Are motorhomes value for moneyor a rip off ?

I have been reading many posts talking of poor workmanship by Auto Sleeper when folks have purchased a new van. Now new motorhomes start with some companies at around £38,000 and rise to well over a hundred thousand pounds now you could choose to buy a new car and a nice new caravan for around £24,000 and become a tugger.So are motorhomes good value for your hard earned money or are we the public being ripped off what do you think ?

Morning Shuggie

Think of something that isn't a rip-off if you consider it in a certain way?

The short answer to your question (in my opinion) is that we motorhomers are buying a unique lifestyle, and it's difficult to put a value on that. The van itself could be considered as simply a means to an end, and like most other commodities there are some good, some bad and some downright ugly.

I think we probably are being ripped off quite often, to a greater or lesser degree, but most of us obviously think it's worth it since we value so highly the freedom it gives us to "do our own thing" on holiday.

Just a thought before my second cup of morning coffee!

Dave


P.S. My coffee cup is half full!!

I was once told that to get value for money out of something you had to get it down to £1.00 per use.  In that case, we better get out there and get on with it ... happy camping 

Hi there,

Surely, any product sold for the purposes of "leisure"can be classed as a rip-off because there is no way of carrying out a "Cost v. Benefit" analysis.

I give you Golf as an example.

They get apparently normal people to pay enormous amounts of money to join a "Club" whereby the "Members" knock a small ball around a grass covered field with a variety of sticks; with the sole purpose of getting the small ball into a hole.

There are lots and lots of silly Rituals and Regulations that surround these "Clubs".  They are designed to ensure that only "nice" and "gullible" people can join.

My favourite tale with regard to this aspect is the one where a Greenskeeper sued the Captain of a Club after being injured on the job.  The Greenskeeper won his case, the Club Captain was held responsible; and bankrupted as a result of the compensation awarded to the Greenskeeper.

It was at this stage the the Club Committee pointed out that "bankrupts" were not allowed to be a Member of the Club and asked for the Captain's resignation!  (A true story by the way.)

Because some people aren't very good at this pointless pastime they have a "Handicap" system whereby the "not very good at knocking a small ball into a hole" people can play alongside the "very good at knocking a small ball into a hole" people; and pretend that they can "win".

In no other activity does anyone class this as an "achievement".  Ironically, they have "Handicap" races with horses; which probably have the same IQ level as golfers!

As if the mere fact of exclusive "Clubs", ridiculous "Rituals and Regulations" and "Handicaps" weren't enough, golfers have to wear attire that makes them look the part.  i.e. they have to dress as if they are out of work clowns touting for business.

Anyone who thinks that a pink shirt worn with bright yellow checked trousers and white tessellated shoes look good, merely demonstrates that they are many sandwiches short of a picnic!

Motorhomes a "Rip-Off"?  Not compared to many other "leisure activities".  

I rest my case!  

Best regards,

Motor homes compared to other pastimes are not as expensive as first thought, in my case an older motor home of a very good make / build and a superb base vehicle I consider money well spent and definitely not a rip off, would I go new, no not even if I won the lottery, which I have never done anyway, from all accounts  quality has gone down hill so to me that could be a rip off. jmho.

What price do we put on pleasure ? When Motorcycle racing I spent 34K building a bike and that was not as much as many. Hell we had fun and in comparison motor homes are cheap !

Onr thing MHs do is hold residual values extremely well so that is some consolation ?

Hi,
The original question was are they value fo money? My personal opinion is that they are grossly overpriced. When the t4 was being replaced by the t5 the t4 was available for£10,000, a manufacturer was advertising a new pop top t4 for £30,000, justify the £20,000 difference.
Chris

chrisvesey wrote:Hi,
The original question was are they value fo money? My personal opinion is that they are grossly overpriced. When the t4 was being replaced by the t5 the t4 was available for£10,000, a manufacturer was advertising a new pop top t4 for £30,000,  justify the £20,000 difference.
Chris

The VWs are all about the base vehicles. It more an image or lifestyle thing than about the MH its self.. They make silly money and as long as there are folk willing to pay prices will stay high. 

