Mileage !!!!! (1 Viewer)

Aug 19, 2007
560
242
Birmingham
Funster No
120
MH
looking
Exp
2001
So Seen a couple of vans we like the layout of , both 2001 & 2.8TD engines,

Both are being sold by dealers, so neither particularly cheap.

The thing is they have done some serious mileages they are both LHD, one having done 122,000 & the other 99,500 miles.

they both have some history regarding servicing, none of it is complete though with gaps throughout the years. the 99,500 had quite lot of work done to the engine last jan, new valves head skimmed etc.

The only concern i have is with the rest of mechanical items brakes, suspension etc as .these items have obviously done the same mileages & may in need of Some repair replacement.

The interiors & bodywork are really well looked after, i should say they are both "A" Class hymers.

Any opinions on whether we should avoid such high mileage vehicles or not, do any other funsters have such high mileage vans?.
 

Badknee

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 25, 2014
7,395
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Wow! We bought ours in Oct 2014 when it was eleven years old and it had 26k on the clock. It had a new cam belt and tyres all round because of its age not mileage and was like new inside so they are out there, just keep looking.(y)
 

stcyr

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Apr 11, 2011
1,765
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On & off, since 1966 - fulltime since 2005
6000ish & 8000ish per year is low.
Everything should be checked over & serviced by a decent dealer before sale ... should :whistle:

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Feb 24, 2013
12,991
101,181
Bolsover, Derbyshire
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24,833
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Hymer S800
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not long enough
If LHD they might both also be km's not miles, so maybe not as bad as it looks, but 7K / year or if km's 5K miles / year is nothing to worry about, I would probably be more worried about anything lower being either rigged or parked and lived in


edit - we bought a 2000 mile 4 year old MH, serviced twice by Mercedes in that mileage and the turbo went at 12K miles. I don't think mileage is a big thing, even though I would still prefer a lower mileage when we change next
 

pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
43,207
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Since 2005
New valves and head skim points to a broken cam belt so that should be ok if recently done....usually 80000 miles or five years between belts.
Clutch and Brakes wear, a fact of life....consumable items.
Suspension should be ok, not often it goes wrong but parts arent expensive anyway.
Only problem may be the front chassis cross member, they rot like a fish in a plastic bag, but if you can use a spanner its an easy DIY repair.
100000 miles is nicely run in, with regular maintenance expect 2 or 3 times that.
 

Xabia

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Jan 20, 2011
1,186
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Since 1996
The fact that they are both Hymers can give you confidence about the outer fabric of the Motorhomes, you won't have to worry about damp problems. When you consider the age of them they are not 'miley' as such, 6-8000 per year and the total is not excessive for a Diesel engine that has been properly serviced. As far as brakes are concerned the front discs can be inspected for condition and I have a feeling that the rears were discs as well so the same applies there. I would want to see some evidence that the Alko rear suspension had been included in the servicing as repairs to that axle are expensive. If you have a test drive you should be able to tell if the front springs are still okay, if you feel bottoming on bumps it would mean replacement and you would probably be looking at £6-700 but please check as I may be a bit out on that. There is a Hymer in a village not far from me which is of 1980's vintage and which is still going strong.

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Cilfan

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Aug 3, 2016
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I'm no MH expert, in fact just the opposite, a complete novice. But once you take away the camper part of the vehicle(s) - and you say they're both in pretty good shape - you're left with what is basically a commercial van engine, drive train, running gear and chassis. Provided the latter is in good order everything else is fixable with spanners. Let's face it, you could go out and find yourself something of a similar age that's barely covered 20k because it's stood idle for most of its life and everything is seized or perished on it.

If the chassis, bodywork and interior is good and all the equipment works then wait and see if anyone comes up with any "watch out fors" and find yourself a good pet mechanic. Happy hunting.
 

Emmit

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Aug 14, 2009
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Jan.2014
From our limited experience (The one we've got now!!!) and with that wonderful thing called hindsight, I would rather have bought our van with the mileage it has now (31,000) than the mileage when we bought it (17,000)
Might seem perverse but it had spent so long doing not very much that it took some time to get it to perform as it should.
Yours are, however, at the other end of the spectrum with mileages usually seen on the Continent.
I would keep looking especially as it would seem that the dealers are not making allowances for the relative high mileages.

Funny that. They usually shout it from the rooftops and charge really top dollar when it's low mileage, (see my comments above) although they didn't skin us but still charge oodles when it's high mileage.
 
D

deleted-member02

Deleted User
I sold my 1998 2.5td Hymer a three years ago, I guess that makes it comparable to a 2001 van now.
It had 88k on the clock - drove very well and was still in excellent condition.
Never had any serious issues with it and would still trust it now, they'll go on and on if properly maintained.
When looking to change I made px enquiries, the offers were low, really low - all based on the age and mileage.
High mileage vans are considerably cheaper, buyers are wary for whatever reason...
I bought low and sold low (relative to low mileage vehicles) both private transactions.
The dealer will have paid peanuts so be willing to haggle hard !

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Baileysbus

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Aug 2, 2016
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Check the V5 to see if they were previously owned by James T Kirk .....:whistle:
 

funflair

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Dec 11, 2013
19,199
29,888
Guisborough
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since 2012
Check the V5 to see if they were previously owned by James T Kirk .....:whistle:
I wouldn't say those figures were "galactic" possibly higher than the average for a motorhome but that's only because a lot of people don't use them much, basically it a commercial vehicle with a body on top and as such its built to do miles not sit around a parking lot or shed, I'm sure they are better for being used as long as they are maintained properly.

Martin

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Oct 5, 2012
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5 years, feel free to ask me about the Carado!!
The mileage and maintainence is one issue, the second is how it's been driven. Given that almost every German followed by Swiss then Belgium motorhome owner travels at 90 mph as a low cruising speed irrespective of the road conditions and the age of the van, I would never ever buy a second hand one from a continental dealer.
 
OP
OP
C
Aug 19, 2007
560
242
Birmingham
Funster No
120
MH
looking
Exp
2001
Thanks for all the comments so far, both these vans are for sale in the uk, & both were orginally supplied by
deepcar motorhomes.

I really would prefer RHD,the only reason for considering them is the layout, i think a couple of funsters may have the same but quite rare, they are both hymer B644 with rear lounge rather than rear high bed, one has dinette option, the other long L shape seating.
 

PhilG

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Mar 8, 2016
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since birth
My A class is 2003 and had 28K on it.. my 7.5 tonner had 370,000km on it.. anything sub 100k at that age is the exception rather than the rule, if it has service history , and the running gear is good, then crack on.. even at 28k mine had just had new discs and pads, on the front ,and pads on the rear, and 6 new tyres, that would have been a £600 at a dealers. Biggest thing is cambelt.. mine had no history of being done, so i had to stump for that , but if it has been done, thats a worry gone.

A 100k van with all the work done and documented is better than an 80k one with no history IMO

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