you find the layout you want, rear lounge, rear bunk beds, side bunk beds, fixed rear bed over a garage........ so many choices.

Most never get it right first time. Once you spend a few weeks away you find out what you really want, and what you don't really need.

So take your time and look at as many as possible and consider hiring to test out what suits you.

As to new or 2nd hand, as said already if you buy new, you can right of £000's immediately.
2nd hand you can save £000's and get a van with many extras.

I would buy 2nd hand, even just a year or two old will still in most cases be in like new condition with very low mileage.

Hiring out is asking for so many problems. First and foremost people do not take care of something that they hire as much as they would with something they own. Just think about if you hire a car, do you truly care and get upset if you put a little scratch on it or spill some drink on the seats. You do with your own. So I would not hire my van out, there's not always a decent margin in it anyway, once you consider insurance costs, wear and tear and the increased miles on the clock.

Whatever you do, take your time, find what suits you. remember with a six berth, get 5 or 6 belted seats if you intend to travel with 5 or 6 people.

And most of all ENJOY....:thumb::thumb::thumb:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

DuxDeluxe

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 10, 2008
14,627
72,223
Planet Zog
Funster No
3,243
MH
A woosh bang van
Exp
since 2008
I got a pre registered one. New van at secondhand price........ Luckily it was just the van I was looking for. Anyway, as above, secondhand is the way to go, you get more for your money and there are a lot out there with sub 3k miles on the clock. Above all, ENJOY!
 
Upvote 0
Nov 30, 2009
6,543
148,326
Pickering
Funster No
9,521
MH
PVC the PUG
Exp
Since 2009 with motorhomes several caravans then tents before that.
We thought about buying a new or newer than the 4 year old Mizar we did. But we preferred the build quality of the 2006 to the 2007/8 version as everything was a lot more solid and it was fully winterized .
It also had the webasto heating whereas the newer one didnt. The layout had also changed in the 2007 + version and didn't suit us as much as a family. We also managed to get a dealership special version so it had lots of extras from new. The previous owner had had a wind out fiamma awning fitted too.
We plan on keeping our MH for the foreseeable future as its perfect for us .
But if ever we had to swap , i think we would buy 2nd hand.
Unless something comes on the market that ticks all our boxes and we had the cash and didnt want to wait a couple of years for it :winky:
 
Upvote 0

jonandshell

Free Member
Dec 12, 2010
5,476
8,299
Norfolk
Funster No
14,648
MH
Not got one!
Exp
Since 2006
Just to add to the debate............

We bought our present mh new.
The reason for this was that it ticked all the specifications required by us plus we were offered only 2 grand less for our old van than we paid for it 3 years previously!
It is also helpful to know the history of our motorhome, to know it has no secret horrors awaiting discovery!
We must emphasize that we now have what we believe to be our perfect layout and specification. We have planned from the start to keep this mh for at least ten years and do not foresee any change in our circumstances which will force a change of van.
A new mh can make sense in these circumstances so long as you buy intelligently!

We bought our well-equipped high-range 6 berth Chausson for only 3k more than a 6 berth basic Elddis Autoquest and are fairly confident our mh will be worth 50% of it's new value in 10 year's time due to the low availability of family-friendly mhs at that age.

Our previous experience of buying used was a year old motorhome, with 2k on the clock, at a £4k saving over new from a dealer. The problem was it had an existing water ingress problem which reared its ugly head and took nearly a year to be sorted out (shoddily) under warranty.
Incidentally our previous 5 1/2 year-old mh is currently for sale at a well-known dealer for £3k more than we paid for it 4 1/2 years ago!:ROFLMAO:

Our Chausson has been a very good buy so far with no issues to report other than a couple of hard water- induced problems with the Dualtop boiler.:Doh:
It is best not to totally rely on your 'warranty' it will often cost you more in inconvenience and fuel than for the widget they replace! A 'hands on' approach is often the way forward whether your van is new or secondhand, in our opinion.::bigsmile:

For a first time buyer though, we'd advise buy second hand because you'll want to change it soon! You never get it right first time!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Oct 29, 2008
5,024
5,804
West Yorkshire
Funster No
4,712
MH
PVC
Exp
since 2008
Our Frankia was 4years old when we got it. We could have bought a new van from a cheaper manufacturer but we went for quality and didnt want to risk getting a juddering 3.0ltr Fiat so we bought a 2.8jtd instead.

Over the past 2 years our van has not depreciated as we bought it from a private seller and also Frankia have rocketed their new price fron £65K to over £100K over the last 6 years.
 
Upvote 0

haganap

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 5, 2007
12,710
25,966
planet earth
Funster No
974
MH
Carthago C Tourer
Exp
I'm an oldbie MH number 9
I would buy used quality,

The best you can get out of a Hymer, Frankia, Burstner model, maybe a rapido even.

