Ian_Fearn Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Hello everyone, we've been looking for an older coachbuilt for a while now with a budget of £10k. We've seen lots of vehicles and this weekend went to Don Amotts in Hilton, Derbyshire. Virtually everything was out of our price range but they had a couple of 'sold as seen' vehicles. We asked what was wrong? The guy said he'd find out and came back with a data sheet telling us damp had been detected in loads of places, some visible, other areas not. So 10 out of 10 to Don Amotts for a policy of honesty but still didnt help us find a budget camper in good order. Over to another very well known dealer (un-named!!) where we found utter crap, no words of warning other than a more than arrogant salesman saying "we think its very well priced". I hate to say it but i accidently pulled a large chunk of rusty metal off one van. In my opinion it was disgusting to see vans around £10k covered in damp and rot. So do all older coachbuilts suffer with damp problems? I really dont want to spend all of our budget on an old wreck.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Hi Ian, no not all older 'vans are dodgy. I have my 1990 Autohomes Highwayman for sale at the moment, asking £10,995 with a full 12 months MOT and taxed till May (I think). Its strictly a two berth so might not be quite what you're looking for but if you're interested there are more details on my website (bottom left of this posting). Apologies for the blatant advert. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Why allow worse dealer to remain "un named" don't you want to warn others? *-) I would think with a very low price range you would be better buying privately as dealers will only have rubbish because of their large mark up :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Fearn Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 I totally agree about buying privately. Theres much better deals about, choice of GOOD vans at this price are fairly hard to come by and i'm sick of travelling up and down the country to look at poorly described vehicles. What engine does the Highwayman have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 2.0 litre petrol, does about 23MPG on average cruising at 55 to 60 MPH. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Fearn Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Thanks but i really want a diesel, ideally a turbo. Do you have a link to the restoration of yours? Looks interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Ian_Fearn - 2009-01-25 7:52 PM Hello everyone, we've been looking for an older coachbuilt for a while now with a budget of £10k. We've seen lots of vehicles and this weekend went to Don Amotts in Hilton, Derbyshire. Virtually everything was out of our price range but they had a couple of 'sold as seen' vehicles. We asked what was wrong? The guy said he'd find out and came back with a data sheet telling us damp had been detected in loads of places, some visible, other areas not. So 10 out of 10 to Don Amotts for a policy of honesty but still didnt help us find a budget camper in good order. Over to another very well known dealer (un-named!!) where we found utter crap, no words of warning other than a more than arrogant salesman saying "we think its very well priced". I hate to say it but i accidently pulled a large chunk of rusty metal off one van. In my opinion it was disgusting to see vans around £10k covered in damp and rot. So do all older coachbuilts suffer with damp problems? I really dont want to spend all of our budget on an old wreck.... You don't say what kind of van you are seeking, or how large. My point is that a given price will buy a relatively newer, small, van that originally sold at a low price or a much older, larger, top of the range van. Water ingress is generally a feature of age, as the older mastics used to seal body panels are inferior to the latest ranges, and all mastics in any case deteriorate with age.Your best bet would probably be to look at vans that are made with fewer panels, or those made with "monococque" type bodywork. Older A class Hymers, most Rapidos, and the all fibreglass bodied Autosleepers come to mind. However, damp can also be trapped within the bodywork if vans are inadequately ventilated when used in winter, so a damp check is an absolute pre-requisite to the purchase of any van. Also, poor workmanship when sealing panels can arise on any day, in any country. Nothing is immune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Fearn Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 We're looking for something upto 18ish feet in length with a luton bed. Vans looked at so far: Autosleeper Talisman (didnt like the layout but this wouldnt stop us buying a van in good order) Compass Drifter (we like these) Autotrails with the side lounge and swivel seat (we love these) Hymer Camp Hymer A Class (no luton bed) The Autosleeper with the GRP body had got stress cracks and damp patches were visible inside. Does anybody know of anything that might fit the bill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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