£15k budget for a motorhome/van. Damp problems (1 Viewer)

Fulltiming Felines

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My girlfriend and I want to move into a motorhome/van full-time. We've got about £15k budget but want to spend less if possible.

We've found two motorhomes we liked and paid MACIC to do an inspection on each. Both inspections advised not purchasing due to damp and other issues. Details from the reports below:

Motorhome 1
1988 reg. £6000
Various faults were found as listed above. The interior has been mostly and recently painted
with a very hard gloss paint. The reason for this is unknown but it makes it almost impossible to
obtain accurate damp readings, so you must draw your own conclusions as to why this has
been done. Furthermore, it is unsightly and devalues the Motorhome. No appliances could be
checked due to no power in the rear etc although after 15 minutes of engine running the
extractor fan worked but that was all.
It was disappointing that no service history was seen so it must be presumed that it has not
been serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedules which may increase wear to
certain components. No cam belt record was seen so it must be presumed that this has not
been changed. There is an oil leakage which should be investigated further.
I cannot recommend the purchase of this Motorhome.

Motorhome 2
1990 reg. £8000
Essential repairs
Not recommended for purchase until following issues are rectified:
1. Delamination of floor under footstep and Nearside rear corner. Repair and cause to be
identified/rectified
2. Various areas of damp internally to be further investigated and repaired. Please see
report for damp readings and recommendations
3. Cracks in front corners of roof to be repaired
4. Offside tyre to be replaced and wear reason investigated
5. Nearside front window (remove misting to aid drivers vision)
6. Remove padding from front vents to aid demisting.

35% Off side above front window
35% in Off side rear overhead locker
29% in cupboard
27% around entrance door
15% in shower area

Guidelines for damp are as follows:
• 0-15% no cause for concern
• 15-20% require further investigation
• 20%+ remedial repairs required.
• 30% and above structural damage may be occurring and deterioration is
inevitable

We're feeling frustrated about this buying process now, having spent £800 on 2 inspections (£400 each). What should we do? Go ahead and buy one of these motorhomes and spend the money to fix them up? Or do more searching, possibly raising our budget, and try to find another vehicle that can pass inspection?

If we had to choose between these two, we're leaning towards Motorhome 2, as it has a lot of nice features like good sized fridge, lots of solar, automatic transmission.
 

mfw

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At £13k there are normally some very good vans around about 20 yrs old or newer but without the extras like solar or refillable bottles also probably needing service and belt change for peace of mind that is price range id look at and save the extra £2k for the little bits afterwards
 
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Snowbird

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At that budget you would be well advised to shop in Germany. The only make I know of that is virtually damp free is RMB as they are a monocoque build system with no joints. They are built on the bomb proof Mercedes chassis before electronics became favourable. This is a little over budget and a little expensive, but with a discount for export, could come down to your budget. It will last a lifetime with care, but all vans will need maintenance regardless of age.
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At that budget you would be well advised to shop in Germany. The only make I know of that is virtually damp free is RMB as they are a monocoque build system with no joints. They are built on the bomb proof Mercedes chassis before electronics became favourable. This is a little over budget and a little expensive, but with a discount for export, could come down to your budget. It will last a lifetime with care, but all vans will need maintenance regardless of age.
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Great vans but over 3.5t -OK if they have the licence(y)
 
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138go

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DIY skills are certainly important along with a basic tool kit. A well looked after older Hymer will still need some TLC especially if you are aiming to live in it full time. Other things you need to consider are weight. Two people with all their belongings, four cats, food, water, diesel etc. You will need a lot of payload. Some recon on at the minimum 700kg for two people. Where are you thinking of going ?
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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What about a small bit of damp? We looked at a coachbuilt and it had soft wood in one corner. Theoretically if that's re-sealed, would that be an ok purchase? I understand replacing the wood itself may be uneconomical.

Hymer s up to 2006 are a good, solid but but still need thorough checking. As I said next time do a link to the van and people on here will try to help without another £400 price tag.
Hmm, I thought about linking to them but was afraid that it would attract more attention and other buyers. Maybe I could just attach the photos and copy-paste the MOT history?

