Totally new to this... How do we know a fair sale price? (1 Viewer)

[Harry Man]

Hi there!
We have been researching with a view to buying our first motorhome for a while now but can anyone suggest how exactly we should go about determining the realistic value of a motorhome??
We are currently looking at a Swift Sundance 590RL, 2 berth, 2009 plate and are conscious of being misled by sales people. We are totally inexperienced and any guidance or thoughts would be appreciated... Such a huge decision!
Many thanks!

 

[wigster]

 

[Harry Man]

Thank you! I have no problem with looking a fool!!

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[Brian and Jo]

Hi there and welcome to MHF. Great place for newbies and oldies alike. Can't really say what the van you are looking at is worth but I'm sure someone will be along soon that will .for me I would not buy privately and always through a dealer ,for me it's peace of mind.Good luck with your search and enjoy your new pastime
Brian & Jo

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[TheBig1]

to get a rough idea of value look on ebay etc for similar vams

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[Harry Man]

Many thanks. Will check out eBay for ideas. Yes, we have decided to buy from a dealer. That's one thing we are sure of!!

 

[MC 55 FUN]

&

 

[tonka]

I quick search gave a couple on Autotrader at dealers around £29,995....
As a cash, no part ex I would expect to try and get something like £2-3k off...
Few more weeks and the sun starts to disappear and so do all the new customers, so use that to your advantage..
You need to locate two vans and then play one off against the other, depends on how good your haggling skills are ....

Good luck...

Why not put a link on the van you are looking at ? others may then be able to offer a bit more advice.

ps... As a new member you get 5 free posts, after that it's £15 a year to subscribe. May be the best money you spend on a motorhome..

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[bubble63]

to get a rough idea of value look on ebay etc for similar vams

As @TheBig1 says just keep looking and looking, you will become the 'expert in your field'

 

[Jim]

Hi Harry, have a read of the Motorhome Buyers Guide and you'll learn how to know what a van is worth. in fact, you must know precisely what it is worth before you start negotiating The Motorhome Buyers Guide it’s free to subscribers.

 

[pappajohn]

Many thanks. Will check out eBay for ideas. Yes, we have decided to buy from a dealer. That's one thing we are sure of!!

Be aware....dealer price and eBay price will usually be on different planets.
Dealer has overheads and needs to make a profit....ebay/private seller doesn't so the price is usually lower.

Prime example.....
We paid £24k for our last one, private sale.
Sold last year for £16.6k, private sale.
Now in a dealers for £29k

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[Harry Man]

Hi all
Thanks for the help. I have read the buyer's guide from cover to cover... It's brilliant.
The website have removed the link to the MH we are looking at since we have committed to going to see it this weekend. It's advertised at £27,995. Mileage is just over 53,000. Bit fearful of negotiating but needs must if it's the right MH for us!!
Thanks again!

 

[Lenny HB]

Its a Swift be very weary of damp and water ingress problems and spongy floors.

 

[Harry Man]

Oh right, OK. I assume that's a problem with Swifts then? Useful to know if that's the case. We really need to get an idea of what MHs are susceptible to what, if you get what I mean. At the moment we don't have much of a clue!

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[Paul an Jane MK]

Hi,

Our Swift Sundance 590 RL 58 plate was purchased from a Dealer this Easter, so fairly relevant!

Firstly I would thoroughly recommend joining MHFun, we have received so much advice and helpful suggestions over that last few months in fact we have just arrived back from a great trip in Wales and all but one of the sites was recommended plus a great boat trip.

Regarding the floors, disasterous problem but not heard of it on the newer models but I can say ours is rock solid. I believe it particularly affected the area around the step ( good ground clearance so you can easily crawl under for a look.) The X250 (the newer shape van yours will be based on) also suffered in the early days from a clutch judder when reversing up a slope (worth giving it a go on the test drive which as said in buyers guide is a must.) Ours does not judder and our dealer said he has not seen one with the judder for about 18 months so hopefully most now sorted under warranty.

Another X250 issue is rain water dripping on to engine and a new plastic engine cover should have been fitted under warranty ( a picture on here somewhere showing shape of new cover.)

Last Easter we saw ours advertised on a local dealers website for £25995 with 31K miles, a years warranty, years MOT, vehicle service & habitation service. When we arrived there was a couple looking inside with a Salesman which was annoying as it was the only van there that ticked all our boxes, thankfully they left so we had a look inside, blow me within 5 minutes another couple came inside to have a look inside, at that point we both really liked it so I wasted no time and grabbed a passing salesman.

I think we benefitted from what had been a wet Easter so when he worked out the monthly payment on finance and it came to a bit more than I wanted to pay he quickly dropped it to £25050 at which point I was very tempted but we then went and had another look on our own and while sat in it we decided to go for it and at that point the salesman popped his head inside and said if we did something today he would include a starter kit which actually proved to be pretty good.

Our van brand new had a list price of £32000 so to have dropped £7k in 7 1/2 years does not seem outragous depreciation.

What I find hard to understand is used prices, plainly some manufacturers command higher used prices than others and when we looked at loads of motorhomes you will see some that are loads more money than others but sometimes you much prefer the cheaper one. ( we were at our dealer the other day and they had an older Moho on the previous van that really did not look as nice as ours for more than we paid - so still confused.)

