Purchase Advice Please!

Hello
First post here. I've been to look at a 51 plate AutoSleeper Symbol today. The interior is in excellent condition, even has the original Autosleeper plates & Cups. It has had 3 owners since new and 61k miles. There is no obvious rust on the outside bodywork but a little under one of the wheel arches and the asking price is £16k. What should I be looking for? What goes wrong mechanically with a vehicle this age? I don't want to stereotype secondhand car salespeople but I'm conscious that as a female on my own I'm likely to be told whatever they think I want to hear!
Is it worth getting an AA / RAC vehicle check?
Many thanks for any advice!

Petrol or diesel?

Diesel. 
Thanks

Hi 
Welcome to the forum for Bridington 
Boaby

Definitely get RAC/AA check.

Welcome to the forum

The cost of an RAC or AA inspection is peanuts in comparison to the cost of the vehicle so it's well worth getting one done. What might go wrong with a nineteen year-old vehicle? The ravages of time - rust is an obvious one to look for, and any damp ingress, also be aware that over twenty years rubber seals and plastic components etc. will age and deteriorate (including tyres!). Don't forget the AA/RAC inspection is restricted to the basic bodywork and the base vehicle; they will not check the habitation parts of the van, so it's definitely worth getting a Habitation Check done as this should check for any damp, as well as checking the habitation electrics and gas system.  
I think condition is the main thing to bear in mind with an old van. One that's been neglected by previous owners is likely to need more work done than one that has a good service history (receipts for servicing etc., not just MOTs).  If you don't know much about buying vehicles if possible take along a friend who knows a bit and can help keep your feet on the ground. You can always ask more questions on this forum and post pictures of anything about the van that concerns you.

Hi and welcome to the forum, One thing you should urgently check is the on line MOT history for any van you are interested.This will give you some indication of the service care on the van.Repeat failures is not good news.  Regards TonyB.

Are you looking at the AS Symbol for sale by JMT Leisure? (This is a guess: it's in Weston-Super-Mare, your location is Bristol, and the van's age, price, etc. seem to fit your description.)  
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In the pictures you can see there's been water damage to the headlining above the driver's seat, which suggests a leak - this should have been fixed, but that's the kind of thing you need to be on the lookout for. Also, this van is missing the plastic cover from the outside of the gas heater vent (on the driver's side of the van), and should also come with plastic covers for the fridge vents (at the back on the driver's side). Both are easily available, but if they're not included it may be an indication that the van hasn't been cared for in the past. This van's clearly been prepped well by the dealer, but don't let a shiny van dazzle you, make sure it's sound.

If it is that van , that dealer gets a lot of Auto-sleeper older models, so those missing items could be easily obtained off other vans in his stock so get them thrown in (common items on non-AS vans as well).

Gosh you all really know your stuff! Fancy noticing potential leaks from photos. Thanks so much for all your replies it’s been really helpful. I looked at the MOT history and saw multiple fails practically every year for the last 10+ which doesn’t bode well. 
Your advise has been so helpful and I think that this is maybe not the one for me just right now. 
I think maybe up my budget but I will definitely get an RAC inspection done on whatever vehicle I decide. 
I will keep looking and will definitely seek advice again on the next potential. If you hear of a good vehicle for sale do let me know. I know that this is the campervan I want - just need to be patient (not always my best quality!).

If you have the reg number then check the MOT history here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I can see HY51FUD (for example) has had some repairs on the front and rear nearside due to corrosion

Frogers wrote:Gosh you all really know your stuff! Fancy noticing potential leaks from photos. Thanks so much for all your replies it’s been really helpful. I looked at the MOT history and saw multiple fails practically every year for the last 10+ which doesn’t bode well. 
Your advise has been so helpful and I think that this is maybe not the one for me just right now. 
I think maybe up my budget but I will definitely get an RAC inspection done on whatever vehicle I decide. 
I will keep looking and will definitely seek advice again on the next potential. If you hear of a good vehicle for sale do let me know. I know that this is the campervan I want - just need to be patient (not always my best quality!).

This maybe too much money but this looks good..(if you're on Facebook)....

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Hi
     I think you are very wise to walk away from the first MH you have looked at, The one Paul has found is very nice but I feel it is very over priced, the problem is that motorhomes are at a premium at the moment, but when the new 2021 model stock arrive prices may drop. Try to find a private seller bargains can be found, a neighbour has just purchased a 51 plate Duetto for about £16.000 and it looks really good
Regards
Alan

Welcome from our corner of Lincolnshire. I was  a bit too set in my mind when we were looking for our first van. We stacked up a lot of miles looking for what I wanted. There were some horrors out there. Damp carpets, wet dog smelling, cupboard door missing and bad attitude from the sellers. 
Yes we found the right van and it ticked all the boxes giving us a lot of happy travels to help decide if if motorhome life was for us. Unfortunately once the rust started to show and the repairs were getting costly we had to decide what was the next move. We are on our second now and don’t regret buying this one. It has had a couple of minor hiccups but no more than should be exspcted for its age.
As people have said I would start with the MOT and service history and then an inspection to give you an idea of what you are getting into. If a seller won’t show you some form of service records they could be hiding something. It can be difficult to walk away from what you are looking for. 
Good hunting, there will be an answer on her to most questions from the forum users.

Frogers wrote:
I think maybe up my budget but I will definitely get an RAC inspection done on whatever vehicle I decide. 
I will keep looking and will definitely seek advice again on the next potential. If you hear of a good vehicle for sale do let me know. I know that this is the campervan I want - just need to be patient (not always my best quality!).

Hi Frogers, just maybe worth your consideration bearing in mind the travel distance. Dolphin Motorhomes Dorset has a lovely looking Symbol 2002 registration, 30,354 miles price £19,995. Herewith, I wish to give my endorsement of this family run business having purchased all four of our M/Hs  from their Southampton branch. If you were to view it, I'm sure you would be delighted by it's condition as Dolphin don't sell rubbish. Hopefully I haven't wasted your time with this 'up your budget' proposal. Regards.