I am a fan of a class but do bear in mind that some aclass parts are silly money to replace. I had to replace a mirror hit by a truck at a cost of £1200 while a basic ducato mirror could have been had for £45. Also some plastic body parts at £7000.
An older aclass will not have body rust as not usually steel but chassis can still rust.
In terms of DIY you will need to learn. My present mh, £54k bought at a year old and I seem to be always doing something on it. :)
Can you just replace it with a cheaper off-the-shelf mirror?

Does insurance cover these things?

At that budget you would be well advised to shop in Germany. The only make I know of that is virtually damp free is RMB as they are a monocoque build system with no joints. They are built on the bomb proof Mercedes chassis before electronics became favourable. This is a little over budget and a little expensive, but with a discount for export, could come down to your budget. It will last a lifetime with care, but all vans will need maintenance regardless of age.
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Looks nice but not a U-lounge. I did look into buying from Germany, but mobile.de didn't turn up much under £20k. And doing a viewing would be time-consuming/expensive. And the GBP/EUR exchange rate is not as favorable as it once was. It may make sense for buying a £50k vehicle, but it seems that for £20k it's not as good of a deal as you still have to deal with the paperwork, viewing in a foreign country, etc.

One other important point make sure you have the correct licence - might limit you to sub 3500kg vans and not leave much payload for 2 full-timing
We're open to getting a C1 licence. Already got the medical exams done and sent in for the provisional C1. With the Hymer B534, we should be ok under 3500 kg, but I'm open to getting something bigger and getting a C1.

DIY skills are certainly important along with a basic tool kit. A well looked after older Hymer will still need some TLC especially if you are aiming to live in it full time. Other things you need to consider are weight. Two people with all their belongings, four cats, food, water, diesel etc. You will need a lot of payload. Some recon on at the minimum 700kg for two people. Where are you thinking of going ?
We need to be in the UK until April 2019. After that, plan to do most of the year in southern Europe. We rented a motorhome for 20 days in the UK and weighed it with all the stuff we had loaded in. 700 kg seems pretty reasonable for us.

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mfw

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This looks a nice hymer 564 mark_alfie is seller on ebay it is 20k though and you pay for the hymer name there is a lot of old pilote galaxy's for sale as well a lot cheaper but probably just as good
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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Don't buy on price or age, just condition and MOT history and mileage covered each year.
For MOT history, what should I be looking out for? At least 100 miles every year?

What about advisories, like this one:

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
  • Offside Front Upper Marker light not working-pre 1991 vehicle.
  • Nearside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Rear Wheel bearing slightly noisy (5.1.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material Pipe on axle at osr. (1.1.11 (c))
  • Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material X2 (1.1.11 (c))
  • Central Front Lower Engine mounting damaged but not to excess (6.1.8 (a) (i))
  • Nearside Front Power steering component has slight seepage from a component Rack-pinion valve area. (2.1.5 (a))
  • Nearside Front Upper Integral body structure or chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security slam panel. (6.2.2 (d) (i))
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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What do you think about this below strategy for contacting sellers?

Have you checked it for damp with a damp meter? I'll bring a damp meter. If the readings are bad, I'm going to pass, so I don't want to waste your time or mine.

How about I buy a damp meter from Amazon and have it shipped to you?

For you, you get a free damp meter. For me, if there is damp, then I won't come and it'll save me a wasted trip. If there's no damp, then I'm happy to come and do a more thorough check myself with a damp meter and also other aspects like the appliances and mechanics.

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What do you think about this below strategy for contacting sellers?

Have you checked it for damp with a damp meter? I'll bring a damp meter. If the readings are bad, I'm going to pass, so I don't want to waste your time or mine.

How about I buy a damp meter from Amazon and have it shipped to you?

For you, you get a free damp meter. For me, if there is damp, then I won't come and it'll save me a wasted trip. If there's no damp, then I'm happy to come and do a more thorough check myself with a damp meter and also other aspects like the appliances and mechanics.
You could be buying a lot of damp meters.

A soft floor could mean rot and not just damp.

That's a lot of advisories, I wouldn't even think of looking.
 
