Older novice

Cartela

Cartela

Free Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2024
Posts
70
Likes collected
31
Funster No
100,523
MH
Hymer C644 Classic
Hey guys. Just joined as in the hunt for first MH. Fast approaching 50 and always wanted one but until recently didn’t have the funds to ever buy one. Got a fairly strict budget and a layout/size in mind. Probably looking at something in the 2002-2006 age range. Suppose my first introductory opinion seek would be how many niggly faults are acceptable on a MH of that age? What would be deal breakers?
 
Deal breakers 🤔. Depends how much to fix and price of the van. If paying “full price” I would expect all “services and utilities” to work and the mechanical side to have passed mot with advisories taken care of.
buyer beware. have a look round as many examples as you can. Have you seen something you like with some “issues”. I see your avatar has a hymer C644. Worth asking owners group their opinion too

welcome to the fun and enjoy the ride.
 
Welcome.

Cartela said:
What would be deal breakers?
Click to expand...

Absolute dealer breakers for me would be damp in the habitation body (stained/sagging/bowed interior panels, musty smell) and significant structural rust / corrosion in the base vehicle sufficient to be noted at MOT.
Look up past MOT history on the Gov't website.

www.gov.uk

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
Last edited:
Hi and welcome 🤗

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Cush said:
Deal breakers 🤔. Depends how much to fix and price of the van. If paying “full price” I would expect all “services and utilities” to work and the mechanical side to have passed mot with advisories taken care of.
buyer beware. have a look round as many examples as you can. Have you seen something you like with some “issues”. I see your avatar has a hymer C644. Worth asking owners group their opinion too

welcome to the fun and enjoy the ride.
Click to expand...
Yes you’re right, I have got a Hymer to view! Where would I find the owners group?
 
Spriddler said:
Welcome.



Absolute dealer breakers for me would be damp in the habitation body and significant structural rust / corrosion in the base vehicle sufficient to be noted at MOT.
Look up past MOT history on the Gov't website.

www.gov.uk

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
Click to expand...
I have checked on one I’m going to view. This came up, which the seller didn’t mention:

  • Offside Front Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Front Integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced inner sill jacking point corroded (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Mentioned on previous MOTs too, but this is last years. Next due on 1st Feb
 
Hi n welcome.
Hymer good , well most german are imho.
As said by spriddler check mot history re underneath stuff
 
👆and here
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Hymer Owners Group

The place for Hymer Owners to get practical help with your Hymer. Reach more Hymer UK owners here than anywhere else on the web.
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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My advice

Lay out lay out lay out ,if its right for you then carry on checking , if not walk away.
You intend to spend much time in it so it must be the right lay out for you.
Do research online first regarding lay out ,saves fuel,time and trailing around.
Once your sure go visit at least 3 examples if possible of chosen layout before you even consider buying.
Once your sure then all below is a must,and i have tried to list in order of

Damp ,check corners inside ,seams, around any roof fitting large or small,a dodgy tap or lamp can be fixed ,any damp is a major expense .
Rust ,the obvious you can see with a good walk around ,but check jacking points,rear spring hanger location area, sills of cab from underneath ,the inside front wheel arches from under the bonnet too, on fiat based the very front cross member rots from within (behind bumper)
Check mot history from gov website for all mot test advisories and fails.
Engine , a good service history ,check colour of oil ,ask to see it starting up from stone cold .
Test drive is a must ,clutch function,brakes(judder or scraping) steers straight with no pull to one side or wandering ,(sign of worn top mounts ,ball joints and steering components).
Watch for black smoke from exhaust ,thats usually a sign of expense to come.
Low mileage mean stood around a lot so that can usually manifest in issues with rubber parts cracking,metal rusting and wood soaking up moisture.
Tyres ,must be either commercial rating or motorhome specific and at least 5mm tread and less than 5 years old, check spare too.
Headlamps,the modern plastic ones are hellishly expensive to replace ,make sure no cracks and not ultra violet damaged(can be polished to a point)
Underbonnet ,is it neglected,or is it clean , no leaks of coolant,oil steering fluid, no drips on floor
below after running it . check seatbelts door locks,windows,screen are all good
Good luck, now is a good time to search , prices will rise as weather improves towards easter.


Take a knowledgeable in mechanics friend ,and use that info from him/her to avoid the traps.
Above all dont take your rose tinted specs,using them usually cost lots more than your budget.








.
 
:pink:
In resources section there is a very informative buyers guide but you need to be a full member for 20 pounds to get access.
It'll be worth every penny and probably the best money you'll ever spend on motorhoming.
 
I feel the vehicle needs to be sound . It's no good having a pretty interior if the engine is sus.
Mines a 2006 in 5 years changed belt and water pump and the turbo changed, to me for a van of that age no big deal also changed all 4 tyres
So that's in region of £2000 passes MOT no problem and of course regular servicing (10,000 miles last year)

Inside everything worked but had a leak last year which was eventually sorted and changed 2 taps basic maimtence until I tried to fix it. But funster came to the rescue to help with my errors. I'm very grateful.

I have also fitted solar panels and refillable gas another £1000.

But there are some horror stories with far newer vans costing megabucks

Good luck and don't get carried away with the blinds bits

Pics please when you find your van
 
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Cartela said:
Hey guys. Just joined as in the hunt for first MH. Fast approaching 50 and always wanted one but until recently didn’t have the funds to ever buy one. Got a fairly strict budget and a layout/size in mind. Probably looking at something in the 2002-2006 age range. Suppose my first introductory opinion seek would be how many niggly faults are acceptable on a MH of that age? What would be deal breakers?
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome aboard as they say. Lots of good advice already posted so won't add to it except to say that there's "niggly faults" (just plain irritating but not ultimately serious) and "do something about it or else . . . " type faults which need no explanation. Concentrate on the latter and deal with the former as and when.

PS Defining yourself as an "Older Novice" as you approach 50 might suggest you need to look a little harder at the demographic on this forum - 50 is spring chicken age :)
 
Cartela said:
I have checked on one I’m going to view. This came up, which the seller didn’t mention:

  • Offside Front Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
  • Offside Front Integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced inner sill jacking point corroded (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Mentioned on previous MOTs too, but this is last years. Next due on 1st Feb
Click to expand...

Bearing - easy fix (with the right tools), cheap enough to pay for it to be done. £150-£200 to pay for it to be done.
Corrosion - sounds like a job for chopping it out and replating. Easy enough and you are paying for the skill for someone to do it. You would have to see the corrosion first to see if it's viable to fix, but it doesn't sound bad. May be physical damage and would require further inspection. Expect £200 ish if a small repair.

If your budget is limited, avoid damp vans to start with, or ones that need repair. Get a damp meter, the cheap ones are £20. If the readings are over 15% leave it and move on.
 

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