Is an old van a bad idea for me? (1 Viewer)

[RubyOptics]

Hi all! I'll start by apologising in advance for what may turn out to be quite a long, rambling first "proper" post, I do hope you will forgive me and that with your collective wisdom you can offer me some advice with the problem I am having.

So, I'm 38, my partner is 35 and we have two kids of 13 and 10. We do a lot of camping holidays together, which we all love, especially the kids. Indeed, given the repeated choice between camping and a nice hotel with a pool etc, the choice is always "the tent of course dad" which makes me pretty darn happy to be honest with you! I've always been interested in motorhomes/campervans and even as a young kid i would spend my pocket money on "Motorhome Monthly Magazine", much to the chagrin of my caravan-loathing father! So recently, we booked an AirBnB apartment in Italy. The holiday was great, saw some amazing places and a fantastic time was had by all. Here's the thing though, we drove from our home just outside of Warsaw to southern Italy. It took use a few days, but I really did enjoy the "road-trip" to get there just as much, if not more than, the stationary holiday in Sacrafano, Italy itself.

This got me seriously thinking about the idea of getting a van again. I've toyed with the idea for years, but that trip really lit a flame under my behind, so to speak. We booked tickets to the recent Motorhome Expo in Warsaw, i took my partner and she went from being very reluctant to rather excited by the whole idea once she saw inside some of the vans and the clever usage of space that they offer (she's a HUGE 'Tiny Homes" fan, so i guess the van thing fed into that).

The problem is that, much as I juggle the numbers, there is simply no way we can afford a new van.....or a nearly new one......or even a not very new one!! The only way we could possibly entertain a purchase would be to buy a MUCH older van. Something mid-1990's for example. I've been browsing here for a number of months (ever since we arrived at our Italian destination on that holiday to my girlfriends huge annoyance!!) and so I am aware of a lot of the issues to look out for, damp especially and the necessity of a full habitation check before purchase. I'm fine with the idea of an older van. I was a RN submariner engineer for over a decade, so having something to tinker on really appeals to me. I also like the idea of taking something cheaper and maybe a bit tired looking, giving it a bit of investment and TLC and coming away with something we can enjoy together for many years.

So, thank you for reaching the end of my ramble and here are my questions for you!

1- Is buying a much older van an inherently bad idea for someone who has never owned one before?
2 - Apart from watching out for damp and general condition, are there any issues specific to buying/owning a van of this age that i should be aware of?
3 - For someone with a reasonable level of confidence and ability, how feasible is it to give the interior a new lease of life? I don't really mean a brand-new interior, more of a good coat of paint, new upholstery etc?
4 - I'm 6'3", whilst I accept that measurements will differ according to brand and model, are there any other tall people out there using an overhead bed on a coachbuilt or A-class? If so, would you mind sharing your experience with me? Are you cramped? Do you sleep diagonally?!

That's it folks! If you got this far I sincerely thank you for your time and patience and look forward to reading any and all help and advice that is put forwards.

Joe

 

[RubyOptics]

The motorhome for sale in his advert has a fake rear number plate
All rear plates in Belgium are issued by the state

Oh wow, ok that is a huge piece of information :O Not just for this particular van but there are quite a few that have been imported from Belgium for sale here. How do i spot this? What do I look for? Thank you so much for this piece of information.

 

[HandyAndy]

You're a marine engineer, if you can change brake pads, fix general breakdowns and run a paintbrush up and down some woodwork, you're good to go.
and to be honest, if you can manage those things you can manage MOST things. Engineer brain and a dose of Google and you'll have anything that breaks fixed...

The base van is designed to do in excess of 500,000 miles.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Just no
The van is designed to do a little beyond the warranty period and nothing more.
Which at a guess is circa 60,000 miles

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[nicholsong]

Joe

I was going to mention researching spare part availability both for the base vehicle and for the Hymer section.

As for looking at secondhand in Poland you probably have realised that there is a limited supply here, although there are quite a percentage of older MHs running around, on Polish plates, but I do not know their condition, or asking price, but could be in your price range.

I cannot recommend dealers in your area - there are couple in Krakow and one near Tychy but maybe too far for you. Obviously you know of mobile.de website but I am not sure they have many in your price range. Also in needs a lot of miles to inspect them.

Good luck anyway.

Geoff

 

[ryan_flea]

RubyOptics you would do well reading ryan_flea s thread as well, where he revamps an old van with a younger twist

Our motor-home revamp

Good Afternoon. Well,here we go.... the before and after element. **Disclaimer...I can not refund time invested in reading/viewing or commenting .. :) (Also, if this is posted in the wrong area lemmie know). Motorhome Day one: Started to get involved with the inner demons of motorhome...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Where are you based RubyOptics looking forward to your updates ?

 

[Northernraider]

Electric beds are certainly not a gimmick, ours is absolutely superb. As for the point about batteries, this is completely wrong, ours uses very little current, there must be another fault on the van you've quoted.

