Klyne Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Unfortunately we are beginning to show our age, me with knee problems and my wife with her hip. We are just wondering if its worth keeping the van as its possible it won't get much use in the immediate future. It's only five years old with pretty low mileage. I wonder if anyone has any advice on selling our motorhome. I am not keen on selling privately which I appreciate leaves options where the value realised will be less but hopefully the other side of that is less complicated and quicker? Lots of people advertising that they want to buy your van in MMM, has anyone gone done that route and willing to comment of the ratio between what is offered and what it is likely to be offered for sale at? Has anyone use Motorhome Depot which I understand is a brokerage company, does it work out at a better price v length of selling price? Thanks David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiebt Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 It’s a minefield and make no mistake, I’ve only ever part ex’d vans and dealers can be outright crooks, I was attempting to part ex a van in August (I’d had the van hab checked FOUR days earlier, clean bill of health with NO damp anywhere, book stamped by recognised and affiliated company.) lo and behold the dealer found damp, I told them FRO and called them liars to their face. Just beware there are thieves out there. I’ve heard good things about MHD to be fair, they seem to be held in high regard. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Another option is to let a dealer you know and trust sell it on your behalf. That way they don’t have to lay any cash out up front but will take an agreed percentage of the selling price. One advantage is that they usually sell it with their standard warranty which reassures some customers rather than driving away from a private sale with no warranty. Normally this would mean leaving it with the dealer to display but they should offer a standard contract to sell It on your behalf. David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 An earlier forum discussion relating to Motorhome Depot https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/topic/48418-selling-our-mh-anyone-heard-of-motorhome-depot/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawki Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Having very recently been through this process my I advise would be just stick it on Auto trader there are lots of good people out there who want to buy a fairly priced van directly from the owner just like we all used to do you will get roughly 30% more selling privately and if priced correctly it should sell quickly Priced mine fairly it sold in a few days to a very nice couple who was so happy to be the new owners i am looking for my next van now and so wish more people would sell privately 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Comes to us all, eventually, David. 😞 We sold ours just over a year ago to a dealer 55 miles away, which we regard as a reputable firm, with which we have had numerous dealings since 2005 when we got out first van - 'though we had never actually bought a van from them (ours have all been LHD imports, which means they cost less to buy, but inevitably sell for less in UK ). In the event, when they put it up for sale they'd fitted new tyres all round. The originals were in good condition but 2017 vintage, so over 5 years old - which I considered a responsible act on their part - and also swapped the original steel wheels for a set of 4 black alloys that certainly suited the van, but I thought a bit of pointless bling. However, it seemed it sold fast, so maybe the bling was well judged! I think we got a fair price compared to (somewhat post Covid inflated) asking prices for similar vans at that time. Could we have got more by selling privately? Almost certainly, but at near £40K I was dubious about doing "doorstep deals" with complete strangers, whereas the dealer's money was in our account by the time we got back home by train. Ultimately it is a compromise between the risks of selling privately and the lower price from selling to a business - who naturally want a profit on the sale. You have to do what you feel most comfortable doing. However, I'd treat Dawki's claim that selling privately yields a 30% bonus though. 🙂 I think a five year old LHD Knaus/Ducato PVC might have struggled to sell at over £50K, even then! Who knows? Why not make enquiries from dealers in your area, especially for the same brand as your van, to see how they react - including the dealership you bought it from if fairly local (can add a bit of "cred" to their eventual sales pitch, which just might be reflected in their offer! 🙂 ). Good luck whatever. Oh, and don't be surprised if you suffer from "van withdrawal symptoms" when it's gone!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 4 hours ago, Brian Kirby said: Comes to us all, eventually, David. 😞 We sold ours just over a year ago to a dealer 55 miles away, which we regard as a reputable firm, with which we have had numerous dealings since 2005 when we got out first van - 'though we had never actually bought a van from them (ours have all been LHD imports, which means they cost less to buy, but inevitably sell for less in UK ). In the event, when they put it up for sale they'd fitted new tyres all round. The originals were in good condition but 2017 vintage, so over 5 years old - which I considered a responsible act on their part - and also swapped the original steel wheels for a set of 4 black alloys that certainly suited the van, but I thought a bit of pointless bling. However, it seemed it sold fast, so maybe the bling was well judged! I think we got a fair price compared to (somewhat post Covid inflated) asking prices for similar vans at that time. Could we have got more by selling privately? Almost certainly, but at near £40K I was dubious about doing "doorstep deals" with complete strangers, whereas the dealer's money was in our account by the time we got back home by train. Ultimately it is a compromise between the risks of selling privately and the lower price from selling to a business - who naturally want a profit on the sale. You have to do what you feel most comfortable doing. However, I'd treat Dawki's claim that selling privately yields a 30% bonus though. 