Newbie here seeking advice

[Lashnodash]

Hi all , this is my first post & I know there is plenty of reading on the site as regards buying. However , I would like to ask peoples views on what a newcomer with a budget of £20.000 should contemplate buying. I will mostly be using it on my own , but I would like it to accommodate a friend when needed. It would be good if I could also stand up in it. Thanks in anticipation and I shall do some research in the meantime.

 

[Phill D]

Hi and welcome

Any van under £20k is likely to be quite a few years old so general condition both habitation and vehicle wise needs a good look over.
Especially habitation damp check and damp damage is both big repairs and often expensive repairs.
However there will be a few nice van’s about

 

[Riverbankannie]

Anything around 2005 +- a few , will be a good year for internal build. So then you need to concentrate on the cab and chassis state and any possible damp including cover up repairs.

 

[Lashnodash]

I believe there is a buyers guide written by Jim , somewhere on this site , but I'm struggling to find it ?

 

[Phill D]

I believe there is a buyers guide written by Jim , somewhere on this site , but I'm struggling to find it ?

Go to the search function type in buyers guide and in the bottom box put Jim
Then search should bring up a few options

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[GeoffnDee]

I believe there is a buyers guide written by Jim , somewhere on this site , but I'm struggling to find it ?

Lashnodash ,Or , go to Resources at the bottom of this page ( In other stuff ) and you will find the guide , with a lot of other useful information there.

 

[steve69]

The layout!...Make sure it's the best for you before you buy.

 

[rosalan]

At the price you are looking at be aware of damp. repair for damp is much more expensive than for mechanical parts. Dealers sometimes spray deodorant or leave windows open. Your nose sniffing into all the lockers will be your first check, secondly getting a professional damp reading would cost money but well spent.
As said already, layout, layout and layout are what you should then concentrate on. What do you want to do with the van, wild camping, paid for sites, alone or with family. Smaller vans on a wet day could be limiting movement. Do you like cooking? Is there space for pots and pans. Showers, are they a storage space or something to use?
Get a full demonstration of all the features before leaving the seller, there are more things to learn and forget than you may think and this would be the time to find out as much as you can. Good luck, its a great hobby!

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[WillysMB]

absolutely no expert but I'd buy a damp meter ( something decent £30-40 quid) then do your own damp test of the vans that interests you and are on your "I'm Interested in buying" list ...then spend a few quid getting a professional damp/and habitation test ...my 20p's worth of advice