Fionadb1 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 hello everyone! I am a motorhome "newby", and we are starting to look for our first one, having sold our caravan a couple of years ago. I have spent ages looking re type, design etc, namely rear U lounge 4 berth. So we have plenty of space. But the BIG question to buy via dealer or private, or jolly old e bay. We really know nothing about motorhomes, we have about £30,000 to spend cash, so hoping we will get what we want, but a bit concerned as we are so useless!!!!! All help appreciated :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docted Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 There are arguments for both private or trade purchase, and on this forum you will get views from both sides of the coin. Here are a couple points that I would bear in mind before deciding. Personally if buying outwith the trade I would always keep a good percentage of your available funds to cover any problems with your buy. A good percentgae to me would be in the region of 20% if it is not required for any problems you can always use it to buy fuel to enable you to get the best out of your purchase. If buying from trade don't travel too far because if once again things go wrong you don't want to have to travel 200 miles or so to your dealer to get problems sorted. Confidence in your own ability to pick a right one will always play a big part in where you buy or who from and all I can add is good luck in what you buy and may it be a right good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Buying motorhomes is a bit like buying a house; it takes a while to come to terms with the need to compromise and then your first shot inevitable turn out to be wrong once you've gathhered a bit of experience. For example a friend was buying a first motorhome and shopped around carefully for over a year, then eventually ordered a new Eldis because the layout suited. While waiting for it to be delivered he finally got round to coming to see our MH. As we showed him all the stuff in our exterior lockers and garage he went white - there weren't going to be any exterior lockers in the Eldis. Where was he going to put things like chocks and bucket and wellies? We bought our first one from a dealer but it was a "trade sale" part exchange - and a year later we sold it for the same money. By this time we had learned the hard way about payload ,, by bursting a rear tyre, twice, due to overloading. So payload is crucial and exterior lockers are essential, no matter how attractive the layout and ample cupboards inside might appear to be. Hiring a motorhome as a way of trying the lifestyle out could also help to avoid an expensive mistake. And don't buy new straight off because if you buy new you inevitably incurr steep initial depreciation by doing so. Buying privately adds extra risk but can save you money if you have the confidence to assess what you are buying properly - so beware signs of dampness inside for example, which can herald expensive trouble. A damp smell as you go in should cause you to walk away but you might not spot dampness. A friend of mine bought a caravan which looked and smelled OK privately but it turned out to have big dampness problems. So on balance I would suggest a dealer frist time rather than privately, yet I've bought privately since and not regretted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildi Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Hi, We have bought both our motorhomes privately, we did go to dealers and as with you we were cash buyers but for some reason they never got back to me. I'm not sure if mid 40s jeans and tee-shirt is the correct attire to go motorhome shopping but my money is the same as anyone else's. We looked at lots on private sales some real horrors and then we found our first Adria. It was 18 months old so still under all warranties, lucky that the owner used the same fiat dealer that I use for work vans so I gave them a call to check recalls and servicing was up to date and it was. I did an HPI check, I then used a local caravan/motorhome company (servicing/repairs not sales) to give it a good going over to make sure all was in order. They found some damp in the garage due to one of the ladder fixings. It was then taken to the Adria dealer who had all the repairs done and we completed the purchase a few weeks later. This was a little more complex as it was on finance with black horse but we arranged to get together with the seller and over the phone we paid the money to black horse by debit card, and as the finance balance was a few thousand more than the price we were paying the seller then settled this with his debit card. Black horse then faxed us the confirmation that there was no money now owing. We did have to pay £30 to Adria to transfer the warrantee into my name. We bought our next one, again an Adria in much the same way, my only regret on this purchase was to take it to Webb's in reading (this is were it was originally purchased from) for it's second Habitation service...... I have nothing good to say about this company. Before we bought them we did check where the motorhomes we originally purchased from, both dealers were about an hours drive from us. Lucky for us Premier in Chichester where our first motorhome came from kindly agreed to do the few warranty jobs we needed done on the second motorhome that came from Webb's. Many thanks to Premier. You have to be careful buying private but you do get to meet the owners and see where it came from and how they have looked after it, They get a little more than the dealers offer and you pay a lot less than from a dealer. Sorry if I made that a bit long winded !!! Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 We have owned 4 motorhomes which 3 were brand new and one 4 months old all from dealerships , so cannot comment on buying private . We sold our last one private on e-bay and were as honest to the buyer as I would want a seller to be with me and everything worked out fine . Going back to buying your 1st motorhome trawl some dealerships to see the different models / layout to see which you feel would work for you , being former caravan owners you should have a good idea of what condition to look for , but if I were buying my 1st motorhome private I would take someone I knew who was a motorhome owner with me to give me some guidance as there is a lot to ask and a lot to lose . Good Luck and hope you get your dream machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Beware of eBay scams, usually too cheap and email only. I bought privately but with a two and a half year warranty because the previous owner changed their mind after the first trip. It is possible to hire a Moho for a week to see if you really want one rather than a caravan, but it is expensive. