The Experience of Buying a Used Camper Van

I have just joined the ranks of camper van owners and am very much looking forward to taking many journeys in 'Pumpkin' (the name the previous owner bestowed on her).

Our journey so far has been troubled though, and I thought that telling the story, as it develops, may help others when they are considering buying a used van.

In our case we had been talking about getting a van for over 10 years, but eventually, because we got fed up with the poor state of the cottages we rented and the rooms and service we got in overpriced hotel rooms, decided to bite the bullet.

Now I am a bit impetuous and bought the first one that we saw in our price range...

This is the first thing I would say to anyone, DON'T BE IMPETUOUS at least unless you know ‘your onions’ back to front.

The second thing we did wrong was to let the owners go over the van with us and not get anytime to ourselves. You would do this if you were buying a house, so why did we not….?

So, second thing, make sure that after they have gone over the layout etc with you, ask for some time to poke about by yourself. That way, you will come across obvious things (like we missed) of having a hole in the shower tray, which was covered by a mat…..

The third thing is to have a GOOD test drive. I was amazed when I was talking to a dealer about test drives, he seemed to think that it was not important at all?? In our case we did have a drive, and all seemed OK, but we should have gone for a longer one, as that would have showed up the potential first gear change issue.

The Fourth thing, and this is hard to say (and will upset some) is that you cannot really afford to believe a word the seller tells you. With hindsight (it is marvellous isn’t it) I should have been more wary, but I had the ‘camper van virus’ and I thought the van was too good to miss.

So I took what they said as gospel.

So, unless you know what you are talking about, don’t take the sellers word…

All of this looks totally obvious (and makes me look a bit stupid) but I am pleased to relate the story as it unfolds, in the hope that it will help others in the future.

So far we have found

The hole in the shower tray

That the gearbox may be faulty (the old water in the box issue perhaps?)

That there is a leak by one of the windows (This is a good one, as there was an  odd mark on the fabric, this being ‘explained away’ as (a) the extra heater had burnt it a bit and (b) someone  must have left something damp in the overhead locker.

I ask you, should anyone have fallen for that. Just goes to show what you can get away with when you say things with a smile on your face…

We also know that it needs some welding, but we did get £1,000 off the price for that…

Our next step is to try to fix the gear change issue, using all the neat ideas to supplied by other really helpful forum members. If it still is bad, then it’s to the garage to have a look see..

After that, its to a local motorhome workshop to get the welding (and now the leak) looked at…

Could end up being expensive, but at least we have some money put aside, as we did not expect to get a perfect van (when you are buying something 19 years old, you expect things to go wrong).

I will keep all posted on what happens next.

Best advice I can give so far is ‘don’t believe what a crocodile tells you, just because it is smiling’…. 

Thanks - it's a good summary of things to watch for.

However, one thing that you have to account for is the viewpoint of the seller. These days I would not leave a prospective buyer alone in my van to "have a poke around" because I know from past experience that they can break things if they don't understand how they work, or leave things switched on that they then don't tell you about, and that occasionally they will steal things (this has actually happened to me when selling a car). A prospective buyer is more than welcome to have a good look at anything they want, but if it's my van, I'll be watching them!

And I agree about the need for a good, long test drive, but some sellers don't. When I bought my last secondhand van, the seller refused to let me drive it, unless I paid for insurance specifically for his van (the third party cover that my existing policy document said I had was not enough). The only solution to that - which cost me a significant amount of money - was to pay for an RAC inspection - in which case the person doing the inspection has to drive their van.

I fully agree - it's a minefield. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't!

A cautionary tale indeed.

The problem is that not all sellers are charlatans. Some that have been sold recently via this forum will have had a known provenance and sellers who have cared for their vans like they would a baby. 

In fact in such cases often the thing works in reverse and sellers don't achieve the large premiums that their care and devotion should attract.

If I'd walked away from my current van and left it on the dealer's forecourt I wouldn't have had to spend nearly £4,000 fettling it over 15 months and the roller coaster ride that represents. However I'd have missed the challenge that I've been through and the joy of getting something more than a decade old back to near new  condition.

We had our 09 Nuevo EK es up for sale locally back in 2013/14,, I let a few would be purchasers have a wee look around the van, it wasn't until late in the day that I noticed all the cooker knobs and fridge travel lock was missing, nothing's much I know, but spares cost a fortune and time to locate .
Boaby

Some very good points here indeed.

I too am hoping to have some 'fun' sorting all this out and hope that from my experiences (and those of others) that we can come up with a good 'checklist' of things to look out for and do / not do.

This may already be around, but either way, I hope to help others, just as everyone on the forum is doing.

More next week...

