Is buying an ex hire vehicle a good idea (3 Viewers)

[chenderson1965]

Hi.

My wife and I are looking to buy our first motorhome. We’ve done lots of research and narrowed down our criteria including spending time at our local dealer looking at different options and configurations etc. I think we know what we want and have a pretty reasonable idea of the market and pricing.

We have found a dealer called Goodmans in Waltham Abbey who have a range of 2018 and 2019 ex rental Sunlight and Dethleffs vehicles for sale at what appear to be very attractive prices. The 2018 vehicles have around 15,000-20,000 miles and the 2019 vehicles around 10,000-13000 miles. They come with a two year guarantee (I haven’t seen the details of this yet and clearly that would be something to look at very closely). They also say that any damage internally or externally which you find after they have been retired from the rental fleet they will repair or replace for free.

I’m wondering what the downsides of buying an ex hire vehicle might be. If it were a car I would worry about it having been thrashed but for a motorhome I guess that’s a bit less of a risk (although I guess you can assume that the miles will have been “harder miles“ than a privately owned vehicle). I guess they may also be bits of damage either internally or externally but, as I said, they say that they will put anything like that right at no cost.

Does anybody have experience of buying an ex hire vehicle? I’d obviously be particularly interested to hear if anyone out there has bought expire from Goodmans and what your experiences were.

What else should I be looking out for when checking out an ex hire vehicle? Even though it’s coming from a dealer with a warranty I think I’m inclined to pay for an AA mechanical inspection. What other risks or issues might there be that I need to look out for?

Thanks a lot.

Chris

 

[Ridgeway]

Our first van (Carado) was an ex-rental and it was a good way for us to be able to afford the layout and spec we wanted ie about 30% cheaper vs a new van, to was 12 months old with 20k km on the clock, a few marks here and there but otherwise all good.

I'd certainly be happy to buy another ex-rental.

 

[MR. FUSION]

Rev limiter at 3.5 or 4K mmmmmm ?

Well I did my first night school on car maintenance at 15 and have probably had more A series engines apart than I care to remember, same with bikes, so maybe a bit paranoid but that's how it is with a mechanically sensitive ex petrol head. I like to know that my future vehicle was not in the hands of someone who had no investment in it......if you bought my moho you will find after 20K the original brake pads still have well over a 1/4 0f an inch of meat on them.....and I dont shift down either, just use the brakes, on the basis it's easier to change the pads than the clutch plate.

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[Silver-Fox]

Well I did my first night school on car maintenance at 15 and have probably had more A series engines apart than I care to remember, same with bikes, so maybe a bit paranoid but that's how it is with a mechanically sensitive ex petrol head. I like to know that my future vehicle was not in the hands of someone who had no investment in it......if you bought my moho you will find after 20K the original brake pads still have well over a 1/4 0f an inch of meat on them.....and I dont shift down either, just use the brakes, on the basis it's easier to change the pads than the clutch plate.

I started at 16 on mopeds, mechanically.
Had my first car at 17 and had to maintain it.

I used to strip straight four engines for others on the side as I was a poor mechanical apprentice ?

I was taught old school driving by my driving instructor.
Brake and down the box, coming to a halt in secound gear or sometimes first.

Never sat at lights in gear and foot off the clutch.

I will continue to descend hills in a lower gear and use the brake in short bursts.

Rev limiters are there to protect engines that in fairness are over engineered ?

You still can’t use the brakes if you’ve boiled the fluid ?

Edit
Just to clarify I will continue to approach lights, junctions and roundabouts in the appropriate gear to continue progress if traffic allows ?

 

[mitzimad]

Well I did my first night school on car maintenance at 15 and have probably had more A series engines apart than I care to remember, same with bikes, so maybe a bit paranoid but that's how it is with a mechanically sensitive ex petrol head. I like to know that my future vehicle was not in the hands of someone who had no investment in it......if you bought my moho you will find after 20K the original brake pads still have well over a 1/4 0f an inch of meat on them.....and I dont shift down either, just use the brakes, on the basis it's easier to change the pads than the clutch plate.

if were ever going down out of the alps together i'm going behind you

 

[MR. FUSION]

if were ever going down out of the alps together i'm going behind you

I would use the gears then I am talking regular driving.

