Advice about buying/selling/trade in

[Grahamh]

I am thinking of moving to the dark side and swapping our van for a motorhome. Nothing wrong with the van- 2014 Elddis xplore530; but I shall have to start thinking of changing the towcar soon. My back is not what it was so will have to get a car that's further from the ground. SHMBO is less than happy about driving a towcar (they all seem to think you might suddenly pop off when you reach a certain age) and it's only fun if you both enjoy it. Looking at the cost of a decent one is what prompted this rethink...
So we started looking at motorhomes.
1st thing I cannot understand is why private sales are so much cheaper than trade - yes I know they have to make a living but the difference is Huge. Looking on the Caravan Club sales site some of them are just ridiculously cheap. I have heard of and seen some of the scam sales etc but can there be so many like that - and on a reputable site (flea bay I could understand)
2nd thing. Sell the van myself? It would be a complete setup - porch and full awning, water hog and waste hog, mover fitted and everything still under warranty etc. Or trade with a lower price but no hassle. Can't see many folk buying a van this time of year but the price of a motorhome will be correspondingly lower.
What to do, what to do.....

 

[RogerL]

First of all accept that selling such a young van will cost a shed load of cash one way or the other - but you've probably already accepted that before going down this route.

I'd expect motorhome dealers to be used to taking caravans in as p/x, whether they sell them or simply trade them - so you should get as good (or bad) a p/x value as you would for changing you caravan for another.

I can't comment on the difference between prices, other than a dealer will have warranty and SoGA obligations while a private seller has virtually none - it's never easy to compare actual prices with asking prices, it's only when you negotiate hard that you find out how much the asking price has been inflated - just like cars and houses.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I agree with Roger as far as he goes, but dealers will normally have to do some work, cleaning and checking the vans they take in, they will have some admin costs, and they also have to account for VAT when they sell it .

 

[RayS]

Don't do it! The 'driving it our of the showroom' depreciation on a brand new van is huge (but difficult to establish as it is very difficult to get the data - Glass's Guide will no longer deal with the public over caravans.)

Find a towcar in which you OH feels comfortable as both passenger and driver. Find a good local trailer towing training company and get her some towing lessons. Take one or two easy first trips and quiet times - e.g. Sunday mornings to get her used to things. After a while perhaps consider one of the Club maneuvering courses although these are less valuable than they used to be as most of us use the caravan movers on site or at home anyway.
Almost any towcar will be easier to drive for both of you than anything except a small motor home, and much easier to park - supermarkets etc. The main things to consider are visibility and driving position, and length.
The smaller 4x4 and SUV or van derivatives such as the Fiat Doblo are candidates for a first look. I would stongly suggest automatic rather than manual for several reasons, particularly traffic driving e.g. a string of roundabuts while towing. Hill starts are usually easier too.

We have been through this exercise in the last 18 months due to my eye problems. Our choice was not van v motor home it was van or stay home.
We changed a Merc E220 for a Freelander auto, fitted the caravan with a wireless rear view camera, my OH had 3 hours instruction towing a big box trailer round Yeovil at rush hours (using our car and their trailer). She has since towed to southern Spain and back and to Provence (doing all the towing including on and off the ferries) and back and particularly likes the fact we still have a car rather than a motor van, so do not have to pack up before going to the supermarket and that the car continues to get used daily. I was agreeably surprised with the handling of the Freelander solo - much less rock and roll that the other 4x4s I've had in the past, and also in the pick up of the S engine version automatic. Not up to the Merc. but still more than just tolerable..
Now I'm back to driving, OH is very happy to still tow as necessary and indeed sometimes 'demands' the keys.

The downsides are 1. I'm a terrible passenger 2. the satnav is unreliable particularly at roundabouts, 3 The Freelander is now 'our' rather than 'mine' 4 I have to get out in wet windy days to attend to toll machines etc.

Please understand I have nothing against motorvans per se - each to their own - but I have not met many other ex tuggers who have changed and who are 100% happy with their decisions - most felt it was that or give up.

