Well hello there... (1 Viewer)

[naggedhusband]

Just joined as the missus and me are thinking of getting a motorhome, still not quite made our minds up yet. As the kids are grown up if we get one it will be for just the two of us.

Probably looking at something around 2003 vintage to start with but have heard some real horror stories about damp etc which is very offputting and seriously starting to make us think twice. It's a lot of money to throw away if we buy a bad one... and what is a bad one...? :Sad:

Taken a liking to the layout of the Swift Sundance 590RS with the 2.3 engine and found a 2003 locally with 55k on the clock for £16k. Private sale though so no warranty. And a few people have told us to avoid Swift as they are one of the worst for suffering with damp ?

All advice and thoughts much appreciated to help us avoid buying something that we'll lose a fortune on. Cars and bikes I'm good with, motorhomes I'm totally new to so am jumping in at the deep end.

Looking forward to your thoughts which will be much appreciated. :thumb:

 

[Taran_Las]

:welcome:

Have a look Link Removed for lots of information regarding your proposed purchase.

 

[naggedhusband]

That's useful, thanks for that. :thumb:

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[Momo]

:welcomefunster:
Hi Naggedhusband! Welcome to the Fun from sunny Spain!

 

[wizzer59]

Hi and welcome to fun, its probly worth paying an expert to go over it for you if you are that worried:thumb:

 

[scousebird]

Morning :welcomefunster:

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[163phil]

:welcomefunster: Don't be put off by those miserable old gits on the BB forum

Get yourself one of these: Link Removed and view the van with a modicum of common sense and I'm sure you'll be fine. :Cool:

 

[Jim]

You are right to worry about damp in a motorhome, the vast majority don't suffer from it, but if buying from a dealer then insist that damp and any parts and labour for repairs are ncluded/covered

If you do buy a damp motorhome, it will literally rot away, damp meters are good for finding early signs but if it's serious your nose will tell you.

Does it smell of damp? Smell inside cupboards, wardrobes and under the sink. Study the roof lining and look for visible stains and water marks. Pay particular attention around the roof vent openings and where walls meet ceiling and where walls meet walls. Look for rust showing on any nails or screws or staples.

Look inside the overhead cabinets and check the ceiling. Mildew stains may show up as black spots on ceilings and wallboards, but behind the scenes, where the water has entered there may well be dry-rot problems. Check the area where the wall panel meets the floor for water marks, also look carefully in all the corners, these will often be in cupboards, but look carefully as corners are very susceptible to leaking. Look in the area underneath each window. Water ingress can also cause delamination to walls and floor especially so here.

Once water is getting in, it may travel to a different part of the motorhome and do its damage there. The cost of putting right rotting walls, floors or ceilings is horrendous so if in doubt then walk away. Best of luck :thumb:

Oh and welcome to the fun:thumb:

 

[shunter]

Hi and :welcomefunster::thumb:

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[AndyPandy]

:welcomefunster: Don't be put off by those miserable old gits on the BB forum

Get yourself one of these: Link Removed and view the van with a modicum of common sense and I'm sure you'll be fine. :Cool:

+1, sound advice

Hi and welcome. Your looking at the same van we got and we love ours.

If you look hard enough, it seems to me you can find someone with a bad example of just about any van. Theres a lot with Swifts but theres a hell of a lot built so as a proportion they probably no worse than others.

Good luck mate

Andy

 

[f6c]

welcome

Welcome aboard

 

[duane0001]

I am paranoid about damp
So I bought a factory panel van conversion
They are not as small as you think, well worth a look :thumb:

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[naggedhusband]

:thumb:163phil: Fancy meeting you here.

Thanks everyone for the welcome and all the tips and advice, it's much appreciated. There's obviously a lot to learn.

 

[Stevang]

This is an old post but hopeully you can help .... I saw in the cupboard an area disscolour just on 4 staples and when pressing the ceiling heard a cracking sound a my finger going through in about a 8inch area ... the dealer said it had no signs of damp..... is this problem fixed or should I insist they remove the pic covering the area to check if it' dryrot ... thanks in advance

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome....

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[The Dudess]

 

[irnbru]

LOL you are welcoming someone from 2013

 

[irnbru]

This is an old post but hopeully you can help .... I saw in the cupboard an area disscolour just on 4 staples and when pressing the ceiling heard a cracking sound a my finger going through in about a 8inch area ... the dealer said it had no signs of damp..... is this problem fixed or should I insist they remove the pic covering the area to check if it' dryrot ... thanks in advance

Hi, I would suggest you start a fresh thread .

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