Ex Rental......To buy,or not to buy? (1 Viewer)

[Podney]

I am thinking about buying an ex rental motorhome. More specifically, a Sunlight T58 two berth. Apparently made by Dethleffs,but I wonder if to their normal high standard,as apparently Sunlight is their cheaper brand??
One is a 2017 plate @ £34999, and the other a 2016 plate @ £ 30199. Seem to be competitively priced but would try to get more off,to cover the cost of adding a few goodies like solar,bike rack,awning.

Question is: Is buying an ex rental a good idea?
Advantages: Seem to be priced to sell
Probably serviced and maintained well.
Probably had all the teething problems sorted.
Used regularly.
Disadvantages: Maybe knocked about a bit by careless/clumsy users
Maybe thrashed
Maybe lack of after sales service,as rental company just want to get
rid.

 

[Podney]

Pressed the wrong button...again!
Just wanted to say..... if any funsters have a view on this,or experience/advice on the subject....all welcome!

THANKS
Podney.

 

[Figaro]

They are both fairly new so not too much time to be abused, it wouldn`t bother me they are ex rental if everything else stacks up ok

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[Silver-Fox]

You can check the interior for bits knocked about.

Its difficult to thrash a diesel

All I can see are positives, just give it a good check over.

 

[LOOSE WHEEL]

My brother bought one last year very good value for money.
2013 plate with 40,000 on clock from mc rent.
One thing about a hire motor you can,t do anything to it that hasn't been done already.
We've just done 2500 miles to the south of France and back I got 25 mpg in merc 2.7 he got 31 mpg.
And it drives like a car.
There not top of range but you've got to remember they're trying to keep weight down.
All in all very good value for money.
And they put right the too things that went wrong with it. Water heater sink drain.

Andy

 

[Gromett]

I wouldn't personally. You don't know how much the exterior has been rammed into stuff and how well it has been repaired. Possibility that the frame is out of shape and may lead to leaks and other problems in the future. The engine wouldn't concern me much to be honest, nor would the internals...

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[Podney]

I wouldn't personally. You don't know how much the exterior has been rammed into stuff and how well it has been repaired. Possibility that the frame is out of shape and may lead to leaks and other problems in the future. The engine wouldn't concern me much to be honest, nor would the internals...

Good point Mr Gromett,that hadn't occurred to me to be honest. I'd like to think that I could spot any repair work,but obviously might miss it.
Having said that,the same could supply to any second hand motorhome,coudnt it?

 

[Lenny HB]

Same as a Corado Hymers cheaper brand. Very basic but good value fairly well built if we couldn't afford a Hymer I'd be happy with one.
Main thing is to check the condition of the interior damaged cabinet work is not really fixable without replacement.
But those prices aren't much different to what you could buy a new one for in Germany or Belgium.

 

[Gromett]

Good point Mr Gromett,that hadn't occurred to me to be honest. I'd like to think that I could spot any repair work,but obviously might miss it.
Having said that,the same could supply to any second hand motorhome,coudnt it?

Yes it could, but I think there is more chance of an inexperienced renter doing damage and the company getting a cheap repair done, than if it was owned by someone who not only has less chance of cocking up but would want a proper repair doing.

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[BobtheBass]

Get an insurance quote before you buy. Some insurers won't cover ex hire vehicles.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I wouldn't personally. You don't know how much the exterior has been rammed into stuff and how well it has been repaired. Possibility that the frame is out of shape and may lead to leaks and other problems in the future. The engine wouldn't concern me much to be honest, nor would the internals...

How is that any different to one you might buy from a dealer or private?

 

[Minxy]

Get an insurance quote before you buy. Some insurers won't cover ex hire vehicles.

Exactly what I was going to say ... some are very picky or hike up the prices on ex-hire vehicles. Another thing to think about is that renters are less likely to have looked after it as well as an owner, not just the cosmetics/bits you can see but how much the engine, gears etc have been used roughly/hammered. I'd certainly insist on a thorough independent inspection of both the habitation and mechanicals before buying.

