Motorhome purchase (1 Viewer)

[hogger]

Hello Again everyone

I thought I would start another post rather than carry on adding to my last on on 'dealer woes'
spotted this one on gumtree and the owners seem genuine so far and we have a video call with them later on today. Has anyone any experience with this model or know anything about it. price- mileage fair?
It's an automatic which I do fancy but are there any disadvantages with automatics?. I'll try and past the add in now as I can't work out how to share from gumtree to here.
I would appreciate any advice as I don't want to make a mistake on buying our first motorhome

I can't work out how to share onto here so will have to copy an paste

Motorhome Fiat ROLLER TEAM ZEFIRO 235 TL, 2016, 2300 (cc)
Melrose, Scottish Borders
£36,950.00



1 day agoMakeFiatModelROLLER TEAM ZEFIRO 235 TLYear2016Mileage46556 milesSeller typePrivate
Body typeOtherTransmissionAutomaticFuel typeDieselEngine size2300 ccColourWhitePrevious Keepers2

Description
Fiat Motorhome
Rollerteam Zefiro 235 5.99m
MOT til March 2021
4 berth 2.3 diesel
6 speed automatic gearbox
Central locking
Cab air conditioning
Rear view reverse camera, reverse sensors
Solar panel
Refillable LPG system
End bathroom with SOG toilet system, separate shower area and vanity unit
Electric drop down bed with memory foam mattress
Full size fridge freezer, 3 ring gas hob, electric oven and grill
2 captains chairs
Large roof skylight
Leather upholstery
Wood effect flooring
4 travel seat belts
Blow air heating
LED lighting
Overcab storage and wardrobes
Large outside locker with hot air blow heater
Avtex TV with built in DVD player
4 bike cycle carrier
Pristine condition
Pm for more info or any questions
Serious enquiries, no dealers pls

Ad ID: 1386500642

 

[hogger]

Not sure what your budget is, but would something like this suit?
Broken Link Removed
Mike

Hi Mike

Yes that looks good. I thought a bit pricey for a 15 plate but it's a hymer I see. Are they better quality? certainly looks high quality fittings inside. and I would say our ideal van in term of layout/beds and full oven. Did I see some negative comments about motorhome depot on here though?

definitely keep this one in mind and we can make it budget wise although it leaves nothing for unforeseen costs for a while.

Thanks again
Steven

 

[hogger]

Hi i often
looked on oak tree motorhome in nottingham..mainly for research reasons, whilst we were looking, good detail about specifications, good clear pictureS...lots of various models and prices, you also need to think about storage, if required. Tyres if need changing? MOT...Insurance, I wanted to spend our Budget completely, thAnkfully
hubby has his sensible head on, so kept a bit back for ( what happens if this or that needs doing)..

Yes I would like to keep something in reserve too but for the right van we'll push it if need be

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[hogger]

Not sure what your budget is, but would something like this suit?
Broken Link Removed
Mike

I just did my own search for the van but can't find it for some reason. I used your link and I like the look of the van, looks a cracker eh

 

[Kilroy]

Interesting thread & I hope that you find what you are looking for.
I am searching for my first MH as well, so I can recognise a lot of the process that you are going through!
Best of luck!

 

[DangerMousy]

Did I see some negative comments about motorhome depot on here though?

We bought our current MH through them, they're fine so long a) you don't expect the broker to know much about the MH (sometimes the seller is willing to meet the buyer, other times they won't), and b) you treat it as you would a private sale.

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

Hi Mike

Yes that looks good. I thought a bit pricey for a 15 plate but it's a hymer I see. Are they better quality? certainly looks high quality fittings inside. and I would say our ideal van in term of layout/beds and full oven. Did I see some negative comments about motorhome depot on here though?

definitely keep this one in mind and we can make it budget wise although it leaves nothing for unforeseen costs for a while.