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[MR. FUSION]

I started at 16 on mopeds, mechanically.
Had my first car at 17 and had to maintain it.

I used to strip straight four engines for others on the side as I was a poor mechanical apprentice ?

I was taught old school driving by my driving instructor.
Brake and down the box, coming to a halt in secound gear or sometimes first.

Never sat at lights in gear and foot off the clutch.

I will continue to descend hills in a lower gear and use the brake in short bursts.

Rev limiters are there to protect engines that in fairness are over engineered ?

You still can’t use the brakes if you’ve boiled the fluid ?

What kind of mountain range do you live in ???

 

[Silver-Fox]

What kind of mountain range do you live in ???

Didn’t realise that was compulsory for fixing engines or driving a Moho ?

I do live in Cheltenham that is surrounded by hills that require negotiating if you wish to escape ??

Spent plenty of time in Wales, Cornwall and Yorkshire as well.

Not exactly mountains but fairly hilly ?

 

[Jonno1103]

The hire company my brother in law uses treat him like gold dust.

They are also a main dealer for the Roller Team and Burstner coachbuilt and A Class models they have in their hire fleet which they replace every year and begin to pre sell at 6 months old.

Hiring isn't the main business as such so the fleet aren't used extensively, mostly it's repeat customers, they're not allowed abroad aren't hired for festivals or to all male/female parties.

After every hire each vehicle has a complete habitation shakedown plus a mini service & inspection in their own modern NCC workshop. This is followed by a technician test drive, any fault and they are pulled and not hired out again until fully rectified.

When sold they come with the balance of the base vehicle and converter warranties and none of them hang around for long

If you're satisfied and they're reputable I say go for it.

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[SpeedyDux]

As regards MH bodywork damage and repairs, the 2 most common types of claims (according to insurers) are the overcab / luton (probably tree branches) and the back panel / bumper area (another pesky invisible bollard strike while reversing!)

The worry of losing the deposit encourages newby hirers to take extra care to avoid dings and scratches, but the ex-hire MH isn't idiot-proof. Ask questions and inspect carefully.

 

[HelenMalc2019]

Personally I would have no problem with buying an ex hire 'van if the deal was right.
However, could I draw to your attention, something in the OP.
" They also say that any damage internally or externally which you find after they have been retired from the rental fleet they will repair or replace for free. "

If the repair was performed to your satisfaction BEFORE you took possession of the 'van, well OK, BUT, to be frank, I wouldn't trust a dealer who said, "Take the 'van and bring it back if you find damage caused etc. etc."
In those circs I wouldn't buy it.

Does that really mean? "take the van on a hire basis, if you still like it when you come back, you can have it at the agreed price. "

I worked in the motor trade and some of the biggest cowboys were private sellers.

 

[Emmit]

Does that really mean? "take the van on a hire basis, if you still like it when you come back, you can have it at the agreed price. "

I worked in the motor trade and some of the biggest cowboys were private sellers.

No.

It means (from where I'm from anyway)
The sellers have a vehicle for sale. It is not available immediately. If you would like to buy it, give it an examination and if there is anything untoward, point it out to the seller and they will remedy the defect.
Because the prospective buyers are looking at the vehicle in advance, (well in advance), what I am alluding to is that the buyer should ensure that the vehicles defects should be remedied prior to handing over the remainder of the price to buy. I would also suggest that any deposit paid should be contractually refunded if, in the case, the seller does not remedy the faults prior to purchase.
I would not buy the vehicle on sale day with known faults to be repaired at a later date.