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Annual mileage for me needs to be 2500 minimum, especially in the past year.
Generally speaking there are two types of MOT issues and you need to differentiate between (usually expensive to repair) issues that will become worse: corrosion, noise/play in bearings, oil leaks, worn suspension/steering, poor brakes and the things (often consumables) that are relatively easy and inexpensive to fix: failed light bulbs, worn wiper blades, wrong headlamp beam setting, ineffective windscreen washers, worn tyre(s), horn not working etc.
Your best bet is to link to the MOT record for any van you're looking at and get opinions on here. You don't need to visit every one before checking the MOT history provided that you can obtain the reg'n number.
As far as the engine/gearbox etc are concerned, proof of regular serviceing/cambelt change are important. Unfortunately there's no way of telling that an engine that seems fine now won't fail soon or later.
Whereabouts in U.K. are you? It may be that a Funster would be happy to accompany you on a viewing but no-one can predict a vehicle's future reliability.
 
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For MOT history, what should I be looking out for? At least 100 miles every year?

What about advisories, like this one:

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
  • Offside Front Upper Marker light not working-pre 1991 vehicle.
  • Nearside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Rear Wheel bearing slightly noisy (5.1.3 (b) (i))
  • Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material Pipe on axle at osr. (1.1.11 (c))
  • Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material X2 (1.1.11 (c))
  • Central Front Lower Engine mounting damaged but not to excess (6.1.8 (a) (i))
  • Nearside Front Power steering component has slight seepage from a component Rack-pinion valve area. (2.1.5 (a))
  • Nearside Front Upper Integral body structure or chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security slam panel. (6.2.2 (d) (i))
Mileage I'd say at least 2000 a year 5-10 better

I have a 1991 van and a 2001 van, the Eribacar (Hymer body - steel frame) is small enough to use as a daily driver. The A class (Italian) is used less - more for longer trips. Spares are much harder to get for the 1991 Eribacar but not impossible

The 2001 is more modern but not too complicated electronically.

Both are well built but I think you would be better looking at vans between 2000 and say 2004 and German built:imoutahere:

Waiting for the flack...

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138go

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The problem you have with damp is it does not always show itself straight away. None of the timber in the walls was treated with preservatives so it gets damp and goes black and crumbles away. Then it’s to late as the only cure is to remove the damaged wood and rebuild. The floor is the most important part of the structure as everything is fastened to it. If the floor is damp and spongy then it’s in the walls as well.

If you are thinking of touring Europe you also need to sort out full time insurance and medical insurance. The age of the van may also be relevant. You also need to consider the MOT test once a year. If it’s not got an MOT then it won’t be insured.
 
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BreweryDave

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A word of warning, @Fulltiming Felines , but you’ll not get proper fulltiming insurance on a van that old. I believe it’s 10 or 15 years max. There’s only one policy (Aviva Horizon Plus with fulltiming supplement paid, very expensive) and available through Comfort or AIB.
You may want to check on that before you buy!
Check out the many fulltiming insurance threads on here.
Not wishing to dampen any enthusiasm ( pardon the pun!) but forewarned is forearmed.
 
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mfw

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A damp van seems to smell or will show signs of damp - mileage on vans low mileage there are good vans there i bought my previous van with 14k on clock genuine checked previous mots did another 10k in a year minor expenses sold it - van now is low mileage for year 2001 it has 43k on it (both of these vans cost under 20k ) and i have put 5k on it servicing van is not expensive chassis rot is more of a problem if needing welding or welded already walk away

May be me but 100k on a vehicle is too much mileage for me and i prefer lower mileage vehicles private sales not garages even with warranties there are get outs with wear and tear or what do you expect at that age

Hopefully no-one will knock my views we all do what we are happy with

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Fulltiming Felines

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A word of warning, @Fulltiming Felines , but you’ll not get proper fulltiming insurance on a van that old. I believe it’s 10 or 15 years max. There’s only one policy (Aviva Horizon Plus with fulltiming supplement paid, very expensive) and available through Comfort or AIB.
You may want to check on that before you buy!
Check out the many fulltiming insurance threads on here.
Not wishing to dampen any enthusiasm ( pardon the pun!) but forewarned is forearmed.
Thanks for the heads up! Just called Comfort which uses Aviva for their full-timing insurance and the key terms are:

  1. No older than 2005—2005 is ok
  2. Minimum £25,000 value, usually the value when you buy it. Maybe professionally fitted upgrades can increase the value.
  3. Coachbuilt ok. A-class ok. No van conversions
  4. All drivers need to have full UK license for 2 years.
  5. Driving license, and vehicle registered to friend and family address, not mail forwarding company.
The first 2 points really changes things for us. We might look at some of the other insurers, though I understand they might not be as completely legal as Aviva.
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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Comfort said it's not going to roll over to 2006 next year. To be clear, this is just for full-timing. For their regular 9-month touring policy, there's no limits on age or value of the vehicle.

I've read some posts on Motorhome365 about Adrian Flux and Saga possibly offering full-timing coverage, hopefully without the age and value restrictions. I'm currently on the phone with Adrian Flux.

@BreweryDave have you tried those companies before?

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tonyandcarol

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You should be able to find a middle to late 90s van for 15k in good condition. and you are getting ripped of at £400 at inspection I am seriously thinking of changing trades for that sort of money.

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Fulltiming Felines

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I'd love to know who I can hire to do inspections for less money. I really don't feel confident that I can do a good enough job.
 
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May be me but 100k on a vehicle is too much mileage for me and i prefer lower mileage vehicles private sales not garages even with warranties there are get outs with wear and tear or what do you expect at that age

Hopefully no-one will knock my views we all do what we are happy with

I bought my 1991 talbot van a few years ago now with 33k on the clock. It's been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. 2000 miles from Aberdeen through France over the Pyrenees in a blizzard and down the East coast of Spain and the thing doesn't miss a beat.

It's riddled with damp right enough but mechanically it's a beast :LOL:
 
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I'd love to know who I can hire to do inspections for less money. I really don't feel confident that I can do a good enough job.

Are you remembering to ask for Hab check paper work from the sellers? That'll give you the best insight in to the vehicle.

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tonyandcarol

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I am sure if you ask on here some one will know of a cheaper option I know it is difficult to know what to look for but I don't know what model or lay out you want but there are plenty of older A class hymers out there in the 12 to 15k bracket which apart from the odd one should be bone dry. don't rush in to it the right van will pop up.
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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I'm in London but have been looking at motorhomes all over the country. Currently some promising ones in Bristol area that I'm going to view.

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if your planning on being in london remember the lez and ulez which starts next year if you dont have a london address and in 2021 if you do
 
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maz

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Thanks for the heads up! Just called Comfort which uses Aviva for their full-timing insurance and the key terms are:

  1. No older than 2005—2005 is ok
  2. Minimum £25,000 value, usually the value when you buy it. Maybe professionally fitted upgrades can increase the value.
  3. Coachbuilt ok. A-class ok. No van conversions
  4. All drivers need to have full UK license for 2 years.
  5. Driving license, and vehicle registered to friend and family address, not mail forwarding company.
The first 2 points really changes things for us. We might look at some of the other insurers, though I understand they might not be as completely legal as Aviva.
With regard to the minimum £25k value: when I was arranging cover for our current (used) van, Comfort regarded the value to be what you paid for it only if you’d bought it from a dealer. If you bought privately (which we did) then you can give a higher value for insurance purposes - based perhaps on what dealers are asking for similar models or by your own research. It doesn’t have to be an ‘official’ valuation. Might give you a bit of wriggle room budget wise.
 
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Fulltiming Felines

Fulltiming Felines

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Looking at a £8k Hymer 534, 1989, 92k miles. Dealer shows me the habitation check they had done. Roof area by the door, and the door itself shows moisture levels 28-33%. Rest of the van is ok.

Try to get dealer to fix the damp, or don't bother and walk away?

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Looking at a £8k Hymer 534, 1989, 92k miles. Dealer shows me the habitation check they had done. Roof area by the door, and the door itself shows moisture levels 28-33%. Rest of the van is ok.

Try to get dealer to fix the damp, or don't bother and walk away?

I wouldn't be scared off if the van has ticked all your boxes. A bit of damp never hurt anyone. *

*Maybe not factually correct.
 
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