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[Bognor Saint]

How is that any different to one you might buy from a dealer or private?

We hired before we bought. 2 year old van, seemed all together mechanically but the inside showed above average wear and tear. Also remember that these motor homes are on the road the majority of the year so in most cases are in fact being used far in excess of my usage and that of other motor home owners.
The hirer brings it back to the depot by certain time, next hirer picks it up a few hours later therefore little time to correct anything but small faults.

 

[cornish boy]

Worth looking into the manfacturers warranty small print as it is likely it will contain a clause about vehicles used for hire and removing some/all parts of the extended interior/body/watertight warranty.

 

[FJmike]

Hire companies can vary tremendously, some are extremely professional set ups with their own service, repair and cleaning employees, others are back street one man bands who are only in it for the money and have no real knowledge of how motorhomes work. It would be worthwhile visiting the hire company to see how they operate.

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[Allanm]

I would have thought that if the van had been owned by a reputable company, it will have been well maintained and checked over properly before and after each hire, FJmikes point about checking the company out is a good idea.
it may have been used a lot more than most privately owned motorhomes, so may have a higher mileage than normally seen
There is no more reason to think there might be any structural damage with a hire vehicle than a privately owned vehicle.
And with regards to insurance, I have never known an insurance company to quiz you on who you bought the vehicle from and why would they load the premium on an ex hire vehicle anyway? You are the risk, not the previous owners.

 

[Silver-Fox]

We hired before we bought. 2 year old van, seemed all together mechanically but the inside showed above average wear and tear. Also remember that these motor homes are on the road the majority of the year so in most cases are in fact being used far in excess of my usage and that of other motor home owners.
The hirer brings it back to the depot by certain time, next hirer picks it up a few hours later therefore little time to correct anything but small faults.

Yes but you can see if the inside is worn out. That being the case you wouldn't buy would you.
Again no different from buying privately if it is badly worn.
As they say you pays your money and makes your choice

 

[Minxy]

And with regards to insurance, I have never known an insurance company to quiz you on who you bought the vehicle from and why would they load the premium on an ex hire vehicle anyway? You are the risk, not the previous owners.

I have certainly been asked if it has been used for hire or reward so it may be that some do and some don't.

Another thing to consider is that whilst it may be a great price you have to factor in that when you come to sell in the future its past life may affect your resale price too as people and dealers do sometimes ask this question.

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[Stretto Boy]

@Podney : I think you have summarised most off the pros and cons rather well in your opening post. Others have chipped in with some sensible bits of advice. You can check out the concerns expressed by @cornish boy and, if it is a problem, you need to work out whether it is adequately reflected in the price. Bear in mind that many on here have experienced problems with claiming on warranties (as did I with our previous MH) and don't think they are that great (some will say not worth the paper they are written on). I think you would be unlucky if @Gromett's worst fears about the structure come to fruition but it is a good point. For peace of mind, why not have a proper pre-purchase check carried out? You can arrange your own directly with an inspector, or through the CMC for a price that to me looks quite reasonable. If something is found you may end up walking away with a sigh of relief or get something off the price to reflect its condition. If it was my money and I liked the van, having thoroughly checked the visible things myself, and the price I would probably go for it subject to a professional survey being done. You might be able to get the seller to pay for it - but probably only if you end up buying - but if so you MUST insist that you choose the inspector. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Podney]

Thanks everybody,good advice!
We are going to Goodmans in Waltham Abbey on Monday to have a look at the van.
Also going to the Norfolk Motorhome Show tomorrow so we might find the Funsters site and introduce ourselves if we are feeling brave! Bit worried it might cost me a pint though. Not mean,just careful!
Thanks again.
Podney.

 

[Stretto Boy]

Bit worried it might cost me a pint though. Not mean,just careful!
Thanks again.
Podney.

