Lizzie Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 We have been looking for our first van and not really found what we are looking for so far in dealers near us. Do you think its a bit risky buying a first motorhome privately? We are looking to spend between £25 and £30k so to us this is a lot of money to part. Anyone else bought their first van privately or any tips welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pw9crab Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 hi we have always used bundersvan nick legg on 01803606335 reel gen man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 I too am looking to buy a van, and with the same budget. I can't offer any practical advice as I have only had one previous van and bought that new. I would buy privately(subject to a professional damp check) but, having spent some weeks trawling Ebay, Autotrader, etc, it seems that few private sellers are realistic with their pricing. They generally want what a dealer would ask and sometimes even more. Unless there is a significant saving I would probably use a dealer where there is at least some come-back if anything goes wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 We bought our previous van privately in the price band that you are looking at (£24300). It was advertised on Gumtree and reasonably local and I was happy to rely on my own judgement regarding both the van and the seller. I would have preferred to buy the current van privately but I got fed up of waiting and had to buy new in the end, which has been the disappointing and frustrating process that I knew it would be - a sad reflection on the UK motorhome industry. Plus, as aandy says, too many private sellers live in cloud cuckoo land and think they that they can justify asking forecourt prices. Good private vans at a realistic price are, sadly, few and far between. I sold my previous van privately too, again via Gumtree. The dealer offerred £16250 as a trade-in (against full retail purchase price) and said it's forecourt price would be around £23000. I advertised it at £19500 ('no offers'), presented it well i.e. spotlessly clean and empty, and it was sold within 12 hours. Private would always be my choice but you may be waiting a while and doing a lot of travelling to find the right van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan MMM Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 This article here: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/Articles/Articles/Motorhomers-beware-online-fraud-rising/_ch1_ft1287_pg1 Should help you avoid some of the pitfalls and scammers when buying privately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Just make sure you do all the necessary checks buy from an owner who is actually using the van and has full documentation so you know it's their, HPI check are fine for outstanding finance checks but have wriggle out clauses in the small print for anything else they claim to cover. Don't buy from a back street dealer or people who are selling for someone else. Sold our last van privately we got a good price and the buyer got a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 As I knew absolutely nothing about motorhomes, I bought our one [used] from a dealer. Saving a few quid can be really expensive if you end up buying a lemon. I'm not sure I'd even buy a second one privately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 We will soon be looking for our second van, which will be pre-owned. Have had our first for two years, and hopefully we now know what size/layout best suits our needs. As the OP says, the problem is waiting for the right van to come onto a close-to-us dealer's forecourt - it could take a very long time. That leaves the option of buying from a dealer possibly hundreds of miles away, or buying privately (which could also be hundreds of miles away of course). The benefit of buying from a dealer is a warranty and, in theory, after sales service ( although many on here will have an opinion on that). If the dealer is a long way from home, the after sales service is pretty irrelevant, and you might even think twice about taking it back for warranty work. If you buy privately, it doesn't matter where you get it as you won't be going back. For these reasons, and the potential saving to be made, I think our next van will be a private buy. BUT, I will hope to invest some of the saving on taking with me somebody more savvy than I am. 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 We bought our present (and first) MH privately 6 years ago for £210000. We had trawled the dealers for two years and did not find anything suitable, we knew straight away that this is the one for us everything was right including the seller. We were very lucky and have never regrettecd, it you will know a genuine sale when you see one. Any doubts, walk away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks for your thoughts. I guess we could go and see one and then go on our gut feeling. As has been mentioned a warranty from a dealer hundreds of miles away is not really worth anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 It's not always necessary to go back to the supplying dealer for warranty work. Many dealers buy insurance backed warranties, which allow the work to be carried out pretty much anywhere. Also, as I understand it a dealer has certain legal obligations if anything goes seriously wrong that a private seller does't. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 aandy - 2015-08-11 10:27 PM It's not always necessary to go back to the supplying dealer for warranty work. Many dealers buy insurance backed warranties, which allow the work to be carried out pretty much anywhere. Also, as I understand it a dealer has certain legal obligations if anything goes seriously wrong that a private seller does't. Andy And it's also worth mentioning some "dealer" insurances double up as loo paper, as for "certain legal obligations" well good luck with that one.......I could write a book ! But back to the OPs question, first van we bought was a private sale, lovely genuine couple in advanced years, that had looked after their van with no expense spared, we paid around £7500 less than being asked for an almost identical van at a dealership. Second van WAS from a dealership, paid through the nose, and inherited a host of problems right from the word go, despite some very impressive PDI paperwork, and lost an entire summer getting it fixed, what an absolute pain it was, in short don't take anything for granted that buying from a dealer will necessarily be the smooth path you might hope for, very often as is demonstrated on numerous forums it isn't. ;-) Summary................buy private and haggle yourself a good deal, or walk away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasnt Me Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Hello We bought our first van 2 years ago privately and we got the van we wanted and probably saved 5k off a dealer price. We have had a few items that needed some attention since buying but not 5ks worth of trouble. As othes have mentioned they may not have been covered by warranty anyway. I would recommend a HPI check on the vehicle, independent vehicle inspection and independent habitation inspection. Don't be surprised if the vehicle has outstanding finance, a lot of people finance motorhomes. Be worried if the owner does not disclose this. You can clear the balance yourself on purchase, that is what I did. The independent inspections will highlight any faults which can be a basis to negotiate on, if anything comes up. If the seller is not keen on any of this, it may be as they have something to hide. Good luck, hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Lizzie - 2015-08-10 8:02 PM We have been looking for our first van and not really found what we are looking for so far in dealers near us. Do you think its