Check MoT history online
Don't rely on MoT but use it to help guide you.
My van's exhaust snapped off at the silencer box just 10 days after collection, it was only hanging on by a thin thread of steel, the rest had rusted through.
Check all tyre dates, two f mine were 10 years old.
Make sure a leisure battery is actually on board and connected.
Get MOT advisories done before collection
Get faulty light fittings replaced before collection
Check cab aircon is actually chilling and continues to chill.
Check van springs haven't snapped
Check suspension and steering joints aren't worn.
Check brake pads and discs aren't worn and handbrake operates on both rear wheels.

Quite a number of those issues should have been brought up by an MOT but it passed.

steamdrivenandy wrote:A cautionary tale indeed.

The problem is that not all sellers are charlatans. Some that have been sold recently via this forum will have had a known provenance and sellers who have cared for their vans like they would a baby. 

In fact in such cases often the thing works in reverse and sellers don't achieve the large premiums that their care and devotion should attract.

How true. And what i'd add to the op's post for buyers is to be realistic and be prepared to travel.

Having recently sold my van after months of shenanigans i've been amazed at the brazen cheek of some "buyers". One guy walked away after telling me he'd spotted the front o/s brake caliper had a leak. I doubted this as it had only gone through an MOT two month prior but was concerned enough to call the testing station who told me to bring the van down so they could have a look. A mechanic removed the wheel and yes....you guessed it, totally bone dry with no brake fluid leak. They even removed the pads to check there was no leak around the piston. Another spent the entire afternoon nit picking over the most ludicrous things...pin striping faded/broken up in places or a sliding window a bit stiff. Even tried to suggest the toilet cassette was full.....until i told him 1) it wasn't and 2) i'd prove to him. I'd simply put clean water in so everyone could see the electric flush pump worked.

As the van owner for almost nine years i knew everything which had gone into my van and only too happy to show buyers, not to mention i had all receipts. No dealer can give you that degree of information.

Quite why any serious buyer would want "time alone" i'm not sure as each time i've been to look over a van i wanted the seller there to answer any questions. If a couple wanting to discuss price then once again, a good idea for the seller to be present if serious about making an offer.

The guy that bought, i just knew straight away was serious. No messing, wanted the van and had come with hefty cash deposit.

There are, of course, pro's and con's to buying privately and through a dealer. 

With a dealer you have legally backed redress, though many try and wriggle out of their liabilities and aren't to be trusted. Usually, apart from any paperwork you have no clue about how well or how badly a van has been cared for.

On private sales you have no legal redress  but the owner should be able to fill in any queries you have about maintenance and how things work.

It's amazing how little many dealers know about the products they're selling, even ones we're they're an appointed dealership for new vans.

I have bought Topaz privately, good experience,  excellent van sold privately

Clubman      dealer       good            recommended     sold privately  forum member

Amethyst     dealer        excellent      recommended      sold privately  forum member

Topaz          dealer        dodgy    not  recommended   but had the van I wanted, turns out to be a very
                                                                                                                                         good van

Hampshire     dealer       excellent      highly recommended

Suppose the moral is do your homework before you go to dealers, know what you are looking for, take a damp meter use especially in corners under seats / windows.

Know what you can put right, and what you can`t so that is an added expense, negotiate price if that is the case.

Good luck to any body looking for a van, Dealers will say Auto-sleepers are the best of the British built vans, although I stand back from the hewer models. JMHO

In our van I put some frozen bread into one of the lockers , and this has marked a small area where the packet condensated. So it can happen

First issue solved, the gear change issue being fixed.

I did this by adjusting the clutch. The problem appears to be that the lock nut was not tight, which had allowed the clutch to slowly wind out so that it bit just above the floor.

All better now and the gear change is now fine.

Still have the damp issue and the shower tray to fix.

As to the rust (that I was told about) I am going to have the van checked next week...

Wish me luck !!

Good luck, will be worth it in the end,

As having just gone through this same process of buying our first van, I recognise many of the points you mention, and can sympathise with the challenges. Buying a van of this vintage (15-20 years old) is a different ball game to something much newer, and consequently demands a different approach.

For what it's worth, I would say that you do your homework thoroughly, and then focus in on the model and make that suits your envisaged purposes, and you'll need to look at a good number before you commit. This Forum is also a great source of experience-based advice for us Newbies.

But a lot of the same principles apply when buying any secondhand vehicle of this vintage.

When you get to the viewing stage, check the MOT history first, and see if this tallies with the condition alleged by the owner.

