Left hand drive vans

oldtech

Guest
Hi Wildcampers !

Does anyone have any views / opinions on buying a left hand drive van ?

I am looking to buy a Mercedes Sprinter to convert to a motorhome / stealth van.
It is going to spend most of it's time in Europe and maybe eventually put on Spanish plates
so lhd looks like a good idea.
But I'm planning to do most of the conversion here in England.

Can anyone give any advice on this ? eg do insurance companies have any issues
with left hand drive vehicles ?
Also , are there any advantages to insuring it as a motorhome rather than a plain old van ?
What about ferry companies ?
Someone told me that they can make you pay commercial freight prices if it doesnt fit their
particular definition of a "motorhome"

How about buying in Holland / Germany and bringing it back here ?
There seem to be lots of suitable vehicles to choose from in these countries compared
to Spain or Portugal where I have been looking recently.

I'm kind of new to all this , so any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks .... Oldtech
 
If you change to motorhome on the log book you get more choice of insurance, 10mph faster speed limits, and slightly lower MOT band.

Although non of these are hugely important, espec speed limits as white vans seem to go as fast or faster than normal cars without the police paying too much attention!

Also if it is more a stealth van look, you may find it difficult to re-register with DVLA as they have got a bit stricter and are calling some body types "van with windows".
 
Most ferry's and the tunnel are now charging freight for vans and the cost is quite considerable. If you get it registered as a motorhome and have windows in the side you shouldn't have a problem. As for left hand drive thats what we have and don't find it a problem here at all.

Good luck in your search :goodluck:
 
Our motorhome is LHD. We deliberately chose it because most of the year we are driving on mainland European roads. Our experience is that it makes very little difference physically and certainly does not affect our insurance or ferry prices (I'm a bit at a loss to know why it should). Happy travels
 
In Spain now there are many motorhome,s for sale and some very good bargains to be had, forget about buying a English reg Sprinter you will find it very hard putting it onto Spanish reg even if you have changed it on the log book to a camper. If you are thinking for living here I would wait to your here and get one. Whit the pound strong you will find some good deals,:dance::dance:
 
basildog said:
I think he means some mainstream insurers will not touch left hand drive and if it is a van the ferry companies often charge at a frieght rate and not as a car or motorhome !
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Thanks for that. Without diverting the thread too far off course, why do some insurers object to LHD? Incidentally, we are with Safeguard, who have no problem.
 
LHD shouldn't be a problem to insure. Might have to ring a few companies.
What model Sprinter are you after? Unless you want something a bit unusual, say a 4x4 Sprinter, I don't see much advantage buying in Germany. Any saving (if there is any) will soon be lost bringing back to UK.
Depends how much you want a LHD for Spain. ( Or can you only register LHD in Spain?)
 
John H said:
Thanks for that. Without diverting the thread too far off course, why do some insurers object to LHD? Incidentally, we are with Safeguard, who have no problem.
Click to expand...

Perhaps not just because of LHD, some insurers won't do imports, not even EU imports.
But it's not hard to find insurance, just takes a bit of phoning around.
 
our vw is LHD and a USA import insurance was no problem at all went with 2gether insurance company, fantastic too they are. taken mine across on ferry's no problem, just back from the island of Wright £34 crossing fee. although I guess my little T2 camper is smaller than most of yours? she's 15 feet long, 5 feet wide and with her full length westy roof is well under 2 meters tall :goodluck:
 
John H said:
Thanks for that. Without diverting the thread too far off course, why do some insurers object to LHD? Incidentally, we are with Safeguard, who have no problem.
Click to expand...

I think it's because there's a little more difficulty in driving a left hooker in UK eg emerging at oblique junctions, overtaking, hence more risk, and certain parts might be more expensive/difficult to obtain.
 
When I had my van with caravan parts inside but no windows, they charged me van rates on the tolls even though I showed them the caravan bits through the opening behind the cab. As soon as I put windows in they charged me car/motorhome rates no questions asked.
 
When we had a Winnebago (12yrs ago) we were told there was a 25% loading on the insurance due to it being LHD!!
 
