New to motorhomes with no know-how, are we mad?!

[GMJ]

If you want to buy privately then there are companies out there that will do a pre purchase inspection for you. They cost but it would give you piece of mind. They could also provide the same service if you bought from a dealer.

Personally I buy from dealers as, whilst they are slippery devils, the MH's do come with a warranty which gives you a fighting chance of getting stuff sorted. For numerous second hand motorhomes there will be a chance that most things will have been sorted by previous owners: check to see if a motorhome comes with a sheaf of paperwork from previous owners; buy on condition: does it look cared for? Check to see if its had any history of damp. if so many folks would walk away but you can check to see what remedial action was taken to sort it. Motorhomes coming from dealers should come with an up to date damp report anyway, if not then insist on one.

 

[scaryt]

If you want to buy privately then there are companies out there that will do a pre purchase inspection for you. They cost but it would give you piece of mind. They could also provide the same service if you bought from a dealer.

Personally I buy from dealers as, whilst they are slippery devils, the MH's do come with a warranty which gives you a fighting chance of getting stuff sorted. For numerous second hand motorhomes there will be a chance that most things will have been sorted by previous owners: check to see if a motorhome comes with a sheaf of paperwork from previous owners; buy on condition: does it look cared for? Check to see if its had any history of damp. if so many folks would walk away but you can check to see what remedial action was taken to sort it. Motorhomes coming from dealers should come with an up to date damp report anyway, if not then insist on one.

Thanks for the reminder to ask to see allllll the paperwork. Can you insist that it’s weighed Ona weighbridge to check the true payload that’s left to play with?
I hadn’t even considered that you could pay someone to check out a private sale van. Like you say though, the warranty does help.

 

[Jenrai]

Do your reserch, take a test drive, ask lots of questions, get a warranty. Take your time. I think the second hand market is still over inflated due to the low stock levels of new vans but you might find a good deal. Find the size and layout you like and look for added extras that the original owners had fitted like solar, bike racks, refillable gas etc. These extras have no real second hand value as the dealer bases there prices on the stock vehicle and don't let them tell you otherwise. Payload is important, it is a bit more generous than a caravan but check there is enough for the number of people in the van and all the gear you want to take.

 

[Trotter]

If it helps, I’ll pass on my experiences of being a new owner. And the mistakes I made.
One thing I’ll say in the outset is, I love almost everything about my van.
I’d been looking at vans for ages. Mainly on Dutch and German sites. I knew I wanted a panel van, and to travel the near continent. So a LHD Fiat, or Fiat derivative, would be ideal. Possl or Globecar fitted the bill. That was until a trip to Acle, Norfolk, to see an Adria Twin, merely to look at the build quality, you understand, had me handing over the kids inheritance.
Now the owner of a RHD Fiat panel van conversion. Let’s get away.
First mistake.
Instead of somewhere local. Northampton to Anglesey. Great van to drive. Happy bunny.
Parked up, put the kettle on. I always carry separate water for drinking. Still do.
All good. Made dinner. This van lark is easy. Washing up? Ah! No water. I know I filled it before leaving home. I didn’t know about Truma frost valves. I do now.
Bed time. This bed is probably better than the one at home. But it’s cold. Heating? Can I use the heating without water in the system? Decided best not to. I’ve been told since that you can. I’ve not tried it, so don’t quote me. Had two cold, long nights, when after a light bulb moment, I read the manual, and found the frost valve. Filled the water tank, and the third night was blissful.
Joining this mob, was probably the best thing I’d done. Improving the van, to suit me, has been gradual, expensive and fun.
Mad to want a van, of course it is. There’s a lot of it about.

 

[GMJ]

Thanks for the reminder to ask to see allllll the paperwork. Can you insist that it’s weighed Ona weighbridge to check the true payload that’s left to play with?
I hadn’t even considered that you could pay someone to check out a private sale van. Like you say though, the warranty does help.

Don't get me wrong - there are probably oodles of MHs out there without a bundle of paperwork and some folks do their own base servicing for example. I guess you pays your money and takes your choice on that one.

Re weighbridge - as the buyer you can ask for anything and I have heard of folk asking and getting that done for free.

Great reminder about payload above. See if you can research what the manufacturer included in their Mass in Running Order (MIRO) so you can then do some calculations on what the payload would be. Not everything you would think would be included may be included, instead the weight would come out of your payload. As you say though, if in doubt get it weighed....unless you with a huge stated payload so its not really a bother (ours is 850kg so I've never worried about it tbh).

