buying a motorhome

hioneday

:pI am looking to buy a motorhome in the near future but have no idea of the prices such things fetch. I know there is a book called the parkers guide to car prices, is there a book or website that deals with motorhomes? Many thanks for any help.

BenL

There isn't a book available for motorhomes available to the public. Apparently dealers have access to values but its rarely spoken of compared to what is known about car values.


I'm a member on https://www.motorhomefacts.com so have a look on there. There is information in the forums about values and if you have a model in mind you might be able to learn about how much.

Have you got an idea of the layout you want? Amount to spend?

The layout is the most important thing really, have a look around lots of places. I found mine on ebay at a dealer but I had also been looking for the best part of a year on what to upgrade to from the old one. The magazine "MMM" also has lots of motorhomes in the classified section so you can see values.

The most restrictive criteria for my MH was that we wanted bunk beds for the kids at the back of the van. This cut down the models we were looking at quite a lot and we were able to focus a lot better.

Do you have this criteria? Or a fixed double bed at the back?

Can you store a large MH? or are you more looking at a panel van conversion?

Does your driving licence allow you to drive a vehicle over 3.5t (passed after Jan 1997 restricts to .5t)

The show season has just finished where you can get a good idea all in one place, the next one is at Shepton Mallet in January

http://www.stoneleisure.com/january-the-big-chill-2/

I recommend a good look around a show and see what takes your fancy.

I was convinced by researching on ebay and caravantrader (autotrader website) that I would love a model, when I saw it in the flesh though it was not right for us. We could easily compare vans from the shortlist all in one place and go back and forth.

If buying from a dealer, try to stay local. Motorhome dealers aren't like car dealers, they generally don't like to do warranty work on a van they haven't sold so you can be trailing around. The place I bought mine is my local dealer, still 70 miles from home though.


Ben

hioneday

many thanks Ben, it has given me some insight. I have been looking at the Swift Kontiki 640/6 but it has to be the older models as I only have about £10000 to spend. I have a caravan at the moment but have never had a motorhome before hence the reluctance to spend a lot of money. I will now have a look at the website you mentioned.Thank you once again.;)

Strider590

Oh no, not another motorhomo on the roads

iolanthe07

You won't get a hell of a lot for 10 grand, to be honest. Motorhomes are absurdly expensive for what they are and can quickly become money pits as they are basically commercial vehicles with spares and servicing prices commensurate. Why not hire one first to see if you like the life before committing yourself; it is not for everyone.

movilogo

Motorhomes are absurdly expensive

I think MHs are good value for money. You can get a new 4-berth MH for £35000. Many premium cars cost more than that!

blue_haddock

You will struggle to find a guide book for a motor home as it all depends on the quality of the conversion, the layout of the vehicle plus the usual car type things of age, condition and mileage.

lincroft1710

I've also been thinking of buying a MH. Loads on Ebay, Motorhome Trader and Gumtree £10K and under, but they tend to be 15 yrs old plus. Another MH site is http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/.

Actually viewing them in the flesh as opposed to looking at all the online interior/exterior photos, does give a different perspective.

grizzly1911

hioneday wrote: »

many thanks Ben, it has given me some insight. I have been looking at the Swift Kontiki 640/6 but it has to be the older models as I only have about £10000 to spend. I have a caravan at the moment but have never had a motorhome before hence the reluctance to spend a lot of money. I will now have a look at the website you mentioned.Thank you once again.;)

What has made you want to swap or is this in addition?


If you have conquered a caravan I would have thought that allows a good deal more flexibility, in life generally, than a motorhome.

Don't have a leaning either way just interested.

hioneday

Hi Grizzly, the MH is instead of a caravan, my husband had a health scare back in March and finds pushing and pulling a caravan around a bit too much. We feel that a MH will be easier for him.

rdwarr

Pre-2002 motorhomes are very cheap at the moment as they fall under the London Low Emissions Zone regulations from next year. This essentially means that you can't take one inside the M25 without paying a hefty charge of £100 per day (£200 if over 3.5 tonnes).. Good news if you don't live in London.