A decent motorhome for £8000- is it possible? (1 Viewer)

[life in the slow lane]

Hello,
This is obviously a question only a newcomer to motorhomes would ask but is it possible to buy a usable motorhome for this amount and not end up throwing good money after bad.
I would not object to doing some remedial work as I have spent most of my working life restoring classic cars, however I would not want this to become a hobby. I would use the van regularly with at least one European trip each year (maybe two). Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[glastry]

Without any doubt it is possible,of course I do not know what your skills are,but if you find a van,there are loads of Intelligent people on this forum who will assist you!!

 

[Minxy]

Hiya, welcome to the fun house.

Yes it's possible but it really depends on what you need, ie how many of you are there, how big/small do you want, what facilities, how you intend to use it etc.

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[suavecarve]

8 k is eminently possible imho.

Dependant upon where your skills lie then I would just concentrate on it being a dry van. Any damp walk away as that is where your money will go.
Engine - Diesel is normally safe and good for 200K +.
Age - it depends how it has been looked after
Internal - cushions and seats will probably be showing some wear and tear.
External - different ways of tarting it up which arent too expensive

You will, if you do some good searching, find them where the owner has had it for 10 years and has a reason for sale.
remember that solar panels and gaslow will add some money to the van as well as bike racks. Beware of tow bars. Look at weight of vehicle and payload and see how it has been used n that aspect. Have they been down to Spain twice a year and yet only put on 6000 miles each year.
She wont be the poshest of vans but you can make them with character which is sometimes better

 

[hilldweller]

Yes as long as you take care not to buy a whole lot of rotten wood. Motorhome folk tend to look after their homes so if you look long enough you should come up with a good one.

 

[Snowbird]

All the vans below were sold by me at under your budget.

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[funflair]

All the vans below were sold by me at under your budget.
View attachment 147211 View attachment 147213 View attachment 147214 View attachment 147215 View attachment 147216

Not this year or last would be my guess though.

Martin

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN, as others have said it is doable but check, check and check again for damp.

 

[Snowbird]

Not this year or last would be my guess though.

Martin

Oh I dont know, have been known to go through 6 in a year. My trouble is I buy em right and play with them for a while and someone comes along and wants to buy em off me. The Elddis Autoking tag axle came in at 4000 Euros from Spain. The Tiffin Alegro was £7000. The VW LT was 4000 Euros from Holland and the FFB Tabert 660 was 8000 Euros from Spain. Cheap vans are out there if you know where to look and have the folding in your pocket ready to do a quick deal. What I do know is, there are few bargains from dealers.

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[Camping Gaza]

@ snowbird Great vans dude!

and yeah I think you can get a sub 8k van,

Personally I think you need to have a bit of diy/mech/electrical skills to keep the running and maintenance costs down. Putting a van like that into a dealer for a loose cabinet hinge, leaky water tap/tank or bad battery everytime would be expensive if you cant modify, fix or replace yourself.

If you restore classic cars ( and not someone who just patches up ) properly (welding and making things out of unobtainium!) and can fabricate and know a bit of woodwork, then no problem even if you got a rotbox I reckon. At the end of the day its a plywood box stuck onto a van chassis and everything can be fixed if you have the time/tools/location/money and inclination)

 

[tonyidle]

Depends on size. If it's a small one you could do worse than an Autosleepers monocoque.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I would say £8,000 is pushing it a bit. I have seen some very modern 2003 German Double floors for around £11,000 that are a good buy.

Just be patient.

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[Bruce]

Yes.... Totally doable, take your time choosing. take the plunge enjoy. Or if your into a bit of work ,with your ability buy a good solid van and convert to your own needs and standards. Whatever you do go for it.

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

Definitely possible unless you are unrealistic about what you expect to get for that money.
The best one I have owned is the one I have now.
03 reg, Toyota PVC, 50k miles, 2 berth, 4 belted seats, all the usual facilities............ £7200.
Just perfect......... for me.

(Sorry, not for sale).

