I could do with a dummies guide to all things motorhome (1 Viewer)

Sianflower

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Hey everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum and a motorhome novice so have a million and one questions and help would be amazing!
I am looking to buy a motorhome for me and my 4 year old daughter to go on some adventures and to use as an occasional run around.
I have found a 1981 bedford CF6 47000 miles that I'm thinking of going to view on Saturday it's £2995 but have no idea if this is a good price. Was hoping to find something for no more than £2500 but I want something with a toilet and large enough for friends to come on trips.
Does anybody know anything about bedford motorhomes? Are they easy to fix/ get parts for being so old?
Am I completely mental selling my modern car to buy something older than I am? (My mum thinks so and has refused to bail me out when I fail an mot)
Thanks for any advice xxx
 
Feb 16, 2013
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Hey everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum and a motorhome novice so have a million and one questions and help would be amazing!
I am looking to buy a motorhome for me and my 4 year old daughter to go on some adventures and to use as an occasional run around.
I have found a 1981 bedford CF6 47000 miles that I'm thinking of going to view on Saturday it's £2995 but have no idea if this is a good price. Was hoping to find something for no more than £2500 but I want something with a toilet and large enough for friends to come on trips.
Does anybody know anything about bedford motorhomes? Are they easy to fix/ get parts for being so old?
Am I completely mental selling my modern car to buy something older than I am? (My mum thinks so and has refused to bail me out when I fail an mot)
Thanks for any advice xxx

Don't know if its the right mh for you but if its in good order you won't lose much , they are going up in value all the time
 
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Merle

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Hey everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum and a motorhome novice so have a million and one questions and help would be amazing!
I am looking to buy a motorhome for me and my 4 year old daughter to go on some adventures and to use as an occasional run around.
I have found a 1981 bedford CF6 47000 miles that I'm thinking of going to view on Saturday it's £2995 but have no idea if this is a good price. Was hoping to find something for no more than £2500 but I want something with a toilet and large enough for friends to come on trips.
Does anybody know anything about bedford motorhomes? Are they easy to fix/ get parts for being so old?
Am I completely mental selling my modern car to buy something older than I am? (My mum thinks so and has refused to bail me out when I fail an mot)
Thanks for any advice xxx
Wow, you are brave (or foolish) have you really thought through the problems you will get from what are usually old rust buckets. I realise you are after something cheap but cheap and motorhomes don't really go together. Perhaps you would be better off saving some cash up and going for an older Hymer or something like that....or is this to be your daily driver as well? if so then even more reason to use extreme caution IMO
But good luck whatever you choose to do

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pappajohn

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Hi Sian (i assume its Sian ?) and welcome.

you should still be able to buy parts such as brakes, clutch, steering and suspension for a bedford CF from good motor factors....partco and Andrew page spring to mind.

cab body panels and parts (heater motor etc) may be another story though.

any idea who the converter is......Swift etc.....as that will help with parts for the actual camper part of the vehicle.

at 36 years old there is one thing you MUST check for, DAMP...damp is a motorhomes worst enemy and can kill a motorhome in no time.

extremely difficult and very expensive to eradicate and sometimes its too far advanced to be worth trying.

good luck and let us know the outcome on Saturday :thumb:
 
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Carol

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Hello and welcome to motorhome fun, it is not so much the make of the van, but the condition, what is the body like is there any rust in it, any damp inside, look under the seat covers for mildew.

Can you look underneath for any rot, if the van looks solid and things work that should, then the price sounds ok, and there is nothing like getting away in the van lots of adventures to be had out there.

One thing I would say the £10 sub for this forum for 12months will be the best £10 you will spend, lots of information on here just ask. :welcomefunster:

Just seen PapaJohn has posted at the same time as me but think we both agree.
 
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pappajohn

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one other thing.

dont be fooled by what appears to be a bargain on eBay, all too easy to get drawn in.
always go to the sellers house to view before you bid or buy.
if it sounds cheap for what it is then the chances are its a scam.

many of these so called bargains dont actually exist.....just scammers hijacking someone elses auction, you pay the agreed price then dont get anything in return.

