New or 2nd hand

[Bart]

my head is spinning with decisions decisions
So after looking at the layouts of many motorhomes online , and a few at dealers, tomorrow i am going to look at a Bessacarr E560 2007 , it seems to have all that we want Except Air Con and im wondering how big an issue that will be.
However i also have another big dilemma , money for me is not easy to come by as i sure is the same for the rest of you's here , so i want to make sure i make the right choice.
So for the money that i will be paying for a 9 year old motorhome ( the Bessacarr E560 ) if i was to save and add on about another 2-4k i could then buy a brand new motorhome imported which would have the air con , and would have the rest of the things on our list ,, but it would be MISSING the OVEN , as the imported vans i was looking at all just seemed to have grills / hobs ,, and not actual ovens.
anyway apart from gaining / loosing something off our list i would be getting a brand new motor home as apposed to a 9 year old one for that extra 2-4k.
as far as looks go from just the pictures go the inside of the bessacarr looks very finished well and in mint condition with little miles.
what would yous do ,,buy the 9 year old one or save that extra and get a brand new one and import it ??


whats the build / finish quality like on the likes of

 

[sdc77]

Imho if it's hab aircon you're after then it may be worth not putting too high a priority on it.
Have a search for others views on hab aircon.. Lots just don't bother. (Not to mention it will not work on 12v (I believe))
There are threads also that you can search for on the pros and cons of uk vs eu vans.
If you do fancy a european van you might like to consider looking at the threads on importing .. you could save yourself some money there on a new or used van. You can get a lot more for your money with a used van but remember the age vs congestion charging in various european cities and london

 

[Bart]

Imho if it's hab aircon you're after then it may be worth not putting too high a priority on it.
Have a search for others views on hab aircon.. Lots just don't bother. (Not to mention it will not work on 12v (I believe))

Its just the car air con for when driving , im a white van driver myself in my job and my van has no aircon and today it was not very funny getting into what felt like an oven to drive to my next place of work ,,lol

If you do fancy a european van you might like to consider looking at the threads on importing .. you could save yourself some money there on a new or used van.

I have read a bit about importing thats why i started to look at that site

You can get a lot more for your money with a used van but remember the age vs congestion charging in various european cities and london

That part never even came into my mind,, ill never be in London with it , but i will be in European cities , is there much difference in congestion charges between a new and a 10 year old motorhome.

 

[catspyjamas]

Its just the car air con for when driving , im a white van driver myself in my job and my van has no aircon and today it was not very funny getting into what felt like an oven to drive to my next place of work ,,lol


I have read a bit about importing thats why i started to look at that site




That part never even came into my mind,, ill never be in London with it , but i will be in European cities , is there much difference in congestion charges between a new and a 10 year old motorhome.

£200 a day for me to enter London in my 11 year old Hymer!

 

[Bart]

£200 a day for me to enter London in my 11 year old Hymer!

OUCH!!!!!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Hettie's Crew]

I think the most important thing is to be absolutely sure of the layout you want first. Spending as long as you can in the motor home at dealers and imagining things like sitting in for long periods if the weather's crap.
We bought our first van because 'we must have a fixed bed' then realised over the years how much space it took up during the day. Lots of storage under, but hard to get at.
For us, a comfortable lounge area and plenty of storage became far more important than a fixed bed, and our drop down bed we have now is far more comfortable.
Before we committed to our present van we spent lots of time at the dealers on several occasions and asked to be left alone as salesmen distract you.
If I were buying now without a px I would import, we paid a lot more than buying abroad.
Dealers here want ridiculous prices for used motohomes.

 

[DBK]

Call me soft but I wouldn't buy a MH or indeed a car these days without cab A/C. Great in winter for demisting and in summer, especially in Europe, makes driving a pleasure again. I've driven in Europe without A/C in summer, windows wide open, dust blowing in, sweaty clothes. No that you!

 

[Lot lover]

One of the reasons we bought what we did was price. When we found an MH with the layout we wanted at a price we were prepared to pay we went for it. The fact that we live in France where 2nd hand MH seem cheaper than UK is not relevant.

It doesn't have cab aircon but so what, I drove from 1964 to 1997 without aircon and it didn't kill me so aircon is not on my list of must haves. if you feel that it's on yr list that is up to you.

And if my 20th century engine means that I cannot drive in big cities without huge financial penalties then I will not drive in big cities - but again if Eurinal 6 or whatever is important to you that is up to you.