a bit risky buying a first motorhome privately? We are looking to spend between £25 and £30k so to us this is a lot of money to part. Anyone else bought their first van privately or any tips welcome. Having bought private i'd say this; Make sure you are familiar with and KNOW the model type and base chassis you are looking for. Read up on the 'tech specs' and what came as standard fittings. Don't ever ever buy on a whim....i'm staggered at how many people still continue to do this! On viewing, check the V5 matches with the address you are viewing the vehicle. If it's parked on a storage site, then the owner should have no qualms about you visiting the registered keepers address. Final 'belt 'n braces' would be to run an HPi check which you can do online, cost is very little and you get the results in minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Brown Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I have sent you a PM. If interested please reply via PM, You will obviously have some idea what it is you want. Look at all available information and once you know what you want, look for it and go for it but use all the safety precautions outlined above. You cannot be too careful, you intend to spend a lot of money. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrie Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I've wanted a motorhome for many years and this year finally took the plunge. I spent a good few months visiting dealerships for used vans, and went through different design layouts in my mind, and how I would need to customise it once I'd found what I was looking for. I visited Somerset, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Midlands,Nottinghamshire looking for the perfect van, ruling some brands/models out of the equation because of this feature or that layout. You begin to appreciate what you want and don't want. I ended up looking for a van with a garage - a particular make, model and year range. Of those that I found... there were still things not quite right with that particular one... until a private seller put one up on autotrader, with everything that was on my tick list, and more - I didn't need to do anything to it to suit me, aside from glam it up with some decals!! I had a good chat on the phone to suss it out, then drove for 5 hours and 250 miles just to see it. It was the best van I had seen by far and it was a genuine nice chap selling it as he was hitting 70 years and downsizing. And for 5-6k less than a used model on a dealership forecourt (which is still there as I write this, 4 months after viewing it) So yes, you can get an excellent van, but you have to understand you won't get a warranty - for what ever the paper is worth and its sold as seen. Many van owners really do look after the vans especially if they're used regularly. Do your research, get it inspected by a proper motorhome van technician if needs be. But more importantly, make sure it fulfills your requirements to the letter. i.e. for me a solar panel, 2nd leisure battery, new tyres, serviced, habitation checked etc a garage to be a kennel, good bathroom size... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 pyrie - 2015-08-12 10:35 PM make sure it fulfills your requirements to the letter. i.e. for me a solar panel, 2nd leisure battery, new tyres, serviced, habitation checked etc a garage to be a kennel, good bathroom size... Glad you are happy with your van :-D But with requirements that exacting you could have been looking for a very long time. If the condition and price are alright I would be prepared to compromise on the rest. Even things like layout are a compromise - not so good for one thing but be better for others. And you can always fit your own 2nd leisure battery, tyres etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 If you want to buy privately but are unsure about the quality of the van in question you can always engage the Caravan Club's motorhome inspection service. It's not cheap - £240 for non members - for the Gold service which includes the essential damp report - but is worth it for peace of mind given the problems that could exist especially with water ingress which could cost £000s to rectify. Link here: http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/shop-and-offers/member-offers/caravan-and-motorhome-inspectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Peter James - 2015-08-13 7:48 AM pyrie - 2015-08-12 10:35 PM make sure it fulfills your requirements to the letter. i.e. for me a solar panel, 2nd leisure battery, new tyres, serviced, habitation checked etc a garage to be a kennel, good bathroom size... Glad you are happy with your van :-D But with requirements that exacting you could have been looking for a very long time. If the condition and price are alright I would be prepared to compromise on the rest. Even things like layout are a compromise - not so good for one thing but be better for others. And you can always fit your own 2nd leisure battery, tyres etc I agree with you on that! In my case i was looking for a Duetto on Ford Transit base chassis. Transit PVC's are known for their rust spots so finding a well cared for Duetto is not easy. After months of searching and travelling all over the country to look at ones up for sale, i eventually found the right one. Mint condition with not one spot of rusting or even 'bubbling' paint anywhere. The underside is the same too. In fact my MOT Garage were astonished and in their opinion, "the best condition Mk5 Transit we've ever seen....". However, there was absolutely zero 'extras'. No awning, no back box, no bike rack, even no privacy screening on the side and rear glass. But that was the compromise i made in buying it and have since fitted all extras myself. As you rightly said, tyres and batteries you can easily replace. With many Campers and MH's the tyres may well have plenty of tread but the side walls will be cracked due to long periods of standing in the sun. The tyre dealer i use told me they generally work on a 5 year limit for Caravans, Campers and MH's irrespective of mileage, simply due to 'weathering'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 One other point of which I have just been reminded, once you find the right van don't hang about. Saw one on Ebay at lunchtime that looked ideal, good condition, fair price, and the seller sounded genuine. Had a busy afternoon so planned to contact the seller this evening with a view to looking at it tomorrow, only to find a few minutes ago that it has gone. The ad was posted only this morning. To say I'm hacked off would be the understatement of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Some good advice - thank you everyone. I think we need to drive around and see more vans and get a better idea of what a quality one is! At the moment we have seen a Hymer we particularly liked but think on the whole we will be content with any German/Rapido or Chausson as they seem to have the layout we are looking for and from what little we have seen, their fixed beds seem a little larger than some but I could be wrong about that. I also like the idea of the Caravan club check for peace of mind if we go privately. Another part of me thinks we should just go to a dealers with a few possibles and just buy the best one - sometimes too much choice is mind boggling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Bulletguy - 2015-08-13 4:44 PM The tyre dealer i use told me they generally work on a 5 year limit for Caravans, Campers and MH's irrespective of mileage, simply due to 'weathering'. In my experience tyre dealers recommend replacing tyres every 5 years, but then they are in business to sell tyres *-) I think tyre manufacturers recommend every 10 years? But VOSA - the law, doesn't give any time limit. So - take your pick :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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