You used the singular form. In the context of buying alcohol for Funsters that may be overly optimistic. Take a full wallet

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[FJmike]

I was just wondering how many Funsters have unwittingly bought a motorhome that has been hired out, you often see ads about renting out your own van to make money from it so there must be lots out there

 

[SpeedyDux]

Yes but you can see if the inside is worn out. That being the case you wouldn't buy would you.
Again no different from buying privately if it is badly worn.
As they say you pays your money and makes your choice

I understand that the bigger hire companies switch the cushions for a hire set. Then they resell with the original unused cushion set so that the interior looks "as new". That makes it more difficult to judge the amount of use. As a rule of thumb, divide the mileage by 100 to estimate the number of days and nights of use. Regarding the possibility of botched repairs, apparently the most common MoHo insurance claims are for reversing into invisible solid objects (been there, done that ) or catching the front on low branches. So those are the areas I would check most carefully. That said, I would still get an expert to do a report before agreeing to buy.

 

[mitzimad]

ive never been asked the former owners buisness when insuring any vehicle . That company at waltham abbey often have 5 to 10 vans on ebay so youll possibly have a choice They are quite a big company so i would expect a service record print out which should include any major repair work thats been done
its the same when you buy any vehicle let your eyes and ears be your guide
petensal have a sunlight that theyve had from several years new and they dont seem to have any complaints
the van i converted was an ex hire company and we had no problems with that

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[DangerMousy]

Our MH is an ex rental - it was just over 2.5 years old when we bought it and we've had it just over a year - so you could say it still early days . But so far no major issues - we've got a hab check tomorrow so fingers crossed! With hindsight we probably didn't go about things the right way - we didn't get an independent inspection, we didn't even think about checking the documents and service history etc. until we'd already decided to buy. I guess we got a bit carried away and just took the plunge

Mileage was way above what you'd normally see on a 2.5 year old MH (around 30k) but it had been regularly serviced and we took it for a good long test drive and the engine sounded and felt good. In the 5000k we've done since last year we've not had any mechanical issues at all. These MHs are built on commercial engines which can go on forever so if its been well maintained then mileage shouldn't be an issue.

Overall condition looked great - yes there were a couple of small issues: some of which the dealer put right at our request, others which they refused to do (a couple of tears on the back of the seat cushions, scratches on the windows). There wasn't any sign of bodywork damage, and the internal fittings were pristine, and whilst the cushions feel slightly softer than I'd prefer, they don't look worn at all (I guess it probably helps that its a 2 berth so would only have been used by 2 adults). Certainly in terms of interior condition it was far better than the 10 year old MHs that we'd been looking at so far.

Price is pretty much why we went for it - our budget really only stretched to older MHs and we'd yet to find one that we really liked (mostly due to the interior styling). Buying ex-rental meant that we could get a 2 year old MH for the price of a 10 year old one (the ex-rental price was about £10k lower than an equivalent non-rental one). As far as I can see, the main reason for the price difference is down to warranty - whilst a private MH may have a transferable manufacturer's warranty, usually it will be shorter (or non-existant) for an ex-rental. In our case as our alternatives would all have been outside manufacturer's warranty anyway due to age, we decided that this wasn't a deal-breaker for us.

And on the insurance front - we've not been asked whether its always been a private MH or whether it used to be rented out so no worries there.

 

[Podney]

Thanks everybody.
We went to see the Sunlight T58 at Goodmans (McRent) in Waltham Abbey today. The van was being cleaned ready for its next outing but we were able to have a good look. Very nice van,and very tempted but we just couldn't get used to the very small living area. Obviously we already knew what the layout was,but until you sit in the thing you just can't tell,can you.
They also have bigger vans for sale,but because they all have fixed beds it seems to us they have the same problem i.e. lack of lounging space (other than the bed).
So we have finally made up our minds that either a U-shaped lounge or two decent size bench seats behind the cab will be the best layout for us.
Not so many of those around from the European manufacturers that I favour, but will keep looking.
Podney.

 

[Charlie]

Not for me ......

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