Why isn't our motorhome selling, feedback needed.

[PaddyM]

Fantastic van , you can tell it’s been loved , a tad overpriced and you need tons more quality pics .
Don’t let the rude on here put you off , jealousy is a terrible thing .
Itinerant , really ? , do some people actually think before posting ? ………..

 

[Steve and Denise]

I wouldnt buy rhd.

Do you live out of the UK or just spend two full 90 day periods in eu?
Just asking as I struggle with some junctions with our van in the UK but only spend the winter abroad (constructive question)

 

[Terry]

I see Sandra and Colin have reduced the price by 4 k I do hope that MHD took some of that hit. Perhaps they could point out it’s a top of the range van with probably £10k worth of extras( maybe more?) Sandra advertise it on here to be bought/ sold in 6 weeks time ?

 

[Steve and Denise]

Nice enough van Sandra you two have been around (the block) enough to know what is what it is worth as much as you can get for it, look at it through your eyes and how you would value it, if you were looking to buy, and you will have your answer Good luck with your sale

 

[funflair]

Do you live out of the UK or just spend two full 90 day periods in eu?
Just asking as I struggle with some junctions with our van in the UK but only spend the winter abroad (constructive question)

Hi Steve, Jon would love to live out of the UK so don't tempt him answering for myself though I would have LHD even just for driving in the UK as I find keeping into the LH hedge back (without actually hitting things) so much easier, with our van and Jons they moved the dashboard and steering further forward towards the windscreen so minimising problems looking right at junction, we were parked next to a Carthago OPUS on Mercedes sprinter chassis a few nights ago I couldn't believe how far back the seats and steering wheel were compared to ours.

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[Littlewheels]

Constructive criticism was asked for, not downright rudeness.

This is the problem with keyboard conversation, wouldn’t dare say it face to face because of a one to one response.

 

[jongood]

Do you live out of the UK or just spend two full 90 day periods in eu?
Just asking as I struggle with some junctions with our van in the UK but only spend the winter abroad (constructive question)

We live in Shropshire but dont do much in UK because it doesn't offer what I look for, I want a flexible holiday, a decent view, to be able to stay close to where I want to be, not to be stuck in traffic queues and half decent weather. My wife says she would like to do more in UK but when we try it she soon gets fed up with its limitations .

I also think the kind of Mh we like and especially the layouts work better as designed in LHD form. E.g. our Clouliner does not work as a bar version in RHD form so we would have to have twin sofas and a central table.

 

[Lenny HB]

My wife says she would like to do more in UK but when we try it she soon gets fed up with its limitations .

We say the same.

 

[Minxy]

Northernraider ... Any interest to you?

 

[Carpmart]

see, this is exactly what you are looking for. Someone that knows their stuff when looking for a MH.
Has the knowledge to see through the age and mileage and understand the "personal build" to the manufactured build that we are faced with nowadays.

Sadly though, people like Carpmart are few and far between. Most coming in to buy are looking for new mass produced crap that we all have to put up with these days. Yours is a quality van so you will need to be patient to wait for someone that knows exactly what they are buying and of course has the money...

exactly as Martin here says. Many are throwing in comments about their own preferences without understanding what it is they are looking at. Many see age, out dated furniture etc.. But some of us see quality that is just not reciprocated today on most models, even those big posh Morellos.

Lots of valid points around LHD etc but I see your van as a drive and live in mobile in the hotter climates... not a van for non stop touring. I'm sure someone would want a house on wheels if the money is right.

Great thread though, but tbh, I don't think Mzracer was being rude, just trying a bit of misplaced humor

You see, there is a group of discerning Funsters on here who really get what this is all about!

The reality is that this Motorhome fits in that Carthago sweet spot of naughties manufacturing (maybe into early 2010’s) genuine quality bespoke high end bits of kit which have a service life in multiple decades.

The problem is, a generic advert from the sales agent is just not reflecting what is an opportunity to own such quality.

As I said earlier, you don’t need lots of buyers for this, it’s not a numbers game, you just need to get it more widely advertised. It will sell itself all day long to the right buyer!

