What a great place to be . . . . . . . . may I ask your advice please ? (1 Viewer)

Dave777

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Jan 17, 2015
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Hi all . . . . . firstly, please allow me to introduce myself . . . . . I live & work in Somerset and have aspired to owning, and enjoying, a motorhome for some time now . . . . . . . . I'm in my mid 40's and an apparent opportunity has arisen: I am looking at a 2005 (55 Plate) 'AutoTrail Apache 700SE' based on a Fiat 2.8 diesel engine chassis and it really does look the business, so to speak.

It's being offered to me for £22,500.00 - mileage is 33k and it truly looks to be in superb condition - No recent habitation report but full mechanical Service History . . . .

I'm here to appeal to any current owners of the 2005 AutoTrail Apache 700SE model to seek their feedback and opinions of this motorhome . . . . . . . . Please, your responses/feedback/advice/inherent problems/benefits would be gratefully received . . . . . . . . . . . Thank you in anticipation of your kind replies . . . . . . . . . David
 

camocam1

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Sorry to say but looks can be deceiving
Habitation history is very important as biggest problem with most MH's is damp
I would advise getting an independent report especially if buying private
 

K9Brian

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As above - habitation report is as important as the mechanical service. Well worth spending on an independent inspection. It could well save you thousands of pounds.

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M

Madwife

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Welcome to the fun and I am sure you will get lots of help and advice on here. Our first MH was a 2003 apache and it was a nice van. We only changed it as we found that one with a garage was better suited to our needs.

Unless you sleep in the overcab bed, which was comfortable and spacious, you will have to make up the bed each night in either the lounge or dinette area. Both are a bit of a faff and the beds made up with the seat cushions were uncomfortable to say the least.

The 2003 model was solid construction and much better than the next Autotrail that we bought (2009 plate) so as others have suggested a full hab check is a good place to start and hopefully it will come up with no issues.

Kath
 
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joncris

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Hi! and welcome

As has been stated its important to get an INDEPENDENT habitation report BEFORE parting with any money, a report for which you may have to pay. Also do a FULL HPI check. This will tell you if its been in an accident or nicked. Also is this being offered by a dealer or private seller AND if advertised via the web can you provide a link. If you can we might be able to give a more informative valuation

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joncris

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Forgot to mention re HPI include the Vin no and you will be covered upto 30k (I think) should the information they provide be wrong
 

tonka

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Welcome. I had exact same van a 2005 Apache 700 se.. Had it from two years old and kept it for 5 years. Did many miles over that time here and abroad. Then bought a brand new 700 in 2012, as already said the 2005 was far better built....

An independant hab check would maybe be in the region of £100-£150.. A worthwhile investment... There are no real particular issues with this model of van but at the end of the day it's a wooden box frame covered in plastic and aluminium. Damp or rot can always be an issue, so get it checked. Maybe do a deal with the owner, if you end up buying the van he knocked off 50% of the hab cost.. Or if you decide not to buy then he can have the hab report for same cost.

On the mechanical side, main thing is check when cambelt was last changed, should be within last 5 years and be ready to get it done again at 5 years from the date it was done..

Price seems about right BUT always room to haggle...

Welcome to FUN.
 

MHVirgins

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Hi and welcome:welc:

Can't add much more to the good advice given above, take plenty time over it.

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joncris

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Re cambelt On our Hymer as soon as we bought it we changed it just for peace of mind cost plus fitting £139
 

pappajohn

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Forgot to mention re HPI include the Vin no and you will be covered upto 30k (I think) should the information they provide be wrong

No, include the current V5 document number, not the VIN number.
it must be the current V5 number, you cant use the new one issued to you as the new owner.

Its all on the HPI website.


My apologies....they moved the goalposts and it is now the VIN number

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joncris

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No, include the current V5 document number, not the VIN number.
it must be the current V5 number, you cant use the new one issued to you as the new owner
Its all on the HPI website.


My apologies....they moved the goalposts and it is now the VIN number
 

joncris

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A load of v5's got stolen from Swansea hence the change

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Nov 30, 2009
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Hi and welcome to fun. Yes check everything.
We are selling our van. For around your budget year newer.
I'm just wondering if we should go ahead and do the hab check , if a buyer will only then want an independent one doing ? I wouldn't mind them doing one , but wouldn't pay towards it if we'd done one already. I thought by getting one done as well as a service that would satisfy any doubts concerning the engine , damp etc.
Cam belt , breaks discs /pads, 4 new Michelin camping tyres too, for our new year trip.
 

tonka

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I'm just wondering if we should go ahead and do the hab check , if a buyer will only then want an independent one doing ? I wouldn't mind them doing one , but wouldn't pay towards it if we'd done one already. I thought by getting one done as well as a service that would satisfy any doubts concerning the engine , damp etc.
Cam belt , breaks discs /pads, 4 new Michelin camping tyres too, for our new year trip.

The buyer did say the van had no current Hab check and just seemed like the seller had not offered to get one done.
If someone is selling a £22k van and does not want to offer £75 off a potential sale it could all smell a bit fishy to me..

