Low Budgets (I'm new please be gentle)

[violet]

Hello Everyone,

I have just read 'Final Pitch, A Question of Budgets' page 304 in July issue of MMM with some relief. Being a prospective motorcaravan/home owner with a limited budget I was begining to back off after reading some of the comments posted on other forums in response to questions from people with low budgets. I seem to see lots of vans on the road that are older but some of the responses I have read have been (in my view) quite unkind.

I have been doing lots of research but any advice appreciated, I am a single lady with a dog and initially looking for a smallish vehicle to get me used to motorhoming, from what I have seen Auto-sleeper seem to do some sensible conversions any views on what would be good and given it will be an older van which base vehicles to look out for or avoid, my budget is likely to be around £5k and I thought I might wait until the end of the season.

Thanks to anyone who has read this far and feels inclined to offer advice.

violet

[Guest JudgeMental]

Welcome Violet :-D

 

I have had a quick look on eBay and there are pages of vans within your price range. better of with a panel van conversion I guess as you will avoid damp issues, which can plague older coachbuilts. There are currently 17 auto sleepers well within your price.......

 

You can do a specific search for price and make. just put in 5k max and all vehicles within your price range will appear.....I would advise a mechanical inspection, these cost about £120'ish

 

pick some that you like and link on here for opinions ;-)

[catinou]

Hi Violet, and welcome - you have chosen the best forum for good information methinks.

 

The Judge is spot on (as usual!) Looking forward to hearing how you get on too.....good luck in your search. B-)

[crinklystarfish]

Good advice I think, I too would only look at a panel van conversion with such a budget. Anything with a coachbuilt body at that price would be highly likely to require some remedial work and require a good deal of ongoing maintenance.

The make and model will be insignificant, at this price it's all about condition.

My first 'van was even cheaper and it was great.

[colin]

AutoTrader is another site to view lots of vans.

With your budget you are looking at a 15 to 20 year old van, at these ages you could get a nice van that will give you a few more years of good service, or one that is a money pit. Unfortunatly all things mechanical have there weaknesses so it's hard to give all encompassing answers, but if you see any particular van/model then some one on here is bound to know something about it.

[Guest pelmetman]

Hello Violet,

 

If you can find a Ford transit based camper, then spares will not be a problem, and even if its got a few rusty panels they can be replaced at a reasonable cost :-D

 

As you say end of season, winter time would be good time to buy as price's seem to drop a bit.

 

Best of luck :-D

[Guest JudgeMental]

I would not wait, you will miss the summer and they are presious........ and why American Indians historically counted life by summers. 20 summers left ect.....scary isn't it :-D

 

at this price scale I don't thing winter/summer makes a jot of difference

[Guest pelmetman]

JudgeMental - 2010-07-08 12:25 PM

 

I would not wait, you will miss the summer and they are presious........ and why American Indians historically counted life by summers. 20 summers left ect.....scary isn't it :-D

 

at this price scale I don't thing winter/summer makes a jot of difference

 

Fare comment Judge

[malc d]

JudgeMental - 2010-07-08 12:25 PM

 

I would not wait, you will miss the summer and they are presious........ and why American Indians historically counted life by summers. 20 summers left ect.....scary isn't it :-D

 

at this price scale I don't thing winter/summer makes a jot of difference

 

 

Also remember that VAT is going up to 20% in January !

 

:-(

[Mr. Grumpy]

Don't forget Romahome. Ones built on the old Visa base should be affordable now. The 1.9 diesel engine should out live the chassis and the bodywork being fiberglass is good for a very long time. They are large enough for two people so one lady and a dog should fit quite well, depending on the size of the dog (or maybe the lady) and they are economical to run, the Romahome not the lady.

[flicka]

Hi Violet & welcome to the forum.

Could you post some extra info regarding what type of van you want (or maybe at this stage - what you think you want)

Also keep a watch on the "first motorhome" thread over on the chatterbox section.

 

Have a look in Buy & Sell Classified above. There are some high tops which may suit

 

If buying privately, it would be wise if you can take someone along with you, who has some experience of motorhomes, with mechanical knowledge.

One problem with motorhomes of the age you will be looking at will be looking at is that few will have equipment manuals.

 

Agree with judgemental, waiting till the end of the season will not have any benefit regarding price, BUT may see a few more vans available.

[Guest JudgeMental]

This likle romahome looks genuine enough......only 35.000 miles and looks in excellent condition. LPG and petrol so economical I would think

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DAIHATSU-HI-JET-CAMPERVAN-ROMA-HOME-/160452041134?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item255bafd9ae

 

here is a different one:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CITROEN-DIESEL-ROMAHOME-2-BERTH-MOTORHOME-CAMPER-VAN-/150463508516?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item230852f024

 

Hmmm.......Flicka's link below to the San reimo looks interesting...

