How much (1 Viewer)

buckley74

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Realistic how much would you spend on your first motorhome. I've seen some on 1998/2003 plate for up to £14000, all from dealers is that about right. I know you only get what you pay for. Any thoughts
 
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Robert Clark

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Think of your first van as a 'tester', you may want to change it within 12 months for a model with a different layout
Maybe look at a cheaper model, so that you potentially lose less when you upgrade
 
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Mar 26, 2015
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I`m a newbie
Nah then.
I paid £13.000 for my first and probably my only motorhome it's a 1998 Peugeot wayfarer at the time of inspection it was great, but being on my tour for a month I saw loads and loads of others and it made me green with envy.....so now I'm going to spend a little or a lot a money on it to get just how I want it.....then for me it'll be as good as a new one.....hope this helps.

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DanielFord

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Jun 1, 2013
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Well there's an open ended question! :D
We paid £31,500 for our motorhome, and we love it, obviously. Recently however, we stopped in the New Forest, and got chatting to a young couple who had an old motorhome (Renault Traffic based I think if memory serves) They paid £1,500 for it. Granted it had a little rust in places, and some unusual behaviour from some of the internal accessories, but they also loved their van. And to be fair, I had a poke around inside it, and it was a brilliant little van! :D
 
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deleted-member02

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I spent 13k on a 1998van, that was in 2003...

Sold it for £12k in 2009, so it cost me a thousand in six years (it's probably worth 14k today....I could have made a small profit :))

Buy wisely and it doesn't have to 'cost' much money

Something like this has hardly dropped in price for years
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Then look at the same van five years older, it's not much cheaper
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TallBlonde

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I spent 13k on a 1998van, that was in 2003...

Sold it for £12k in 2009, so it cost me a thousand in six years (it's probably worth 14k today....I could have made a small profit :))

Buy wisely and it doesn't have to 'cost' much money

Something like this has hardly dropped in price for years
Broken Link Removed

Then look at the same van five years older, it's not much cheaper
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With the above in mind then, which vans tend to hold their value? I know that any one you might buy could turn out to be a dog, but all things being equal and all that.

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Nov 6, 2013
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We paid £4.5K for our first MH (a 1995 Swift Royale ) - just to see if we enjoyed the life. We did, and traded it in nearly three years later (for £5K) for our present MH which we've now had for two years.
 
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Langtoftlad

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I was trying to stretch myself to get a budget new van - but thanks to advice on here I actually ended up buying used.
At the PBoro show I bought a 2004 Coachbuilt Ace (Swift) at about half the budget... It's a bit tatty around the edges but everything works... albeit all manual, no blingy bits

But you know what?
It does the job - and its left a few pennies in the back pocket if it does need some TLC.
It's more relaxing too - not fretting about getting branch scratches & dings :LOL:.

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deleted-member02

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With the above in mind then, which vans tend to hold their value? I know that any one you might buy could turn out to be a dog, but all things being equal and all that.
All in my opinion, a select few off the top of my head - I'm sure others have different ideas.
  • Autosleepers with monocoque bodies. Specifically clubman/gatcome/legend/medallion. Well loved examples will always sell quickly. Little difference in price between a 1992 and a 2000 van, even the later vans with higher spec engines don't cost much more
  • Autosleeper Trophy and Topaz. Compact Volkswagens with toilet/shower facilities. Always in demand. Little difference in price between a 1994 and a 2000 van. Later vans cost a bit more but are often in nearly new condition
  • All the other Autosleepers. There's some tatty and overpriced examples around but also some fantastic loved vehicles around at reasonable prices. I'm thinking Trident, Duetto, Symbol, Pollenesa, Ravena
  • Autotrail's are always popular, particularly at dealers, where they sell for top dollar. There are lots out there, occasionally bargains do come up with private sellers.
Historically, I would have suggested Hymer A class, however with the current strength of Sterling, vans on the Continent look a lot cheaper, so perhaps European vans in the UK are overpriced ? Bearing this in mind, I'm not so sure they're the great investment they were...
Putting that to one side, 2002-2006 Hymer A class look pretty cheap compared to the slightly older vans, or even compared to the new shape post 2007 vans.
  • Hymer Starline purchased wisely will never lose much
  • Hymer 'Classic' coachbuilts. Some sellers will try for top dollar but for the most part they are crazy good value. Occasionally 2004-2006 vans pop up for 16-20k. They're so much van for the money, I have no idea why they sell for so little...
Always look out for private sellers who need to sell quickly. Some real bargains out there, I think having a good knowledge, being willing to travel and act quickly helps.

I'm sure there's plenty of other examples, I couldn't possibly write a comprehensive list, hope this helps !
 
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Jun 30, 2010
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Fella on here (oddsocks) bought an E Reg Merc that someone had up dated inside the latest gear, and, as far as I know he is still swanning around Iberia over a year later.
Any M/H, you can make your own, a light here, L E D s there, new stove, T V points, w- h- y, bit of bling, tow bar the list is endless, whatever suites you or your budget.

