New or Used

[JohnnyRoyal]

Hello.
We are still on our search for our first MH.
We are having a test drive of a new Swift 614 at Viscount Leisure Southampton. It ticks all the boxes. Lounge layout Drop down bed Kitchen layout Separate shower and a good size garage.
Then we went to Southdowns Motorhomes and had a good look around. We were shown some lovely brand new MH but out of our budget. We were then shown a Burstner 586 2015 reg. Which was very nice and in good condition. However it was more expensive. Also the kitchen did not have a full oven. The bathroom was a wet room and there was no garage. However came with a reversing camera and sat nav. It is also only 6 metres in length
I have noticed that the build quality of the Swift is not as good as the Burstner.
So where do we go? New or used, better layout or better build?
Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated.
Got some good advice from Mark McG who owns a Burstner
Merry Christmas to all
John

 

[Chris-n-Leeka]

Hi John,

We have just gone through what you are going through now! We thought about new or used for a long time and everyone said, first van - buy used. We didnt really want to because we were so excited about our new adventures, but in the end we found a lovely 3 yr old Hymer that looks like new!

Its a lot of money not to spend when you look at 3yr old prices compared to new and our idea is to run this for a year or so and order a new one for 2021.

Even after only 4 nights away in it, we have found things we would change or add to our new van. Thats all personal preference of course. One things for sure, we were lucky to find a great first van, very glad we did the used route (we'll only lose a small amount when selling compared to a LOT selling a 1 yr old new van) and really loving this new adventure!

 

[scotzsue]

We bought our first, new and a swift 6 berth and ideal for what we wanted at the time. Kept it (nearly5 years) till we wanted to take a small motorbike, so changed to one with a garage which we still have I appreciate the advantages but have never taken to it like the Escape.
What we did do though was hire a couple of different vans before deciding on our purchase.
Enjoy your search, don't rush into anything and if you do find one you really like, don't be pressurised sleep on it then go back and see if it is as suitable, in as good condition as your first viewing.

 

[Puddleduck]

I would always go used for a first van for the reasons ChrisUK has outlined.

Our first van was self converted, the second an ancient Hymer and the third a two year old Chausson. Only the van we have now was bought new. At the times we had them each of the vans was ideal but circumstances change. We learned a lot about what we did and didn't like from each of the vans which made buying a new van less of a gamble as to layout etc. I don't like the new version of the van we have now so we plan to stick with what we have

 

[Puddleduck]

Enjoy your search, don't rush into anything and if you do find one you really like, don't be pressurised sleep on it then go back and see if it is as suitable, in as good condition as your first viewing.

A good dealer will encourage you to take your time and may even suggest you go home to think it over. If you are pressured into signing then walk away. Good dealers (and there are plenty despite what you may read) want you to return to have the van serviced by them, and when the time comes to replace the van via them. Good service means you will go back to the dealer you trust, at least to look.

When we bought the van before the one we had now we took a full month to make up our minds. The new van was bought at a show (and not a planned purchase!!!) but again the dealer said to go away and think about it and he would honour the show deals and trade in price for a while (I don't remember for how long) but we decided overnight and signed the papers next day. They were very clear about legal obligations on both sides BEFORE we signed. We are so pleased with the service we travel from Scotland to Derby to have the van serviced and hab-checked every year, it's a mini-holiday for us. As I said before I don't like the new model as much as the one we have.

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[treetops1]

I would go for a good second hand ,It can be difficult the first time round to find the perfect van that suits you .The build quality in the UK for myself is not that it should be .It will be trial and error but you would not loose as much money part exchanging a second hand van as a new one. I would suggest you take your time have a good look round until you find the layout you prefer and be sure it suits you both . In our case we hired a UK van for a week to see if we enjoyed motorhoming.The van less than a year old was a death trap ,we got as far as Calais in France and parked up on the old Aires on the front ,We spent the week there ,dare not drive any further,loved the experience but not the van ,whilst there ,one day a Rapido came in and we loved the style and deco on speaking to the driver the next day .They allowed us to have a look round and we loved it .within 3 months we had the Rapldo. That’s the way it goes sometimes .The main thing is do not rush ,the van you will love is out there.Enjoy lol.