A 35k brand new van will be a budget van. Suitable but budget.

at that price range the only ones that spring ot mind in a six berth is the Swift escape range, the Elddis range and the CI/Rollerteam base models.

If I had your 35k and kowing what I know now, I would be buying the Hymer, Frankia or Burstner, maybe a Euramobil, or a Knaus, there;s a bit of a German thing going on here :roflmto:
 
Upvote 0

rainbow chasers

Free Member
Oct 30, 2009
3,680
1,725
Mid Cornwall
Funster No
9,132
MH
Various
Exp
9
Having looked at replacing hire fleet with new vehicles, I havn't bothered as I havn't seen anything of similar quality - I have a conscience, and want people to be comfortable and have a good holiday. I couldn't do that in many modern vehicles, as they as just nowhere near as well built as the previous years - german brands are the way to go at current standards in my opinion.

As for hiring, and people having bad experiences with vans falling apart, I do think the quality issue does play a part. I have replaced a microswitch (36p), and a door catch (£3.80) in three years of hire due to wear.

As for damage, it has had a window replaced, a bed strut, and a window strut. The flyscreen was broken and a repair on the skirt. After three years, 30,000 miles of uk and european travel - it is negligable. Costs were covered by hirers damage deposit on all occasions.

It has earned more than we paid for it, it's current valuation was £1000 less than we paid three years ago - so really, it doesn't matter.

As for yourself, I would recommend looking about and finding a modern older van and comparing with new ones. Check out the seating comfort, thickness of doors and walls and quality of catches. You will probably see what I mean.

With a 35k budget, you would be better off buying a year old model if you want a new one, as these are often around the mid twenties. You benefit from someone else taking the initial hit on depreciation for a van that may have only been used a few times, and covered 5k.

Once you hit the 5 year old vans, you are doing well on the depreciation front. These depreciate far slower, and in another 15 years time it will still be worth around 10k if looked after...quite astonishing when you think that that is only 3k more that the first owner lost in its' first year.

Have a look, and buy wisely, try to cover all you bases! Download Jims' buyers guide to help you along the way - has some handy checklists......and don't be afraid to haggle! If they say they can only discount x amount, tell them to call the boss, and haggle with him!:thumb:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

slobadoberbob

Free Member
Jun 1, 2009
6,151
1,960
Kent, garden of England
Funster No
6,953
MH
Winnebago 23' something
Exp
25 years & counting
Well a lot of good advice given to this member

Well, a lot of good sound advice given to this member. It would be interesting to hear what he feels about what a lot of experianced owners have had to say.

Can I also suggest to this person if he wants 6 beds why not look at one of the RV's - American motorhomes.. our sister site RVOC .. www.rvoc.co.uk is full of people with yanks and have many years experiance on the luxury we take for granted...

American RV's start from about 22' up to 40' the link at the bottom of this page takes you to the one I own.. see what I have in a 24'6" RV and the price... domestic house size fridge and a freezer (not a comparment.. but a seperate door). Air con in cab and the back, big toilet and shower compartment with a 30" wide solid door. 7 seat belts. 26" mains TV and DVD a generator built in tot he chassis 4kw .. a big combi micro wave, 4 ring grill, 1500 watt invertor - pure sinwave. all under 5 tons... power steering, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, power steering remote heated mirrors, 6 gallon hot water tank, blow air heating and ducted air con.

So think out side the box.. the yanks do more to the gallon than you think.. many are diesels, LPG/Petrol or like me.. V10 6.8ltr Super Duty E350 Ford chassis - with the Triton 5 speed auto box.. worth looking at the pictures to get an idea.

Bob:thumb:
 
Upvote 0

W18BLA

Funster
Oct 24, 2009
348
33
West Midlands
Funster No
9,021
MH
RollerTeam
Exp
2
Well we bought new and never looked back and it is our first motorhome.... We could not find a motorhome second hand that slept 4 easy with good bunks for kids and one that would carry 7 people ::bigsmile: hence we got the Roller Team 707. The downside is that you will loose a hell of alot of money buying new ours was £46k spec'd up and 12mths + on i recon the best trade in would be £30k so over a £10k loss, you have to know what you really want and loads will say you never have the right van first time, (We have) and thats rare but having two kids bunks was a must and to behonest there is not alot of choice secondhand with bunks well there wasnt when we looked.

One good bit of advice is goto a MHF meet talk to everyone have a good look around in ther Mh's and see how they cope and if it looks cramped etc..

Never take someones advice and just buy one listen to everyone and there pros and cons and study for a good while and look about and sit in them for a good time not just in and out, Take a flask have a cuppa make them sales people work for there commision, And make that dealer if you buy from a dealer realise you aint going to jump into a buy without being 150% sure.

Apart from that go for it....

Craig
 
Upvote 0

Peter JohnsCross MH

Funster
Deceased RIP
Jan 5, 2008
9,617
6,194
East Sussex
Funster No
1,134
MH
Autotrail
Exp
1995
A good used van will always be more value for money every time.