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[Northernraider]

At first glance despite the many accessories I think the age for the price is probably a big factor , i was looking at a cathargo on ebay 2015 model at £50k obviously not the same model but i think many buyers will choose age. Also the market seems to.be flooded right now. I think vans pre 2010 are in abundance and prices are dropping on them.
The ulez,lez introductions may also have an impact. It looks a lovely van and well specced. Im curious how much motorhome depot take from that price

We put our Carthago S Plus up for sale with Motor Depot and we are not getting any bites at all. If anyone has time to take a look at the listing and give us some constructive criticism, I would be grateful. I want to take it back but we are contracted for another 6 weeks yet.
Carthago S Plus

 

[Northernraider]

Northernraider ... Any interest to you?

It's a lovely van but I'd never buy from a dealer of any sort .

 

[Lusky]

Constructive criticism was asked for, not downright rudeness.

Forgive me everyone who has commented and liked, but can you please explain to me the rudeness in that post ?

 

[Steve and Denise]

We live in Shropshire but dont do much in UK because it doesn't offer what I look for, I want a flexible holiday, a decent view, to be able to stay close to where I want to be, not to be stuck in traffic queues and half decent weather. My wife says she would like to do more in UK but when we try it she soon gets fed up with its limitations .

I also think the kind of Mh we like and especially the layouts work better as designed in LHD form. E.g. our Clouliner does not work as a bar version in RHD form so we would have to have twin sofas and a central table.

So your out of the UK for more than 50% as well then ?
Then it would make sense to have LHD but if more time spent in the UK it would make absolutely no sense

 

[Northernraider]

At almost £50K for a 16 year old motorhome I would suggest that perhaps it is too expensive.
Similar money would buy this for example -

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www.autotrader.co.uk

That's the one I was looking at on ebay . Nice looking van

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[Steve and Denise]

This is the problem with keyboard conversation, wouldn’t dare say it face to face because of a one to one response.

I would but I’m not offensive or rude but if you don’t want an opinion don’t ask a question on a Internet forum

 

[Northernraider]

I think 18 months/two years ago it would have sold in a week. Relax for 6 weeks, withdraw it and put it in Fun Classifieds with a price closer to £40k and it will sell

No sellers fees, no Motorhome Depot Profit to come out

Closer to 35k and I'd be a potential buyer .

But I'd buy direct from the owner that can actually tell me about it and know what they're talking about.

Everytime I see a van I like on ebay etc and it's being sold by any dealer or agency I just think it has £5-10k on the value to cover their fee. And I'm not interested in their worthless warranties or bank loans etc .

I'm a cash buyer

 

[pampam]

I think its a beautifull van ,i love the cabinets and leather,however i reckon if you took it to a nice green park or countryside, and took more photos , of outside from in (panoramic windscreen view) and inside thru open window etc ,with blinds drawn with pics of extras it would be better ( make your agent work for his £4000 not just pics on your driveway) good luck. Pampam

 

[funflair]

It's a lovely van but I'd never buy from a dealer of any sort .

I think that is a fair point, a used van like this I would much prefer to be show it by the previous owner.

 

[Ninjabob]

I think ULEZ and the LEZ are going to make a difference. In London having a van of that age and weight would incur punitive LEZ charges travelling in and out of the M25. That rules out 9 million people of which quite a few own or would like to own Motorhomes. More and more of these zones are cropping up maybe not on the scale of London but central to many major cities.

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[Carpmart]

So your out of the UK for more than 50% as well then ?
Then it would make sense to have LHD but if more time spent in the UK it would make absolutely no sense

As others have said, I find LHD very easy in the UK (offset staggered junctions aside) and in our situation, it’s perfect for our tours!

I saw some comment WRT this being a good ‘travel to Spain and park van’. I accept it would be perfect for this BUT it will be an awesome Euro tourer! Is less than 8m too!

Ours with the bike rack is nigh on 10m running at just on 7T (I ignore the 3.5T weight limits as I’m a Camping Car ) and we park in French village centre aires no problem. (We may stick out a bit!)

There is a perfect buyer out there!

 

[Northernraider]

Nice van.

I think your price is 'optimistic' for the current market.
I'd leave it at that price for 4-6 weeks and see if you get any interest, if not you will need to lower the price, probably by a 5 figure amount.