Thanks again
Steven

Hi Steven, yes Hymer do enjoy an enviable reputation,but sometimes so do other products that when looked at closely is hard to understand exactly why. We are wrestling with same conundrum ourselves at the moment, having looked at a 5 year old product from the same company and found we can buy new, for just about the same money, a similar van , underpinned by mostly the same base products, fiat, Thetford, Truma, et,al. how wrong could they get a bit of simple kitting out of cupboards, flooring?
Having identified the style of van we need, we might now just sit back and wait for the current craziness to drop out of the market as the penny drops that buying something on HP, doesn't actually make it yours till the final instalment is made, till then your just renting, much like a mortgage!.
Good luck.
Mike

 

[hogger]

Thanks everyone for your advice.
To be honest I've been having second thoughts about the whole thing today. 50k for our first van is a lot when we have little experience. My partner noticed a lot of the campsites are closed at the end of October?
and I'm wondering where we would go to make use of the van after then. Would it be wild camping after that?
I'm also wondering about storage now. We do not have a drive but do have quite a decent parking space at the back of the house although I doubt a 7m MH would fit in next to the neighbours car and it would restrict the exit of other cars I'm sure.
We are lucky that it's quite a wide road with plenty of parking in our village. It wouldn't be an obstruction at all and we seen a large MH sitting out there for a few weeks so the intention is to keep it there so it is near for getting away at weekends.

For anyone who uses it can I ask about storage costs? Just in case we decide it's safer than the road. Are you able to access it easily for maintenance or if you decide to use it for a weekend etc.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Why not have a look at the V 60 in the Sunlight range, yes the compromise is the lack of width, although, when on the road is it??
The V 60, is a French bed,and a huge payload. Should fit your parking bay without antagonising the neighbours. Bike rack on the back, job done, unless you want to load a motor scooter, then it's the V66. O.K. you're into the budget side of Dethleff, but Big savings to be made over full size low profiles.
Mike

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

Why not have a look at the V 60 in the Sunlight range, yes the compromise is the lack of width, although, when on the road is it??
The V 60, is a French bed,and a huge payload. Should fit your parking bay without antagonising the neighbours. Bike rack on the back, job done, unless you want to load a motor scooter, then it's the V66. O.K. you're into the budget side of Dethleff, but Big savings to be made over full size low profiles.
Mike

Should have said, how about trying a hire of one first, you'll learn a huge amount, and clear your heads of many things you're fretting about unnecessarily.
Mike.

 

[hogger]

I've not seen many of the sunlight range so will have a look. I looked at a 3 day hire and was about to book when I checked the T&C's. no cover for reversing damage or for damage above 1.8m.
Saw lots of reviews where people were losing part or all of their deposits so left it.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I think that's always going to be the case with any hired item. I hired from a North London operation. I checked the vehicle very carefully going out, they did the same coming back in, and we accrued no extra damage , so no problems. The deposit came back without any issues. If you have a passenger, they could be proactive by assisting in any reversing needed, that should eliminate a major area of risk. Go for it ,just take the usual care you would as if the vehicle was your own, otherwise you may end up doing nothing, a bit like the chap who never made any mistakes, turns out he actually did nothing though!!
Mike

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[hogger]

Yes all very true. Still hoping to find a MH before our break so holding off on the hire thing

 

[TUCANO]

steven jackson.
To answer your question regarding storage etc. I live in Yorkshire and my storage site is approx nine miles from my home, my cost is £286 a year but it goes on the length of the vehicle.
I have access to the van 8-8 during the lighter months and 8 until lighting up during the darker days.
Maintenance can only be carried out by the sites approved mechanic but I would bring my van home anyway. Different sites will I am certain have their own rules, a decent site should be a member of COSSA.
Sites closing at the end of October does not bother me as I wild camp almost all of the time anyway, that's what a van is for to me.
I hope this is of help, one small piece of advice is I would not consider buying a van for the first time and spending £50k as you are suggesting, my own limit for a first time would be around the £35k mark but each to their own, good luck in whatever you do.

 

[Beltie]

Steven,

Don't worry about sites closing for winter, there are loads open all year.