[flicka]

Some of the Van conversions in this site Buy & Sell around your price range

High tops

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/classifieds/popout.asp?class=76456

Citroen Romahome (diesel)

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/classifieds/popout.asp?class=76442

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/classifieds/popout.asp?class=75259

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/classifieds/popout.asp?class=75732

 

Small fixed roof

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/classifieds/popout.asp?class=75595

 

2002 Fiat diesel 1300cc small van conversion

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

here is a san reimo on eBay looks clean but over budget...try a cheeky offer:D

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/95-M-Renault-Holdsworth-San-Remo-XL-57k-FSH-P-Steering-/170504281491

[Brian Kirby]

I would add to keep some money back for possible repairs.  This will be an oldish vehicle, and all the advice above is sound - except perhaps that relating to Citroen Visas: these have a tendency to rust through at the base of the A pillars, and it is difficult and rather expensive to repair.

All things have their lifespan, and at the age of vehicle you will be buying it will not only be the mechanical things that may cause problems, but motorhome bits as well. 

At this age, DIY is really the best approach, as vehicles were generally less complex, and motorhomes more simply equipped.  Once you start paying garages, or motorhome repairers, at around £50 per hour you can get through money very quickly.  If your DIY skills are good, or you can rope in someone with good DIY skills, older vehicles can offer a lot of pleasure for modest outlay.  However, if the budget is tight, and the DIY non-existent, pleasure could soon turn to heartache and stress.  I'd hate to put you off the idea, but there is quite a lot of luck involved in buying secondhand vehicles of any sort, as most of us must have found out!  Hence the need for that "slush fund".

[Mel B]

Hi Violet - welcome! :-D

 

You are starting how many of us did so we know what it's like to have an older van.

 

One thing to bear in mind with them though is that many will not have power steering or some of the 'toys' you get used to on more modern vehicles. It is imperative that with any 'van you are considering, that you give it a really, really good long test drive, not just a tootle round the block, but at good 20 minutes run, at different speeds, try reversing, parking, etc and see how you get on. Our first 'proper' motorhome didn't have power steering and by heck did we know about it! However, some are better than others.

 

As you haven't had a motorhome/camper before I think it is pretty much imperative that you take someone along with you who has, is 'sensible' and knows what to look for - they can check if the 'facilties' and gubbins work as they should. If they are also mechanically minded too that's a bonus, but if not, then you could get a local garage (who you trust) to give it a check for you, they don't usually charge a lot (less than the £120!) and it could save you buying a lemon, but even if it's a fairly good van, they might be able to advise you on things that may need doing at some point which would help you with your negotiations. Don't pay the price being asked, haggle, everyone expects it - don't feel it is rude to do so, if the vendor isn't content to receive offers don't feel you have to pay more than you should, there's always another camper waiting to be bought.

 

Think about how you will use the camper and what layout you are likely to want as, even at your price bracket, there is a choice of layout.

 

From a safety point of view, one thing to bear in mind is seatbelts - if you intend to take passengers at any time in the rear, whether or not you want them (the seatbelts that is, not the passengers! *-) ) this needs to be considered as many older campers won't have them - if you get a camper that has side facing seats with seat belts do NOT let anyone use them, but get them removed, as they can cause horrific injuries in accidents.

 

Happy hunting.

 

 

:->

[violet]

What a nice and knowledgeable bunch of people, have read through the answers and some good points made that I will take on board, I had thought of Romahome as a possibility too, thanks very much to everyone and I will let you know how I get on although I do tend to research things to the nth degree so it may not be soon.

violet

[ian81]

All the above is excellent advice: but also give some thought not just as Brian says to possible repairs but also how you tend to use the vehicle once purchased. How many nights a year and what sort of stopping places you will want to use. No fun buying a van and then not be able to afford to park it. Also allow a budget for add ons -al the little extras you may need to go with the van (cooking bits, bedding for example). Whatever you do hiope you enjoy it!

[Dave Newell]

You also need to consider the tyres, many older vehicles will have tyres that are close to, if not past their expiry date. DfT recomendation is maximum life of six years from date of manufacture. Only yesterday we had a customer in who had just bought a 5 year old Hobby tag axle motorhome, she was quite disappoited to learn that all 7 tyres are 6 years old and therefore due for replacement, at around £100 a tyre its not going to be cheap!

 

D.

[Guest Tracker]

Knowing what I know now after years of learning by experience - and still learning - I would be inclined to start with a fibreglass bodied Auto Sleepers such as Talisman or Executive for a compact but very liveable small coachbuilt.

 

If you can find a nice VW Clubman that would probably be worth paying a bit more for if can manage it, as would an early Peugeot Boxer based van as the Boxer was a huge leap forward over it's predecessor, the Talbot Express.

 

You may well be better with a petrol engined van than a diesel of that age as not only do the diesels seem to cost more but they tend to be quite 'agricultural' in noise and power levels when compared to a modern diesel.

 

Expect to get about 20 - 24 mpg from a 2.0 litre petrol and around 24 - 28 from a 2.5 diesel of that era. So unless you will do a lot of miles or spend a lot of time abroad a petrol probably makes more sense - well it would to me!