My frankia had electric beds front and rear

I hated them , the rear one kept breaking down and it rattled something rotten. the front was pathetically slow at going up and down your thumb had a dent by the time it was finished.

Those and the stupid electric skylight were the biggest waste of time and battery power ever on a van.
So I'd agree it's a useless gimmick

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[RubyOptics]

Wow...so much information from all of you, and please believe me it is all being listened to and considered. I'm honestly blown away by all the help that is being thrown my way considering I'm a brand new member to this forum and I really can't over-state how grateful I am.
As a couple, we've been having a long conversation about the kids and we feel that the best solution for us would be the following :
We need to have 2 proper 3 point seat-belts in the rear for our kids. We 100% want the option of taking them with us on whatever adventures we may want to go on. We both accept that this will raise our minimum budget allowance for our van. However, we both feel that with the age that our children are, they would still prefer the adventure of sleeping under canvas (well, not canvas anymore, but you know what I mean!)
So, I feel that does help us narrow the choices somewhat (and excludes some of the older vans much to my disappointment).
As it stands, we are looking for a small(ish) motorhome (by this i mean it has a self contained shower/toilet and is tall enough for me to stand up in). It should have 1 double bed for me and my GF, however the 2 other sleeping positions would only be used in extreme weather conditions as our kids would much prefer we carry 2 cheap "pop-up" tents for them to use at whatever location we find ourselves in.

 

[Reallyretired]

When I was touring with three kids the eldest often preferred a small tent, however tents are not likely to be popular on most aires or free parking places. Fine on sites though some charge extra for them I believe.
It didn't effect me as the kids always insisted on a swimming pool wherever we went so mainly sites anyway.

 

[Shrimp]

A lot of Aires we’ve seen in France usually have grass areas beside them/nearby. It would depend on how old the kids are and how comfortable you would feel with them being a few metres away!
CL & CS (5 van sites) in U.K. are ok.

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[Vic. Parsons.]

Yorick I briefly considered the idea of a caravan, but it simply isn't fitting for the type of trips I envisage. I want to be able to simply jump in the van, decide on a whim to go to, ohhh, let's say Berlin, for the weekend and be able to stop anywhere that takes my fancy and grab a bit of sleep/have a meal/whatever. Pitching a caravan each night won't work for me, but thank you for taking the time to suggest it!

With trips to cities like Berlin in mind, an older van probably won't be allowed into LEZs with their generally poorer emissions.
Good luck with your search for a motorhome. I'm sure you'll all enjoy the life once you get going.
I'm 6ft 3 and have had no issues with the drop down bed in our Hymer.

 

[paddymcc]

When we moved on from a campervan we felt we needed a MH with a garage. Went for a hymer with a rear bed over the garage that our daughter (13) sleeps on. Not having to put up a tent saves hassle for one night stops on Aires (which also save money). We used to use a pop up tent with the campervan but if it rains it's a pain to put away wet. A garage would make that easier too I guess.
Geoff nicholsong has already mentioned mobile.de. Lots to choose from on there and of course LHD for Poland.
I'm sure you will find something. The older small hymers are doable under 3500 kg with care I think
Good luck
Paddy

 

[thebriars]

My frankia had electric beds front and rear

I hated them , the rear one kept breaking down and it rattled something rotten. the front was pathetically slow at going up and down your thumb had a dent by the time it was finished.

Those and the stupid electric skylight were the biggest waste of time and battery power ever on a van.
So I'd agree it's a useless gimmick

Ours hasn't broken down, any rattles are soon cured by adjusting a couple of screws, and ours take about 45 seconds to go from seat height to the ceiling.

You are wrong about battery power too. Ours uses less than 8 amp going up. Thus to use 8ah one could raise and lower it 60 times!

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[Mel]

Oh wow, ok that is a huge piece of information :O Not just for this particular van but there are quite a few that have been imported from Belgium for sale here. How do i spot this? What do I look for? Thank you so much for this piece of information.

In Belgium the number plate belongs to the owner not the vehicle
The number will now be on there new veicke or scrapped.
The rear plate should have this on
And a hollogram in flanders that is a Lion
In the Waloon area a Hen
Dont know if the photo is any good

 

[RubyOptics]

In Belgium the number plate belongs to the owner not the vehicle
The number will now be on there new veicke or scrapped.
The rear plate should have this on
And a hollogram in flanders that is a Lion
In the Waloon area a Hen
Dont know if the photo is any good

Thank you Mel for your reply. Could I just clarify though, does this mean that this vehicle does, in effect, not exist according to the Belgian authorities?

 

[RubyOptics]

ryan_flea I'm so sorry for not replying earlier. Your thread is a massive inspiration and we both were amazed by how modern and cozy you have made that interior :O When we finally take the plunge, please be prepared for a huge deluge of "how do we do this" messages in your inbox!! Thank you for showing us the amazing results of your hard work!

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[RubyOptics]

With trips to cities like Berlin in mind, an older van probably won't be allowed into LEZs with their generally poorer emissions.
Good luck with your search for a motorhome. I'm sure you'll all enjoy the life once you get going.
I'm 6ft 3 and have had no issues with the drop down bed in our Hymer.

