Going to view a MH tomorrow.... beginners advice

P

Philnanks

Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Posts
61
Likes collected
45
Location
Cornwall
Funster No
58,759
MH
MAN TGE LWB
Exp
Van bought 2023 for conversion.
Hi all,
So this year was to research motorhomes with a view to buying next year.....however as is often the way we’ve seen the model we like come up in a private sale so it’s an early start & a 4 hour drive to go and view tomorrow (and contend with bank holiday traffic...great!). If it’s the right van & price I’ll have to dig deep and bite the bullet.

So can I ask your advice as a newbie to motorhomes?
Other than the usual checks of bodywork, paperwork/service history etc, checking fixtures and fittings, test drive, is there anything else you’d recommend to check?
I’ve said I would like to see everything working.
Reluctant to say what and where it is as don’t want to do my own legs . Suffice to say it’s a 14 plate PVC with low miles on a Fiat Ducato 2.3 chassis.

Oh and the cam belt will need changing so have to factor the cost of that in....any ideas of ballpark cost for that and a full service?

Many thanks for any advice!
 
Unfortunately I don’t have but that would’ve been a good tip. Too late to borrow one now as well.
 
Just had a quote for water pump & cambelt....£418 plus vat!
Not main dealer price either. Even the guy quoting the price thought that was expensive
 
Philnanks said:
Unfortunately I don’t have but that would’ve been a good tip. Too late to borrow one now as well.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry too much although it does happen pvc are less prone to damp

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Righto....one less thing to worry about. Thanks
 
Have you download the buyer's guide from resources ?
Invaluable advice on what to look for.
Good luck, hope it turns out to be a good one and worth the bank holiday traffic.
Quite often local funsters are willing to go look at a van to give it a once over before you make the long drive ? Maybe a bit late now but have you thought of doing that ?
So often a van description as immaculate turns out to be a turnip - wasted journey.
 
Check the payload - vital to know on any Motorhome.
The seller should have weighed the vehicle to find the correct tyre pressures and that should give each axle weight to help you work out the payload.
If not, get it weighed......
 
keithchesterfield2 said:
Check the payload - vital to know on any Motorhome.
The seller should have weighed the vehicle to find the correct tyre pressures and that should give each axle weight to help you work out the payload.
If not, get it weighed......
Click to expand...

Wouldn’t have thought about that...thanks

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Figaro said:
Have you download the buyer's guide from resources ?
Invaluable advice on what to look for.
Good luck, hope it turns out to be a good one and worth the bank holiday traffic.
Quite often local funsters are willing to go look at a van to give it a once over before you make the long drive ? Maybe a bit late now but have you thought of doing that ?
So often a van description as immaculate turns out to be a turnip - wasted journey.
Click to expand...

I haven’t done that but I’m about to now...thanks.
It was all a bit short notice to arrange anything other than to view it tomorrow but if it doesn’t work out I’ll bear that in mind.
Looks like I’ll be passing all the holiday makers coming into Cornwall as I go out?
It’s an “ill health forces sale” MH. Everything’s included so could be a good buy??
 
Philnanks said:
Hi all,
So this year was to research motorhomes with a view to buying next year.....however as is often the way we’ve seen the model we like come up in a private sale so it’s an early start & a 4 hour drive to go and view tomorrow (and contend with bank holiday traffic...great!). If it’s the right van & price I’ll have to dig deep and bite the bullet.

So can I ask your advice as a newbie to motorhomes?
Other than the usual checks of bodywork, paperwork/service history etc, checking fixtures and fittings, test drive, is there anything else you’d recommend to check?
I’ve said I would like to see everything working.
Reluctant to say what and where it is as don’t want to do my own legs . Suffice to say it’s a 14 plate PVC with low miles on a Fiat Ducato 2.3 chassis.

Oh and the cam belt will need changing so have to factor the cost of that in....any ideas of ballpark cost for that and a full service?

Many thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...