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Sianflower

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Hi yes it's Sian :) thanks for the advice. The is very little information about it on the site I found it on however when I phoned the owner was happy to answer any questions, I was mostly concerned about being able to get insurance and finding out about that first as tend to get my hopes up so trying to be realistic. It's just passed its mot so taking that as a good sign.
I would probably use the mh once or twice a week to pop to shops etc as i walk alot, surely it's good to use it regularly then for them to just sit there till you decide to drive 300 miles?
So manly I need to check no damp and rust?
 
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daisy mae

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Hi and welcome from me, I would also say look very carefully for rust etc. the mechanics I don`t think would be a problem, it is the body etc, I saw some horrendous ones when I was looking back end of last year, I had to up the amount by a lot more than I intended to spend, my husbands advice was better to spend more to have a better vehicle, than buy cheaper then have to keep spending out, just when you want to use it. I bought a small one as it is my everyday vehicle, I sold my Volvo estate to put towards it . I love it.

Good luck and you will love it when you get one.
 
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Carol

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Is it a private sale or is it e bay, like PJ says take care on e bay, quite a few scams with motorhomes.

Can you get the reg number beforehand, the you can put it into the DLV web site and check out all the old mot's and see what work has been done on it.

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stcyr

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Is it diesel? A friend of mine had a Bedford CF petrol and had distributor problems. He scoured the country for a new/replacement distributor with no luck - and that was over 20 years ago!

:Sad:
 
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Sianflower

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Hi daisy, and thanks! I do think you are probably right about spending that bit extra, I wish there was a big showroom of old motorhomes to go and look round!
 
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pappajohn

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Hi yes it's Sian :) thanks for the advice. The is very little information about it on the site I found it on however when I phoned the owner was happy to answer any questions, I was mostly concerned about being able to get insurance and finding out about that first as tend to get my hopes up so trying to be realistic. It's just passed its mot so taking that as a good sign.
I would probably use the mh once or twice a week to pop to shops etc as i walk alot, surely it's good to use it regularly then for them to just sit there till you decide to drive 300 miles?
So manly I need to check no damp and rust?

Insurance is never cheap for a motorhome...even for us old goats.

not asking you to divulge your age but under 25 and you wont get insurance for it.

as its 36 years old you could try classic car insurers such as Adrian Flux...their price should be cheaper than the mainstream insurers.

its impossible to even guess as your own circumstances will influence the price.

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Sianflower

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Is it a private sale or is it e bay, like PJ says take care on e bay, quite a few scams with motorhomes.

Can you get the reg number beforehand, the you can put it into the DLV web site and check out all the old mot's and see what work has been done on it.

It's a private seller that I found on auto trader. I have the reg I will have a look on dvl not that it will make a great deal of sense I'm sure!
 
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Feb 16, 2013
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one other thing.

dont be fooled by what appears to be a bargain on eBay, all too easy to get drawn in.
always go to the sellers house to view before you bid or buy.
if it sounds cheap for what it is then the chances are its a scam.

many of these so called bargains dont actually exist.....just scammers hijacking someone elses auction, you pay the agreed price then dont get anything in return.

Oh no!! It's petrol :-s

Oh no that's not so good, dear enough at that then, but they are a bit of a collectors item
 
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Sianflower

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Insurance is never cheap for a motorhome...even for us old goats.

not asking you to divulge your age but under 25 and you wont get insurance for it.

as its 36 years old you could try classic car insurers such as Adrian Flux...their price should be cheaper than the mainstream insurers.

its impossible to even guess as your own circumstances will influence the price.

I'm 23, Adrian flux is where I got a quote £150 cheaper than my current car insurance comp cover! So quite pleased with that.
 
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Carol

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Sian, one positive thing about it being Petrol, as you live relatively close to London, with a Petrol you will be able to go into the LEZ zone but with diesel you would not. just a thought. :Smile:

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pappajohn

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It's a private seller that I found on auto trader. I have the reg I will have a look on dvl not that it will make a great deal of sense I'm sure!

you cant check the MOT on the number plate alone....you must have the current MOT test certificate serial number as well.

the only check you can make is for current road tax and when its next due,,,,,if its in the next few weeks.
 
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keithcdb

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3k is either not a lot of cash or it is a load of cash to you? If it is a lot then take a professional with you to look at the condition of the van. I am sure the AA or RAC used to offer this service...

