Help required

6541

Okay folks, I will start by apologising if the following questions are not allowed in this forum.

I am not mechanically minded at all !
I am looking for a campervan to buy, I need it to be as reliable as possible.
It will be used for Surfing, Kayaking, weekend tripping !
It should be at least two berth.
Economically as possible

My budget goes to about 6 K, would consider higher.

Any Ideas of Makes or can anyone help me out in any way.
Thanks folks.

Moomat

6541 wrote: »

Okay folks, I will start by apologising if the following questions are not allowed in this forum.

I am not mechanically minded at all !
I am looking for a campervan to buy, I need it to be as reliable as possible.
It will be used for Surfing, Kayaking, weekend tripping !
It should be at least two berth.
Economically as possible

My budget goes to about 6 K, would consider higher.

Any Ideas of Makes or can anyone help me out in any way.
Thanks folks.

I would say a panel van would be better for occasional use rather than a van chassis with separate body on the back. The bigger vans can be a little cumbersome if you are heading to off the beaten track places.
I have found the Fiat Ducato and Iveco vans to be the most reliable, 2004 up. With your budget, I'd be looking for a 2.3HPI Iveco or 2.3 Ducato. The 2.8 and 3.0 engines are fantastic but a little bit thirsty if fuel economy is a big issue for you.
However, if mechanical simplicity and reliability ranks above speed I would reccomend a pre 2000 Ford Transit. Good ones are getting rare now but a good solid well kept van will last a lifetime. You could get a really good van(if you can find it) well within your budget and have a few grand to spare.

Whatever van you go with, make sure it's a motor caravan on the log book and has standing room inside. Getting insurance on vans without standing room can be difficult but not impossible.

*Kol*

Here is something in your budget that looks not too bad. You could maybe fit a kayak inside??

http://www.donedeal.ie/campers-for-sale/vw-campervan-2-4-diesel/7413330

6541

Thanks guys, now is this absolute madness. It has no DOE is cheap as and is in Mayo (Near me)
http://www.donedeal.co.uk/campers-for-sale/96-iveco-campervan/8032395

*Kol*

Definitely go look at it to see what its like and check if it is classed as a camper for tax. No harm as its close to you.

Moomat

I'd be weary of buying anything without a DOE for that price. You could sink alot of money into it. It's a big van with lots of metal so watch out for corrosion. Make sure to bring a mechanic with you before you hand over any cash.
Also check the logbook for the GVW, if it's over 3500 kg you will need a c1 license to drive it. If the log book is blank then find the plate that gives unladen and maximum laden weights. You would want a carrying capacity of at least 700kg I'd imagine.

6541

I have arranged a viewing for Saturday, I will keep you posted, in the meantime the Hunt goes on, I was talking to a mate and he really is saying get a smaller Van, one that could also be used for day to day driving..

moodrater

6541 wrote: »

I have arranged a viewing for Saturday, I will keep you posted, in the meantime the Hunt goes on, I was talking to a mate and he really is saying get a smaller Van, one that could also be used for day to day driving..

Depends on the mileage you do, with the mileage I do its cheaper to tax,insure,test and maintain a small car than drive the van everywhere.

Moomat

Every mile you drive something is a mile closer to it breaking down (or at least replacing something) so as your leisure vehicle you may want to keep it specifically for leisure activities. If that makes sense!
I'd agree with moodrater, we run a little 96 1.3 petrol Corolla as our daily driver and I'm sure it works out much cheaper than using the van. It's mostly used for short spins, a 40l tank of petrol lasts 5 weeks! Doing that type of mileage in a diesel, especially newer models, would do more harm than good and waste a huge amount of diesel as it would never reach it's optimum running tempature or speed. Means I can keep the van in top condition so our (now rare) trips away aren't spoiled.

Most insurance companies require you to have a second vehicle insured to get camper insurance so that is something to consider too.

6541

So I arrange to meet this chap about 35 miles or so away from me, guess what ! when I am driving to meet him I call him and he says another person is also looking at it, so it turns out that he played two people against each other. When I turn up the other fellow gets spooked and agrees to buy it there and then.
I can see this may be a long and interesting hunt !

piuswal

6541 wrote: »

So I arrange to meet this chap about 35 miles or so away from me, guess what ! when I am driving to meet him I call him and he says another person is also looking at it, so it turns out that he played two people against each other. When I turn up the other fellow gets spooked and agrees to buy it there and then.
I can see this may be a long and interesting hunt !

Just saw the Sold sign on the ad. Good luck with the search.

Moomat

6541 wrote: »

So I arrange to meet this chap about 35 miles or so away from me, guess what ! when I am driving to meet him I call him and he says another person is also looking at it, so it turns out that he played two people against each other. When I turn up the other fellow gets spooked and agrees to buy it there and then.
I can see this may be a long and interesting hunt !

If that's what he is at it's not a tactic I would condone. For me the person you're buying from is just as important as what you are buying. I'd find it very hard to trust somebody who pulled a sneaky one like that.

Something will come up, don't worry! I had to look for ages for a good Transit. Seen some awful crap out there. One day an ad popped up on donedeal with no pictures and a crap description. Something like "Doe, nice camper, must see", that's about it. I was sure this was another scrapper. Anyhow, gives him a ring, very nice man but he's pretty sparse on details other then it's clean and worth a look. Ask his name and the name he gives me immediately rings a bell, he owns a few main dealerships and confirms it is his personal camper and not in any of his dealerships. Go out and look and it truly is a minter, great price too. I ask why he didn't put any pictures up and his answer is "sure you'd have to look at it before you bought it anyway!"

Don't lose hope, there's something out there for everybody! With the weather being mild alot of people who are going to sell may be getting an extra bit of use from them.