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Hi everyone. I am new to the site and as my heading states extremely confused. My partner and I are looking to buy our first motorhome. It will have to be preowned. We need space for two Bearded collies so do like the idea of a lounge at one end or the other so the dogs can be there whilst any cooking is going on. Obviously if the weather is good they can be outside but this has to be a consideration.
We have looked at a 05 plate Autoquest with rear lounge, 8000 miles £19,000. It is being sold through a car dealer. There is a door seal come loose and a little delaminating of cupboards which he as promised to fix. It will have 12 months warranty, mot, tax etc he as promised all hook ups, batteries etc but then you know car salesmen and as I am a woman they automatically think I believe everything! I have looked under the lounge seats for signs of damp and it feels firm to the touch. I have jumped on the floor as suggested and it does appear ok. Under the front wheel arches they are very clean and no rust. Looking down the body work it appears straight. Anything I should be aware of please?
We have also looked at a CI Cusona. Was a little put off by the grill rather that oven. The motorhome dealer said he would put us a proper cooker in. Liked the seperate shower, I am a little confused about the wet rooms in vans, do you have to dry everything down because surely to use the toilet all surfaces will be wet through? Wasnt over keen on the navy upholstery but really feel the layout will work.
There is a 2001 IH Savannah Gold for sale with 39,000 at £16,000 and our friends love there IH van and have been around Europe in it. We have also the chance of buying this van from my friends it is an IH Savannah 1999 with 68,000 miles at a good price. They havent discussed the price yet becuase I said we wouldnt buy till next year but said they wouldnt want anything near £16k for theirs. They are retiring from vanning. It has lots of extras and they have had it from 6 months old. I know this van will have no problems and will have everything to go. The owner would really rather sell it to someone he knows than get the best possible price.
Just to add to this we are in our forties and both still work so the van will be used for long weekends and holidays. My Partner is reluctant to buy an old van for the same price as a newer coachbuilt. What are your thoughts on fibreglass bodies as apposed to a van conversion. My thoughts are maybe to buy our friends until we retire and then upgrade to something newer and then financially it wont depreciate as much.
There you go! Told you I was confused.
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The only advise i could give is buy a van from a from a reputable dealer,i certainly wouldnt bother buying off a used car site,who is going to do any necessary repair work for him......its a buyers market,take your time and dont be afraid to ask for advice.
There is a 2001 IH Savannah Gold for sale with 39,000 at £16,000 and our friends love there IH van and have been around Europe in it. We have also the chance of buying this van from my friends it is an IH Savannah 1999 with 68,000 miles at a good price. They havent discussed the price yet becuase I said we wouldnt buy till next year but said they wouldnt want anything near £16k for theirs. They are retiring from vanning. It has lots of extras and they have had it from 6 months old. I know this van will have no problems and will have everything to go. The owner would really rather sell it to someone he knows than get the best possible price.
Much better the devil you know so I think that you have answered your own question, this route could potentially save you a lot of angst if you are prepared to wait.
Clive
If I was in your situation I would visit as many Motorhome dealers as I could locally and look in their second hand vans - even those that are beyond your budget, as this will give you a good insight into the many different layouts and hopefully various likes and dislikes will become obvious, thus making your final choice clearer.
We bought our Autotrail Cheyenne earlier this year having gone round in circles for 12 months. We started by wanting an RV, but were put off primarily by running costs and the condition of those that we could afford.
So we turned to caravans only to discover that our Volvo S60 wasn't heavy enough to tow the caravans that we liked, not to mention the hassle involved with caravans
Then we saw sense and started to look seriously at Motorhomes, travelling to dealers far and wide to research the possibilities. We saw a fairly new, less than 1,000 miles Cheyenne in Sussex, but it only had 2 seatbelts when we wanted 3. The dealer said he would let us know the cost of adding a belted captain's chair, but never got back to us, so we crossed him off the list
We saw some lovely Hymers (yes, sorry, I know ), Hobby's, Rapidos, Burstners etc. etc. but nothing was quite like the Cheyenne with its rear bathroom and enclosed bedroom with proper door In the end we found one in Kent, just like the one in Sussex, but with 4 belts and lots of extras. Cheaper too!