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[The Wino]

Is there anyone who bought an ex-hire vehicle and regretted it?
It seems the only posters on here who bought ex hire were pleased. We bought our current car a skoda octavia from motorpoint with 12k on the clock 6 months old (ex daily hire). A similar car with the same engine and trim level was £3.5k more at our local dealer with 3k miles. I have a few friends who say they wouldn't fancy ex hire but for us it was a no brainer and our ex hire m/h was fine too (we have often in the past bought ex-hire bikes from Rutland Water).
We usually keep our cars for 6 or 7 years so the resale value will be almost the same no matter who the first owner our first m/h was traded in for £1k to £2k less than we paid 2 years before (like most people we realised it as the wrong layout but we didn't have the big depreciation from new!)

 

[Cheshirecat57]

I only buy new stuff...BUT
If the budget dictated otherwise, just the fact it was "ex hire" would not put me off
Abused condition would put me off
High Mileage with poor service history would put me off
Bad repairs would put me off
Smell of smoke would put me off

 

[maz]

We have found a dealer called Goodmans in Waltham Abbey who have a range of 2018 and 2019 ex rental Sunlight and Dethleffs vehicles for sale at what appear to be very attractive prices. The 2018 vehicles have around 15,000-20,000 miles and the 2019 vehicles around 10,000-13000 miles. They come with a two year guarantee (I haven’t seen the details of this yet and clearly that would be something to look at very closely). They also say that any damage internally or externally which you find after they have been retired from the rental fleet they will repair or replace for free.

Hi and welcome to the Fun!

Having read through most of your threads you are obviously doing a lot of research, which is great.

From what I’ve gleaned from your posts, it seems you’re looking for a 4000-5000kg A class van in the £50-60k bracket. So I’m a bit puzzled as to why you seem to have ended up focussing on an ex-hire Sunlight plated at around 3500kg. Looking at the figures quoted for one of these vans:

https://www.goodmansmotorhomes.com/2019-motorhomes-for-sale-2019/sunlight-i68/

What do they mean by ‘Total Permissible Weight 545kg’? Are they meaning that is its estimated payload? And just how do they arrive at that figure?

I know nothing about hire vans but to me the Sunlights on that Goodmans site look Spartan. Maybe ok to hire for a holiday but would I want one as my own van? No.

Ok, so maybe they look (or even are) a bargain price-wise as against a brand new van. But if I was looking to spend £50-60k on an A-class van, I would not be looking for a new or nearly new van. I’d be looking at a quality build one from somewhere between 5-10 years old, preferably with useful extras already fitted by a previous owner. Also one with a 3 litre engine. And certainly one plated at 4500kg or more.

Good luck with your search.

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[Wendles]

We bought our first van, an A class Florium in December, ex hire 26000miles on the clock. We have been in the snow in the lakes, down to Austria skiingfor 2 weeks and locally for days out and weekends away. They fixed all the pioints we wanted including replacing the bathroom door 3 months after driving it away. It was on back order from France and no fault of the rental company- I checked with the stockist of the parts who confirmed it was. We have not regretted it for a second. We did consider possible thrashing of the engine but went with the thought it was the most expensive to rent, you need to hold the right license for 4400 kilos and it was very unlikely that a bunch of party goers had bothered to use this type of vehicle to get up to high jinks- there is way cheaper and easier methods of having fun.

I would get it checked by a mechanic if in doubt but a decent rental company with 18months turnover has to keep the vehicles in a good state of repair not only to keep it rentable but the insurance wouldn’t cover them otherwise. Call us too trusting but I’m a car traders daughter who has driven damaged repairable for years and you can tell a crap deal a mile away. Well that’s what I’m telling myself and it wasn’t because it was cheap, it was just the right van for us at the right time and we haven’t regretted it not for a minute.

 

[GrahamCardiff]

Hi.

My wife and I are looking to buy our first motorhome. We’ve done lots of research and narrowed down our criteria including spending time at our local dealer looking at different options and configurations etc. I think we know what we want and have a pretty reasonable idea of the market and pricing.