 

[Mel]

Speaking as the OH who could learn to tow should himself ever go under a bus, but would hate every single second I can see the attraction of the motor home plan. However the hit on the depreciation is not to be ignored. If your OH is worried about taking over if you were poorly can I suggest a simpler solution: CC Mayday rescue will drive the tow car and tow the van int the event of the tower being incapacitated.
Mel

 

[Grahamh]

Thanks for that. I sympathise with anyone towing a trailer around Yeovil - we live in Gillingham - how did they manage to make Yeovil traffic so bad.
Other half has driven the car/caravan and surprised herself by how easy she found it. (she used to drive a tractor to move aircraft in the Fleet Air Arm).
The biggest reason for considering a motorhome was the issue of changing the car - I should point out that a new motorhome is beyond us anyway. I was thinking of spending around £10k over the value of the van - which is what I would spend upgrading the present towcar. We realise that the type of holiday we take will change with a motorhome, packing up each day etc. We have been through this exercise before but time marches on doesn't it?

 

[Gafferbill]

I agree with RayS...........don't do it

Stick with the caravan as there are lots of tow cars out there and one is bound to suit your current needs.
We are all getting older and this has to be taken into account but there are lots of inspirational older caravanners about.

I hope RayS does not mind me mentioning that he has posted that he is around 78, but with the help of his wife still manages to tow a caravan to Spain every winter.

John D who is 84 also manages to do the same, he tows down to the Costa del Sol every winter on his own.

He is down there now and writes his own blog.

 

[Dustydog]

Graham
Hold fire!
Selling car and caravan to fund a motor home leaves you no car for day to day use.
Most town centres and supermarkets are not motor home friendly.
I agree about the various courses available.SWMBO did the CC course and now tows with no problem.
You could hire a motor home and try it out.
Good luck

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Graham,

Having read all the posts in thread, I can see I missed part of the point of your posting, Should you move to a Motorhome from a caravan? I do wonder if you have really given this proposed change enough forethought.

Let me say from the outset, I am not against motor homes, and for some it really is a good choice, but they do have some downsides which as a caravanner you might understand.

I have to take it your wife is unhappy about the idea of having a larger car to drive, I assume this refers to daily driving rather than towing. My own wife was uncertain when we got our first Espace because she thought it was massive compared to the Vauxhall carlton we had, Inside yes it was much bigger but having parked them next to each other she saw it was hardly any bigger overall, and from then on she was perfectly happy to drive it. She also liked the higher driving position which gave her a better view and made feel more confident.

So take her to look at a few of the cars you might consider and show her that they are not that much bigger than what she regularly drives now.

Motorhomes are expensive, to buy and to run compared to a car, so take some time to look at the real costs. Things like fuel economy, VED, servicing costs, and don't forget that some of the bigger motorhomes need to be taken to specialist MOT centres, because many normal ones can't physically fit them in, or the motorhome falls into a different class of vehicle which they can't test.

Don't underestimate the costs of using the motorhome, they have large cab windows which are not double glazed, and often have exposed metal work, both of which allow heat to escape. So you use more heating, and they sometimes have cold draughts coming from the cab area. That is why you sometimes see motorhomes with padded partition blankets pinned up.

Most motorhomes have inboard water tanks, consider how you are going to keep them filled up - or emptying the waste.

When choosing a holiday site, Not all sites will accept motorhomes, so you are more limited on choices. You also have to find sites very close to level, because motor homes have less leveling capacity than a caravan without using chocks etc.

As a caravanner you probably found a site, then used your car to travel out to local attractions. Its easy with a car, but with a motorhome, it means packing everything away before you can travel daily. Some motorhomers carry bicycles or even tow a small car to get round this issue.

In many popular holiday locations parking can be difficult enough with a car, but the extra size of a motorhome can in some locations be virtually impossible especially in holiday season, someone has already mentioned supermarket carparks with either height restrictions or narrow parking bays.