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[hogger]

Thanks for the advice and you're right about the

steven jackson.
To answer your question regarding storage etc. I live in Yorkshire and my storage site is approx nine miles from my home, my cost is £286 a year but it goes on the length of the vehicle.
I have access to the van 8-8 during the lighter months and 8 until lighting up during the darker days.
Maintenance can only be carried out by the sites approved mechanic but I would bring my van home anyway. Different sites will I am certain have their own rules, a decent site should be a member of COSSA.
Sites closing at the end of October does not bother me as I wild camp almost all of the time anyway, that's what a van is for to me.
I hope this is of help, one small piece of advice is I would not consider buying a van for the first time and spending £50k as you are suggesting, my own limit for a first time would be around the £35k mark but each to their own, good luck in whatever you do.

Many thanks for your advice on storage. I'll have a look for local places. I just looked up camp sites on the camping and caravan club and pitch up and see they have sites open all year so that's that sorted. We will certainly be looking at wild camping but will have to do a bit of research on that. I was looking at using campsites initially at least until we get used to things a bit.
Yes we are also questioning spending that amount on our first MH. We were thinking of the benefit of low mileage and more options whilst looking for an automatic.

 

[hogger]

Steven,

Don't worry about sites closing for winter, there are loads open all year.

cheers, I looked some up and no problem.

 

[DangerMousy]

Thanks everyone for your advice.
To be honest I've been having second thoughts about the whole thing today. 50k for our first van is a lot when we have little experience

I think that's actually a pretty sensible concern to have.

We intended spending 20k on our first MH, that quickly stretched to 30k when we saw what 20k bought us: we didn't like the driving position of the older MHs, and we'd have had to budget to reupholster most of the interiors too. We got very lucky when we saw our first MH for sale - it was 3 years old and (because it was an ex-hire and therefore high mileage for a MH) it was about 10k cheaper than other's of similar age/condition so it was just within budget. We didn't hire first (like you say, its rather expensive) but I caravanned as a teenager so I had an idea of things, hubby doesn't like flying but we love travelling, so it seemed a good idea. We spent a lot of time at dealers trying out different layouts before we hit on the right one (and we'd still have that MH if our dream one hadn't come up for sale earlier this year!).

If you have doubts then reduce your budget. Don't worry about high mileage....they are built on commercial vans and are designed to do high mileage - in fact they probably run best once they've got a few miles on them. Its more important to look at the condition of the habitation side and check for damp. Autotrader has 79 pages of MHs priced between 25k and 35k - there are plenty out there.

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[CutThroatJake]

Steven,

My wife and I were exactly where you are now a few years ago (full story to be posted in due course) and we know the choice is bewildering.

The best advice we received at the time was to hire a few different models and layouts as it’s a lot of money you are looking at spending.

For our hire’s we used a company near Manchester called Freedhome and we would happily recommend them. Yes they pre-authorise a £1,000.00 security deposit which you lose for any kind of damage but let’s be honest wouldn’t you if it were your MH you were renting out

Something that wil probably be very important to you guys is that during the handover we were told that the most underused piece of equipment in their MH’s was the oven, though I have no idea why as we never tried to use one ever whilst hiring. Others will have thoughts on this but if we were in your situation now we’d be making sure that the oven in any MH we were planning to purchase matched our expectations

Also, and I know it’s not easy with C-19 etc. try to get to one of the big shows so you can view, touch, sit in lots of different models. We did a lot of on-line research before we went to the NEC show a few years back. We had made up a short list of models that ‘on paper’ looked perfect.

Can we just say reality can be very different to what shown on websites, adverts & magazine articles and whatever you do keep an eye on payload

Of course when all is said and done it’s your money and you quite rightly can spend or not as you see appropriate. We wish you all the best in your search.

Paul & Sarah

 

[TerryL]

Storage - although it's possible to park our 7.5m van on the drive, I only do so when loading/unloading or carrying out my own maintenance. Comfort would only cover us for 48 hours at home anyway. The neighbours are perfectly happy about having a big lump parked there but as the estate is open-plan it is easily visible to all and sundry - although with only one access road our little enclave does not feature high in the crime statistics. Our main concern, though, is that if we were to permanently keep it there it would be pretty obvious when we were away, which we tend to be a lot.

We keep ours on a Cassoa site about 15mins away - it's a Gold site, pretty big with resident wardens, CCTV etc. and daylight hours access - other times by arrangement. We pay £380 p.a. and have toilet drop, wash area, water etc. (but no hookup). In addition there is a small caravan sales and accessories shop outside the gates but that's just a bonus. It does mean that we lose the ability to just up and go when we feel like it but, hey, life is always a balance. We would never entertain keeping it on the roadside, assuming our insurers would let us!