Ralph-n-bev... If you have / get one for the van your selling then it should be fine and acceptable to the buyer, unless it's maybe months old and they really want an up to date check. Thing can and do change..
When I sold my previous van I did same as your thinking, got a new Hab check, the van already had recent new tyres, cam belt change and service etc... To my mind It's was all that a potential buyer could want and be looking for.. Still took a time to sell and I was pretty tough sticking to a price as I really thought the van was worth it. Got sold eventually and only a small amount from my asking price.. £24,500 compared to the dealer who offered me £18k :)
 
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Dave777

Dave777

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Well hey, people, . . . . . . May I thank You all for your replies and advice? . . . . . . . . Your responses are TRULY appreciated and I will, of course, have the Hab-Inspection carried out before parting with my hard-earned cash . . . . . . . . . I actually live within 10 minutes drive of "Highbridge Caravans & Motorhomes" and will commission them for said inspection/report at the current owner's agreement to fund said inspection . . . . . . . . . "courage of conviction" comes to mind here and, if I were selling this unit, a clear Hab-Report would be part of the sales particulars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It's great to be here with You all and, again, I truly appreciate your responses . . . . . . . . Thank-you, . . . . David

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Puddleduck

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welcome.jpg
 
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Dave777

Dave777

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Tonka said . . . .

Welcome. I had exact same van a 2005 Apache 700 se.. Had it from two years old and kept it for 5 years. Did many miles over that time here and abroad. Then bought a brand new 700 in 2012, as already said the 2005 was far better built....

May I say here that I, too have been told that the 2005 Autotrail Apache 700SE build quality was somewhat better than subsequent models . . . . . . . . . .. please can 'Tonka' and anyone else with experience with owning this very unit, elaborate? . . . . . . . . . . . I really do appreciate your feedback here as I do not want to make a mistake . . . . . . David

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tonka

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To keep weight down and costs as well I guess..
All the cupboards, doors etc in my 2012 are some sort of " compressed cardboard" Blinking screws never stay in. They feel so lightweight when you open and close them. The 2005 isn't made of anything near proper wood but it's a lot better than what they use now.. The 2005 is most likely to be Aluminium sides, compared to a plastic / grp as they are now..

Dont get me wrong, the new van with latest cab, engine and improved storage and extra "gizmo's" is a great improvement. Like driving a car compared to the 2.8Jtd, thats a good van but you know it's a "van"... If I had to go back to a slightly older motorhome I would have no issue with an Autotrail around that age... Popular family layout as well so should help with future sale..
 

joncris

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Our hobby, because of the internet, really is a small world so its important to make sure that Highbridge were never the original supplying dealer to the seller otherwise there could be considered some alleged bias in their report
 
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Dave777

Dave777

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Credit where it's due - thank you all for your input, advice and assistance . . . . . . what an excellent Forum and I will be here for some time.

I will of course post any further questions in the right sections ;-)

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Vlad The Impaler

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Hello Dave and welcome.We have a 2004 Apache and love it,it's our first van and we've had it for three years.The kids love it and there is ample space for the 4 of us,The wife and I sleep in the lounge one kid in the over cab and the other in the dinette .The beauty of a rear lounge van is that you can lie with your feet up and properly relax,then when it's bedtime it takes a couple of mins to convert.
When you make the bed up remember to turn the cushions over so your lying on the flat surface,we add a memory foam topper and I can honestly say it's comfier than our bed at home.When made up the bed is big enough for all 4 of us to lie on and watch a dvd .
I bought mine privately haggled a bit and bagged a good deal ,I didn't know about habitation checks back then but got a good feeling about the van and the family selling it ,to date I've had no problems and still love it.



Vlad
 
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Dave777

Dave777

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More valuable input, thank you Vlad :) . . . . and Gerri, you're not wrong there ;-) . . . . . . . . . .

PS: How do I upload an avatar picture to my profile ? -

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tonka

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More valuable input, thank you Vlad :) . . . . and Gerri, you're not wrong there ;-) . . . . . . . . . .

PS: How do I upload an avatar picture to my profile ? -

AH... Now comes the test... Uploading Avatar, anymore posts etc = subscribe.. :)
 
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Dave777

Dave777

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(y) . . . . . . . . Tonka, I've just subscribed . . . . . best £10 I've spent in a long while . . . . . . . :) . . . . . . . I reckon you good people have saved me multiples more, potentially, with the advice and assistance in this one thread alone . . . . . . . OK, now I'm off to get my avatar sorted . . . . . :D
 

tonka

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(y) . . . . . . . . Tonka, I've just subscribed . . . . . best £10 I've spent in a long while . . . . . . . :) . . . . . . . I reckon you good people have saved me multiples more, potentially, with the advice and assistance in this one thread alone . . . . . . . OK, now I'm off to get my avatar sorted . . . . . :D

Yea.... I think you have said it all.. "best £10". :)
Welcome to the real. FUN...

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