I know some used car dealers will ask an inflated price for new stock to see what happens and gradually bring the price down until it sells, not sure if Moho dealers do the same but quite possible. As also said the main holiday season is coming to an end so that must help your bargaining power.

Check reviews of the dealer, after a couple of trips our engine management light came on and a phone call later and a trip to the dealer a new EGR valve was fitted and all good. Motorhomes are complex with fancy fridges and control systems etc and that is before factoring in the vehicle so good back up from your dealer is essential and preferably not too far away as even brand new vans will often need work done under warranty, (our friends brand new Bailey has been back to their dealer more often than ours.)

We love our 590 RL, it has the Wardrobe and loo on one side and just worktop height on the other making it feel spacious rather than a corridor style plus an open lounge area. It does only have 2 travelling seats although four berth so two could use the over cab bed and leave the lounge, we prefer to sleep in the loung and I normally make up the bed while SWMBO cleans her teeth etc. A fixed bed would mean Moho would be longer and at 6.3 metres ours works perfectly for us and we can fit in a normal carpark space with a bit of overhang so we can do day trips out in it with all the facilities on tap rather than just leave it parked up on site. My only real complaint is the quality of the wood finish that after 8 years is peeling in a few corners but nothing a bit of glue wont fix and not a deal breaker for me but some would prefer to pay more for that better quality. Ours has the 100 multijet engine (the 130 was optional on 590RL) the 100 drives so well and apart from the steepest hill will happily go faster than I would want to go and can keep up easily with normal traffic.)

Hope that helps, and let us know how it goes (PM me if you want to know anything else, although may need to be a member.)

Paul

 

[Cilfan]

Prime example.....
We paid £24k for our last one, private sale.
Sold last year for £16.6k, private sale.
Now in a dealers for £29k

If that's a typical dealer markup then it's small wonder that 20+ year old vans are still attracting £10k or so.

Buying from a dealer may well provide you with a security blanket - provided the dealer is an honorable one and there are stories on here of those that aren't. But paying £10k over the top - as in the example above - after the dealer has very kindly knocked a couple of £k off "because he likes you" would pay for an awful lot of remedial work should a private purchase require it.

There are times when I can't help but think I'm jumping into a pit of vipers by wanting to buy a S/H MH!

 

[Lenny HB]

Oh right, OK. I assume that's a problem with Swifts then? Useful to know if that's the case. We really need to get an idea of what MHs are susceptible to what, if you get what I mean. At the moment we don't have much of a clue!

Par for the course with any British built van, play safe and buy a German van you stand a far better chance of getteling a solid van without problems. Personaly I wouldn't go near a British built van had too many problems in the past with caravans.

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[44658]

Hi Harry Man,
We searched last year, saw our MH 1 week before Christmas and collected the end of January. All ready to go. Well that's a misnomer, 5K on and still buying. Reverse camera, Sat dish, Tracker, Aquaroll and waste, chairs tables, seats, wind break, better radio, awning fixtures, spare wheel and carrier, etc etc.
My advice; Find your chosen layout, find the van with all of the above. Don't rule out private, if the history is there, the certs in place, tyres good, mot done. Save 30-40% in dealer mark up. Plenty of decent homes on this forum. Just an arse doing all the travelling to view as opposed to a dealer with loads, and that is what they are banking on. Your patience, and time. Don't rush. If you must buy from a dealer, hire the van for the weekend to really make sure. Remember the salesman's salary is commisoned based.
Last word, vans post 2009 are better insulated, more efficient engines. Hence the price bump post and pre that era.
Good luck.
Ian S

 

[Bobby22]

My advice would be to buy from a reputable dealer.........there are many horror stories out there regarding stolen vans. ( all precautions taken and still find it stolen)

At a dealer i would aim for between 5 and 10% off the screen price, maybe as a cash sale or with some of the useful extras thrown in.

Many dealers are very happy to add extras as they don't pay retail prices for them.

Make them an offer that you think is fair. He will not fall out or chase you he will accept or negociate further

Don't be frightened to walk away........( "i'll think about it") .Do what they do, call him up later that day or next morning and ask if there is anymore leeway.

Good luck and enjoy when you do get one.

 

[The Wino]

Its a high mileage for a motorhome wouldn't put me off at all but the dealer will have negociated a much lower buy price from the previous own. You could phone another dealer and get a trade in price on another van (pretend you own it and look at a van 20k more) to get an idea of what you are losing when you drive it away but could be a bit depressing!!!!. I wouldn't rule out buying privately with a dealer/repairer inspection you could get a lot newer/lower mileage no warranty but the dealers are renowned for warranties not always covering things!!

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[Bobby22]

Its a high mileage for a motorhome wouldn't put me off at all but the dealer will have negociated a much lower buy price from the previous own. You could phone another dealer and get a trade in price on another van (pretend you own it and look at a van 20k more) to get an idea of what you are losing when you drive it away but could be a bit depressing!!!!. I wouldn't rule out buying privately with a dealer/repairer inspection you could get a lot newer/lower mileage no warranty but the dealers are renowned for warranties not always covering things!!

Different dealers could be ££k s on mark up.......some offer huge trade ins on anything.......always take them with a pinch of salt.

To put you in the picture i recently changed vans....and beforehand sourced 2 of the same vans i asked how much to change..........and there was £8k difference.

So homework really pays off.

 

[Harry Man]

Thanks so much to everyone for your advice. It's definitely given us more to think about!