May I suggest before you jump to a motorhome consider finding a suitable car which will tow when required but will provide comfortable daily transport. Your back and pockets will like that. Also consider getting a caravan mover which will take the strain out of pitching and parking the caravan. cost wise its probably going to be cheaper than buying a motorhome.

 

[RayS]

Thanks Mel. My eyesight had got below the legal limit but I was otherwise healthy and the decision was to go or not, rather than getting home if I was taken ill. We always take Red Pennant cover while abroad to cover this circumstance.

I guess that in the 'under the bus' situation driving a motor home could be less traumatic that towing for some.

Happily my sight has recovered, so now we will be able to share the towing which should result in less tiredness the following days and for me a chanceg to play with my satnav and other toys while en route

 

[JonnyG]

you only live once, so why not . I have always thought that the motor home can give you a different type of holiday to the caravan depending on what you want. the freedom to just stop park up for a night or 2 with everything at hand has its place. the downsize is if you pitch up for a week or 2 , exploring the area might not be as easy as unhitching the caravan and using the car. for me a motorhome offers a different adventure to a caravan, both can be fantastic, and like i said you only live once..good luck...

 

[RogerL]

Changing from caravan to motorhome, or indeed from motorhome to caravan, needs a lot of long deep thought - having envied some of the things you can do in a motorhome that you can't do in a caravan, I've thought seriously several times about switching but always conclude that caravanning is best for us.

As recently as this May, I put a plan together to buy a small(ish) used motorhome, as well as the caravan, and use whichever suited the trip we were going on - SWMBO veto'd it - but it would have given us significantly cheaper ferries in Scotland and better ability to wild camp up there as it's welcomed in the Islands.

Just don't rush into it!

 

[extrucker1]

We did what you are thinking about doing, we kept aqaroll and waste hog and used them on the m/h. didnt have to keep moving to get water, empty waste water. The dealer took our van in p/x for m/h. We didnt buy a new m/h because we didnt know if we would like it. Turns out we didnt. The dealer said he would buy the m/h back, but we would only get half what we payed him, even if we bought a brand new caravan from them. couldent sell the m/h and ended up swapping it for a car and caravan private. then swapped car for one we wanted and caravan for a different one. What a joke.

 

[Grahamh]

Thanks for all your advice and comments.
Just to clarify.
We will have to think of changing the towcar this year sometime as the mileage is getting quite high. Were considering the VW Tiguan - used not new. Expect to spend circa 10k doing this.
Mrs H does not have a prob with the car - we presently tow with a Mondeo estate, but I have a prob with the Mondeo as it is quite low. Mrs H is quite nervous about towing and will not try it on the continent. We spend about 5 - 6 weeks touring abroad each spring. Last year travelling all the way to SW Spain via Portugal; next year SW France which I love.
I (naively) thought that for about the same 10k I could change the van for a motorhome (with the present van thrown in). I was going to keep the Mondeo as a runabout at home. I do all the maintenance anyway. I was puzzled by the (huge) difference in price of trade and private motorhomes. Still cannot understand why the adverts on CC website contain so many motorhomes for sale that are clearly too good to be true. I expected one or two but there are lots in this category.
So far the offers of trade in have been derisory - but then I am not really surprised. In an ideal world I would sell my van early summer and buy a motorhome late winter but am unwilling to lose a season.
Finally we have been discussing the difference in the type of holiday in a van versus motorhome. We have friends in both camps and I agree we do prefer the van. We take red pennant as well but(touch wood) have never had cause to use their services.
Thanks once again for your advice.

 

[Raywood]

We have never seen any way we would swap the caravan for a motorhome as that would not suit our style of touring i.e. find a base and take trips out into the surrounding area each day but others like it so you do have to look at what fits your touring style best.
If you sell and buy privately be very careful as there are large numbers of fraudsters out there. I would avoid any one who is selling at way below market value as they are usually the con artists trying to suck you in. Selling only take cash or a secure payment method and buying make sure the seller has all the relevant documentation to prove they are the owner and have servicing records. Do an HPI check to make sure there is no HP outstanding.