 

[yorkslass]

That’s a great idea about going to a meet. Although I would be that annoying newbie with ALL the basic questions!!

There's never a stupid question, plus ,if your at a meet and lift your bonnet, you'll be surrounded in no time.....a fantastic crowd.

 

[Rec]

Mind you, he has to buy something with a bonnet first
Definitely spend time looking without buying, it's amazing how many extras you think will be essential then find they aren't! And how many essentials you don't think about.
We bought a brand new van and didn't even occur to us to check that the shower curtain supplied would fit the shower...it didn't so never used the shower and the dealer couldn't manage to supply one after several months. That vehicle went back due to many many other issues which they couldn't seem to fix and we had a full refund....they resold it after two weeks to another mug! We had a pre-registered van converted professionally for about 3/4 cost of new one and much better specs. But the failed van showed us things we did and didn't want!

 

[wildebus]

I've only bought one motorhome, but I have built a few campers for myself so have learned what I like and don't like, and what I want and don't want.

My experience tells me there is a big difference between a Motorhome and a Campervan aka Panel Van Conversion. The extra width and space of the Motorhome is really nice as long as you are ok driving that wider vehicle. If you are someone who is out and about a lot, changes location everyday, sits under the awning of an evening, then a Camper might be best. If you like to sit inside and spread yourself out a bit, and pitch up for a few days at a time, then the Motorhome wins.
Some people have a saying which I agree with ... "You live IN a Motorhome, and you live OUT OF a Campervan". Now I have a Motorhome after 3 Campers, I don't think I would go back to a Campervan as the definate specific benefits of a Campervan are not important to myself (but of course to others, they could well be).

Whatever your budget is, you should keep some of that back from the purchase to deal with the inevitable things that need doing to it. The only time you may not need to do that is possibly if you are buying brand new, and even then you will almost certainly want to do "something" to it. How much depends on age and condition, but chances are the older it is, the more you need in reserve.

Buying Private or Dealer, both have their own pitfalls and advantages. Just like with Cars, there are some excellent Dealers, and there are some who you wouldn't want to touch with someone elses 10 foot bargepole, let alone your own. Trouble is how do you know which is which?
I did have a deposit on a Motorhome at a Dealer back in July 2020, but due to circumstances (covid shutdowns mainly), the remedial work that was needed (and which the dealer was happy to do when possible) just dragged on too long, so I asked for my money back - and got it no problem at all, so while I didn't buy, the dealings I had were all positive.
I bought Privately in the end, and from someone who had owned the Motorhome from brand new (pretty rare on an older van) and clearly took pride and care of it. FWIW, when viewing, I visited his house, had a cuppa and a general chit-chat about all kinds of random stuff. I reckon you get a good idea of someone with those kind of conversations and seeing how they look after their possessions in general. So I ended up buying at the asking price (a unknown thing to do I know!) and am very happy with my purchase 18 months later. I think someone on another thread on the forum said about when he was buying, he returned from a test drive much sooner than expected and it was because he was more testing the seller than he was the Motorhome (which he bought!), and that comment made total sense to me.

 

[Pauljenny]

When you're visiting dealers, try to talk to van owners who are hanging about the service area, awaiting repairs...
They'll have plenty of time to talk about their hobby/ lifestyle. Do the same with the shop..
Follow your instincts, from then on.
Sales assistants.?
They are only really there for the first word of their job description, remember.
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Have fun and only part with your hard-earned when you're fully confident.
During the lockdowns, many people were impelled to to buy a van, any van.

They then found, ( to their cost), that their dream of freedom was shattered because they'd been sold a Shile of Pite.( Trade term ).

A lot of these are now back on the market..
Buyer beware.
And Good luck, Good hunting.

 

[Deleted member 144]

That's really helpful, thank you. I have a festival booked for the bank holiday at the end of August. We've camped in the past at the festival but would love to take the van (if we go for it). I hired a vw camper last year and had to be super careful with the battery and the fridge was disappointing to say the least. I feared it was because we were running it off the leisure battery but the person who we hired from was surprised it wasn't better. I suppose we could take power banks as I would for camping but it would be annoying to have to bring the Ice Tek (coolbox) when there is a fridge. Although as I'm writing this, I think the fridge could run off the gas? Is that a really gas heavy way to do it?