When viewing, I found it useful to think of the base van and the camper element as two separate things. Look over the van and do all the routine mechanical checks separately, and then move on to the camper and the facilities. I prioritized the van first, as I am more comfortable with that part, but ultimately you won't be going camping anywhere if the van is not up to scratch, now matter how good the interior is. I suspect this where many first-timers could get caught out. It is easy to be charmed by a pristine interior, but it could be sat on a worn out motorised 'collander'. For me, this meant taking the overalls and asking the owner if I could have a good look underneath, this alone took 15 minutes or so. I'm pleased to say that we hit it off with the owner and he seemed satisfied that we were genuine and serious buyers by this stage.

Although I am not a mechanic by trade, I do most of my own maintenance and repairs on our vehicles, and have done since the days when you had to, because you couldn't afford to pay a garage. This comes in very handy when checking any vehicle over.

Some mechanical knowledge is very useful, and I would not want to be solely reliant on the word of any seller, trade or private, but I realise that this can be a difficulty, so maybe you have an experienced friend that could perform that function?

But, in any event, it seems to me that with any purchase, a degree of luck is also needed. You can scrutinise the van and the owner/seller, for hours but it can still be easy to miss something. Don't ask me how I know this!

Prioritise the checklist, with the faults that would potentially cost the most to repair. 
Definitely test drive it, not necessarily for 50 miles, but a minimum of 10, I would say.
Ask for a some time alone with it, if feasible. The response from the seller might betray a clue as to whether they are concerned to conceal something. If you are polite and well presented why wouldn't he/she be happy for you to be alone with it, afterall, it's your money that they're hoping to relieve you of. Don't be surprised if they don't want to leave you with the keys though.

I always prefer to buy privately, if possible. When I have bought vehicles from dealers in the past I have invariably been disappointed, and paid over the odds when  compared with a privet sale. They do have their overheads to cover of course.

In my experience of car buying over the decades, the private seller can provide at least the history since they have owned it. If it's a trade seller, ask if it was a trade-in or bought from an auction. I personally would not buy something that has come from an auction, just ask yourself why it got there. But, to be fair even the seller may not be aware of any major issues. Of course the same could also apply with a trade-in.

When it comes to substantiating any issues, cut to the chase with the owner and ask directly, "is there anything that doesn't work", and "is there anything that needs attention". Unless the owner is a bare-faced liar, or hasn't used the van for some considerable time, this  should reveal any issues needing attention. Of course, there may be something they are not aware of, but if you have also checked the vehicle over yourself and satisfied you've been thorough enough, then you have probably gone as far as you can. There is clearly always an element of risk, and luck too. If it's a dealer, and they're offering a warranty, rather than asking what the warranty covers, ask them what it doesn't cover. This puts them on the spot to an extent, and they have to be careful to explain any exclusions, otherwise it will taken as read that anything not mentioned is definitely covered.

Vehicles of this age will always need some jobs doing, so although you don't want to buy a pile of someone else's problems, don't expect to find as-new condition either.  Maybe they are problems you can fix yourself rather than having to pay someone else? Getting to know your camper is half the fun, surely?

A really interesting discussion so firstly thanks to gb1957 for the original posting and the "full disclosure."

I have also purchased a similar aged Harmony in the past month and I recognise many of the points made. It wasn't the first one I looked at and I'd missed a few during the summer and I only wanted petrol as I don't like diesel. Then I homed in on one on the forecourt of a broker. I paid a fully refundable deposit of £2k and then spent £180 on an engineer's report from Scotia. They did a great job and as well as the written report I had a one hour call with the inspector. He was quite complimentary about the vehicle but had found some rust and a stiff gearbox. I spoke to my mechanic and he costed up what it would cost. I went back to the broker and tried to haggle based on the report but there was no interest in reducing the price at all so I backed out (and he returned my £2k). So, £180 down I carried on looking and then got interested in one at the other end of the country to me with very low mileage and an excellent MOT history (which was helpful throughout my searching). It also had an invoice for a replacement (diesel) gearbox (in a petrol van). This was a broker selling through a car garage. Instead of an engineer this time I gave a £1k credit card deposit and they agreed to MOT it (externally), do the cam belt and a hab check. Once that had all been done (and it passed with no advisories) I travelled down for a test drive. It seemed fine and I saw the hab check with a few jobs to do (leisure battery, waste tap, water tank tap and gas burner on hob). I bought it subject to those but getting them done dragged on and in the end I went back and collected it with the burner still to do (part on order etc). What I missed on the hab check was that the water heater was ticked (but had "not tested" in brackets). I should have spotted that as I think I have some problems with it and have read the helpful posts about this on the forum. I've also had problems with some of the work the hab check person had done (leaky taps etc).