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 We bought our first motorhome which we still have now, this is our fifth year. We were like we had set ideas what we wanted a rear lounge etc but we saw this one advertised in the local paper and we knew straight away it was the one for us even though it had none of the things we were looking for, it just felt right. The couple who sold us it were dead keen motorhomers and were so keen to make sure we knew what we were getting in to. They gave us all the kit they had down to crockery and cutlery. They took 2 hours with us and went through how everything worked They gave us a four page idiot guide that we still refer to now, for the things we don't use very often They even put a full tank of fuel in to get us stated. After we brought the motorhome home they brought us some more bits and pieces they thought we might find useful, spare gas bottle, extra ramps, internal trim. I guess what I am saying is gut instinct is a good guide, we were very confident this was a genuine sale of a genuine van and this was more important than the layout and all the other things we were looking for. Plus it was around 20% less than we would have paid at a dealers. We are still in touch with the seller and have visited him at their home in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionadb1 Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Thank you so much,I will have a good think about what you and other posts have said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Billggski - 2014-04-03 6:31 PM Beware of eBay scams, usually too cheap and email only. Ditto ;-)...............another weird one is where they only want you to leave your mobile (Not your land line) number on their answer phone :-S.................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Categorically in the private camp if buying in the UK..Ebay with a few caveats a good place to shop, or pages on this sites mag/website. Have yet to meet a UK dealer that inspires confidence or can offer anything like good value. Plenty of genuine sellers out there simply looking for a decent price for good vehicles. Thing is, like love you may have to kiss a few frogs before finding your prince charming...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 What do you mean when you refer to an "eBay scam" please? I've been looking on eBay for an old van and wonder what kind of scam you mean thanks pp. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Pampam - 2014-04-04 6:49 PM What do you mean when you refer to an "eBay scam" please? I've been looking on eBay for an old van and wonder what kind of scam you mean thanks pp. :) They are usually silly priced campers Pp.............for info ;-) http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-to-avoid-the-campervan-scam-/10000000177616393/g.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Thanks pelmetman I saw a hiace last week that had a one day auction ,which seemed pretty cheap , I look on eBay every night to see if I can find something to tempt my husband back into motorhoming ;but at moment he insists we still don't have enough "spare"time ,which I suppose is correct ,but just thought it wouldn't be so bad if it was a cheap old thing sitting out in drive ,whereas before it was a large expensive thing depreciating away. I guess I miss it more than he does :- meanwhile I scour the Internet to find the perfect "old" van saw a nice peugeot PVC sold by motorhome depot for £7,995 but it was sold before I could convince the auld fella lol : but I'll keep trying pp. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charabanc Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Good luck in your search. We had a lovely time looking at vans at various dealerships, but the salesmen lost interest once they realised that there wouldn't be a finance deal and made various adverse comments about the number of children we wanted to be able to travel safely. However, one very kindly gave us tickets to a show where we did another survey of the market and layouts - though 'family' vans were disappointingly not on show. Anyone would think it was only retired couples who were in the market to buy. Having honed our choice down to a few models with our chosen base vehicle and 6 belted seats, in the end we bought privately from a classified listing on eBay, having been to see the van, had a test drive and taken over 2hours of the seller's time. The van was 3 years old and had done under 10,000 miles and time has proved that it was very much what it appeared to be. It was definitely the right thing at the right time. Before we took the plunge I spoke to a mechanic friend telling him that we were looking at buying privately. He said that his experience was that vehicles with problems ended up with dealers but that most people would happily sell a vehicle without problems privately. Perhaps we were just lucky, it's a good idea to keep back some of your budget for any glitches, but i would trust your instincts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 You've had a caravan, so I guess will have heard of water ingress problems. The same problem afflicts motorhomes. The great majority of vans remain dry, but a minority do not, and it is hugely disappointing, and can be a great worry, for anyone who discovers their van is afflicted. It is not easy to spot on a brief pre-sale inspection, and needs someone with a decent damp meter, who knows how to use it, what its readings mean, and where to apply it, to look for weaknesses. You can reduce the risk by prioritising those makes with a reputation for staying dry, but the typically British rear U shaped lounge layout you favour means you will be eliminating many of the makes which have that better reputation in this area. But, no one brand is guaranteed to be trouble free; any van can leak, there