Most of the downsides of the vehicle are obvious and not much you can do about them.
It's pre 2014, so will be progressively limited on where it can go due to Emissions zones.
It's LHD which rules out those that do not spend the majority of their time touring on the mainland.
It's over 3.5t, which means the only buyers are aged between late 40's and mid 60's.

All of which means that the potential market for this van is very small.

The top of the motorhome market has long since passed
We bought a van at the end of 2019.
By early 2021 the value had almost doubled.
Today it's worth about what we paid for it almost 5 years ago.
A new one of our model is now about 30% higher cost than it was 5 years ago.
Which is way over the rate of inflation and the fall in value of the pound.
I think normal (circa 2016-18) levels of value of motorhomes are still a year or two off.

I'd also look at expanding the market with ads on motorhomefun classifieds and autotrader.
That said, there is a similar one for £26,500 on ebay here which has zero bids so far.

Why would I spend close to £50k when I can get one almost as good for half the price ?

That one has been advertised for around 6 months , I fired of an investigative email about a month ago and £20k wasn't flat refused .. I reckon when it eventually sells it will be closer to 20k than the 26 advertised. Its ugly outside and the interior is a bit overwhelming. I think that's why it's not selling

 

[Northernraider]

Thanks for all the input guys. The price was based on what else was out there at the time.

The Iveco based rear wheel drive motorhomes appeal to those who want to carry a lot of stuff, as we did. It is set up for long term off grid touring in main land EU. It also has a big towing capacity, so was hoping it would appeal to maybe sports car enthusiasts or motorbike racers.
We have taken heed of the comments and have dropped it by £5,000. Once we are out of contract with MHD we can drop it by a bit more and try sell it on here.

If it hasn't sold by the time motorhome depot are out of contract drop me an email .. I'll be back in the UK end of July and may be interested if it's negotiable.

 

[Northernraider]

I think that is a fair point, a used van like this I would much prefer to be show it by the previous owner.

Yep me too , I'd much rather deal with the owner who has used the van etc.. I'd also be happier dealing with a fellow member on here than some agency just making a commission off it.

 

[IRHP]

Everything sells at the right price. If it's not selling you need to reduce the price untill it does. You can start off hopeful and get lucky or you can continue to be hopeful and hope you'll get lucky but in the end if it's not selling its too expensive. I saw this so many times in the boating world. People believing their boats were worth more than they were because they had put so much money into them and were passionate about them. I have seen boats for sale for years and owners paying 1000s in moorings abd upkeep. In the end the only thing that gets them sold is reducing the price.

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[Derbyshire wanderer]

I think the spec is great with quality base and accessories but the price is in the range for many newer vans albeit not at that level.
The average buyer is very number plate conscious for age due to reliability worries as most owners struggle with changing a headlight bulb so a perished coolant hose or obsolete failed switch will have them panicking.
Added that the weight is every year working to a smaller audience is also something to consider.
Overall I think it needs to be priced nearer to £36k (my thoughts although I haven’t compared any other adverts) even though the extras are worth a lot if you want to shift it quickly.

 

[Lisa]

Forgive me everyone who has commented and liked, but can you please explain to me the rudeness in that post ?

The term 'Itinerant' has negative connotations and was used in a derogatory context.

 

[Northernraider]

About £250 ish at least plus £5k levellers - people’s are not looking at the very well specified van

I looked at the spec .. the levellers are expensive but not everyone bothers about it. I don't even use ramps ..if I can't find a level ( ish) spot I move till I do .

That's the problem with add ons , they're important to the person that fitted them but not always to the majority of buyers.

And people sometimes forget to reduce the price of the add ons with age too sadly.

The weight, the storage, the lack of overcab bed , and the fact it's rwd and lhd are what interests me , the levellers etc are just things I might use sometime .

I'd actually use the very handy clothes driers in the garage more

 

[Lusky]

How can someone be rude though about a top class Motorhome like that, I find it incredible.

Rude about the hubcaps ??

 

[Steve and Denise]

The term 'Itinerant' has negative connotations and was used in a derogatory context.

Well I for one don’t like them and neither dose Terry! Or he never used to

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