Cost of second hand vans

[Topmast]

As some of you are aware we are looking to get a larger and slightly newer van ,but I cannot believe the prices some people are asking just seen a 1994 Transit in o.k condition for 18k and 1992 Fiat in scruffy condition for16 k. I doubt if they were much more when new .I know it is possible to buy cheaper in the U.k. but living full time in Portugal I would have to much hassle importing .Back to the drawing board.

 

[trevskoda]

Just like a normal van age means rot,folk never see this as long as the inside looks dandy.

 

[phillybarbour]

Like everything material in life it’s supply v demand.

 

[yorkslass]

Just because they carry a hefty price tag, doesn't mean they will realise that. Mine is nineteen years old, and the average price on e bay is around £7,500 to 8ooo, I have seen them advertised through the trade at 13, 14 thousand. I don't believe anyone would pay so much.

Have you looked into importing one? It might not be too expensive or complicated. I have read of people importing to the UK and it seems pretty straightforward.

 

[Deleted member 71750]

Just like a normal van age means rot,folk never see this as long as the inside looks dandy.

Not necessarily so Trev, My van is 15 years old and is as good as new underneath. Mainly down to the low mileage and the fact that its previous use was mostly on the continent.

 

[shaunr68]

It seems to me that second hand motorhome prices seem to be appreciating in price if anything. In 2014 I bought an 11 year old (03) Autotrail Cheyenne for £17K, put 20,000 miles on the clock and sold it a year later for £16K. Looking on eBay (and I know that is only an indicator of what people are asking, not sold prices) similar 03 reg motorhomes are STILL being listed for £15-20K, despite now being 5 years older. Meanwhile, try to pick up an 11 year old AT Cheyenne now and you're looking at £25-30K. As above, it must be due to supply and demand, perhaps fewer people are in a position to buy a new MH so there are fewer being sold on second hand which inflates their value :wacko:

 

[Fisherman]

As some of you are aware we are looking to get a larger and slightly newer van ,but I cannot believe the prices some people are asking just seen a 1994 Transit in o.k condition for 18k and 1992 Fiat in scruffy condition for16 k. I doubt if they were much more when new .I know it is possible to buy cheaper in the U.k. but living full time in Portugal I would have to much hassle importing .Back to the drawing board.

Hi topmast.

When my wife and I decided to buy our first motorhome in 2016 initially we were looking at motorhomes that were 3-5 years in age.
But when we saw the prices we decided instead to buy a new van.
Eventually we settled on a Chausson 510 which had been discontinued by Chausson and replaced by the 530.
Due to this Chausson threw in a lot of extras like a larger engine, better interior etc, and the dealer threw in £4,000 of extras also.

If we had bought second hand my wife would have insisted on a new toilet, and mattress etc, which would further added to the cost.

Vans don't depreciate like cars, its reckoned cars half in price in three years, whereas its 10-12 years for vans.

I hope you eventually find what you are looking for, and have many happy years traveling in your new purchase.

 

[n brown]

it's because of their outdated importation laws that campers and caravans are such stupid prices in Portugal. which is why it may be cheaper to import if you get a van at a good price in UK. if you go that route , find out what paperwork you need beforehand as it might be tricky to find. at one point while importing a Landy , we ended up stuffing 3 pages from the Haynes manual through their letterbox in faro and they accepted it instead of an engineer's report

 

[Deleted member 9237]

As some of you are aware we are looking to get a larger and slightly newer van ,but I cannot believe the prices some people are asking just seen a 1994 Transit in o.k condition for 18k and 1992 Fiat in scruffy condition for16 k. I doubt if they were much more when new .I know it is possible to buy cheaper in the U.k. but living full time in Portugal I would have to much hassle importing .Back to the drawing board.

Have a look in Spain i have seen a few nice vans for sale here at a good price :wave:

 

[trevskoda]

Not necessarily so Trev, My van is 15 years old and is as good as new underneath. Mainly down to the low mileage and the fact that its previous use was mostly on the continent.