Rust and damp will be the major points, or maybe look at panel van conversions as they will normally have the derv motor but maybe have higher mileage but parts will be more available :thumb:

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GJH

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Our son bought a 1981 Cavalier Coachman on a Bedford CF a couple of years ago for £1000. It's had extensive work since and he reckons it will have cost him about £5000 by the time it is fully sorted next year.

I think the only spare part he hasn't found yet is a reverse light switch, which are as rare as hens' teeth.

Have a good look at it before parting with any cash and decide based on what you find.
 
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TheBig1

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Hi Sian, I havent owned a Bedford for nearly 20 years, but even back then they were a money pit. notoriously bad engines on the petrol ones, giving under 20mpg and VERY slowwwwww!

a 32 year old motorhome is either on its last legs or is a collectors item as a classic camper. there is a small but avid group of enthusiasts that have a classic bedford owners club. if this van was in good order I would guess they would be fighting to buy it.

parts have been hard to get for decades, and although some are available like brakes, as they fit other vehicles, the major bedford components like body panels just cant be sourced even for top money. 20 years back there was a guy producing after market body panels, but with the dwindling number it became uneconomical. you cant just pop to a scrap yard like we used to be able to as the commercial vans we took parts off have now gone

the above is obviously only covering the base vehicle. the habitation part at the back raises its own potential issues and any faults or damp will cost even more

in short, I would recommend you forget about the bedford cf unless you're able to fix problems yourself and have virtually unlimited funds.

save your money and buy something newer that parts are still available easily for. this is also the most expensive time to buy a motorhome (the summer). wait till people are selling up as winter approaches and you will see some genuine bargains about.
 
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ShiftZZ

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Just Googled it and found that its no longer for sale. Strange that.

But this is what it looked like..

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Terry

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I'm 23, Adrian flux is where I got a quote £150 cheaper than my current car insurance comp cover! So quite pleased with that.
Hi and welcome:thumb: try Aviva for insurance --a young man of 17 got a quote at under £1000 after just passing his test -- Bedfords are now classics but as already said you need deep pockets :Smile: I owned two CFs years ago one D and one petrol oooops sorry 3 cfs 2 petrol ::bigsmile:The D one was simply US and the petrols not much better-I remember the carbs freezing up on long trips and if you parked on a slope one of the spark plugs would oil up nearest the bulkhead) so much so I always carried a plug spanner and plug :Eeek:
My best advice would be to leave it alone and look out for a half decent panel van conversion --there are a few around at decent money but be aware there are a lot more sheds around :Eeek::Eeek:
If you want I can have a look on ebay /auto trader at a few and forward links for what look half decent but don't hold anything against me, it's up to you to inspect and make sure they are suitable ::bigsmile: Would need to know your max budget :winky::Smile:
terry
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Feb 16, 2013
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Ldv very underrated, we went 3800 miles around Europe in one last year, not fancy but get one with the transit running gear, about from 1998 , and as long as you can keep the body together it will go forever, and cheap parts all over.good on diesel too

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Terry

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Ldv very underrated, we went 3800 miles around Europe in one last year, not fancy but get one with the transit running gear, about from 1998 , and as long as you can keep the body together it will go forever, and cheap parts all over.good on diesel too

Yep thats the first one in my links :thumb: even with the ultra reliable pug engine they go on forever, provided you are in no rush and unlike trannys the chassis and floors don't rot from under you :winky:::bigsmile:
terry
 
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Feb 16, 2013
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Yep thats the first one in my links :thumb: even with the ultra reliable pug engine they go on forever, provided you are in no rush and unlike trannys the chassis and floors don't rot from under you :winky:::bigsmile:
terry

Yeah, I think that much of them , I have just bought a 02 lwb pickup for my other motor, got the duratorq though , not as reliable as the old banana engine but unbelievable cheap motoring 63000 miles £1500 taxed and tested what more could you want.
Btw, anyone local want something shifting up to two ton give me a pm :winky:
 
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from my extensive experience of running old bangers, I can tell you running anything that old will probably require as much repair time as on the road time. So unless you are prepared to dedicate evenings and weekends to repairing the thing dont do it! Worse still if you cant repair it yourself it will quickly become a money black hole...... if any aspect of your life requires access to a reliable vehicle, also forget it! maybe a trailer tent ?:thumb:
 
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