 

[Puddleduck]

JohnnyRoyal if you do find a van you like, and if you want, then post a request and someone will come along to look with you. Someone not emotionally involved will see issues you may miss.

 

[peterc10]

I agree with others that second hand is best for your first motorhome. You may think you know what is best for you but until you start motorhoming you cannot be sure. You should lose a lot less money on a second hand Burstner than a new Swift. But that assumes that the buying price for both are right.

I would recommend that you go to lots more dealers. Not far from Southdowns are Premier in Chichester. And there are several more along the the coast the other way towards Bournemouth.

The perceived wisdom is that it takes three motorhomes to get it right. We are lucky and got it right the second time round. But we ended up with something very different to what we thought we wanted in the first place. We bought second hand for the first one and only lost £2k in 2.5 years and 15,000 miles when we came to p/x.

 

[Riverbankannie]

I would say that there is at least one too many negative things that you have listed for the Burstner. Of course every van will be a compromise.
Keep searching, as I agree with others, used is best for your first van.
We bought from Southdown’s and were very pleased with their customer service.
We were not so happy with their trade in price for our old one so we sold it privately and took a good discount on the one we bought. I believe they aim to make up to 10k on a trade in deal as they allow for generous discounts.
So if you do find one there you like don’t forget to haggle, start with a big chunk off say 8k, and then settle at 5k off and some throw ins like a service.

 

[DBK]

How do you plan to use the MH? If you are still working then probably only weekends and a few slightly longer trips. Do you want to carry bikes? They are much safer in a garage, easier to load too. A 6m PVC does for us, great kitchen (with oven ) and very airy as there's nothing obstructing the side door. We've used it on trips up to about 12 weeks but it would be completely unsuitable for winter skiing trips as it isn't fully winterised.

We tend not to stay in the same place for too long, 3 days without moving is unusual for us. If you plan on wild camping a MH with big tanks and a garage for a spare cassette would be better than our incontinent PVC.

We bought it new but we've camped in tents and had a caravan so we know how to live in a small space and what fittings, fixtures and layout we needed.

It may not help you decide but you will be kicking yourselves if you buy something which turns out unsuitable because you hadn't thought out what you plan to do with the MH.

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[Puddleduck]

I made lists of "must haves", "desirable but could live without" and "must not have" when we were looking. He did the same and luckily the first and the third lists did not clash

 

[JohnnyRoyal]

To everyone one who has replied thank you very much for your advice and we look at it all. We will see what happens next week with our test drive. It will give an idea in what a MH of that size will be like.
I suppose in an ideal world we would want a MH with the kitchen, layout, garage and price of a Swift but with the build quality of a Burstner! ?

 

[nicholsong]

Hello.
We are still on our search for our first MH.
We are having a test drive of a new Swift 614 at Viscount Leisure Southampton. It ticks all the boxes. Lounge layout Drop down bed Kitchen layout Separate shower and a good size garage.
Then we went to Southdowns Motorhomes and had a good look around. We were shown some lovely brand new MH but out of our budget. We were then shown a Burstner 586 2015 reg. Which was very nice and in good condition. However it was more expensive. Also the kitchen did not have a full oven. The bathroom was a wet room and there was no garage. However came with a reversing camera and sat nav. It is also only 6 metres in length
I have noticed that the build quality of the Swift is not as good as the Burstner.
So where do we go? New or used, better layout or better build?
Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated.
Got some good advice from Mark McG who owns a Burstner
Merry Christmas to all
John

You can get better layout and better build if you go for a good-quality build(suggest German builders) and buy second-hand, preferably privately. That can be done at the £30-35k mark

That is general advice, but firstly as DBK said above you should decide how you want to use it - main decision is campsites or wildcamping, which includes Aires with no services.

Then make a 'Specification', which does two things; firstly it gives you a checklist to compare any MH you see, and secondly if you show it to a dealer he will know you are serious and also should not show you models that do not fit your spec - saves everybody's time.