We have found a dealer called Goodmans in Waltham Abbey who have a range of 2018 and 2019 ex rental Sunlight and Dethleffs vehicles for sale at what appear to be very attractive prices. The 2018 vehicles have around 15,000-20,000 miles and the 2019 vehicles around 10,000-13000 miles. They come with a two year guarantee (I haven’t seen the details of this yet and clearly that would be something to look at very closely). They also say that any damage internally or externally which you find after they have been retired from the rental fleet they will repair or replace for free.

I’m wondering what the downsides of buying an ex hire vehicle might be. If it were a car I would worry about it having been thrashed but for a motorhome I guess that’s a bit less of a risk (although I guess you can assume that the miles will have been “harder miles“ than a privately owned vehicle). I guess they may also be bits of damage either internally or externally but, as I said, they say that they will put anything like that right at no cost.

Does anybody have experience of buying an ex hire vehicle? I’d obviously be particularly interested to hear if anyone out there has bought expire from Goodmans and what your experiences were.

What else should I be looking out for when checking out an ex hire vehicle? Even though it’s coming from a dealer with a warranty I think I’m inclined to pay for an AA mechanical inspection. What other risks or issues might there be that I need to look out for?

Thanks a lot.

Chris

We bought our Sunlight Cliff from Goodmans Waltham Abbey last year. No hesitation in recommending them, we had an overnight test drive and every question we had was answered clearly and promptly . Great after sales back up too. No issues whatsoever with our outfit so far, we’re more than happy with the purchase.

 

[pagey]

Ok look at the avatar this is a hire van from good mans it was 6 months old when I got it with 8800 miles on it and it was spotless ,they come with the remaining fiat warranty Ricky Gibbs the owner could not be more accommodating . There is the point mentioned on here that it may have been thrashed if you don't on a euro 6 you are in for trouble I would not hesitate to recommend them

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[GrahamCardiff]

Yes, Ricky was very helpful - no pressure sales tactics and answered all the questions we had with infinite patience!

 

[Loveshack]

Does that really mean? "take the van on a hire basis, if you still like it when you come back, you can have it at the agreed price. "

I worked in the motor trade and some of the biggest cowboys were private sellers.

I wasn’t going to respond to this thread; until NotHom’s post appeared.
How very familiar. I like that.
The only problem is knowing what you should be paying, and who’s gettin’ screwed.
If you are happy, and have bartered enough to feel you have a good deal, or enough to walk away: amicably, then you’ve done the best you can.
Hope you are happy with the outcome.

 

[orridge]

Perhaps considering hiring one of the vehicles before deciding, Goodman’s are the agent for McRent which is the hire arm of Deftleffs hence the sunlight and trends on offer. We were going to buy on of the trends so hired the same model in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago and we really disappointed with the vehicle as I expected the level of fittings to be of a higher standard than the sunlight but seemed quite entry level and very plastic compared to our previous German motorhome and the 130bhp engine was very sluggish.

Also check out the bathroom situation as with the single/double beds the bathrooms are very small if you try to close the door and turn around in it.

You do get a bike rack and awning and I think satellite dish but check it’s the right layout and level for you.

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[GrahamCardiff]

I’d definitely recommend an overnight test drive as a minimum before deciding. For us (a couple) the Sunlight Cliff 600 was ideal as we wanted the transverse double bed in situ . The bathroom is very tight but manageable and the window and extendable shower is useful - especially to shower down a muddy dog! The 130 bhp engine is fine for a campervan.

 

[Shianne47]

The one thing I would say because I lost £2500 in transaction of one at Justgo on a 2020 T590 is
when you go and view an ex fleet, they will put pressure on by saying other buyers are coming to view, make sure you get the reg number on the motorhome your looking at because if you go back to view again they all look the same and if you are of my age it can be very confusing.
i stupidly put payment down and due to financial circumstances had to pull out lost the money.
Also it seems unfair that even when you put money down they can still hire the vehicle out till you can collect it. Can anyone tell me if this is legal? Because when I went to view the second time the table was badly stained, cupboards stuck and spice rack looked worn. I rejected this vehicle but they still held me to contract. Make sure you are diligent when first you view check everything over and make sure you take reg number.