is too much hand assembly for perfection to be achieved. Look very carefelly into water ingress warranties, and try to buy something that has the benefit of an unexpired, transferrable, original warranty extant. Make sure all stipulated (usually annual) inspections have been carried out as required, particularly as regards who has done them, and when they were done. These warranties have no latitude, the inspections must be carried out by the designated people (usually a dealership for the make) and must be carried before a specified date each year (some six monthly). Five to six years is a reasonable duration for the manufacturer's warranty. If you buy from a dealer, try to buy a van the dealer is franchised for, because they should know the vehicles better than those merely selling a make they do not regularly handle, and they should be able to tell you whether the warranty conditions are have been breached. If you can get a damp check carried out independently on a private sale, and if there is a full service history for the base vehicle, with bills to support it, so that you know who has done the work, and subject to being satisfied on the water ingress warranty remaining in force, there is no great reason to avoid buying privately. But, if you do this, insist on seeing the handbooks, vehicle log book (V5C), warranty documents, and service records before buying, and make absolutely sure that it is the owner who is selling it. Go to their house, and ensure they answer the door, not merely appearing from around the back somewhere, and check that the name and address on the log book and other documents correspond to where the seller lives. Fraudulently selling a stolen van from a temporarily unoccupied house is not common, but not completely unknown either! My final piece of advice is to hire a van before buying, and drive it around to a number of sites, not just to one site and stay there. Once you appreciate the differences between a motorhome and a trailer caravan you may find your ideas of what you want shift somewhat. It will cost some money to hire, but far less than it will cost to discover after a few months that what you thought you wanted is not what you then want. Changing is inevitably costly: a hire can do much to eliminate that risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionadb1 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Again, many many thanks, for everyone taking the time and trouble. Yes, I was nearly caught out in e bay scam with what I thought was a ridiculous bargain. I thought it was a little "odd" but I then found out the idea is for "philshing" whereby access can be gained to your e bay account etc etc. I immediately changed my e bay and pay pal passwords. The old story, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is!!! Again advice is invaluable thank you all again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Usual rule applies for me. If it seems too good to be true, then it almost certainly will be. I'm very much an EBay buyer & seller, indeed we recently sold our Motorhome on the site. Common sense stuff really. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWP Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 mildi - 2014-04-03 2:20 PM Hi, We have bought both our motorhomes privately, we did go to dealers and as with you we were cash buyers but for some reason they never got back to me. I'm not sure if mid 40s jeans and tee-shirt is the correct attire to go motorhome shopping but my money is the same as anyone else's. We looked at lots on private sales some real horrors and then we found our first Adria. It was 18 months old so still under all warranties, lucky that the owner used the same fiat dealer that I use for work vans so I gave them a call to check recalls and servicing was up to date and it was. I did an HPI check, I then used a local caravan/motorhome company (servicing/repairs not sales) to give it a good going over to make sure all was in order. They found some damp in the garage due to one of the ladder fixings. It was then taken to the Adria dealer who had all the repairs done and we completed the purchase a few weeks later. This was a little more complex as it was on finance with black horse but we arranged to get together with the seller and over the phone we paid the money to black horse by debit card, and as the finance balance was a few thousand more than the price we were paying the seller then settled this with his debit card. Black horse then faxed us the confirmation that there was no money now owing. We did have to pay £30 to Adria to transfer the warrantee into my name. We bought our next one, again an Adria in much the same way, my only regret on this purchase was to take it to Webb's in reading (this is were it was originally purchased from) for it's second Habitation service...... I have nothing good to say about this company. Before we bought them we did check where the motorhomes we originally purchased from, both dealers were about an hours drive from us. Lucky for us Premier in Chichester where our first motorhome came from kindly agreed to do the few warranty jobs we needed done on the second motorhome that came from Webb's. Many thanks to Premier. You have to be careful buying private but you do get to meet the owners and see where it came from and how they have looked after it, They get a little more than the dealers offer and you pay a lot less than from a dealer. Sorry if I made that a bit long winded !!! Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for Hi Mark, I have spent 6mths researching MH / Market and judge our first MH is likely to be a Swift Escape 624 having now hired one over Easter for a week - great time! So far no second hand ones coming up private or dealer around 2010 / 2012, there were 3mths back! I live 20mins from Webbs-Reading, may I ask why you were not happy with them as you indicate above? I have not yet found any other bad press about them and keen to use more local dealer if viable like everyone says rather than travel 200mls etc for service / repair down line. Also are you able to comment on Marquis-Newbury, as a large group so after sale costs / service may not be as ideal as a smaller family run dealer etc etc...... Cheers, Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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