Buy a good-quality secondhand MH about 5-6 years old and depreciation will be negligible compared to new. I bought our first MH, a N&B Arto 69GL for £27,500 privately at 6 years old and have had it for 10 years and depreciation has been less than £1,000 per year. Mainly because of build quality so that it looks almost new.

Absorb the replies on here and then - Stop - Think - Make Specification - Start search again.

Wish you luck, and a Happy Christmas.

Geoff

 

[Puddleduck]

If you intend to use the van outside the UK you might want to look at LHD.

 

[The Lobster]

We got a 10 year old Burstner as our first... low mileage/great family layout for us/virtually nil depreciation/well put together, and not too many worries if we didn't like the whole experience or accidentally damaged bits and pieces. Never ceases to amaze me how very much more recent vans are virtually identical in design/quality/parts (excepting the Fiat part, of course).

Only thing that would make us change is if a nice family layout A class came along... like one of the new Itineo SB700s for example.. but most buyers of A classes don't appear to have young kids

Of course I'd much rather you went for a new one... more second hand choice when we come to change

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[Lenny HB]

An older German van makes more sense than a new Brit van, build quality will be better far less chance of water ingress and will hold it's value better.
We have had 3 Hymers all bought new, lost very little in depreciation, for the cost of a second hand German van in the UK you can probably get a new one abroad. All 3 Hymers we have had were bought in Belgium.

 

[Koppersbeat]

Have you looked in the Classified section of this site ? There are several continental vans for sale including Rapido,Adria and Burstener from Fun members.
If you look at Motorhome Depot.com they have agents all round the country that take a commission from selling people’s Motorhomes from their own homes.They can arrange insurance for test drives and finance if needed.I sold our last van a Rapido A Class through them and it took all the hassle away.They advertise on EBay,Auto Trader etc.You might find something that takes your fancy on their site.

 

[nico46]

I looked at the Swift 614 too, but found the Chausson 634 offered more usability if you want a garage and drop down beds, and it was cheaper. We love it now and wouldn't swap for anything currently on the market. It's had a few build issues such as wonky fridge, cupboard doors ec but I just sorted that myself, and added a solar panel, extra battery, tie downs in the garage etc.

 

[Bob Clewley]

I would always go German but that is my preference.... We have found that the usage changes... when the girls were younger we needed a 4 berth and the Hymer B544 and Hymer 640 Starline were perfect.. But now planning our Pan American Highway drive we have gone for a new Hymer MLT 560 as it has a garage and fixed bed ( something we would never has chosen when the girls came with us)....

Try hiring for a week or 2 maybe... Try the layouts... could save money in the longer time

 

[Solwaybuggier]

We’ve had 2 used vans and 1 new - we had way more problems with the new one than the used ones. Personally I’d always go for used - let some other poor devil have the “delights” of the options on the manufacturer price list, and the (almost inevitable?) initial teething problems. Plus the initial depreciation.

That’s purely a personal perspective - and of course you miss the chance to specify your own van.

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[TUCANO]

I have only owned three vans and only the first one was new, personally I would go second hand for your first one, very rarely do people get it right the first time, invariably you will have to compromise in some way or other so a list of what you want, but what you need, is essential.
Enjoy the search as it is all part of the fun.

 

[Landy Andy]

Let another person have the higher price, the biggest part of the depreciation, and the trouble of warranty. 2nd hand for me.

 

[minesapint]

I would go for a good second hand ,It can be difficult the first time round to find the perfect van that suits you .The build quality in the UK for myself is not that it should be .It will be trial and error but you would not loose as much money part exchanging a second hand van as a new one. I would suggest you take your time have a good look round until you find the layout you prefer and be sure it suits you both . In our case we hired a UK van for a week to see if we enjoyed motorhoming.The van less than a year old was a death trap ,we got as far as Calais in France and parked up on the old Aires on the front ,We spent the week there ,dare not drive any further,loved the experience but not the van ,whilst there ,one day a Rapido came in and we loved the style and deco on speaking to the driver the next day .They allowed us to have a look round and we loved it .within 3 months we had the Rapldo. That’s the way it goes sometimes .The main thing is do not rush ,the van you will love is out there.Enjoy lol.