Damp can end up costing you more than mechanical things. I would do a search on the net and find out what problems the make of Motor Home your going to look at suffer from and where they have damp problems. Damp meters are cheap, £20 to £30. Your local DIY store will have them and its a good thing to have for future checks for your van. Some brands can have more of a problem than others. Our first van was a Moncayo. You probably wont hear of them as they went bust because of the shoddy workmanship and damp problems.
Fiat Ducato are a nice drive . Their Achilles heel is gearbox and clutches. Some go on for ages, some have problems as low as twenty thousand miles. One of mine went at twenty five thousand miles. 2300€ to put right. If you want to have any chance of making a claim through Fiat you will need a proper Fiat service record as they will find any excuse to duct out of making any contribution.
Another thing to check is the payload. Some of the newer MH only have enough payload to carry about two people and that's before you have filled water and fuel tanks, and the outside table and chairs and things like awnings and extra batteries. Make sure it will legally carry what you want it to carry. Something which is often overlooked.
Good luck with your search, hope its what you want. Remember there are others around if it doesn't look right.
 
Philnanks said:
I haven’t done that but I’m about to now...thanks.
It was all a bit short notice to arrange anything other than to view it tomorrow but if it doesn’t work out I’ll bear that in mind.
Looks like I’ll be passing all the holiday makers coming into Cornwall as I go out?
It’s an “ill health forces sale” MH. Everything’s included so could be a good buy??
Click to expand...
As others have said, it’s a PVC so any incoming damp usually easy to see rather than hidden in the woodwork. We did have damp in ours, a part of the rear door seals was missing and rainwater could get in and run between the habitation floor and the Ducato van floor along the corrugated channels. Just check all the floor feels sound and check the door seals.

The base van should have had its 2 year service so check that. Ours cost a fortune at Fiat Professional Bristol but will look for a recommended independent next time. Ask on here for recommendations near you.
You may have to factor in tyres soon depending on usage so far.
Of course a private sale with all included is usually a very good deal especially a fairly new 14 plate. It should give you some leeway to have spare in your budget for unexpected items. If it’s been standing unused you may need new battery for example.

Hope it works out for you.
 
Some Ducato PVCs on the light chassis are plated at only 3300 kg MTPLM, some at 3500 (better for payload). Check the plate.

Another thing to consider is the age of the tyres. on a 14 plate van the date of manufacture could be in 2013 making the tyres up to 6 years old and potentially needing replacement for peace of mind, even though they have plenty of tread left. Check that there is a spare underneath.

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Philnanks said:
Hi all,
So this year was to research motorhomes with a view to buying next year.....however as is often the way we’ve seen the model we like come up in a private sale so it’s an early start & a 4 hour drive to go and view tomorrow (and contend with bank holiday traffic...great!). If it’s the right van & price I’ll have to dig deep and bite the bullet.

So can I ask your advice as a newbie to motorhomes?
Other than the usual checks of bodywork, paperwork/service history etc, checking fixtures and fittings, test drive, is there anything else you’d recommend to check?
I’ve said I would like to see everything working.
Reluctant to say what and where it is as don’t want to do my own legs . Suffice to say it’s a 14 plate PVC with low miles on a Fiat Ducato 2.3 chassis.

Oh and the cam belt will need changing so have to factor the cost of that in....any ideas of ballpark cost for that and a full service?

Many thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...

Where abouts in Cornwall are you..? If you are close to me we could have a chin wag and looked over my van for info...
 
Check if maxi chassis as that will determine if you can uprate the weight to give more payload
 
Thanks for all of the advice everyone... well I’m on the way back from a long trip and had a good test of the MH.

All in all it’s very clean as you’d expect for a 16k wagon and looks a beauty.
Before I consider an offer there were a couple of things of concern which I’m hoping someone could help me with.
This is the first Fiat Ducato I’ve had chance to drive. Both front seats have swivel mechanisms on them but being 6’4 tall I really struggled with the driving position.
I couldn’t get the seat low enough and unless I can do something about it may mean it’s a no go which would be a pity as it’s a good van in all other regards.
Can the swivel base be removed easily enough or are there any other ways around it? Dont want to lose the swivel seat really?
Also the 2 leisure batts are under the seat so don’t know if that’s an issue in lowering the seat?
Any ideas?

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Everything is solvable - but at what cost & inconvenience

You can get [I have] lowered seat boxes which effectively return the seat height to what it would have been before the swivels were added
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But as you point out, the underseat battery might be an issue - but there are such things as low profile batteries which might solve that issue - or I presume they could be moved depending on hab layout & finding a suitable spot [having said that I don't think I've heard of it being done].
 
You could change the seats for ISRI seats they have a thinner base and they are a much better seat although you won't get much change out of a grand.
 
Philnanks said:
Thanks for all of the advice everyone... well I’m on the way back from a long trip and had a good test of the MH.