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TallBlonde

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All in my opinion, a select few off the top of my head - I'm sure others have different ideas.
  • Autosleepers with monocoque bodies. Specifically clubman/gatcome/legend/medallion. Well loved examples will always sell quickly. Little difference in price between a 1992 and a 2000 van, even the later vans with higher spec engines don't cost much more
  • Autosleeper Trophy and Topaz. Compact Volkswagens with toilet/shower facilities. Always in demand. Little difference in price between a 1994 and a 2000 van. Later vans cost a bit more but are often in nearly new condition
  • All the other Autosleepers. There's some tatty and overpriced examples around but also some fantastic loved vehicles around at reasonable prices. I'm thinking Trident, Duetto, Symbol, Pollenesa, Ravena
  • Autotrail's are always popular, particularly at dealers, where they sell for top dollar. There are lots out there, occasionally bargains do come up with private sellers.
Historically, I would have suggested Hymer A class, however with the current strength of Sterling, vans on the Continent look a lot cheaper, so perhaps European vans in the UK are overpriced ? Bearing this in mind, I'm not so sure they're the great investment they were...
Putting that to one side, 2002-2006 Hymer A class look pretty cheap compared to the slightly older vans, or even compared to the new shape post 2007 vans.
  • Hymer Starline purchased wisely will never lose much
  • Hymer 'Classic' coachbuilts. Some sellers will try for top dollar but for the most part they are crazy good value. Occasionally 2004-2006 vans pop up for 16-20k. They're so much van for the money, I have no idea why they sell for so little...
Always look out for private sellers who need to sell quickly. Some real bargains out there, I think having a good knowledge, being willing to travel and act quickly helps.

I'm sure there's plenty of other examples, I couldn't possibly write a comprehensive list, hope this helps !
Thanks, that's a very helpful starting point and some food for thought.
 
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Shrimp

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We bought a VW Trooper camper (elevating roof, rock'n roll bed,) limited space but great fun for 9,000.
Traded the Trooper in several years later for 9.500 against a coachbuilt MH, then a few years on traded that for a Hymer, leftie, 3 berth, with loads of extras!
 
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TallBlonde

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We bought a VW Trooper camper (elevating roof, rock'n roll bed,) limited space but great fun for 9,000.
Traded the Trooper in several years later for 9.500 against a coachbuilt MH, then a few years on traded that for a Hymer, leftie, 3 berth, with loads of extras!
Mr TB has said he wouldn't rule out a leftie - is there a re-sale issue with them? I guess I'm worried in case we want to try and move onto another moho

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Techno

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Realistic how much would you spend on your first motorhome. I've seen some on 1998/2003 plate for up to £14000, all from dealers is that about right. I know you only get what you pay for. Any thoughts
We spent 22k 5 years ago on a 2004 Autocruise starspirit. 3 owners and only 8k miles.
After over two years of making up beds we'd had enough and sold it in favour of a van with a bedroom.
 
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Oct 20, 2014
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A good few years
Paid 9k€uro on our Adria Adriatik last october. 1999 model with 57k miles, 2.8 litre engine......Love it!
1391530_398109533649622_348911512_n.jpg
 
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Big bus man

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Buying a motorhome is like buying a house, you know it's right when you walk in and if it fits all your requirements it is the one for you. My advice is find the right vehicle, what you really want is probably more than you can afford but don't let that stop you, you can get loans over 10 years these days and with the right van it won't loose a great deal of money but you will have a van that will keep you happy for many years without that desire to 'upgrade'.
 
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Charlie

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May 16, 2015
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Surely its not how much we spend its how much we can afford to spend ? If the possible budget is large then buy the best you can within it ?
Buying and older van must surely come with the possibility of more bills ?

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Ja63

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Jun 28, 2015
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I think it all boils down to how much you can afford to spend....or lose if you end up buying the wrong one.

Being new to motorhoming apart from one weeks hire about 15 years ago, we researched until our brains hurt. We had set ourselves a £35k limit and thought we knew exactly the layout we wanted.

Then we went to the Stafford show and were absolutely bowled over by the Swift Bolero that we now own. Only £22k over budget :eek: and not the layout we thought we wanted!! We went back to it 4 times then kept walking round looking at others which just didn't seem to compare....eventually we just looked at each other over our polystyrene cups of coffee and said sod it, we only live once!!

But.....we will keep it for at least two years and if we end up losing £20k or so then we can live with that. We owned a villa in Florida for years and that cost us about £10k a year and we couldn't use it at the drop of a hat like we can the motorhome

We both have good jobs, no mortgage and our kids are grown up and working, so it is our 'luxury' .....so far we are loving it and apart from Mr Ja63 thinking we should have gone bigger, which we can't if we want to keep it on our driveway, we think we've made the right decision. (I keep telling him size isn't everything:nerd:)

So, I would say that the right amount to spend on your first motorhome is the amount you can afford/are prepared to be out of pocket if you buy the wrong layout or decide that motorhoming isn't for you......and that is obviously going to be a different figure for everyone you ask.
 
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RS_rob

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Dec 14, 2013
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over a Year Yay................
Paid 16k
wanted to pay 7k
my tip dont just look.......................................... TRY IT OUT

yep

we went & pulled out the beds, set up the cooking area pretended we had our friends round & cooked a full meal, simulated games & drinks evenings right down to leaving the table & going to the loo.

Role play is the key....

Choose right choose once. our 97 Elddis is perfect for US........... might not be for you but it is for us.
 
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TheBig1

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The advice I was given years ago and the same as I passed onto daughter. Dont overstretch your budget there is always a bargain to be had in every price range. I am not bragging when I say that I have never had credit on any motorhome I have owned. That way, the extra money you would be using servicing the debt will fund trips away and maintaining the vehicle.

motorhomes lose the most value as you leave the forecourt when bought new, at least 20%. After 2 or 3 years the prices stabilise and then hold well for 5 or 6 years. A poorly maintained and mistreated van though will depreciate quicker

if you buy a van now that suits your needs within your budget and are sensible, you can change layout or move to a newer or bigger van without so much capital input in a year or 2.
 
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