How much difference does a year make...? (1 Viewer)

[Touchwood]

We're now very close to buying our first motorhome, but have a choice to make.

There are two identical motorhomes available. The relevant differences are: -
1. Year 2002, 14000 miles, awning with safari room, private deal.
2. Year 2003, 17000 miles, no awning, dealer giving 3 months warranty, £1500 cheaper.

The mileage is near enough to make no difference, I could get a new awning and safari room for less than the £1500 difference, the warranty isn't a major item since the van isn't going to get used much in the first three months, and I don't expect to get any problems anyway.

Which leaves the year of manufacture as the only reall differentiator. Is a one year younger vehicle going to be easier to sell if and when we upgrade? Or have a much better resale price? I'd actually prefer the private deal, as it is closer to home and the seller is willing to wait for my finances to clear - if I go to the dealer I'll need to get a short term loan, which with the awning/room would wipe out the cost difference.

All advice welcome, as usual.

Mike

 

[scotjimland]

Tough call..

with the dealer you have 3 months warranty but even after that you are still protected by the Sale of Goods Act ..

I would talk to the private seller and negotiate a lower price pointing out the one for sale from the dealer is not only cheaper .. but newer ..

The awning and safari room don't warrant paying more than the dealer.

 

[Touchwood]

Thanks - pretty much what I'm thinking and I'll do what you suggest.

There are a couple of other "extras" with the private deal - fitted TV aerial, small flat screen TV, a few other odds and ends, but nothing major.

I'll see if he'll consider £750 off - makes him £750 more than the dealer but I reckon the other considerations are worth that. Both prices are good deals by the way on the MH in question - the going rate seems to be about £1500 more than the private deal price - which to my mind makes the dealer offer suspiciously low - however he is a car dealer normally, this is a one off for him.

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[Douzeper]

I'll see if he'll consider £750 off - makes him £750 more than the dealer .

Setting your sights far to low IMO. See if he will consider £2000 of and work it from there.

 

[Terry]

Hi Mike I would go for the newer van every time :thumb: plus bid the dealer 1000 quid lower If you don't ask you do not get :thumb:The private seller is asking too much :thumb: You can buy a new awning and tv for 500/600 - if the private seller sees the newer van for sale at the lower price (from a dealer) then he needs a reality check :thumb:3,000 mls more is nothing,but 1500 quid and a yr newer is a lot.You should be paying at least 2,000 quid less for the older van
How do both compare with what else is selling for the money ?
terry

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Private sale should be considerably cheaper than a dealer, no overheads, no p/x, no servicing, no warranty and a lot harder to sell privatley so price has to be the major factor.

What van is it ? and does it have full service history, very important these days

The younger one will be easier to p/x

Peter

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[lorger]

Newer one sounds best deal but i would offer less for both im sure they wont sell in the next few days, also just a wee tip ask if the van has been used as a hire as they tend not to be looked after as much incase this is why he is cheaper. Ask what the warranty covers, also get all the beds and stuff made up ask if you can put water in the tank to make sure all works if there is a gas bottle get him to show you fire and hot water working if their not willing to show you this then go to the other van.

Good luck and what van layout have you opted for in the end.

Gerry

 

[Touchwood]

Thanks to all for your help.

Time for a little more detail maybe.

The van in question is a Compass Avantgarde 400 RL. The dealer's asking price is £15,995, reduced from £19,995 - he is (he says) selling as a favour to an old customer whose wife has passed away and just wants rid of it - could be true as he is a Volvo dealer with no other vans for sale.

Private seller is asking £17,500.00. This looks to me like a fair price from the limited research I've been able to do - I'm inclined to offer him £16,000 and be prepared to go to £16,500 for an immediate sale - this will cost me for a short term loan until my retirement lump sum becomes available in about 5 weeks, but I'm not inclined to wait as both vans look to me to be well priced and the layout etc. is just what we think we want.

I am an impatient sod and once I've seen what I want I don't like to hang around - it's cost me in the past and so I'm extremely grateful to be getting some excellent guidance from you all. Your further thoughts eagerly awaited!