Rip off ? Value for money ? Well beauty is in the eye and pocket of the beholder..

Hi,
It still doesn't justify a price of £20,000 to kit out from a base vehicle, and this was some years ago,
Chris

Why ? If someone will pay someone will take it .. 

Obviously you don't see the value or look though the same rose tinted glasses some do and neither do I !! Justification on many items is a hard word to define.

I consider VW to be the best whatever others may say, many times I have been stopped and the guy has said wow a VW cannot beat that, also when a dealer offers nearly the amount I paid from another dealer it did make me think, he said I really want your van, this was in part exchange for  a Peugeot Auto-sleeper MH , I declined, everyone has their favourites , I get good mpg a car like drive and it is quiet. no rust .so very happy with mine, my second one.

A yacht is a motorhome that floats, take up sailing and you will see what a rip off is!

groundhog wrote:A yacht is a motorhome that floats, take up sailing and you will see what a rip off is!

I think it was former PM Ted Heath who described ocean racing as ....

Golf..... Ian.. you d'make I larf !!!
My perspective is that everything falls into only 2 catagories - that which is essential and that which is nice to have.  Essentials must be sourced now and are usually competitively priced or direct comparisons are possible.  That which is nice to have is usually a rip off and is discretional spending so is not really necessary.  Motorhoming for me falls into the later catagory, sometimes I know I'm being ripped off but I smile and accept it because I choose to. There are other ways to waste money.
Richard Branson was once asked how to make a million from and airline, he replied something like  ... buy a plane with 10 milion and wait..
Rich..

I've always had and still do have a soft spot for A.S. but like you, Shuggie, I am astounded when I read the catalogue of faults that our members suffer.      I had a browse at Perthshire caravans at the weekend and they have a good cross section of A.S at the moment, starting at a tenner under 45 grand.   A lot of money so there should be no faults.

A couple of months ago, at Knowepark, Livingston, I had a chat with one of the senior salesmen and we were talking Hymers...  unheard of to have a fault on their pre-customer delivery check, and very seldom a post sales complaint.    This was not a sales pitch, just of couple of senior guys talking shop.

I've always bought privately secondhand low mileage and feel I always had value for money.     When I sold a previous van for 16 grand to a dealer and saw it retailing at 26 grand, I did have a think.   It would have been a great buy for someone privately, from me, but I didn't have time on my side.

The arguments   -  motorhomes -v- caravans are well documented everywhere.    It's each to his own.

regards   Bob

Are we being ripped off ?   Easy answer is yes, but....

We are ripped off with most luxury items that we buy, however overall, with the ups and downs of motorhome ownership, my life has certainly been enriched as an owner and I have experienced my best family holidays and will treasure those memories for a lifetime.
That's not something I could ever put a price tag on.

To compare the costs of motorhoming to caravanning, you have to make like for like comparisons and cannot compare a £100k+ motorhome to a £24k car and caravan.

A luxury RR Vogue towing a luxury Vanmaster caravan for example (which I have seen on site) could be around the £80k mark and certainly more than the tag axle Bessie motorhome I owned before the Bolero I've just sold.

Generally motorhomes will be more expensive, but not always by the margins suggested.

I have experience of caravans 30+ years and 3years of a MH, I prefer the MH by a long way, why? earlier this year went to the Appleby Horse Fair stayed on a C&CC site very nice too, spent one day going round he lakes 200 miles then had to travel back to camp, if in MH could have stopped at the lakes, cheaper on fuel for one thing and a more comfortable journey, so  in my view MH works out cheaper,

Motor homes keep their value not so caravans or cars, so imho MH`s still not a rip off .

If money no object and if it was possible, a monocoque  body with the layout of the Inca and a VW base 2.5tdi I don`t want much , as that will not materialise I am more than happy with the Anniversary Clubman.