I drove it 560 miles home and it drove well, though a problem that still niggles me is the lack of power under load on gradients. Otherwise it cruises at 60-70 on flat / downhill motorways quite happily! I haven't changed the plugs yet so that is the next job. My mechanic blames the different ratios in the diesel box as being part of the uphill problem

We haven't overnighted in it yet as I've been tidying it generally and I've been fixing an e-bike rack (separate post will follow on that).....and it remains to be seen if the extra weight will keep me firmly anchored at the bottom of the hill. 

Still got to fix that water heater too....actually it looks as if it may be covered by the warranty they gave me...though not sure what they'll make of the not tested statement.

Generally I think my experience bears out much of the advice and experience given above. I do think that trying to do as much yourself as possible helps learn all the wrinkles. 

So, no great advice...but I'm buoyed by the similar experiences and shared advice here, thanks all.

Many thanks for all the responses to my initial post. I do hope that the shared experiences will help others.

At the moment, my take on the matter is that buying a campervan, especially one that is 20 years old or more, is one that is fraught with dangers. This should not necessarily put people off, but I would hope make them a bit more wary (and more than I was).

I totally agree with exmoorcamper, in that it is vital not to be 'dazzled' but any one thing, like the interior, those lovely seat covers, the new tyres or a clean MOT come to that. Everything must be OK, and that can be quite a tall order (especially if you have limited funds).

There is also no doubt that it really helps if you have some mechanical skills, or even some good home DIY ones, as you will be better able to see what is wrong. If you are like me and have no technical skills at all, getting a van checked over by an independant expert looks like a really good investment, no matter what the age. it may not allow you to negotiate a reduced price, but at least you will go into the deal with your eyes wide open.

For my part, I decided that the van was worth £11,000 so buying it for £9,000 allowed me to spend £2000 on it before I felt 'hard done by' or that I made the 'wrong decision'. I also think, that no matter how good a van is when you buy it, the chances of something going wrong in the first few months of ownership are high. This means you should always have some money spare to put these right, in other words, it might be best not to spend all of the money you have put aside on a van just to get it on your drive...

So far, I may have sorted the leak, the BIG issue being how much the welder will charge to put the MOT advisories right. Know more on this on Friday..

Hope this is all helping

Graham

Just an update for anyone following this little adventure...

I've just got back from my friendly welding man, and he has checked over the van....

Basically, he has seen a lot worse (old VW's apparently being the worst) and reckons that, for the most part, it could be left. However, if we want to keep it going, some work will be needed in the next year.

SO, I am going to get it all done, cost about £1200, which is fine as I have £2,000 put aside for 'repairs'.

HOWEVER, there is also the matter of the leaking window. So far my efforts at sealing it, have led to nought. Will try again, but then it will be down to finding someone to fix it....

Overall, things are going OK, but it is a journey fraught with danger, there being lots of Trolls and Goblins hiding under rocks and bridges...

If it's like my previous van, that £1200 will be money well spent. I spent almost exactly the same amount to have my previous (Transit-based) van welded, and a few other things such as a new rear bumper as the old one was rusty. In total I spent £2000, and it added around £6000 to its value (because with rust holes in the side panel under the Carver water heater it was almost unsaleable, except to the "bodge it and resell" end of the trade).

But in defence of old VWs - they may be rusty, but a Transit of the same age would have disintegrated and been scrapped years earlier!

I bought my VW Trident privately.  Mainly all was well BUT I should have tested the fridge which did not work (the seller must have known this) it cost a lot to replace after a lot of hassle and great advice on here.  I am now thinking of selling it after 8 happy years as at my age I would like a little more luxury.

India Hannaford wrote:I bought my VW Trident privately.  Mainly all was well BUT I should have tested the fridge which did not work (the seller must have known this) it cost a lot to replace after a lot of hassle and great advice on here.  I am now thinking of selling it after 8 happy years as at my age I would like a little more luxury.

When i bought my van the seller had no gas so i couldn't see if the fridge fired up. Anyway the van was in top notch condition so had no hesitation in buying but on arriving home with it i found out why he had no bottled gas onboard. The igniter didn't work! It didn't cost much to fix.

Hello I am Warickman I am on my 3rd Autosleeper and belong to the Autosleeper club but not been on this forum this the only place I can find to introduce my self hope this is it cheers

I'll welcome you here but the correct section is here...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Many members won't see you here unless they follow this thread, so maybe do an intro in the section above.

Warwickman wrote:Hello I am Warickman I am on my 3rd Autosleeper and belong to the Autosleeper club but not been on this forum this the only place I can find to introduce my self hope this is it cheers

Hi Warwickman
Welcome to the forum from Bridlington,
Boaby

Hello and welcome to this most friendly and informative forum.