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Post by rhyds on Aug 8, 2019 11:11:37 GMT 1
My sister's decided that she wants to get a camper van. Now I've never been a fan of them, so I've not done much research.
Am I right in thinking that the main things to look for are:
1: A reasonably new and sensibly powered base vehicle like a Transit or Transporter? There's plenty of FIAT based stuff around, are these any good?
2: Check for rot, as vans aren't exactly the best in this area, and that's before you fit lots of extra kit?
3: Check the condition of the interior fittings (caravan style looking for dampness/abuse/rot)?
4: listen for driveline shunts and clonks and worn engines etc
Anything obvious I've missed? The only other thing I can see is that prices are flipping crazy for them, £10k+ for something nearly 20 years old!
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Post by upkeep on Aug 8, 2019 12:05:08 GMT 1
I cannot understand why you would spend so much on these things when the money would keep you in decent hotels for years.
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Post by rhyds on Aug 8, 2019 12:08:31 GMT 1
I cannot understand why you would spend so much on these things when the money would keep you in decent hotels for years. Don't ask me, I can't see the appeal either, or having to pack/unpack every time you move the van somewhere else during a holiday. I prefer to keep my Holiday Inn points account well stocked! I've suggested she may want to try renting one for a holiday first to try it out... |
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Post by Joepublic on Aug 8, 2019 12:10:08 GMT 1
My next door neighbours son has just bought a 14 plate sprinter with a 10k conversion for 12k. Sat tv, solar panels the lot. He’s a contractor and is fed up of paying for hotels in the week.
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Post by upkeep on Aug 8, 2019 12:31:38 GMT 1
My next door neighbours son has just bought a 14 plate sprinter with a 10k conversion for 12k. Sat tv, solar panels the lot. He’s a contractor and is fed up of paying for hotels in the week. That's different in that case it would make sense. |
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Post by rhyds on Aug 8, 2019 12:38:06 GMT 1
My next door neighbours son has just bought a 14 plate sprinter with a 10k conversion for 12k. Sat tv, solar panels the lot. He’s a contractor and is fed up of paying for hotels in the week. That's different in that case it would make sense. My sister's plan is, it seems, to chop in her and her husbands' cars (they live in a city and cycle most places so they don't get much use) and get a camper van for holidays/days out etc, but using it for the "car" jobs as well (shopping etc.) |
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Post by chippie on Aug 8, 2019 12:41:08 GMT 1
Rhyds,
Right on the money....
As a caravanner for more than 30 years, I think I can speak with some experience....
The checks you envisage are appropriate...but check the soft furnishings too....especially for odour...might indicate damp..
Is there any service history apart from the usual mot and mech checks, what about gas/elec services on the mh?
I guess it is pita when it comes to setting up/striking camp...you gotta take it all with you...
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Post by rhyds on Aug 8, 2019 13:03:30 GMT 1
Rhyds, Right on the money.... As a caravanner for more than 30 years, I think I can speak with some experience.... The checks you envisage are appropriate...but check the soft furnishings too....especially for odour...might indicate damp.. Is there any service history apart from the usual mot and mech checks, what about gas/elec services on the mh? I guess it is pita when it comes to setting up/striking camp...you gotta take it all with you... Thanks, what I tried to do in my mind was combine the checklist for a caravan (damp, services, equipment quality, roof/structural checks) with that for a normal van (rot, driveline shunt, abuse, more rot, adequate power for the load) and any other stuff. |
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huffo
Tea Maker
Posts: 243
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Post by huffo on Aug 8, 2019 17:09:16 GMT 1
If it wasn’t a camper van when it was first built, then check what it is recorded as on the V5. It is a little bit of a ball-ache to jump through the hoops to get a van re-classified as a motorhome. If it’s still registered as a van then it’s restricted to 60mph on dual carriageway, whereas a motor home is allowed to do 70mph.
Damp in the bodywork is less of an issue with campervans than caravans because the bodywork is steel rather than the plastic/timber composite that is used on caravans to keep the towing weight down.
Loads of couples who were into camping “upgrade” to campervans as they get older, richer and have kids. Loads go on to discover that campervans are very different to camping, and not necessarily in good ways. A lot of people fall out of love with campervans after a couple of years. We tried a VW T5 camper as our main family car and found it didn’t work for us. We sold up and bought a nice big tent instead.
Problems we found: campervans are bigger than cars and don’t easily fit in supermarket car parking spaces. Passengers and luggage have to go in the same space inside rather than luggage being safely hidden away in a separate load space. A campervan is relatively small for living inside compared to a tent. If you have a van and a tent you have the best and worst of both worlds. It is a pain to have to constantly convert the interior from sleeping space to cooking space to driving and back again. You have to wash-up and pack away before you can drive anywhere.
