Help a First Time Motorhome Buyer on a Budget

revileandy

Hi all,

I've been big into camping around Ireland & Europe over the last few years and with the birth of my son I'd really like to get a motorhome for next summer.

Having a look around the usual websites with a less than 10k budget what I'm seeing available is 90-96 Ducato's & Transits.

If I take a punt on something as old as the above what sort of grief am I getting myself into and what sort of checks would the more experienced people here run through when buying a used motorhome?

What sort of hassle would I have getting parts for a vehicle this old?

Are certain makes of motorhomes known to be generally more solid than others?

Any advice and reccomendations much appreciated.

Thanks,

Andy

Odyssey 2005

Would a caravan be a better option for you. Don't know if you have a suitable car or not but you would have more room in a caravan
Kk

kelbal

If you can only ever see yourself staying in a campsite, a caravan might be an option. But if you're going to be holidaying on continental europe at all, the facilities provided by the "Aire de Services Camping Cars" and "Stellplatz" in France and Germany really expand your options on what you can do - and are only available to motorhomes. There's a few threads on these.

Other users will give a better response in terms of what to check when buying, and there's previous threads on this too if you search - but from what I've seen driving here and on the continent, the older motorhomes that have endured on the road and are still going strong seem to be mainly:

Dethleffs
Burstner
Hymer
you see a fair few older Challengers in France too

revileandy

Thanks for the info, driving a Prius at the minute so towing is out!

I take it dethleffs, hymer etc are just the living quarters - what about truck they're built on.

Ive had a search around the forums but Basically with the budget I'm on I'm seeing a lot of early to mid 90's ducato's and transits - i'm really looking to hear from anybody driving one of these right now - If looked after are they reliable? Are parts readily available?

kelbal

revileandy wrote: »

Thanks for the info, driving a Prius at the minute so towing is out!

I take it dethleffs, hymer etc are just the living quarters - what about truck they're built on.

Ive had a search around the forums but Basically with the budget I'm on I'm seeing a lot of early to mid 90's ducato's and transits - i'm really looking to hear from anybody driving one of these right now - If looked after are they reliable? Are parts readily available?

Yeah, Dethleffs etc buy a van chassis and build onto it. Think Transit & Ducato seem to be fairly reliable. Mine's on a Transit and hasn't let me down. The Ducato is supposed to be fairly good too - doesn't have the same reputation as Fiat cars.
A huge consideration is the layout of the living quarters - i.e how many seats do you have, how are they laid out, what beds are there other than the fold-down dinette. We very nearly bought a certain layout, just missed out on a particular motorhome - the one we ended up getting was different, and we're delighted, the original one wouldn't have suited. I've small kids too, so if you think there's anything I can help with in that respect let me know

revileandy

Thanks kelbal, what year is yours?

kelbal

revileandy wrote: »

Thanks kelbal, what year is yours?

2005

bluethunder

I have a 96 Ducato which is a conversion i.e. not coach built. Got it for much less than 10k which seems to be your budget. I've had it for 2 years and it is very sound mechanically. My main advice to you would be to ensure that it has a good service history. A van that is regularly serviced is worth its weight in gold. Mine only had 73k miles on it when purchased and that also helps. It's just shy of 90k now and all i've needed to do in terms of repair/maintenance is a new radiator, tyres, one shock and the timing belt. This isn't bad going and you should always factor in ongoing maintenance costs for vans that age.

I would walk away from any van that doesn't have receipts for work done and a regular service history. You will need to look for when the clutch and timing belt were last done as these can be expensive jobs. Getting parts for transits and ducatos is no problem.

Mechanics are not the only thing you need to worry about. If you buy a coachbuilt van you will need to be satisfied that there are no leaks. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to ID leaks until you've owned it for a while and it has rained. You also need to make sure that important items like the fridge and water heater are working. All this adds up if you need to get them done after buying.

Happy shopping.

revileandy

Thanks bluethunder, nice to hear you're getting on well with an old van and that parts aren't a problem.

I'll bear everything you said in mind.

Benbecul97

Draw up a list of what you "really need" in the van and then a list of "nice to have". Obviously try and get all the "really need" and as many as possible of the "nice to have". All the extras will add up.

And it might be no harm to rent one out for a weekend and see how you get on with it. In September the price of rental will be back a bit from high season rates and the weather can be nice to test it out.

The key to buying is research, research, research.

Good luck!

delthedriver

i too am considering the purchas of a motorhome, Having recently retired, my wife and I are looking to dpend some winter time in Spain and Portugal.

Ideally I would like a motorhome rather than a camper van, which appear to be more refined. Second hand values of 95 to 00 models seen to be 6 to 10K

90's models appear to be in fairly good order with relatively low mileage. would you buy RHD or LHD?

I am slow to invest large money at this time for frear my wife does not enjoy the motorhoming way of life. I am anxious to explore and enjoy my new found freedom.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

killalanerr

delthedriver wrote: »

I am slow to invest large money at this time for frear my wife does not enjoy the motorhoming way of life. I am anxious to explore and enjoy my new found freedom.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

One thing i would say to you is to make sure that your partner is on board with the purchase,camping is a lifestyle choice that is not for every one,it would not be much fun if one of you didnt want to be their

kelbal

delthedriver wrote: »

90's models appear to be in fairly good order with relatively low mileage. would you buy RHD or LHD?

Have a look at this thread del.....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057025122

Aidan_M_M

You won't buy many good coach built campers at that budget.

delthedriver

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

You won't buy many good coach built campers at that budget.

Any suggestions?

AutostratusEB

delthedriver wrote: »

I am slow to invest large money at this time for fear my wife does not enjoy the motorhoming way of life. I am anxious to explore and enjoy my new found freedom.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

I would suggest you consider renting a MH for a short period to see if it suits you both. As others have said, less than €10k won't get you much so you might want to try before you buy and spend a bit more if you do decide it's for you. I would think you'd need to start with a €15k budget at least.

Aidan_M_M

delthedriver wrote: »

Any suggestions?

Save up? Seriously , not a week goes by that I don't get a call or email from someone who got a "great deal from Donedeal/Gumtree/Adverts/BuynSell" etc.
always a lovely, spotless camper, at a steal, yadda yadda, apart from the rotten floor, or the Truma Combi that's burst, or the fridge that has a blown cooling unit, or the AlKo that needs a new set if torsion bars etc etc. be warned, there's an awful lot of rubbish out there, and any amount if unscrupulous owners trying to offload them.
Am I biased? Yes, as someone who works in the Motorhome trade. Do I like seeing people getting caught out? No , as generally they get soured to camping and don't keep at it. Which isn't good for me!

delthedriver

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Save up? Seriously , not a week goes by that I don't get a call or email from someone who got a "great deal from Donedeal/Gumtree/Adverts/BuynSell" etc.
always a lovely, spotless camper, at a steal, yadda yadda, apart from the rotten floor, or the Truma Combi that's burst, or the fridge that has a blown cooling unit, or the AlKo that needs a new set if torsion bars etc etc. be warned, there's an awful lot of rubbish out there, and any amount if unscrupulous owners trying to offload them.
Am I biased? Yes, as someone who works in the Motorhome trade. Do I like seeing people getting caught out? No , as generally they get soured to camping and don't keep at it. Which isn't good for me!

Aidan,

Thank you for your honest opinion. I would take note of what you are saying. There is no point in buying junk, for the sake of it

Where, what would you consider proper entry level?

Thanks

Del:)