If you choose to store, you need to have a good search around, good sites with available space are few and far between (we were lucky, got a cancellation the day before we enquired). Something that came up in my various negotiations though - Cassoa membership doesn't guarantee anything, it's just a register and they're there for the site owners. As I found out they don't want anything to do with van owners and even insurers don't take a lot of notice. That said, a farmers barn can have lots of other problems - mice anyone?

Sorry to be so long-winded but prospective purchasers often fail to take storage into account until they suddenly have to find somewhere.

 

[hogger]

I think that's actually a pretty sensible concern to have.

We intended spending 20k on our first MH, that quickly stretched to 30k when we saw what 20k bought us: we didn't like the driving position of the older MHs, and we'd have had to budget to reupholster most of the interiors too. We got very lucky when we saw our first MH for sale - it was 3 years old and (because it was an ex-hire and therefore high mileage for a MH) it was about 10k cheaper than other's of similar age/condition so it was just within budget. We didn't hire first (like you say, its rather expensive) but I caravanned as a teenager so I had an idea of things, hubby doesn't like flying but we love travelling, so it seemed a good idea. We spent a lot of time at dealers trying out different layouts before we hit on the right one (and we'd still have that MH if our dream one hadn't come up for sale earlier this year!).

If you have doubts then reduce your budget. Don't worry about high mileage....they are built on commercial vans and are designed to do high mileage - in fact they probably run best once they've got a few miles on them. Its more important to look at the condition of the habitation side and check for damp. Autotrader has 79 pages of MHs priced between 25k and 35k - there are plenty out there.

Many thanks for your advice. Yes we felt the same, we haven't liked what we were seeing in older models i.e. floral upholstery! My thoughts were that if we can afford it why not spend more and get something newer and a bit more trouble free from a dealer and get some level of protection with a warranty (although I know they are not worth the paper their written on in many cases)
Our choice is limited by the fact we are looking for an automatic. I've been in touch with Simon from Alan Kerr Motorhomes who was recommended on here so keeping fingers crossed.

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[denisejoe]

Our daughter looked for storage long before she bought her caravan as the waiting lists were so long everywhere. She eventually found somewhere and started paying for a space. It was nearly 6 months before she actually managed to find a suitable van.

 

[hogger]

Steven,

My wife and I were exactly where you are now a few years ago (full story to be posted in due course) and we know the choice is bewildering.

The best advice we received at the time was to hire a few different models and layouts as it’s a lot of money you are looking at spending.

For our hire’s we used a company near Manchester called Freedhome and we would happily recommend them. Yes they pre-authorise a £1,000.00 security deposit which you lose for any kind of damage but let’s be honest wouldn’t you if it were your MH you were renting out

Something that wil probably be very important to you guys is that during the handover we were told that the most underused piece of equipment in their MH’s was the oven, though I have no idea why as we never tried to use one ever whilst hiring. Others will have thoughts on this but if we were in your situation now we’d be making sure that the oven in any MH we were planning to purchase matched our expectations

Also, and I know it’s not easy with C-19 etc. try to get to one of the big shows so you can view, touch, sit in lots of different models. We did a lot of on-line research before we went to the NEC show a few years back. We had made up a short list of models that ‘on paper’ looked perfect.

Can we just say reality can be very different to what shown on websites, adverts & magazine articles and whatever you do keep an eye on payload

Of course when all is said and done it’s your money and you quite rightly can spend or not as you see appropriate. We wish you all the best in your search.

