Things to consider when buying an older motorhome?

[chenderson1965]

Hi.

I have just retired and my wife and I are going to buy a motorhome to do touring in both the UK and on the continent. We’ve done a fair amount of research and concluded that we need an A class between 7 m and 8 m long.

The price of new vehicles in that class is pretty hefty (although we could probably afford it if we had to) so we are also looking around at some older models. It does seem that there are some on the market between 10 and 20 years old which appear, on the face of it, to offer better value.

I’m sure that one of the things you need to consider, like any vehicle, is the mileage/age and the impact on engine and running gear life/maintenance. What other factors should I be looking out for if considering an older van compared to a new or nearly new one?

I’m certainly not qualified to inspect a van. Where would I find someone who could inspect it for me - including checking over all the living equipment as well as the mechanicals, bodywork, damp, rust etc?

Thanks a lot.

Chris

 

[Kev and Christa]

Downloading the Motorhome Fun buyers guide would be a good start.

 

[Four of us]

Hello . We were in a similar position as you when we retired six years ago and have never regretted our purchase. Our van was 7 years old and had only done 13000 miles and the inside was immaculate. We bought privately and had an AA check for the engine etc. We didn't have a habitation check done which in retrospect was a mistake but not a disaster. You will probably expect higher running costs than a new van but we use the same garage which services our cars and it has been mechanically reliable.. We get an annual habitation check at a local caravan centre to check gas etc.

Whatever you decide, enjoy it.

 

[Spriddler]

A check of the past MOT history of any age of vehicle will show any lighting, steering, suspension, brakes, corrosion, wheel bearings faults and its mileage year to year.
You only need its registration number to check its MOT history here:

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

 

[138go]

First on our list was bed layout. We have an A Class and we use both front and back beds. Both very comfortable. Last thing you want to be doing after a longish journey is making beds. Beds which you have to put together from seat cushions are never great. People go on about big bathroom and showers but considering how long you actually spend in them not worth it. Microwave is something else you can do without and if you are touring France / Spain you may not have EHU. Don’t expect to take all your 240v bits with you and use an Inverter. Everything needs to run off 12v. Garage is useful especially as you will have ebikes with you unless of course you aim to walk everywhere. Keeping things out of sight rather than hanging them off the back is a real plus. If you have to have a bike rack make sure you can lift the bikes that high. Don’t under estimate how many miles you will do. We have 24,000 on the clock and it’s just had its first MOT.

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[Spriddler]

I’m certainly not qualified to inspect a van. Where would I find someone who could inspect it for me -

It will probably help answering your enquiries if you state in your Profile where you are located as folk may be able to suggest local businesses for this and your inevitable other needs.

 

[Misterg]

What other factors should I be looking out for

Damp, damp and damp.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Check out the classified forum MH s for sale by members.

Motorhomes for sale

Buy and sell Motorhomes here. Advertisements are free to subscribing members.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[mitzimad]

Damp and rust

 

[chenderson1965]

It will probably help answering your enquiries if you state in your Profile where you are located as folk may be able to suggest local businesses for this and your inevitable other needs.

Good point. Thanks. I’m in Nottingham (although any van I want to have inspected may not be!).

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[TerryL]

Hi chenderson1965 and

The first thing you should do is invest £15 in a membership - it'll be the best purchase you'll ever make on motorhoming and will save you money and much grief with access to all the resources and experience that abounds. As the name suggests, you'll also have some FUN too! Until you do you're limited to 5 posts too.

Then download a copy of Jim's excellent Motorhome Buyers Guide (free to members but you can buy it outright) which will have all the information you need to get you started. There are many considerations and to be fair the "norm" is that it takes 3 purchases to find your ideal van - but not always, we got it right first time with lots of research. As pre-loved vans tend to hold their value much better than new it makes sense, therefore, to go for second hand initially and, yes, there are plenty of motorhomes out there offering great value, you've just got to do it right. We bought at 2 years old, got a really good 'un which we've now had for 10 years and 105,000 miles.

Do your research, have a good look around as many dealers as you can, living in Nottingham you've got a good selection of motorhome dealers. Check out all the different layouts; imagine yourselves living in it from day to day, using the shower, loo, kitchen and bed. Is there enough lounging room for when the weather turns a bit inclement? In the end layout is probably the most important consideration. Don't forget overall size i.e. are you happy with a larger vehicle and where will you park it when not being used?

As for mileage base vehicles are built as commercials and designed to go on for thousands and thousands of miles so as long as they have a full service history you shouldn't be too concerned. I would worry more about a low average mileage vehicle that may have been sitting around, either unused or spending months at a time on a campsite in Spain. All motor vehicles need to be used. Internals present themselves, you should be able to identify worn out or heavily used fitments, but use your nose to check for any musty smells - it's usually damp so WALK AWAY! Depending on where you buy from a habitation check should come with it, but there are a number of mobile m/h engineers around who can carry out an inspection for you if not.

When you think you may have found a model you like (and please don't go for the first one you see!) come back on here and ask for opinions - I'd guess there hasn't been a m/h built that hasn't been owned by a MHF member. You'll have loads of questions, many of which have already been answered but we're always happy to point you in the right direction, or just answer.

Good luck in your search - you'll never regret it!

 

[138go]

We have three Dealers in and around Nottingham. I have tried two of them and never again. The third Brownhills does not get good reports either. Which is why we finished up with a MH from Portsmouth

 

[TerryL]

We have three Dealers in and around Nottingham. I have tried two of them and never again. The third Brownhills does not get good reports either. Which is why we finished up with a MH from Portsmouth

I wasn't suggesting/recommending local dealers to buy from, just to have a look around - I agree though that there are dealers and there are stealers!

 

[funflair]

First on our list was bed layout. We have an A Class and we use both front and back beds. Both very comfortable. Last thing you want to be doing after a longish journey is making beds. Beds which you have to put together from seat cushions are never great. People go on about big bathroom and showers but considering how long you actually spend in them not worth it. Microwave is something else you can do without and if you are touring France / Spain you may not have EHU. Don’t expect to take all your 240v bits with you and use an Inverter. Everything needs to run off 12v. Garage is useful especially as you will have ebikes with you unless of course you aim to walk everywhere. Keeping things out of sight rather than hanging them off the back is a real plus. If you have to have a bike rack make sure you can lift the bikes that high. Don’t under estimate how many miles you will do. We have 24,000 on the clock and it’s just had its first MOT.

I guess we are all different and this just highlights that fact, we would want a good sized bathroom but accept that the van needs to be at least 8metres to do this without a compromise too far somewhere else, and a microwave running off the inverter is a must have.

With you about not making up beds and the garage though.

Martin