We agree buy a second hand van first and then list what you may change. We were very lucky and our first van was the best it was a Dethleffs T6611 8 years old, great layout, great quality we sold it at about 10 years old everything still worked fine and the inside still looked like new it wore very very well. For some strange reason we then bought a Hymer caravan, its quality was also superb and gave no problems. We part exchanged this for a brand new Swift Corniche, from a bunch called Wanderhome South Cave. From day 1 we had problems, first night we noticed a big pool of water under the van, and found the shower waste not connected, the pipe was just hanging off, we had not been given any of the book or on board spares kit in the hand over, the PDI had not been carried out properly, it had other problems as well. We got rid of the Swift fairly quickly and went back to being a driver and not a tugger, we bought a Hobby Van Exclusive, I hate to say this but back to quality. The moral of this story is new is definitely not the best way.

 

[Lenny HB]

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.
Most of us on here aren't youngsters so can afford to buy new. It's nice to buy new wouldn't have been able to afford too when younger so why not indulge.

We did our research hired a couple of times then bought our first van new. It was perfect for us and kept it nearly 6 years, depreciation was low so all good.

 

[minesapint]

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.
Most of us on here aren't youngsters so can afford to buy new. It's nice to buy new wouldn't have been able to afford too when younger so why not indulge.

We did our research hired a couple of times then bought our first van new. It was perfect for us and kept it nearly 6 years, depreciation was low so all good.

Lenny a lot of people buy their first van when they still have family commitments just like we had when we bought our first van a Dethleffs of about 8 years old. A first van is not always bought by a retired person who is lucky enough to have a good pension pot.
Iff we all bought new there would be no second hand value in our trade ins.

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[mitzimad]

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.
Most of us on here aren't youngsters so can afford to buy new. It's nice to buy new wouldn't have been able to afford too when younger so why not indulge.

We did our research hired a couple of times then bought our first van new. It was perfect for us and kept it nearly 6 years, depreciation was low so all good.

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.
Most of us on here aren't youngsters so can afford to buy new. It's nice to buy new wouldn't have been able to afford too when younger so why not indulge.

We did our research hired a couple of times then bought our first van new. It was perfect for us and kept it nearly 6 years, depreciation was low so all good.

Not everyone retirees with a pot of money if I have to stop work we will have to stop motorhoming as it will be in affordable

 

[peterc10]

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.
Most of us on here aren't youngsters so can afford to buy new. It's nice to buy new wouldn't have been able to afford too when younger so why not indulge.

We did our research hired a couple of times then bought our first van new. It was perfect for us and kept it nearly 6 years, depreciation was low so all good.

To be fair Lenny you bought yours in Belgium and self imported them. Not everybody is willing or able to do that, especially with a first time buy. Yes you may find it easy, but others may well not, especially if they do not live as close to the ferries as you!

 

[hilldweller]

New or used, better layout or better build?

John

Used every time.

Swift do some fabulous layouts.

Don't over estimate the "better build myths", a Friday German van is every bit as bad as a Friday Brit van.

 

[the1andonly]

Why do people keep harping on about buying second hand.

They want someone to buy thier trade in.

My first was a bongo because it was the only one i could afford.
The second was new (cicumstances change) because sensible second hand with that layout / model not available. If people dont buy the right one its generally through lack of thought or research. Even the aging process doesnt force a change within 2 years
I can't make my mind up if I'm indecisive or just dont know what im doing

 

[clanjones]

Don't forget good quality French motorhomes such as Rapido as well! We did not intend to buy new but did in order to get the right payload and have never regretted it. We did research things for over 2 years though! OCD or what!

It does, however, depend on your circumstances, budget and patience. We had a must have, nice to have and not bothered list which was a huge help and resisted being bounced in to a decision. I would definately go for a used quality French/German brand though if the layout and payload works for you.