Yes, I absolutely understand that, but thank you for reminding us both. Fortunately we are both happy with parking a way outside the city centres (both for the emissions and our own sanity!) and using public transport or bicycles to explore the centres.

 

[RubyOptics]

To reply to the other, more general replies regarding our kids/tent situation. We would still like to have as small a van as possible to enable us to get to as many out-of-the-way places as possible. Of course, as already stated, we would not even move off our drive without the children being securely buckled in with 3-point seat-belts. We are fine with making do with a bit of a cramped sleeping situation for a few days travelling ( i.e using Aires on a journey) and then pitching the kids their tent upon our arrival at a suitable site during the summer, but also having the flexibility of just me nd the SO using the smaller van size for some moderate "stealth-camping" (or what i understand is known as FLT camping here!!) when the opportunity arises!

 

[cruiser]

Just to put my penny worth in.. My van is now 30 years old. I have had it from new. It still looks good inside. We go down to Portugal most years. We also foster so take kids most places. There is no damp in mine . So having a old van is a good choice. Well it does for me.

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[Mel]

Thank you Mel for your reply. Could I just clarify though, does this mean that this vehicle does, in effect, not exist according to the Belgian authorities?

No it means that the registration number no longer applies to that vehicle
I will send you my tellephone number (via Private message) if you need any help with ex belgium motorhome
Ring me

 

[Geo]

If I, as a Submariner couldnt keep water out I would definitely give up my day job

If vans such as you have shown are available at 14,900PLN £2,995 What is there to think about
drive it to the uk and it will double in value

 

[TUCANO]

RubyOptics
I can't contribute anything meaningful to your idea/project but can I simply say to the forum and the best of luck.

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[HelenMalc2019]

I have been so tempted to knock on the door just to be nosey. LDV Vans were never swift or reliable

 

[Duckato]

I like my vans to be tough I would not buy a coachbuilt for that reason alone, have you considered a panel van conversion i.e. a pvc? Either a pre built or DIY, the cheapest route whilst achieving the best quality is to DIY.

At 6'3 a Ducato h3l4 would suit you

 

[RubyOptics]

Mel that is a very kind offer, one which i may well take you up on. In Poland, vehicles from outside of our country, especially Germany, command a premium price as the roads in Poland are so bloody bad!

Geo Well....errrr....sure I guess. Only one problem, I was a weapons engineer....so for all of you Hymer owners who have a couple of SpearFish torpedos in that upper bunk, I'm your man. If not...well, sorry I'm just another newb!!

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[RubyOptics]

Duckato i have, but in some ways Poland is a damn strange country. Internet for example...if i get below 120 Mb/s here I'm annoyed by how slow it is, and for that I would expect to pay about 15 quid a month. Then i watch some of these YT vids for "buy a sports car for 500 quid". I just laugh, as i know that anything they look at would cost at least 5 times as much over here!

So, to answer your question...yes i have considered it. If left with no other option i would do it, but the issue with seatbelts remains a big problem.

 

[RubyOptics]

I hope this doesn't interrupt the flow of this thread, but I would just like to say a huge thank-you to all of you who have offered me advice. None of it has fallen on deaf ears and I simply cannot wait to buy my van and count myself amongst your numbers for real! I don't know when that will be, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless!!

 

[cruiser]

We hope you get what you want . We all look forward to seeing you field some where.

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[movan]

MANGOFORTH ahhh, you had to go there didn't you!! The SO is VERY interested in this side of things. I must admit that there is a side to it that really does appeal, however when i start thinking about the logistics of such an endeavour...it just seems SO much. It is certainly something that we need to keep in mind though!

See Yorick's post above re buying a simple van and basically 'camping' in it as if it were a travelling tent. It will give you the opportunity to come to some of our meet ups, ask questions, enjoy your van experience and you won't have gone into debt before knowing the full story.

Not all of us can afford big campervans; I struggle to keep mine on the road and it isn't overthetop.... But my advice is that quality FUN time with your family is the priority. Enjoy. There are many on here who had the same budget as you and we all blend in together.

Look forward to meeting you all someday.

 

[RubyOptics]

movan We have a pretty big 4x4, so if we wanted to do that i guess we could just chuck a mattress in the back and give that a go! More seriously, we are going to hire a 90's camper (luckily there is a local company which does this) before we make any firm decisions. As for meeting up, I would certainly love that, however we would need a bit of advance notice to get from Warsaw to you all!

 

[movan]

movan We have a pretty big 4x4, so if we wanted to do that i guess we could just chuck a mattress in the back and give that a go! More seriously, we are going to hire a 90's camper (luckily there is a local company which does this) before we make any firm decisions. As for meeting up, I would certainly love that, however we would need a bit of advance notice to get from Warsaw to you all!

Lol. Ah well..... One day, one day maybe. . We'!ll have the kettle at the ready.