 

[lorger]

Hi glad you have seen the van you like but id take my time and make sure i doubt both will go soon. How many have you looked at as you may think this is the right one till you see another we looked for 7months after about 4 we had rough idea what we wanted to use it for then rest of time finding right one. If you are set on these then see if they will take a deposit and wait 5 weeks as short term loan could be expensive.

Dont know the model your talking about but i think you mention before it was rear lounge but you also mentioned you would be taken your grandchild and you son or daughter would be using van i would think really hard if you are going to carry passengers in the back.

What ever you do good luck

Gerry

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

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Marquis want £22995 for similiar.

Peter

 

[rainbow chasers]

You can beat marquis down on price if you are persistent and polite. Will a little effort you should be able to take 3-4k off the price.

they do have a 3 YEAR warranty on their vehicles, and from previous experience when a gearbox failure left the speedo needles flickering, and gears not engaging - they replaced/rebuilt the gearbox without question and even threw in a new clutch 'whilst the box was out'. It has done 26k since then with no problems.

 

[Touchwood]

Hi glad you have seen the van you like but id take my time and make sure i doubt both will go soon. How many have you looked at as you may think this is the right one till you see another we looked for 7months after about 4 we had rough idea what we wanted to use it for then rest of time finding right one. If you are set on these then see if they will take a deposit and wait 5 weeks as short term loan could be expensive.

Dont know the model your talking about but i think you mention before it was rear lounge but you also mentioned you would be taken your grandchild and you son or daughter would be using van i would think really hard if you are going to carry passengers in the back.

What ever you do good luck

Gerry

You have more patience than I Gerry! Taking 7 months to find the right van is an admirable display of care, but not me I'm afraid! We are certain we want a rear lounge, we've looked at a lot of different layouts and none look as comfortable to us - OK the rear seat belts are only lap belts, but granddaughter will be in a child safety seat which is really only restrained by the lap section of a full belt anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mike

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[Touchwood]

You can beat marquis down on price if you are persistent and polite. Will a little effort you should be able to take 3-4k off the price.

they do have a 3 YEAR warranty on their vehicles, and from previous experience when a gearbox failure left the speedo needles flickering, and gears not engaging - they replaced/rebuilt the gearbox without question and even threw in a new clutch 'whilst the box was out'. It has done 26k since then with no problems.

£3 - 4k off £23 k still leaves it at £2.5 - £1.5 k more than the private dealers current ask, and £4 - 3 k more than the dealer - I know this would give a 3 year warranty, but you can get a lot of repairs with that sort of money. In my opinion this just confirms that both vans I'm looking at are well priced.

Thanks for your help...

Mike

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

- OK the rear seat belts are only lap belts, but granddaughter will be in a child safety seat which is really only restrained by the lap section of a full belt anyway.

Im sure you will do ,
but just make sure the lap belt is bolted into the metal floor of the MH or factory fitted , and not been put in by the owner into any wood. Or of course , its neither use nor ornament.

We looked at some private sale ones that had extra seat belts just bolted into the wooden wardrobe

We were going to go for a rear lounge but fell in love with the one we saw first . The only thing that put us off was the soft seating and upholstery , which we had totally refurbished once we bought it , and the fact it had 4 belts and we needed 5.
Its got the lounge at the front with 2 swivel drivers seats , L shape sofa ( 2 full seat belts ) and smaller sofa ( 1 rear facing lap strap which Ralph fitted through the cab floor ) . End bathroom. Bunks at rear side , down side of bathroom facing kitchen area. It suits the 5 of us .
We spent months like Gerry looking for a motorhome with a proper lounge that would be comfy for 5 to lounge about in , during wet winter evenings . Not wanting to go down the twin axel or RV route.
AND we are yet to go to a proper motorhome show , where they are all on show

 

[lorger]

You have more patience than I Gerry! Taking 7 months to find the right van is an admirable display of care, but not me I'm afraid! We are certain we want a rear lounge, we've looked at a lot of different layouts and none look as comfortable to us - OK the rear seat belts are only lap belts, but granddaughter will be in a child safety seat which is really only restrained by the lap section of a full belt anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mike

Hi Mike
Sorry to go on about it but are you grandkids car seat designed to be in forward facing seat or side facing it will make a difference and as for waiting 7 months well i wanted to keep van for at least 7 years so had to make sure it was right or as near as we could get.