Well you were not running the fridge at all it seems as the fridge will [ SHOULD ] only run off the batteries when the engine is running ie as you drive, so you should run it on gass when camped easy enough once you know how to light the gas, then if on a hook up run it from that, good idea to run the fridge at home for 24 hours on mains from your house before leaving home , then fill it with all the food stuffs you want to take with you, get a simple adapter to fit the MALE end PINS of the cable and it will have a 3 pin plug on the other end to plug into a socket in your home or garage ? adapters available from camping shops or E Bay,, That is all basic to a Caravan as well, think of a battery as a tank of water, it will empty as you use it , so if you do not top it up,as you go , no water, same as the battery , a solar panel will replace lost [ used ] power from the battery so keeping it full, depending on your usages and available sun, refillable gas bottles or a gas tank is the way to go much easier and cheaper in the long run, you simply top them up when you buy your diesel at the fuel station, not all fuel stations sell liquid pumped gas so if you see it on sale the rule is get it there , you do not have to wait till your bottles/ tank is empty to refill just treat the gas like you do you diesel tank fill as and when ? there are apps for filling LPG showing stations, My Chausson has diesel heating and hot water 54 reg and it is very efficient, hot water is almost instant when switched on, yes it does need 12 volt too but it has never been a problem, I have 2 solar panels on the van roof and 2 x 110 amp hours leisure batteries connected to it, the van also has a battery charger fitted , automatic when on mains [power , BUT it can be switched off so be aware that you could think the charger iss live but you may not have switched it on, easy mistake that you only make once, I never switch mine off now , because as I said charging is automatic when powered.
One thing I will say ,although others will disagree with me, and that is NEVER RUN YOUR ENGINE WHEN HOOK UP IS ON, , I read that this can damage your electrics and since that reading I have always made sure hook up is OFF before staring the engine, better safe than sorry I say, good luck with your search for a van, look at private sales , previous owners have loved their vans and will be only too happy to talk you through all your worries.

 

[QFour]

Don't be swayed by lots of bells and whistles. Beds you have to make every day can get to be a pain on long trips. Electric beds although a good idea can stop working and then what do you do. After 9 years we are downto keep it simple. We don't have an oven, rear U shaped lounge or front bench seats. We use a Remoska. Three gas rings. Fixed double bed at the back over the garage and a pull down bed at the front. This one was not cheap but it is only 6.4m long and 2.1m wide and under 3500kg so don't have to worry about C1 licence. The first one you buy is never the right one. Just make sure it doesn't have any damp anywhere. If it does run. It is not really the time to be buying as prices for second hand are in some cases more than they were new. I would say buy foreign. They cost more but they do seem to screw them together better than the home brewed variety.

 

[2cv]

Don't be swayed by lots of bells and whistles. Beds you have to make every day can get to be a pain on long trips. Electric beds although a good idea can stop working and then what do you do. After 9 years we are downto keep it simple. We don't have an oven, rear U shaped lounge or front bench seats. We use a Remoska. Three gas rings. Fixed double bed at the back over the garage and a pull down bed at the front. This one was not cheap but it is only 6.4m long and 2.1m wide and under 3500kg so don't have to worry about C1 licence. The first one you buy is never the right one. Just make sure it doesn't have any damp anywhere. If it does run. It is not really the time to be buying as prices for second hand are in some cases more than they were new. I would say buy foreign. They cost more but they do seem to screw them together better than the home brewed variety.

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I’d disagree about “the first one you buy is never the right one”. I’ve only ever had one and have never seen anything else I’d prefer. As far as beds go, it is very much a matter of personal preference. Ours is fully made each night in under 2 minutes and being able to have a small van more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. Definitely worth hiring before buying to get an idea of what you like and don’t like.

 

[QFour]

I’d disagree about “the first one you buy is never the right one”. I’ve only ever had one and have never seen anything else I’d prefer. As far as beds go, it is very much a matter of personal preference. Ours is fully made each night in under 2 minutes and being able to have a small van more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. Definitely worth hiring before buying to get an idea of what you like and don’t like.

Our first one was a New Swift. Certainly a mistake. All bells and whistles and falling apart from day one. Rattled like hell until we found out about tire pressures.