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Post by chippie on Aug 8, 2019 17:26:00 GMT 1
and thats the beauty of towing a caravan.......just jump in the car and go to the supermarket/cinema/place of natural beauty etc....no need to wrap everything up/put it all away....just limited to 60 mph....
I really like my caravan, its convenient for last minute breaks.....or for planned events....Went to the tractor fest at Newby Hall in June...had a great time..Went over to the Lakes for a couple of days, took a steam boat ride had a great time..Actually looking at getting a new caravan soon too.Could do with a smaller one, now there's just me and er-indoors...
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Post by remmington on Aug 8, 2019 18:20:37 GMT 1
and thats the beauty of towing a caravan.......just jump in the car and go to the supermarket/cinema/place of natural beauty etc....no need to wrap everything up/put it all away....just limited to 60 mph.... I really like my caravan, its convenient for last minute breaks.....or for planned events....Went to the tractor fest at Newby Hall in June...had a great time..Went over to the Lakes for a couple of days, took a steam boat ride had a great time..Actually looking at getting a new caravan soon too.Could do with a smaller one, now there's just me and er-indoors... I get the caravan thing - park up - days out in the car - trips to supermarket. Motorhome - it just does not work for me - every time you go any where - you gotta pack it up - they are a pig to park. Motorhomes are huge money - plus you gotta tax and insure - service and maintain them. Not a lot can go wrong with a caravan. I know some people don't like towing and car/caravan combinations cost lots of money of ferries. We have done a lot of camping on motorbikes - cycles - then as a family - I took are kids - now we take the grandchildren. Kids like camping in the middle of field. To me anything more than a two man tent is a waste. You spend a £100 - £300 on a small tent - they take seconds to pitch. I would not be spending £100k on a motorhome or an Airstream caravan - then still have to decant my pooh in a grey plastic container - I would be staying in a hotel. |
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Post by Joepublic on Aug 8, 2019 21:36:43 GMT 1
My next door neighbours son has just bought a 14 plate sprinter with a 10k conversion for 12k. Sat tv, solar panels the lot. He’s a contractor and is fed up of paying for hotels in the week. I just got to view inside it, I'd have no issues living in it. We've just been with his dad to view a VW T25 that's been stuck in a garage for 4 years, the engine mounted cam driven fuel pump wont draw fuel from the tank, but it runs if you pour fuel in the carb, I like it, maybe a little jealous, just maybe...... |
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Post by valhalla on Aug 8, 2019 23:17:07 GMT 1
I find that most camper vans are rot-boxes. They are vans that are a) past their best years, b) converted to a camper and "value" suddenly triples overnight, despite being just a van with some windows and bench seats, c) left sitting around from one year to the next, just waiting to go for a long trip at the next holiday, so they quietly moulder away instead of having a decent stream of air through and over them most weeks.
In fairness, I'm a bit biased against camper vans. That goes with the territory around here.... 
I will not work on camper vans any more. It's the only real "red line" I have in my workshop. I just don't like the owners expecting a "budget" service on a rust-riddled heap of trouble that should have been scrapped 10 years ago. Not a single previous encounter with campers has gone well!
The FIAT vans are the ones that seem to be more reliable than most on the campers I have observed around here. However, one thing your Sister will need to plan ahead for is whether she wants a long-term investment in van that might probably be a diesel-engined vehicle that no longer meets any emission criteria for the town in which she lives? A fair few are jumping on board the "diseasal" bandwagon, which also makes travelling into such towns a problem for the future.
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Post by valhalla on Aug 8, 2019 23:26:09 GMT 1
Anything obvious I've missed? The only other thing I can see is that prices are flipping crazy for them, £10k+ for something nearly 20 years old! 5. C**p electricals. Every camper has had bits and pieces strung together by people who don't do automotive electrical design (much), so they have silly fuseboxes underbonnet tacked-on with no real documentation to speak-of. All camper electrical add-ons look like they belong in your Greatgrandmother's 1920's semi, and generally have the accolade of making even Citroen wiring look quite competent!! |
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Post by remmington on Aug 9, 2019 21:45:16 GMT 1
Anything obvious I've missed? The only other thing I can see is that prices are flipping crazy for them, £10k+ for something nearly 20 years old! 5. C**p electricals. Every camper has had bits and pieces strung together by people who don't do automotive electrical design (much), so they have silly fuseboxes underbonnet tacked-on with no real documentation to speak-of. All camper electrical add-ons look like they belong in your Greatgrandmother's 1920's semi, and generally have the accolade of making even Citroen wiring look quite competent!! Lad I know - bought two high value Fiat motorhomes which have been fire damaged and were non starters - both have had portable BBQ's placed under the front bumper - mini fire up inner wing (where ECU's are fitted to Fiat vans). |
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