But good luck anyway and hope it all works out.

Gerry

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[callumwa]

You have more patience than I Gerry! Taking 7 months to find the right van is an admirable display of care, but not me I'm afraid! We are certain we want a rear lounge, we've looked at a lot of different layouts and none look as comfortable to us - OK the rear seat belts are only lap belts, but granddaughter will be in a child safety seat which is really only restrained by the lap section of a full belt anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mike

Most child car seats use the 3 point belt, the lap strap going across the bottom and the side strap coming out higher up the side, this reduces the chance of the seat tipping forward under severe braking, loading, etc. As she gets bigger she will grow into a "booster" chair which does require a proper 3 point belt

My main concern would be the location of her seat, if the granddaughter is in her chair, and it is secured by a lap belt on the rear sofa across the back of the van, if, heaven forbid, some one rear ends you especially a van or truck, she will have very little protection in that position.

I know it may sound extreme, but I for one, would not take that risk.

She is also a long way away from you in that position, and may be upset because she cannot see or hear you properly at the other end of the van.

However good luck, hope you get the van you want at the right price, and have great fun away in it.....:thumb:

 

[Touchwood]

OK, so......the deal is done! We are now the proud owners of a Compass Avantgarde 400RL, and looking forward to our first trip this weekend. (My wife is resistantant to my terminology of a "shake down cruise - too reminiscent of my sailing days which were never really her cup of tea)

Callumwa - your points on the limitations of lap belts are noted - Sophie won't be travelling in the back on her own, that's certain - maybe we'll have to rethink all that, especially when she is a little older and more in need of the three point restraint - one option is granddaughter in/on cab passenger seat, Mum/Grandma in the back. I take your point about the dangers of being rear-ended, but taken to extremes it's not possible to eliminate ALL risk, except by not venturing on the roads at all, is it?

I bought from the private vendor btw - he came down in price quite substantially. What clinched it was the discovery that he had a new clutch just 1000 miles ago - I saw this as a benefit, but on reflection I wonder why it was needed after only 12,500 miles? Any thoughts on this?

 

[GJH]

Congratulations Mike.

Different layout from our van and a bit bigger but as it's the same manufacturer and similar age a lot of the equipment will be similar. If you have any questions, especially as you are so close to us, ask away and I'll try my best to help.

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[lorger]

Well done Mike and hope you have loads of fun with your new toy and sitting your granddaughter in front is a great idea.

 

[wizzer59]

Hi Mike
Well done, nice van, we looked at a three of these when we were looking, as we liked the L shaped spacious feel. Didn't buy in the end as we couldn't find one under our budget at the time. Anyway have a great time in her and hopefully we will see you about:thumb:

Tim

 

[wizzer59]

I wonder if the clutch could have been something to do with juddergate, what size engine is it???

Tim

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[Touchwood]

I wonder if the clutch could have been something to do with juddergate, what size engine is it???

Tim

It's a 2 litre TD, Peugot Boxer. No idea what "juddergate" is!! I've driven the van (albeit briefly) and the gear change seems very smooth with no problems. The clutch "bite" seems very close to the top of the pedal travel, which would have caused me concerns if not for the assurance that the new clutch was fitted just 1000 miles ago. When the provious owner was driving I noted his driving style wasn't exactly smooth - maybe that's a factor?

 

[wizzer59]

Hi Mike
Ok similar size engine to mine, the clutch does tend to take a lot more stick in the smaller engines imo, if you google juddergate you will find all you need to know:thumb:

Tim

 

[GJH]

I wonder if the clutch could have been something to do with juddergate, what size engine is it???

Tim

Too early a van for Juddergate - which (AFAIK) only happened on the post 2006 versions of Ducatos/Boxers.