The point of this ramble is that we ignored everything that wasn't at a specialist dealer. As newbies we wanted reliable and knowledgeable pre and after-sales support.
So look everywhere, read up as much as you can and, just like marriage, ask yourself can you live together for a long time
Take the time to look about but remember you will never tick all the boxes, not unless you've got a blank cheque book.
At this time of year dealers are going to try to offload before the cold weather sets in REGARDLESS of the BS they give you about other people being interested and how they are happy to hang onto it until next spring.
Be cheeky, find one you like and offer them a couple of thou less. Being refused isn't going to cost you anything and if they accept, it's a years insurance, 5 tanks of fuel and a dvd/tv player for free
All the things you like about a MH will still thrill you when you use it later - the niggles are soon fogotten (and we all have niggles with our MHs).
Friends of our spend months and months looking for things and, to be honest, I think life is a bit short to get too anal about the minutest of details.
Hi Chris whilst i agree fully with all previous advice there are good private sellers of second hand m/hs on this site,Although you dont get and all singing and dancing sales pitch i can only vouch for myself as i am attempting to sell my m/h and i know it is good value and is in excellent condition the point i am trying to make is there are a lot of good honest people out there selling m/hs i must add very reluctantly for me (health reasons) just thought i would add another slant to the topic hope it helps JAKS
But most of all I would advise you to slow down before making your choice. Buy one or two of the Mortorhome magazines in your local magazine shop. They usually have lots of advertisements - trades as well as private.
Spend a couple of Saturdays visiting motorhome dealers. Dealers will have a selection of new and second hand motorhomes on site that you can go into and have a good look at.
Check out the different layouts available and try to imagine which layout would suit your needs - with the dogs etc. Note that there are advantages and disadvantages with each layout. You will also get used to the standard to expect from various second hand vans and roughly what price you can expect to pay for vans of different age.
Talk and listen to some of the sales staff. Of course they will try and sell you something that they have but listen to what they say ... you do NOT have to buy what they are recomending.
If you meet other motorhomers who have experience it is worth listening to what they have to say - but what is good for them is not necessarily good for you so listen objectively.
Read as much as you can - on this site, on other motorhome sites, in magazines
Basically this is research, research, research!!!
Eventually the fog lifts - choices will start to become clearer. You can get a list of requirements for you and a list of mortorhomes that might fit the bill
BTW - the perfect motorhome doesn't exist but with a lot of research you can get one that closely suits your needs
This looking around and building up your knowledge is part of the fun of motorhoming - don't be afraid to take your time and put in the effort
As far as choosing a who to buy from ... well I bought from a reputable dealer. I am not good at DIY and fixing mechanical things myself. I need the support of a dealer. I would be wary of buying from an ordinary garage because they are unlikely to have the expertise to maintain / fix something should it go wrong. Buying privately is a minefield unless you know the person and the history of the vehicle.
Welcome to the site and best of luck with your quest and let us all know how you get on.
Thank you very much for your replies, lots to think about. We are already subscribers of Practical Motorhome and have got tickets to the NEC so we have lots of research to do still. Good point Drifter about the DIY thing, we are not DIY savvy either.
I am sure I will be back with more questions and really appreciate your answers, thanks.
Can't agree more about doing your research, visit as many dealers you can to get an idea of layouts.
Things to consider - do you want a separate shower? Do you want a fixed bed or are you happy to make your bed up each night? Do you want to be climbing onto the roof in a howling gale and lashing rain to access something in a top box or is there enough accessible storage space available so you don't have to do so? All these things and more need to be considered.
When you think you've decided on a suitable MH be cheeky and make sure you fit in the shower, can sit down easily on the toilet, can get in and out of the bed ok, that the bed's big enough for you both - after all you've got to live with it once you own it.
You also need to think about the availability of spares for older MH's.
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), Hobby's, Rapidos, Burstners etc. etc. but nothing was quite like the Cheyenne with its rear bathroom and enclosed bedroom with proper door 
In the end we found one in Kent, just like the one in Sussex, but with 4 belts and lots of extras. Cheaper too!