Shuggiegreen wrote:I have been reading many posts talking of poor workmanship by Auto Sleeper when folks have purchased a new van. Now new motorhomes start with some companies at around £38,000 and rise to well over a hundred thousand pounds now you could choose to buy a new car and a nice new caravan for around £24,000 and become a tugger.So are motorhomes good value for your hard earned money or are we the public being ripped off what do you think ?

Two points here.
1) rip off is slang for steal. You buy with open eyes and pays your money knowingly.
2) Prices are high from new ,and in my mind not good value.Far better to take your time and buy pre-owned.Its then possible to keep depreciation low over your ownership.
The quality aspect from new is still disappointing for a high value product.

Regards

Micky

I agree the quality aspect has definitely gone down hill, doesn`t reflect in the price though, so possibly new is not such a good buy.

If you think MH are a rip off, how about model steam engines, the smallest £7000 up to £70,000 plus at least we can travel in our MH`s .

hi saw this from aug,15 i bought my first motorhome autosleeper symthony 1997
in nov, for £8000 inside spotless e,thing worked new heater fitted  last year
elderly couple owned it had done only 3000miles in 4 years any way i have now spent
 £2000 that includes all welding undersealing new tyres full service battery tv ht leads seloniod
dashboard kit new decals bits bobs etc, first time out 5days fantastic i dont regret for one minute
what i have spent or cost me as at 70 i can look to all the adventure,s i will have in coming years
i might not have a lot left in the bank but you cant take it with you so value for money i say yes

Although motorhomes are expensive to buy, they do hold their value well. The initial purchase price is not the true "cost" of having the motorhome. The actual cost is the purchase price minus sale price (plus the running expenses). On that basis, I feel that they are good value for money provided, of course, that you get plenty of use and enjoyment out of them.

Definitely worth the money my first a 2002 Topaz bought for £17,500 in 2012 sold for £19,000 14 months later then bought the 2003 Anniversary Clubman , both were / are cheaper to run than my car,  lot cheaper on the road tax, insurance cheaper and more than twice the mpg so no brainer for me,  I use it in place of my car, so still have maintenance, i.e.  tyres/batteries and  cambelt, which I would have had with  my car anyway, so anything else I have paid out for are in my eyes luxuries I could have done without , like reupholstered and LED`s, just nice to have, as it is my hobby, a lot cheaper than some hobbies. it still has only 16,250 on the clock so not run in yet. As it is paid for doesn`t really owe me anything and have been offered £22,000 by a dealer for it.

How on earth did an economical way of having a holiday morph into such an expensive "leisure activity"?
We have always camped either in tents or wagons because we couldn't afford hotel holidays. We have loved every minute of it and have found it the only way of really seeing and experiencing a foreign country and culture and we will carry on as long as we are able to. However the price of new and even used wagons is becoming prohibitive.
Do we really need the facilities of a luxury apartment on wheels? I don't think a lot of us do but that is what is being marketed to keep the prices up. It's called "perceived added value" and consists of selling more than the customer maybe wants but making it seem a good idea and thus increasing profits.
I do appreciate that we may be out of step here and that a lot of people do want that extra luxury when travelling and the sector caters well for their requirements at a price but not one we would pay.
Just sleeping, relaxing, basic cooking&eating and wc are all we need to do in the wagon. The rest of our time is spent out and about enjoying our holiday. That's the whole point isn't it?

I agree,  that is why I have an older van, couldn`t cope with the up to the minute gadgetry, more to go wrong, I like easy and simple,  as long as it comfortable, warm, dry has heating, cooking facilities, a comfy bed and most important a loo / shower, that is all I want, I haven`t the luxury of electric windows or mirrors, how ancient is that ? must admit electric windows would be good as on my  own difficult to open / close from drivers seat handy for the dog mainly. don`t need air conditioning,  I can open the windows lounge, manage well on battery sometimes with EHU no need for solar panels.
It is still sheer luxury to a tent. which I appreciate.