All in all it’s very clean as you’d expect for a 16k wagon and looks a beauty.
Before I consider an offer there were a couple of things of concern which I’m hoping someone could help me with.
This is the first Fiat Ducato I’ve had chance to drive. Both front seats have swivel mechanisms on them but being 6’4 tall I really struggled with the driving position.
I couldn’t get the seat low enough and unless I can do something about it may mean it’s a no go which would be a pity as it’s a good van in all other regards.
Can the swivel base be removed easily enough or are there any other ways around it? Dont want to lose the swivel seat really?
Also the 2 leisure batts are under the seat so don’t know if that’s an issue in lowering the seat?
Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Put a thread on here " how many drivers over 6'4 and how do they cope"?
 
Unfortunately pretty well all coach-built motorhomes, that is those with the Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen/Ford cab, will have the same problem, which is caused by the internal windscreen blind fittings. I'm not as tall as you but did have a similar problem, however I just learned to live with it. As mentioned above converting could be expensive.

You may be better off forgetting this one and going for an "A"-class, that's the type with the huge windscreen. Before you make any decisions go look at a few.

It's better you find out the problems now, and deal with them, before you spend lots of your hard-earned on something that isn't going to work for you and lose a wedge of cash changing to something else.

That's lesson 1 of buying a motorhome and lots of folk have been through it.
 
TerryL said:
Unfortunately pretty well all coach-built motorhomes, that is those with the Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen/Ford cab, will have the same problem, which is caused by the internal windscreen blind fittings. I'm not as tall as you but did have a similar problem, however I just learned to live with it. As mentioned above converting could be expensive.

You may be better off forgetting this one and going for an "A"-class, that's the type with the huge windscreen. Before you make any decisions go look at a few.

It's better you find out the problems now, and deal with them, before you spend lots of your hard-earned on something that isn't going to work for you and lose a wedge of cash changing to something else.

That's lesson 1 of buying a motorhome and lots of folk have been through it.
Click to expand...

I have to agree about trying the driver seat.

A couple of years ago I sold a PT Cruiser - the guy turned up with cash and his mother!

He was a big fellow but the PT was his 'dream car' but he'd not tried one - he bought and paid for it, got into the driver's seat and asked how you adjusted the seat backwards - it was already fully back.

He was far too big for the car....I really hope he found a way to sort it ....

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We are both nearer 6ft than 6ft 4in but our view is severely restricted by the seat height which is also on a swivel. I can only drive it because it is a comformatic and so I don’t need to continually move left leg on /off a pedal. Unable to move the drivers seat fully back because of a cupboard behind. We are considering taking out the swivel, luckily our habitation battery is just behind the driver's seat in the base of the cupboard. We also don’t need to use the seat when stopped as we have a rear lounge.
It’s certainly something that we haven’t got used to and that we notice every time.
I think you need to try a few other types as anything that is a problem at first go is likely to really annoy you later.
 
You have to remember Fiat is Italian, Peugeot is French..... There's the reason for the low roofline/windscreen, they are shortarses.

Frenchman Bonaparte was only 5ft 2in
Italian Musillini was 5ft 6in

They would have had no trouble.
 
Hmmm I think you’re all confirming my suspicions. Being a freak of nature and hoping to fit in a PVC just isnt going to work!
It’s funny how looking at them at the motorhome show and testing them in real life gives you a different view of them.
I did read other threads on here pretty much saying similar things.
Being tall is a real problem!
Coachbuild/A Class would fit me better all round but personal preference, living in Cornwall & wanting a rear lounge layout led me down the PVC route.
 
If it is a standard seat and the standard mounting simply has the swivel as an insert, can you remove that insert on the drivers side. OK might look a tad odd if the passenger isn't lowered, but at least the passenger could still swivel for use in the cabin when parked up adding verstility to supplement the rear lounge.

Realistically a lot of human ergonomics data relied on by designers is hopelessly out of date. I'm just under 6' but with a long inside leg. Aeroplane seating is murder. Perhaps that's why I'm awaiting delivery of my MH.
 
Hi @Philnanks. I guess you’ve reached a conclusion with this one,but just thought I’d relate my own experience.
I am 6ft 3in and a bit.
We bought a coach built a couple of years ago,based on a 56 plate Ducato,and my immediate reaction on sitting in van was........no way can I drive this!!
We had the seat lowered with a new box from marcleleisure and kept the ability to swivel. Great improvement and cheap to do. So there are lots of vans available to you that can be adjusted. Good luck.

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