Your lucky,low miles also can spell trouble with stuck alts starters brakes and binding suspension bushes and or hard oil seals in engine box or drive units just as much as high miles.
The most troublesome cars i used to work at belonged to pensioners who only used to shops etc.
But yes or damp weather rots tin from inside to out,in gib i seen cars that were many years long gone here & apart from faded paint they were all good.

 

[alwaysared]

When searching eBay use the advanced search and under "Search including" tick on "sold listings" this will give you an idea of what they are actually selling for.

Regards,
Del

 

[molly 2]

Just like a normal van age means rot,folk never see this as long as the inside looks dandy.

And how long would you expect a transit or sprinter to last .it amazes me how long a old motorhome lasts .many motorhomes are not used in winter so escape from the road salt and grit .

 

[trevskoda]

And how long would you expect a transit or sprinter to last .it amazes me how long a old motorhome lasts .many motorhomes are not used in winter so escape from the road salt and grit .

If there used in summer and dry stored in winter where there is no damp then an easy 20/25 years,normal ford vans require a lot of welding after about 8/10 years and clean rotten after about 12/14,not that there are many here that old.

 

[Topmast]

Second hand vans

Thanks everyone who has replied to many to respond to personaly. Yes when living in U.k we brought a new van which we enjoyed for many years and I agree it worked out cheaper in the long run .Importing van to U.k is a walk in the park compared to Portugal especially if like me you are resident,even going over the border to Spain to buy is complicated because of the outdated laws here, however I will keep looking ,at least you don’t have to worry about rust here.

 

[Deleted member 71750]

If there used in summer and dry stored in winter where there is no damp then an easy 20/25 years,normal ford vans require a lot of welding after about 8/10 years and clean rotten after about 12/14,not that there are many here that old.

You're right there Trev. Mate of mine bought an eight year old Transit, totally rotten under the cab. It should have had a bio-degradable warning on it

 

[maingate]

Some useful tips on this thread. Useful because a pal of mine will probably have to give up his motorhome due to ill health and I said I would advertise his Hymer on a couple of internet forums for him. It might save him the hassle of taking it to a Dealer and getting a crap offer.

 

[Millie Master]

I have several friends who still live over in mainland Europe and who now own motorhomes.

They all hunted around and in the end most of them bought theirs up in Holland, Denmark or Germany.

The OP doesn't state if he is looking to buy either a panel van conversion or a coachbuilt, whichever, if it was my money I would only be looking at vehicles that have a fully galvanised body, so this rules out Sprinters, Transits & most Iveco's, I would also never ever buy a British made coachbuilt as their build quality and durability isn't a patch on those turned about by the likes of Hymer etc..
The Sevel in Italy built vans (Citroen Relay, Peugeot Boxer, Fiat Ducato) started to have fully galvanised bodies in 2007 and the Renault Master (etc.) went fully galvanised from 2004 onwards.

 

[antiquesam]

If there used in summer and dry stored in winter where there is no damp then an easy 20/25 years,normal ford vans require a lot of welding after about 8/10 years and clean rotten after about 12/14,not that there are many here that old.

Sir
On behalf of my 24 year old Ford Transit van I strongly object to your ageist comments. She hasn't yet had the ignominy of welding to her underside, but she was apparently expensively undersealed when new.
Regards
Pedantic old git from Portsmouth

 

[REC]

As some of you are aware we are looking to get a larger and slightly newer van ,but I cannot believe the prices some people are asking just seen a 1994 Transit in o.k condition for 18k and 1992 Fiat in scruffy condition for16 k. I doubt if they were much more when new .I know it is possible to buy cheaper in the U.k. but living full time in Portugal I would have to much hassle importing .Back to the drawing board.[/QUOTE
All vehicles seem to be much dearer there, although the rust is less of an issue as far as I understand it...no gritted roads? Agree that importing from UK can be a hassle! Good luck with it....

 

[yeoblade]

I do agree, if less than about 4yrs old then buying new is probably the best deal. I sold my last one for £1k more than I paid, after using it for 3 years [emoji106]

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