Without pushing any, just look at some of the low mileage vans I have available
and the price savings to be had as examples.

Peter

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

greygit

Free Member
Aug 11, 2009
273
225
Forest of Dean, Glos, France and Spain
Funster No
7,922
MH
C Class
Exp
22
A good used van will always be more value for money every time.

Without pushing any, just look at some of the low mileage vans I have available
and the price savings to be had as examples.

Peter

Maybe true but at the end of the year there are some very good deals around, we have just saved £7,000.00 on a 2011 Chausson model.
Gary:Smile:
 
Upvote 0

niggle

Banned - Rule 1
Banned
Aug 5, 2010
804
601
SOUTH AND FRANCE
Funster No
13,042
MH
A CLASS
Exp
30
second hand pilot or rapidio,,, and if dealer knock at least 5,000 off the asking price as they will hike it up by that much or more ?? it your money you will loose if not,,,the german vans are oaver rated and expencive to repair ,,,french are cheaper and most parts are on shelf, but get it checked first,,,dont listen to dealer as all he wants is your dosh,
 
Upvote 0
Apr 27, 2008
11,789
13,944
Eastbourne East Sussex
Funster No
2,327
MH
Hymer low profile
Exp
Since 1972
Second hand every time. However someone has to buy new or the second hand market will dry up, just make sure it's someone else.:Smile:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

beachcaster

Free Member
Dec 18, 2010
3,044
3,161
east sussex
Funster No
14,709
MH
C Class
Exp
a few years
A good used one.

A new one is probably going to have a shed load of faults...........sad but true.

A nearly new one might well have most of them sorted. A lot of people buy the wrong configuration for themselves..then sell it .

So I would give a lot of thought to what you want...what you want to carry etc...and possibly hire one of the same configuration you intend to buy.

good luck

barry
 
Upvote 0

aba

Free Member
Oct 27, 2009
2,775
1,112
yorkshire
Funster No
9,066
MH
coachbuilt
Exp
dec 2009
we bought ours new but at a second hand price.
it was a unregistered previous years model that the importing dealership went bad on so they were offered to another uk dealer at a greatly reduced price to get rid of them.
my result list price was in the region of £70k we got it for a shade over £56k.

if you look around there are some good deals out there and big motorhomes seem to sell cheaper that the more sought after small ones.
 
Upvote 0

con-tiki

Free Member
Oct 18, 2009
457
187
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Funster No
8,940
MH
A class Hymer
Exp
since 2009
you may also want to consider where you intend travelling which might dictate what size of van you buy (single track roads with passing bays would suit a smaller van) Other questions to take into consideration is can you park it on your driveway etc..

Shirl

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

Campinggaz

Free Member
Dec 17, 2011
26
12
Redditch, Worcestershire
Funster No
19,194
MH
Coachbuilt.
Exp
Just bought one after 10 years with caravans
We have recently just paid £28k for a 6berth that was just 3 years old and had only 4500miles on the clock, Also had full Fiamma safari room, bike rack, reversing camera, automotoive heater in the back etc
We looked at so many 6 berth layouts til we chose ours which is essentially a 7 berth due to there being an extra dinette.
We very nearly bought a diferent layout and now having used ours I am so glad we didn't buy that as it would have been very cramped with everyone in in the winter and I think we would have quickly decided we had made a mistake.
It is important you get the right layout for what you need and then look at what you will get for your money.
Good luck, I wouldn't recommend hiring it out as I had a little business hiring out folding campers and people just did not look after them, some people just do not care, No way would I hire out our van.
 
Upvote 0

Glynn

Free Member
May 2, 2010
163
18
Lancashire
Funster No
11,356
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
2
It took us to our second van to find what was right for us and in our case this turned out to be a proper bedroom as we didn't like having to make up beds/turn them back into day use after, and decent lounge area as well as kitchen.
My advise would be to buy used but low milage & good condition and buy as big as you feel is right for you, in my opinion you cant have too much room but too little room can make you hate it.
 
Upvote 0
Dec 6, 2011
11,467
25,057
South Wales
Funster No
19,136
MH
Coach built Adria
Exp
Since 2007
We just traded in a 6 berth that we bought new 3 years ago. you will not get a lot of NEW motorhome for £35K in terms of quality as we found out!!
theres already been some great advice in the posts.....

if you buy new haggle hard and buy at end of season i.e 2011 model about to be updated to 2012 especially as you have no trade in.
There are a lot of excellent motorhomes about 2nd hand but not many 6 berth's.

we traded our 6 berth as we intended to use it with grand kids who quickly grow up and more importantly we suddenly realised our van was for our enjoyment not thiers ... i know not the time of year for "Humbug"! i'll get visited.....

so we got a 3 birth comin:thumb:
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top