Pickle Pot Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 This is one of those random musings about different perspectives when looking at things - is that glass half full or half empty ....? If you see an advert for a used van with a low mileage do you think.... (lol) "oh, excellent - three years old, under two thousand miles, it's barely run in, bet the interior condition will be great, must go see it sharp-ish" [me] or >:-) "hmm, bet that whole van's suspect, there must be something wrong with it if they've barely been out in it - avoid at all costs" [Mr PP] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 All depends, met a man once, he wanted a van, his wife, wouldn't be seen dead in it (her words) he bought one, thinking he would win her round, he didn't, he sold it in the end and lost a packet (and NO,it wasn't me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 are you serious with the 3 years 2000 miles scenario? as that seems off to me... mine has done 14000 miles in just over 3 years, will be selling it when we get back from Italy in September (busy packing..Yipee!) had its first MOT in the spring and chap said it was like new underneath, Ford service chap said it was like new as well. So someone is going to get a cracking van with stacks of extras pretty soon...... It all depends how old it is and what the condition is like? as long as it has been run regularly and engine warmed up, and brakes used, tyres not left to get flat spots from not being moved, yearly damp checks etc...etc... but your eyes should tell you, just pay for a mechanical inspection as well (about £100) mileage in itself means little I think, unless ex hire but you will soon tell that by the condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Pot Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 Judge - you're in the same camp as my husband then :-) Yep, the mileage looks genuine, actually it's lower than I said! http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/motorhome/Trade/2B4B4296760DD41F802576600054F4D6/ Yours does sound lovely. Breakaleg - that bloke sounds a bit daft! It's a hell of a lot of money to waste on a gamble that you can change your partner's mind!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Can't quite match the 3 years 2000 miles but not far of with 2 years 3500 miles. We do one continental trip each summer. This year, as last year to north Germany and Luxembourg, so not a huge distance. Throughout the year we have regular weekend trips in the UK. Our favourite area is currently the Forest of Bowland and around Pendle. It is only 40-50 miles from Leeds so no big mileage clocked. Hence the van is regularly used but not for long distance travel. There are all sorts of reasons why a van has low mileage, which need to be know before purchasing. We looked at a secondhand Neismann & Bischoff, 6 years old with 600 miles on the clock. Shortly after purchase the owner died. His wife did not like driving it so parked it on a permanent site and just used it at weekends. It drove well and at many thousands of pounds below the price of similar models there was easily enough of a buffer to cover new tyres and brakes etc. In the end we got cold feet and walked away from it. The main reason being that as I am still working holidays are very valubale and we needed a vehicle that would give us confidence in its reliability. It did give me soft spot for N&B motorhomes, pity they are way out of our price range, still dream on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Pickle Pot - 2010-07-28 2:29 PM Judge - you're in the same camp as my husband then :-) Yep, the mileage looks genuine, actually it's lower than I said! QUOTE] To low.......I would be v suspicious, probably crashed and left in a yard somewhere for ages, before being repaired......Hire vans are smashed up all the time? see if privately owned from the V5 and contact the owners for the history...if dealer does not play ball or makes excuses, well..... get a comprehensive check + HPI check as well. dont like the make either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Many people buy vans with the aim of using them a lot and then circumstances like health or employment suddenly change causing the van to stand unused for months so I would not be put off by low mileage per se. On the other hand nothing ages a vehicle quite like not using it. The tyres can flat spot, the brakes and clutch go rusty and the lack of oil circulation can result in corrosion in the engine, transmission and bearings and mildew and damp can attack the interior. Vans are built for high mileage but not so modern furnishings which can start to look tired with heavy use so in that case low mileage is an asset. On the other hand low mileage vans command a premium price that does not appeal to me so we always look for one with around 5000/8000 miles per year of age becaus ethey represent better vfm. Our current van is now almost 4 years old and in two years we have added almost 20000 miles to the 10000 that it showed when we bought it and it seems to be running better now than ever as it is now more or less run in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeler Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Just to point out that mileage isn't necessarily an indication as to if a Motorhome is used regularly or not. For example, many of the people in the camping group that we rally with, use theirs throughout the year, but mainly at weekends and at local venues in our area. Obviously some of these get quite a high usage of the habitation area, as many ralliers vans do. I certainly wouldn't be put off buying a high mileage Motorhome. It would depend more on the condition. I also wouldn't have a problem with lack of service history, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Tracker - 2010-07-28 6:03 PM Many people buy vans with the aim of using them a lot and then circumstances like health or employment suddenly change causing the van to stand unused for months so I would not be put off by low mileage per se. On the other hand nothing ages a vehicle quite like not using it. The tyres can flat spot, the brakes and clutch go rusty and the lack of oil circulation can result in corrosion in the engine, transmission and bearings and mildew and damp can attack the interior. Vans are built for high mileage but not so modern furnishings which can start to look tired with heavy use so in that case low mileage is an asset. On the other hand low mileage vans command a premium price that does not appeal to me so we always look for one with around 5000/8000 miles per year of age becaus ethey represent better vfm. Our current van is now almost 4 years old and in two years we have added almost 20000 miles to the 10000 that it showed when we bought it and it seems to be running better now than ever as it is now more or less run in! Rich has just summed up what the rest of us call "Sleepy Van Syndrome". Make sure the clutch and brakes are all working as they should no nasty noises, brakes fairly cheap to sort but clutches can be a tad expensive. With modern oils engine should be OK. Suspension springs often creek & grone when they have not had much use. A colleague at the sailing club spent over £50k on a Bustner it only did 2 miles to the beach to be used as a changing room when windsurfing a couple of times a week. His wife refused to set foot in it she won't travel