Paul & Sarah

Hi Paul & Sarah

Great advice once again from fellow funsters We may decide to hire as we have a holiday booked on 26th of this month and no sign of finding anything. We're not expecting great things from the oven in motorhomes and I've just had a conversation with Simon of Alan Kerr Motorhomes who informs me that in all cases it's like lighting a match at the back of a box. As long as we have one and can make a lasagne in!
I know what you mean by adverts v reality. we've visited a few dealers now. They look great online and in photos but a bit of a let down when you get there.
Payload is something I have to read up on again as I don't fully understand it although there is only the two of us. I'll have to tell SWMBO to take less shoes and we should be ok

 

[hogger]

Storage - although it's possible to park our 7.5m van on the drive, I only do so when loading/unloading or carrying out my own maintenance. Comfort would only cover us for 48 hours at home anyway. The neighbours are perfectly happy about having a big lump parked there but as the estate is open-plan it is easily visible to all and sundry - although with only one access road our little enclave does not feature high in the crime statistics. Our main concern, though, is that if we were to permanently keep it there it would be pretty obvious when we were away, which we tend to be a lot.

We keep ours on a Cassoa site about 15mins away - it's a Gold site, pretty big with resident wardens, CCTV etc. and daylight hours access - other times by arrangement. We pay £380 p.a. and have toilet drop, wash area, water etc. (but no hookup). In addition there is a small caravan sales and accessories shop outside the gates but that's just a bonus. It does mean that we lose the ability to just up and go when we feel like it but, hey, life is always a balance. We would never entertain keeping it on the roadside, assuming our insurers would let us!

If you choose to store, you need to have a good search around, good sites with available space are few and far between (we were lucky, got a cancellation the day before we enquired). Something that came up in my various negotiations though - Cassoa membership doesn't guarantee anything, it's just a register and they're there for the site owners. As I found out they don't want anything to do with van owners and even insurers don't take a lot of notice. That said, a farmers barn can have lots of other problems - mice anyone?

Sorry to be so long-winded but prospective purchasers often fail to take storage into account until they suddenly have to find somewhere.

Great advice again and thanks for taking the time. I'm more inclined now to keep it in a storage place and I didn't think of the insurance implications. We would feel better knowing it's behind a big locked gate. I'm off to look for places now!

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[hogger]

Our daughter looked for storage long before she bought her caravan as the waiting lists were so long everywhere. She eventually found somewhere and started paying for a space. It was nearly 6 months before she actually managed to find a suitable van.

Oh dear more difficulty but it's not putting me/us off getting one. I'm off to look for storage now, wish me luck

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Yes, we ticked two of our dream motorhomes off the list of possibles last weekend. When faced with the actual bit of kit in front of you, some thing's become abundantly clear and not as you had envisaged them. Our search goes on, but from a much tighter list of possibles.
Keep searching.

 

[hogger]

I just had a look at storage as I'm worried about keeping it out on the main road. The cheapest I found which is quite a distance from us is £555 pa. There is one near Glasgow Airport who charge 50 per month for 6.5-7.4m so £600 per year. I went on the Cassoa website and looked for storage here and nothing.
I just measured the parking space we have outside our flat and I think it would be too restrictive for our neighbours to have it there.
The only chance we might have is at the back of the pub right next to us there is piece of land where customers park and a Luton van has been sitting for the past few weeks. I don't know if the pub owns the land or not but will ask.
Add insurance to the cost of storage plus MOT, Hab check etc etc. Starting to give up hope now but thank you for all your help everybody.

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[hogger]

Anyone here keep their MH on the main road and how does it affect your insurance?

 

[denisejoe]

Definitely worth asking at the pub if you could store the van there. It would be handy for when you want to get away for a weekend or something.

With regard to insurance I'm pretty sure it would be more expensive than if you could keep it on your drive or even on the land behind the pub.

 

[hogger]

Definitely worth asking at the pub if you could store the van there. It would be handy for when you want to get away for a weekend or something.

With regard to insurance I'm pretty sure it would be more expensive than if you could keep it on your drive or even on the land behind the pub.

Yes I thought that. Had a bit of the heebie jeebies or (collywobbles) as another funster put it last night and felt like giving up but back on it. will have to lower our budget and allow for running costs. It will have to go in storage for peace of mind.

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[Kilroy]

Glad to see that you are recovering from the discouragement. But I guess it's as well to go through the process and have a realistic sense of the practicalities of MH ownership before jumping in. As in #94 above, I'm also exploring the possibilities. I think that the MHFun website/forum is an extraordinary resource, and I am constantly pleasantly surprised by the generosity and helpfulness of the experienced folk on here. Good luck.