 

For a smaller van I would be inclined to stick with Romahome whose offerings also seem to last well.

 

The biggest issue with older vans is RUST - and oh boy do those older Talbot Express base vans know how to decompose with a vengeance - so it is VITAL to get the underneath and bodywork properly checked for repairs, patches and bodges.

 

If you don't know anyone to help you look one option is to have it MOT'd whilst you are present and ask the inspector to verbally report on what he sees with a running commentary if possible?

 

At least with a fibreglass body you will not have any hidden water ingress silently decomposing the caravan body structure.

 

Far from 'looking down' on older vans many of us have lots of fond memories of our early days of 'shoestring' motorhoming so never be afraid to ask if you are unsure.

 

Good luck!

[Tony Jones]

Hi Violet, and welcome.

 

Don't be afraid of getting an older vehicle because of your budget. Remember, a camper or MH is likely to have been looked after much better than a car of the same age.

I'd go with all those who've pointed you towards panel-van conversions rather than coachbuilt jobs at that age though - and they're more compact for someone not used to driving big vans.

 

You can get a lot for very little money sometimes. We bought our previous van, a 1989 Transit home-converted panel van, for £3500 because the bodywork was a bit tatty, but it served us for 8 years across several European countries, until a legacy enabled us to buy new - and we sold it for £600! We still miss old "Hannibal" (named after he crossed the Alps in 2003) occasionally!

[Bulletguy]

Violet......

 

Pelmetman has it bang on here;

 

If you can find a Ford transit based camper, then spares will not be a problem, and even if its got a few rusty panels they can be replaced at a reasonable cost.

 

Go for a Transit. With your budget don't think you won't get one because you will.......BUT......be prepared to search long and hard and above all be prepared to travel to view.

 

You will be in the panel van market which is not so bad really as though Transits do suffer from rust, particularly around the wheel arches......ALL Transit parts are extremely cheap. Also the supply of both new and used parts is plentiful, both here in the UK and throughout many european countries.

 

As for engine type (they are all 2.5ltr) I would personally recommend you go for the Direct Injection model rather than the turbo. The 2.5 turbo engine on a panel van will only return around 30-33mpg at best where the direct injection (non-turbo) will give 35-40mpg. Yes these engines are a bit noisy on start up from cold, but once in 5th on a motorway or whatever, they will soon quieten down and happily purr along forever. I used to run mine at around 60-70mph but they will easily top 85mph if you want it to (not recommended if fully loaded tho!).

 

Yes they are a bit 'agricultural' as Tracker points out. But that also makes it a simple engine to work on....and simple equates to cheap labour costs because parts can be easily accessed and changed very quickly. The Transit 2.5di has been around for years. It is a very rugged strong engine and it's not uncommon to find diesels with 300,000 plus miles on. They were after all built as an engine for commercial use and will quite easily outlast the bodywork.

 

Don't bother with petrol as you will be disappointed with the mpg. A petrol engined Transit with much more than 100k on the clock and it's walk away time.

 

Finally. Ignore the snipes from the snoots about low budget etc. These folk are a joke and an insult to motorhoming being more concerned with playing the poser.

 

My van cost me £3,500 and took me to the Outer Hebrides, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine.

 

Where do the posers motorhomes travel to?

 

Most spend 99% of the time sitting on their driveway.

[violet]

"Don't bother with petrol as you will be disappointed with the mpg. A petrol engined Transit with much more than 100k on the clock and it's walk away time.

 

Finally. Ignore the snipes from the snoots about low budget etc. These folk are a joke and an insult to motorhoming being more concerned with playing the poser.

 

My van cost me £3,500 and took me to the Outer Hebrides, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. "

 

 

 

Thanks bulletguy, more helpful advice and I must admit to feeling a bit disheartened after reading some comments about low budget/older motorhomes on another forum. I'll stick with this one in the future.

violet

 

 

[snobbyafghan]

Violet

 

You may find some useful input here, as well:

http://smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum/

particularly (but not exclusively) about Romahomes.

 

Doug

[Bulletguy]

violet - 2010-07-11 6:46 PM

 

Thanks bulletguy, more helpful advice and I must admit to feeling a bit disheartened after reading some comments about low budget/older motorhomes on another forum. I'll stick with this one in the future.

 

violet.

 

Another point to consider which I forgot to mention.

 

Small is not always best.......and by that I mean engine size.

 

You may have seen a little campervan called a Bambi or Rascal, built by Bedford. These are quite small lightweight 2 berth campers which are very simple to drive and manage. But they are fitted with a 970cc petrol engine which give very poor mpg.

 

I once met an owner of one who told me that 30mpg is a miracle, with as little as 26- 28mpg being the norm. And the only time they ever get to achieve anything close to 70mph is downhill with a tail wind!

 

This article seems to bear out what he said;

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A10358219

 

and here is another;

 

http://www.bedfordrascal.com/bambi.html