Spanish Benimar Orion

Thats what we have here in plymouth have not taken it abroad yet but quess we will at some point but left hand drive here so far caused no problems either on the roads or with insurance companies, Not worried about going abroad just have small place in Brittany too so have to devide hols. Other half said getting used to driving lhd not to bad either.
 
I booked this morning with DFDS ferry, Dover to Calais (one way) cost £41.00 which included the 2.5% credit card charge to travel on the 25th June. I think it is cheap considering it covers 7.00 metres and 3.00 high with 2 passengers. Note that we are approaching into high season.
 
Just to let you know that to change a commercial van here on Spanish reg can only be done if its left hand drive which your looking for thats not cheap. To do to change from a commercial to a motorhome here hard and not cheap .To keep it as a commercial and if over 10 years old ITV your MOT every 6 months its a pain in the bum this. Now the thing i would do is come over have a good look around not on the internet but local papers are better there are so many here that cant pay the loans that they have put them up for sale. From looking on the uk internet and what i have seen here they are cheaper if your living here than in the uk at the moment.:wave:
 
LHD etc

I have an LHD motorhome, quite deliberately, as I spend most of my time on the continent. Sometimes a bit awkward when solo at UK roundabouts, happily I have a well positioned side window in the back which with extra mirrors, pretty much overcomes the problem. It does make life a great deal easier on country roads and at the the tolls on the peage.
Re registering in Spain. As an EU reg vehicle you can not be charged any import duty, however Spain charges a registration fee based on a percentage of the value of the vehicle. It's their price scale, on a depreciated from new value. On an expensive vehicle this can amount to several thousands. They will register RHD vehicles but, depending on the initial ITV station, can ask for headlamps to be replaced. ( Not hard to get second hand ones from breakers) You will also need a certificate of conformity, which might be problematic with a conversion. My 01 reg motorbike cost me about €600 plus admin costs.
The economy in Spain is now in such a mess that there are more and more bargains coming up, finance companies are starting to repo and and usually just want their outstanding debt. However to register ownership in Spain you need you have a Spanish address and a Certificado de Empadriomento from the town hall to prove it. Best to use a Gestoria ( Sort of accountants come lawyers) to do the paperwork with Trafico (Guardia Civil) as it can be a bit of a nightmare. When buying from a dealer they will usually organise that. You will also have to pay Traspaso, which is a sneaky little tax on the transaction, again a dealer will usually absorb this. Good news is that road tax equivalent, which is levied by the townhall, is a lot less than the UK.
 
Byronic said:
I think it's because there's a little more difficulty in driving a left hooker in UK eg emerging at oblique junctions, overtaking, hence more risk, and certain parts might be more expensive/difficult to obtain.
Click to expand...

Amazing registering and insuring RHD on the continent is no issue...don't believe the insurance hype, it costs us more!
 
spanish vehicle search

kenspain said:
In Spain now there are many motorhome,s for sale and some very good bargains to be had, forget about buying a English reg Sprinter you will find it very hard putting it onto Spanish reg even if you have changed it on the log book to a camper. If you are thinking for living here I would wait to your here and get one. Whit the pound strong you will find some good deals,:dance::dance:
Click to expand...

Hi Kenspain

I read your reply to my post with interest ( looking for lhd vans ).
I take your point about possible bargains to be had but haven't actually found any.
I lived in Spain myself for many years and was visiting a friend there last month and during my visit
I spent a good deal of time searching Spanish vehicle websites ( their equivalent of "Auto-trader").
I also looked on some ex-pat forums.

I was surprised how little I saw that suited my needs , especially compared to what there is on
similar sites in Holland and Germany.
My own experience was that Spanish van owners tended to keep their vehicles much longer and
generally looked after them much less than in other countries.
Result being that there seems to be much less value-for-money in the used vehicle market.

Having said all that , I may have just been looking in the wrong places !!!

Do you have any tips to help me find something ?
My ideal would be a long wheelbase , high roof Mercedes.

Thanks

Oldtech
 
Over the years, I have seen many Dutch and Germans take Campers over on holiday and have "For Sale" signs on them, especially Torremolinos, furthest end from the town, by the beach where there are large open spaces. I have not been around there for the last 2 years. I hope this helps.
 
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