 

[The Wino]

I'm sort of with you until you said you had to pull out due to financial circumstances that makes it sound like there are other reasons for pulling out rather than just the condition.

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[Vanman]

One thing that I can't see mentioned and I think it might apply, is to check that there is no outstanding HP agreement on the MH. I seem to remember reading about more than one Hire company that didn't fully own the vehicles and they were re-possessed from the new buyer without any compensation.

 

[Geo]

No ones mentioned Chattel Mortgages yet have they ??
are they theirs to sell

 

[Jonno1103]

The one thing I would say because I lost £2500 in transaction of one at Justgo on a 2020 T590 is
when you go and view an ex fleet, they will put pressure on by saying other buyers are coming to view, make sure you get the reg number on the motorhome your looking at because if you go back to view again they all look the same and if you are of my age it can be very confusing.
i stupidly put payment down and due to financial circumstances had to pull out lost the money.
Also it seems unfair that even when you put money down they can still hire the vehicle out till you can collect it. Can anyone tell me if this is legal? Because when I went to view the second time the table was badly stained, cupboards stuck and spice rack looked worn. I rejected this vehicle but they still held me to contract. Make sure you are diligent when first you view check everything over and make sure you take reg number.

Been looking at these, I notice their ex hire prices for a 2020 T590 are more expensive than a brand new same specced 2021 T LIne 590 with drivers pack from a dealership.

Just go! 2020 price £54,995 - Roller Team 2021 retail price £53,995.

I know where my money would be going.

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[acropolis22]

............There is the point mentioned on here that it may have been thrashed if you don't on a euro 6 you are in for trouble.........

What does that mean please?

 

[GrahamCardiff]

The one thing I would say because I lost £2500 in transaction of one at Justgo on a 2020 T590 is
when you go and view an ex fleet, they will put pressure on by saying other buyers are coming to view, make sure you get the reg number on the motorhome your looking at because if you go back to view again they all look the same and if you are of my age it can be very confusing.
i stupidly put payment down and due to financial circumstances had to pull out lost the money.
Also it seems unfair that even when you put money down they can still hire the vehicle out till you can collect it. Can anyone tell me if this is legal? Because when I went to view the second time the table was badly stained, cupboards stuck and spice rack looked worn. I rejected this vehicle but they still held me to contract. Make sure you are diligent when first you view check everything over and make sure you take reg number.

Our experience was OK - we found out which make and model to go for via a bit of research, then found a smallish rental company - McHire in Waltham Abbey. They found us a less than 1 year old model in VGC and went for an overnight test drive. We saved several thousand pounds, and subsequently no issues at all. Also helpful staff and no sales pressure. I think I might avoid Justgo in future.

 

[DDJC]

While we were waiting (and waiting) for the factory to deliver our new moho, we were given a hire bus to use for a three week trip in summer.

This bus was in reasonable nick, and it taught us a lot - mainly about what we did and didn't need in a moho. It wasn't ours and so we were careful with it, speed limits, not over-revving, etc. Nevertheless, coming out of Italy into Austria, the gearbox was noticeably louder and clunkier. This got steadily worse until we got home.

The point is this. If that had been £60,000 of pride and joy, I would have stopped and called Fiat out. So purely going by my own experience, owners look after their buses. Hirers, maybe less so.

On balance, I would not buy a second hand ex-hire moho, but I would buy one off an owner. Subject to an incredibly detailed inspection obv.

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[Landy Andy]

I’ve seen a rented van being SCREAMED up a pair of ramps, whilst the clutch smoked, and I’ve seen a rental van that no longer had all its internal doors fitted. That was enough to make me avoid ex-rental.