🙂 I think a five year old LHD Knaus/Ducato PVC might have struggled to sell at over £50K, even then! Who knows? Why not make enquiries from dealers in your area, especially for the same brand as your van, to see how they react - including the dealership you bought it from if fairly local (can add a bit of "cred" to their eventual sales pitch, which just might be reflected in their offer! 🙂 ). Good luck whatever. Oh, and don't be surprised if you suffer from "van withdrawal symptoms" when it's gone!!! Thanks Brian, I imagine we will get withdrawal symptoms as we have caravanned and motorhomed for nearly 45 years!!! As I mentioned our problem is that we are both likely to have operations for hip or knee replacement sometime in the next year and in the meantime I am not sure how much enjoyment we would get from being away in the van but with limitations on what we can do. Our van is only 5 years old and pretty low mileage so if the layout suits someone they would have a good van. I had thought about asking our dealer about buying the van. They are White Arches and as you have probably seen they have been in a period of flux having now been purchased by Spinney. Like you I am not keen on the idea of selling privately but can perfectly see that those brave enough to do it will get a better deal. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 So if you are not keen on selling privately but would like to maximise the amount you get from a dealer then letting them sell it on commission is the middle ground. David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Did something similar two years ago and then (wait or it) .... bought a new one last year! I've twice in the past sold to a dealer and what I did was type out a full and clear description with a full list of details and photos. I then emailed it to nine of the advertisers and received a response from three of them. The difference from the lowest to the best offer was about 20% and I sold it to Viscount Leisure of Southampton who collected it from Ayrshire. I reckon I may have got another £5k (10%) by selling privately but with all the hassle entailed. It sold for about a 15% markup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 We sold our old van to some friends and we went to great lengths outlining all the faults (and the ways to get around them) as we wanted to be upfront and honest, and stay friends. Unfortunately they have had a few issues but as they were mainly things arising from the problems we had outlined it hasn't spoilt our friendship, although my wife in particular feels a bit guilty at times. But we sold it for the same price we were offered by a dealer as a trade in so they got a bargain really. So if you do go down the private route be cautious if it's to friends or family. A friend of ours bought a fairly old van jointly with their daughter from a friend of their daughter and after one year's use it has been sold for 'scrap' as it had so much rot from damp ingress, i don't think they had a habitation check and both friend and daughter were motor-homing virgins so didn't know what to look for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 Hi David, Some great advice from all here , May I wish you and yours the best of health in the future and hopefully you will get back motorhoming again. The main thing is your health at the moment so sell with the less stress as possible. Remember all those lovely memories over the years As Brian says withdrawal symptoms may be an issue after 45 years ,so keep in touch Regards Brendan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolyan Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 On 06/05/2024 at 19:39, Adiebt said: It’s a minefield and make no mistake, I’ve only ever part ex’d vans and dealers can be outright crooks, I was attempting to part ex a van in August (I’d had the van hab checked FOUR days earlier, clean bill of health with NO damp anywhere, book stamped by recognised and affiliated company.) lo and behold the dealer found damp, I told them FRO and called them liars to their face. Just beware there are thieves out there. I’ve heard good things about MHD to be fair, they seem to be held in high regard. Good luck. I agree with your overall impression of some dealers. However, this post would be more useful if you used less inflammatory language, which would then allow you to name the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiebt Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 (edited) My post , my language . If censorship is your thing so be it . Edited May 17 by Adiebt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 Thanks for all the comments and advice. Thought I would take the opportunity to update you. Reviewing our situation and the likelihood of not getting much use out of the motorhome we decided to sell up. I decided on two courses of action, one I contacted our dealer where we purchased the motorhome and secondly I contacted one of those companies who advertise in MMM that they will buy motorhomes. I got a very positive response from White Arches Motorhomes. However the response form the "we buy any motorhome company" was a bit surprising. Basically they said they were not currently in the market to buy motorhomes at the moment as they had plenty of stock. I therefore didn't think it worthwhile to contact more companies and decided to discuss the situation with White Arches (now part of the Spinney Motor Group) We arranged a date (today) to take the motorhome in as the offer was subject to inspection which is not unreasonable. Fortunately they honoured the original price and the money was in my account by mid afternoon and I have even had confirmation from the DVLA about the change of ownership (they don't do this part until I have confirm I have the full payment) So in the end a lot less stressful than I imagined it would be. Probably not sunk in yet but it brings to an end nearly 45 years of caravanning and motorhoming. There are lots of other opportunities out there for alternatives (it won't be race around the world😊) which we are currently investigating. I am sure I will maintain an interest in camping and motorhoming but from a distance. I intend to hold onto our CMC membership for a while as we might explore their Experience Freedom offer to see if it suits. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Hi David Delighted all turned out so well for you ,with as little stress as possible. Wishing you and yours the best of health in the future Do keep in touch Regards Brendan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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