First motor home

[Jamkins1]

I'm looking to buy my first motor home. I'm going to look at a 1994 Vw autosleeper trophy 2.4 auto local to me. Is there anything specific I should look out for? It's up for £7000 and it's got 90000 on the clock.

 

[Jamkins1]

It recently passed its mot but its got a lot of advisories. Will it be expensive to sort everything? I'm not sure if the vans up for a good price to know if it's worth buying and sorting it

 

[Grummyb]

That's seems expensive to me but it's got a VW badge on it so that's adds about 3 grand but if your 100 percent sure it's the layout you want go for it but as its 20 odd years old don't expect to get trouble free fun

 

[Swifter]

Hello and welcome

 

[Grummyb]

Bugger, forget to say hello and welcome to the fun

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[Riverbankannie]

I would be concerned about some of the things listed there, the subframe, the suspension mountings etc. Finding a trustworthy and reliable repairer would be essential. An independent report would be my advise.
I could try alerting some knowledgable funsters for you
Jaws Geo Northernraider

 

[Richard n Ann]

Sounds OK if you want a project but it's only worth about £5k IMO

Don't like the sound of that last one
"vehicle structure corroded"

 

[AndyPK]

Welcome!
Probably a bit too expensive…..but…..?

 

[Rusticrogers]

It sounds expensive to be fair but VW’s are sought after and it’s auto so it might be market value.
The advisories are what matters to me. It’s either an MOT tester being thorough and a bit over zealous or it’s a tester that has done the owner a favour and got it through the test by using all his grey area know how! An Independent test is the only way if you are still keen. Thanks

 

[Jamkins1]

Thanks guys. I think I've made my mind up. I'll keep looking. I thought that was a fair price because I've seen higher mileage ones online going for a lot more. Guess I am a noob

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[AndyPK]

Have you decided on the layout you (think ) you want……?
It took us three ‘vans in 5 years to get a layout that works for us most of the time!

 

[Jamesh]

You would expect some rust but I'd it's only surface it should be treatable.

Look here for engine issues.

2.4D engine - advice/usability

www.vwt4forum.co.uk

Cheers James

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Too much corrosion for me. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

 

[Jamkins1]

Have you decided on the layout you (think ) you want……?
It took us three ‘vans in 5 years to get a layout that works for us most of the time!

I'm not truely decided on the layout.

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[Jamkins1]

You would expect some rust but I'd it's only surface it should be treatable.

Look here for engine issues.

2.4D engine - advice/usability

www.vwt4forum.co.uk

Cheers James

Thank you

 

[Northernraider]

Ok my tuppenceworth

Its a vw

Ive had 11 vw t4's over the years ....and many of the older models.

For comparison i sold this vw t4 2.4 autosleeper trophy in 2017 for £12500

The items listed on the mot sheet are advisories because they are minor ...advisories are there to tell you about things that will become a problem in the future if not dealt with. These days surface rust gets put down as advisories ....most vehicles have rust underneath them unfortunately .

So if you know someone that can check it over for you , and treat the rust properly ie wire brush , inhibitor , primer and paint then its not a bad vehicle. Look back the mot history and see how many of these things have been advised on previous years


Photos of the van would also help. But these days £7k doesn't buy a lot of camper and even less vw camper

 

[Northernraider]

Ill also say this ...mot advisories are a blessing to those in the know with vehicles and a nightmare for those who arent sadly.

Some mot inspectors just dont like to leave a clean sheet ... others do

Some will advise everything they see that isnt new ...others only advise serious stuff.
It pays if you're knowledgeable to check over the vehicle or know someone who is ...then you can use those advisory to your benefit with price negotiation etc.

The wee suzuki alto i just sold had advisories on rusty coil springs for 4 years in a row before i bought it ....doesnt really matter if springs are rusty as long as they do the job intended.

However i wire brushed them all and hammerited them and they looked good as new .....no advisories on this mot

 

[DJT]

Too much corrosion for me. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Ditto

 

[Northernraider]

Oops

I should have also given my findings on the van in general.

I loved my t4's they drove like a car , easy to park , easy to repair etc
The autosleeper trophy was my favourite t4 layout ...what was in that van compared to the others was incredible considering it was only 400mm longer than a standard t4 , downside was no towbar as its a fibreglass pod glued on the back of a metal shell . But it had everything inside including a toilet and shower ...yes the bed was a bit of a pain to make up etc but comfy when it was.

I think if I hadn't decided to go fulltime and buy bigger id perhaps still have it.

If its a t4 size van you want then it is a good model.

The automatic gearboxes can cause problems so you would want to make sure all was well there ...but 90k miles isnt a lot ...i had one t4 with over 700k miles on it ( ex Newcastle taxi )

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[Northernraider]

Too much corrosion for me. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Ditto

Its surface rust

If it was serious it would have failed .

This is what i meant above by advisories been a nightmare when people dont really know but jump to conclusions.

To be honest the op needs to provide the registration number for the van so previous mot history etc can be checked .

Its over 20 years old ....it will have rust

 

[David and Sally]

 

[Landy Andy]

I wouldn’t be put off by that mot report. It couldn’t be more wishy washy. Reads like someone who likes fill out all the forms.
If you like it then it’s worth a look, at least you are going with an idea what to check, and it may put others off, so do you a favour.

 

[Jaws]

I think you have made a wise decision
With that amount of advisory notes it does note bode well for not only future MOTs but the over all condition of the habitation area as chances are if one aspect has not been looked after, other aspects could well be in the same state of repair

Just read the MOT.. bloody joke !
Who ever MOTd it is either new to the job or after work generated by it
There is nowt there I would be concerned about

 

[Geo]

I would be concerned about some of the things listed there, the subframe, the suspension mountings etc. Finding a trustworthy and reliable repairer would be essential. An independent report would be my advise.
I could try alerting some knowledgable funsters for you
Jaws Geo Northernraider

Sorry I missed the post
when an MoT tester starts listing corroded springs You just know you have a frightened Rabbit.
either a brand new tester or one on a warning
I would have advised the vehicle is still worthy of a look at before condemning it

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[Landy Andy]

Or one that’s wants to own a camper