anywhere without a 5 star hotel at the end of the road. Sold if after about 18 months with naf all miles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Can happen, we purchased a Rapido 3 years old with 3,000 miles on the clock. Right place right time, and the the seller was almost desperate to get rid of it because no-one thought it was genuine. Do your checks, ask the questions and Get Lucky, Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirage Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Average mileage for motorhomes is 4500/5000 miles per year. A low mileage is not necessarily a good thing, its been sat through damp winters probably without moving, oil has drained to sump, disc brakes rust and will pit if not used for long periods, clutch action gets stiff, tyres flat spot become susceptible to cracking, etc etc. The old saying applies "use it or lose it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Low mileage vans are not necessarily sat through winter though - some owners may only tootle about to local areas and may even renew every couple of years. If the average mileage of motorhomes (and some 10 - 15 year old vans can be seen with a much smaller average) is 5 - 6000 then it stands to reason that some will be doing much less than that and some much more. Ultimately, only a proper examination of the vehicle, service history etc will throw some light on the issue. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 with this mileage a service history is probably as, or more important then a higher mileage van :-S So at 3 years old there should be 3 stamps in the service schedule. Plus 3 stamps in the damp proof service book as well. what is the dealers explanation for the low mileage? Again, ask for previous owners details and to look at V5 and take it from there......if you cant get a phone number for previous owners write to them, if genuine they will reply, wouldn't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemoss Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Although low mileage sounds attractive initially, I'd be much more wary of, let's say, a five-year-old motorhome with only 3,000 miles on the clock than I would of a ten-year-old with 70,000 on the clock. All motorhomes are based on commercial vans which are designed and built to be used, not sat around on their tyres for months on end. Regular use and regular servicing are the recipe for a long and trouble-free life. Having said that, there's always a balance between the mechanical and habitation sides, so a high miler with pristine interior would be the one that got my vote. Does such a thing exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 A nice looking van, this is a 2010 model - priced at £35,995: http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/forsale/used-motorhomes/emm--bee-motorhomes/roller-team-auto-roller-600/4556 IMV I would say that at 3 years old, with only 1700 on the clock, it's a good price as they seem to retail around £32-33,000 for ones with a higher mileage. As the one you're looking at comes with a 12 month warranty, and if it is 'sound and genuine' (do the research), then it's not a bad buy at all. Haggle hard is the key here though .... There are too many reasons why it might only have a low mileage, having a good dig around in it's history is the only way to find out why and be able to make an educated decision. It wouldn't put me off buying it if it all checked out. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 That looks a better bet Mel, good sleuthing! as long as they give a serious discount...... :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 ... just call me Columbo :D ... rather than Miss Marple! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Mel B - 2010-07-29 10:24 PM ... just call me Columbo :D ... rather than Miss Marple! 8-) I wouldn't class you as a cigar chewing old man in a mac, Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Pot Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Mel B - 2010-07-29 10:24 PM ... just call me Columbo :D ... rather than Miss Marple! 8-) Didn't Columbo wear a rather dodgy mac ;-) ? ETA Flicka - we're sharing a mental image, I think :-) There's also this one http://search.leisurekingdom.co.uk/EXEC/0/1yjf12e06y5p8b13y3gzy0ydbuy6 - though I was seriously put off by how grubby this one felt when I went to see it (yes, I know it will clean, but it did feel like it needed a full Kim and Aggie session before I'd even think of trying out the seats and it was hard to see past that). I might just go back and find out whether it was because it was perhaps previously a hire vehicle and whether they've fettled it any after we were so unimpressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 PP, i dont want you to snort your coffee, (or rum a coke) but are you serious! do you want to buy a van? or are you a clever rep that sells vans (!) :-D just a thought!! jonathan ps PP the link didnt work!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 ust a thought jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Johnathan you need to watch a few more episodes of Sherlock Holmes:D http://search.leisurekingdom.co.uk/EXEC/0/0xqxzud0urtmpa17gdvyf10ajsmu But why would you want a 2-3 year old van when Mels link is same price for a new one *-) I would expect to get it for no more then 32k? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Pickle Pot - 2010-07-29 10:45 PM Mel B - 2010-07-29 10:24 PM ... just call me Columbo :D ... rather than Miss Marple! 8-) Didn't Columbo wear a rather dodgy mac ;-) ? ETA Flicka - we're sharing a mental image, I think :-) Very funny .... *-) I was thinking more of his mental abilities than his dress sense! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Pot Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 silverback - 2010-07-29 11:57 PM PP, i dont want you to snort your coffee, (or rum a coke) but are you serious! do you want to buy a van? or are you a clever rep that sells vans (!) :-D just a thought!! jonathan I've just seen this - you daft sod (lol) I'd reckon I'd be a crap salesman if I keep posting random links to completely different vans in completely different dealerships! To be honest, I'm having a bit of a fed-up-of-looking Sunday night - perhaps it's time to quit the search for a couple of weeks and see if things calm down a little. I've left details at several dealers this last month, but only one has been back in touch and that was with something wildly outside of my requirements. Good second hand vans aren't staying around long, dealers aren't updating websites, and between work, child, visitors, decorating etc etc it's hard to keep finding time to go chasing round the country to look :-( Heavens that sounds mardy - normal service will be resumed shortly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 :-D :-D PP, super sleuth Mel (the dirty Mac) b, has given a great link, to a great van, the Judge, says give em 32k, i reckon 34k, like ive said before.. if you dont buy 1, somebody else will *-) and by your own admission good vans dont hang around for long!! and if you've any more vans that we can all look at.... please post ;-) ;-) ;-) we want a low profile, garage, fixed bed over garage, 4 birth, no longer than 24ft, in 2 years time (lol) (lol) (lol) oven / grill etc jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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