No-one can tell you what to buy - ask lots of people for their opinions or advice of course but it's your money, your decision and you will not have to share the credit (or the blame) when you finally decide. I do not have to justify to you why I did what I did and you do not have to justify your choices to me.

 

[The Wino]

I think 2nd hand at a dealers is very expensive and would go for the import. I would go for a make available in the UK as it might be easier to sell on and you would have to be prepared for possible hassle if there are any defects in the warranty period.

 

[Petest]

Will a new RHD import cost more than the advertised figures or are you happy to have LHD?

Look at private sellers for used motorhomes as well.
Take a decent damp meter with you to check with (most dealers use a protimeter surveymaster). If it's got service and hab check history then it helps.

Cab aircon is normally an extra when the vehicle is first purchased. Seems that lots of them don't have it.

Admittedly it's nice when it's hot but is it essential?

That's what you need to consider.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Geo]

Call me a cynic but if there is only 2-4K difference between a 9 years old van and a new import
then either
1. The 9 year old is vastly over priced
2. The import is Stolen
3. You are comparing vastly different vehicles, ie a new Ford Focus V a 9 year old Mercedes F1

My take on new vans is DONT,
6 months after buying a used van its possible to get most if not all your cash back
maybe a small profit if you bought right

6 Hrs after buying a New van you have just blown circa 10 Thousand Pounds. that you will never see again
pick hole in the maths if you like but it changes nothing, that new smell and feel that fills
your nose and chest comes at a very very very high price
Any age in good condition at at the right price has to be a better option
G
PS a Huge thank you to All the New Mo Ho buyers out there without whom I would have no used ones to buy

 

[peterc10]

To me cab air con would be essential. Even more so if you are going to spend any length of time in Southern Europe. Figures seem odd though. How much are you paying for this 9 year old Bessie? And what do you think you can import new for only £2k - 4k more?

As others have said layout is by the far the most important decision. But there again until you live with a motorhome you cannot be sure that the layout is right. When we were looking for our first one I did lots of research and knew exactly what layout I wanted, but ended up buying a different layout entirely on a whim, and because the wife really liked it. Luckily after a bit of use we liked the layout we bought so much that when we bought our next one new we went for the same layout again.

 

[StitchesnFluff]

As much time as possible sitting in different layouts will help you make a decision.
For the smaller amount of outlay to have a warranted new van for someone who needs reliability etc then I would go for the import......
The van that you provide the link to does seem vg value

 

[Bart]

Ended up buying the Bessacarr E560 , it was lovely

 

[Madeinengland]

Now you can use all that extra money you didn't spend on a new one, on going away! Yaaay! Good decision

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Ended up buying the Bessacarr E560 , it was lovely

Great, now travel & enjoy

 

[Theonlysue]

I would say cab aircon important.
Very useful when stuck in traffic jam on hot day, but also for keeping inside of windscreen clear of condensation when driving.
Also useful for heating or cooling habitation area when driving

 

[Peter Ashcroft]

if its a Sevel based Van you can have cab air con retro fitted, if it is and you interested let me know and I will dig out the details, I almost had it done on ours but then we changed it, so did lots of research on it. The retro fit is just like factory fit using all the same parts, takes them 2 days to do it and you need to leave the van with them

 

[Peter Ashcroft]

Just found all my old emails about it

This is the company http://www.alpinair.co.uk

They do habitation aircon in addition to cab factory fit type aircon, which is what you need by the sound of it. the price I was quoted was £1250 + VAT for the parts and install, they have to order the bits in from Italy IIRC, fitting is then 2 days, but they told me they could make the van habitable at the end of day 1 so you can sleep in it over night at their place.

The email address I was communicating with is enquiries@alpinair.co.uk

I think they are north london based.

 

[Bart]

Just found all my old emails about it

This is the company http://www.alpinair.co.uk

They do habitation aircon in addition to cab factory fit type aircon, which is what you need by the sound of it. the price I was quoted was £1250 + VAT for the parts and install, they have to order the bits in from Italy IIRC, fitting is then 2 days, but they told me they could make the van habitable at the end of day 1 so you can sleep in it over night at their place.

The email address I was communicating with is enquiries@alpinair.co.uk

I think they are north london based.

Thanks 100% Peter
I will bookmark them for the time being and see how i get on , as there are other things that i think i will need to do .. i think prio will either think about solar panel or a 2nd battery , but 1st thing 1st , I need to get it and try it out before spending more £££££ , I will be picking it up in 3 weeks time as bought it from IHMotorhomes and they have 2 shows coming up and are busy atm,, suits me anyways as cannot get time of work before.