If fivers are so reasonably priced............... (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Last couple of years have done some fairly serious looking at five'ers.. mainly 2nd hand ones

What a lot you get for your lolly..

Now compare the price agin a motorhome of a similar age.. More than double in most cases, and usually for a whole lot less home :Doh:

Yes, I realise you are getting the vehicle as well with a MH, but a couple of times we have been offered deals by traders whereby we get a whole rig and a few grand back !

Are five'ers that unpopular they are having to give massive discounts to shift them ?
Or is there something else ????
 

Wildman

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difficult to wild or use aires with a 5ver, tows easier than a caravan, but still a caravan. Needs a proper tow car as well. so you will probably still end up with 2 lots of tax and insurance. However once sited and you will be restricted to sites you still have a run around. Whole different ethos to wilding in a motorhome. Plus you need someplace to keep it.
 

Road Runner

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I read the whole post first trying tom understand what it had to do with £5 fiver's.

Got my dumb head on this morning:RollEyes:

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Road Runner

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If things were different or I had thought about one in 2005 might have gone there just for the truck as I would have bought to tug it and been beast.

Now I dont need big so at thre first chance will go back from my RV to a Euro van.
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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So far agree with everything that folks are saying.. We have been looking at them for when I retire as a full time option..

But no one has, as yet, come up with a reason for the pricing...

I am starting to have strong suspicions the motorhome pricing is based more in the greed of the manufacturers !

The dealers have the sh!tty end of the stick, as they seem to be lumbered with all the fallout of the builders issues with little overhead to work with

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Nov 6, 2008
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l considered a 5er, but, opted for an A class RV.
Whilst l couldn't find fault with a 5er, l couldn't get the whole outfit for my budget. Most 5ers dont have a genny, and have smaller holding tanks than an A class. If l could have bought one for the right price, l may have just gone down that road. At the moment l am happy with the A class, but, l wouldn't rule out owning one in the future.

Craig
 

Jim

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What does a new fiat cost, is it around 25k+ for a LWB? I've no idea but the MH makers must be paying anywhere between 15-20k to Fiat for a long wheelbase 3l Ducatto so that's a chunk of change that caravans/fivers don't incur in manufacture which by the time all that labour in turning the van into a MH must make them almost twice as expensive.
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Ok...... lets take a mid way figure of £17k ( though read somewhere it is somewhat less than that )


Lets start with the price of a new Dethless .. about the £55k range.. Minus the 17k = £38k

Now add the body and fittings, lets be generous here and say £15k

I am led to understand a dealer is lucky to clear 3 to 5K on a mh ( not a lot for a major financial investment and all the agro that is often associated with some of the ummmm.. less well made units )

That leaves £20k profit for the manufacturer

According to the blurb ( and info gleaned from, of all places, the Caravan Channel ) there are an average of 50 man hours used to complete a unit ( yes, I was surprised at how little too, but of course, these folks are doing it day in day out and have it all down to a fine art )

But.. looking back at the figures, I guess the profit margin of the manufacturer is not really that far out when compared to a lot of other stuff.. It just SEEMS a lot to me as a layman

All well and good..
But still, I believe you get a whole lot more for your beer tokens when buying a 5th wheel than a 'normal' motorhome ( or indeed the very large, luxurious caravans )

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slobadoberbob

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same problem John

I read the whole post first trying tom understand what it had to do with £5 fiver's.

Got my dumb head on this morning:RollEyes:


I had to read it a couple of times to understand the thread.. some people write a thread and do not think about the others that are going to read it.. does it make sense? well to a Yank owner may be, but not to a tuger or a euro box owner.

So no John you are not going round the bend.. just the post is.

Bob:Blush:
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Another factor could be that motorhomes are more popular than fivers. The more the demand the more sellers can charge, simple market economics.

Graham

Yep.. and I reckon THAT is also a factor too

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Terry

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Ok...... lets take a mid way figure of £17k ( though read somewhere it is somewhat less than that )


Lets start with the price of a new Dethless .. about the £55k range.. Minus the 17k = £38k

Now add the body and fittings, lets be generous here and say £15k

I am led to understand a dealer is lucky to clear 3 to 5K on a mh ( not a lot for a major financial investment and all the agro that is often associated with some of the ummmm.. less well made units )

That leaves £20k profit for the manufacturer

According to the blurb ( and info gleaned from, of all places, the Caravan Channel ) there are an average of 50 man hours used to complete a unit ( yes, I was surprised at how little too, but of course, these folks are doing it day in day out and have it all down to a fine art )

But.. looking back at the figures, I guess the profit margin of the manufacturer is not really that far out when compared to a lot of other stuff.. It just SEEMS a lot to me as a layman

All well and good..
But still, I believe you get a whole lot more for your beer tokens when buying a 5th wheel than a 'normal' motorhome ( or indeed the very large, luxurious caravans )

prices for a PVC
Hi John, not too far out with the 17 k for the van (probably nearer Jims 15k :ROFLMAO:) About 6k for all the toys inside ( discount )- mine cost 7 k ish with as much off as I could get for cash etc :ROFLMAO: 50 MAN HOURS ? got to question that as I know mine took 2 of us 3 weeks on the inside so I think 200 may be nearer the mark-( I know we work a lot faster/better than any factory workers that I have seen :ROFLMAO:-Used to go in the autocruse factory and we could have done the job while they were thinking about it :Eeek: ) but then again we made everything from scratch not pre assembled things that you just put in place and screw together - So say 4 / 5 k wages
17 + 6 = 23 + 5 = 28k then take off for min prices ie 15 + 6 = 21 + 4 = 25k then add bosses wages probably 4 k min giving you a build cost of either 25 k no boss or 29 k inc boss plus about 1.5 k to 2 k for dealer mark up :ROFLMAO: the rest is gobbled up by taxes giving a total price nearer 34/35k :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: don't pay the boss :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
terry
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Bugger !! Forgot about the highwaymen who cannot even be bothered to wear masks ! ( the tax on top of everything ! )
 

ehuplad

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We sold our Rv to get a fiver. ::bigsmile:::bigsmile:.

2008 rv changed for 2009 fiver.

No different inside except the fiver is bigger still got all the spec, except for Genny but bought one for £345 so not a problem.

2 reason why we swaped.

1 Fiver much better option to live in, only 1 road tax, insurance cheaper for truck and trailer than rv. Truck used as everday vehicle so no other car needs to be bought.

2 the difference in price means that there will be no dept outstanding so can pack up current job sooner. :thumb::thumb:

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Landy lover

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Well JAWS you have seen the inside of ours - and as you know we tow with a Land Rover. The reason we went for a 5'er was space and the fact that it was so much more comfortable full time in - we looked at Motor Homes and larger caravans and there were so many things in a 5'er that made full timing more comfortable. We have just read a report in MMM on a new motorhome and it shows the Pilot as doing 24mpg - we get more than that towing since we had it chipped and get 36 mpg solo - when we are on a site we do not have to pack all up to go out for the day and have more living space. I would be the first to agree that it is more difficult to wild camp with a 5'er but I know Chatter uses the aires in France without trouble but I know she never unhitches.
 
Nov 10, 2008
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5ers are actually getting more expensive. If buying new, list price:-
26-28 ft, single slide out and all the options approx £35k
Navara or the like £25K. So you are looking at £60K, what kind of new motorehome are you getting for that?
Just about to haul my 5er off to Spain for the winter and having a car (without towing one) when I get there makes a big difference. Also the 5er is just a pair of axles with a breaking system, if anything goes wrong I can still get around.

Just Jack
 

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