 

[TJBi]

Don't be swayed by lots of bells and whistles. Beds you have to make every day can get to be a pain on long trips. Electric beds although a good idea can stop working and then what do you do. After 9 years we are downto keep it simple. We don't have an oven, rear U shaped lounge or front bench seats. We use a Remoska. Three gas rings. Fixed double bed at the back over the garage and a pull down bed at the front. This one was not cheap but it is only 6.4m long and 2.1m wide and under 3500kg so don't have to worry about C1 licence. The first one you buy is never the right one. Just make sure it doesn't have any damp anywhere. If it does run. It is not really the time to be buying as prices for second hand are in some cases more than they were new. I would say buy foreign. They cost more but they do seem to screw them together better than the home brewed variety.

Agree about fixed beds but disagree about "The first one you buy is never the right one". My first one was absolutely right, to the extent that when it was stolen, I resorted to importing an identical one (or as near identical as possible with a continental spec) to replace it.

 

[GMJ]

The second one was the right one for us. We learned from the first one as to what we REALLY wanted and not what we thought we wanted. Our MHs since then have had a fixed bed as the biggest PITA for us was having to make it at night (sometimes with a few beers on board...maybe) and unmake it in the morning when all you want to do is drink coffee!

 

[Trotter]

Don't be swayed by lots of bells and whistles. Beds you have to make every day can get to be a pain on long trips. Electric beds although a good idea can stop working and then what do you do. After 9 years we are downto keep it simple. We don't have an oven, rear U shaped lounge or front bench seats. We use a Remoska. Three gas rings. Fixed double bed at the back over the garage and a pull down bed at the front. This one was not cheap but it is only 6.4m long and 2.1m wide and under 3500kg so don't have to worry about C1 licence. The first one you buy is never the right one. Just make sure it doesn't have any damp anywhere. If it does run. It is not really the time to be buying as prices for second hand are in some cases more than they were new. I would say buy foreign. They cost more but they do seem to screw them together better than the home brewed variety.

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I too was fortunate enough to buy the right van first time. Lucky in as much as I could never afford another one.

Question. You say you use a Ramoska instead of an oven. You only use this when on hook - up?
I’ve got plenty of battery power. Enough for a Remoska? Unlikely.

 

[argoose]

Buy a van you like and adapt the way you use it to enjoy your time away.

 

[QFour]

I too was fortunate enough to buy the right van first time. Lucky in as much as I could never afford another one.

Question. You say you use a Ramoska instead of an oven. You only use this when on hook - up?
I’ve got plenty of battery power. Enough for a Remoska? Unlikely.

400w so an hour uses about 35A from the battery using an inverter. Small chicken cooks in an hour. The problem we had with the oven was it was not enclosed in a box so the heat was escaping everywhere. The flue for the oven ran across the top and out the front. 150 degrees and they wondered why the drawer front peeled and the cutlery got hot. We are happier with a drawer instead and don't miss the crap oven. Sold it on EBay so it's going to find a new home in a narrow boat.

 

[Trotter]

400w so an hour uses about 35A from the battery using an inverter. Small chicken cooks in an hour. The problem we had with the oven was it was not enclosed in a box so the heat was escaping everywhere. The flue for the oven ran across the top and out the front. 150 degrees and they wondered why the drawer front peeled and the cutlery got hot. We are happier with a drawer instead and don't miss the crap oven. Sold it on EBay so it's going to find a new home in a narrow boat.

The one I have is a “Czech Cooker”. 470w. So similar to yours. The Roast Chicken recipes I’ve seen call for about an hour and a half cook time. I’ve plenty of battery power,
My real issue is my lack of cooking skills. Time to look on YouTube, or even buy a cook book. A proper Sunday dinner in the van, while being away for weeks, would be nice.

 

[QFour]

The one I have is a “Czech Cooker”. 470w. So similar to yours. The Roast Chicken recipes I’ve seen call for about an hour and a half cook time. I’ve plenty of battery power,
My real issue is my lack of cooking skills. Time to look on YouTube, or even buy a cook book. A proper Sunday dinner in the van, while being away for weeks, would be nice.

We have just used ours for a small chicken. The pack said 1h20m the Remoska managed it in 1h00m. SWMBO uses a meat thermometer just to make sure we don't die from food poisoning. We'll worth getting one and you won't waste amps by overcooking your chicken. Have fun.