 

[Terry]

They are around.just take a bit of finding I was shown a old G reg Transit Duetto for 4 k yesterday on Facebook ....looked good in pics
Terry

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[chaser]

No apologies for showing this again, bought for £3000 ran it for three years did twenty thou miles, spent hardly anything on it apart from aditions that we wanted, then sold it for the same , this was four years ago and looking on the web thing about mots, it is still running

 

[Gaston aires]

Our first van was a " classic Hymer" bought fo £ 10 k and sold for £ 10 k. It was pretty immaculate too.
They are about, take your time.
Phil

 

[buttons]

View attachment 147228

No apologies for showing this again, bought for £3000 ran it for three years did twenty thou miles, spent hardly anything on it apart from aditions that we wanted, then sold it for the same , this was four years ago and looking on the web thing about mots, it is still running

Is it my eyes or is that building in the background not standing straight.....

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[gus-lopez]

Is it my eyes or is that building in the background not standing straight.....

I think it is your eyes. @chaser lives in Uttoxeter.

back to Op .worth looking abroad as well . many who take up residence then sell on the MH after a while.
This has been kicking about on the ads here for a while.Left hand drive. UK reg.
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[EX51SSS]

Is it my eyes or is that building in the background not standing straight.....

I think you're a bit Pisa.

 

[life in the slow lane]

Thank you for all your helpful and optimistic replies, it's what I was hoping the answer would be. Whilst I do have the skills to repair a motorhome I would rather be out enjoying it and not be stuck in the garage, of course I do intend to do all my own repairs and servicing.
Now it's just a matter of trawling the small ads till I find the right one, any suggestions as where to look would be appreciated, I am in the east midlands but don't mind traveling to find the right van.

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[Minxy]

Thank you for all your helpful and optimistic replies, it's what I was hoping the answer would be. Whilst I do have the skills to repair a motorhome I would rather be out enjoying it and not be stuck in the garage, of course I do intend to do all my own repairs and servicing.
Now it's just a matter of trawling the small ads till I find the right one, any suggestions as where to look would be appreciated, I am in the east midlands but don't mind traveling to find the right van.

As per my earlier post:

Hiya, welcome to the fun house.

Yes it's possible but it really depends on what you need, ie how many of you are there, how big/small do you want, what facilities, how you intend to use it etc.

If you can give us info we might be able to steer you into the type / make / model that suits you best.

 

[StephandJohn]

You also need to decide exactly what you want i.e. accomodation, heating, shower etc. Ther's no point in getting one even if it is within your budget and then not liking it or finding it difficult to use. We met some people with a 20 year van which was new to them but who were disapointed that there was not hotwater in the shower so they couldn't use it. Don't know why so it may have been a fault but tis worth checking before you buy if you may want to use it rather than campsite facilities.

 

[chaser]

I think you're a bit Pisa.

We bought that ldv off eBay unseen , did one or two trips in the U.K. Then decided to go to Pisa, just like that, hadn't been abroad in van before, did over three thousand miles in three weeks, never missed a beat apart from a tyre when we came back round by Spain but being duel wheels at the back we didn't need breakdown or anything just drove to a tyre place and got it changed.
Loved that van

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[life in the slow lane]

I'm prepared to look at anything but my wish list would include a fixed bed or bed over the cab (might be cramped but I'm used to boat bunks), lots of storage or a tow bar for a small trailer, don't mind petrol or diesel, fixed dining area for two people and muted interior colour scheme. I have memories of caravaning with my parents and hating the need to pack away the beds every morning and set up the table at every mealtime. Size isn't important although over 7 meters would put my wife off driving it and make parking it and our car on the driveway difficult.

 

[life in the slow lane]

Additionally we would want to use the van for a long weekend away every month or so and a couple of months in southern europe during the winter months.

 

[chaser]

Just had a quick look on eBay havnt been on for a while, but there are loads all shapes and sizes but I'd say this one is a bargain if it doesn't go much higher
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=272547781216&globalID=EBAY-GB

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[Minxy]

Just a few examples at the cheaper end:

These would give you 2 single beds on the sofas:

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This would give you a drop down bed at the front:

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[gus-lopez]

Just had a quick look on eBay havnt been on for a while, but there are loads all shapes and sizes but I'd say this one is a bargain if it doesn't go much higher
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=272547781216&globalID=EBAY-GB

That's nice . & only 6 hours left on it ! there is someone on here that has that model.

 

[chaser]

That's nice . & only 6 hours left on it ! there is someone on here that has that model.

Yeah , you see loads of these around France.