Auto Rapido 740F - is there a newer type?

Sep 13, 2018
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Hello All,

yesterday my wife and I went to see our first ever motorhome for sale. We are total newbies. It was an 18-year old Fiat Ducato Auto Rapido 740F, The layout was exactly what we are after with its fixed side bed. But it had worrying chassis issues with recent welding being done to get it through its MOT with further advisories on underside corrosion, understandable for a chassis of this age. So we declined.

On going onto dealer and private websites (e.g EBay, Preloved, Gumtree etc) they ask you to begin the search with 'make and model'. Which we have no knowledge of what's what. And even typing in '2-berth fixed bed' often brings up 4-berths not with fixed beds :(

Our question is therefore, is there a successor to the one we looked at that is of a similar layout but built in the early-mid-2000s? And I'm guessing we are not going to see anything below £25k?

Finally, if we were to buy a motorhome that is very old and rusty underneath, would it be economically feasible to take it to a reliable motorhome dealership that carries out refurbs and get it re-upholstered, heating and electrical systems updated, and repairs to the underside? Or would this be just too expensive?

Thanks for any advice in advance

Kerry
 
Nov 19, 2010
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Hi again Kerry

When you say "fixed side bed," do you mean in one rear corner, with a bathroom next to it in the other? If so, a lot of manufacturers, especially continental ones like Rapido, have produced this layout over the years, including the early 2000s (in fct, my own 2005 Burstner has this layout.
Try typing "French Bed" in the layoout preferences - that's what it's usually called.

As for the repairs - a lot of people are willing to spend quite a lot on keeping an old van on the road, IF it's a tried and trusted one they've had for a while and plan to keep, so they're not worried about its value. But I wouldn't advise buying a van knowing you'll have to do a lot underneath, as you won't know until you've done a few trips if it's the right one for you. Most of us take a couple of attempts to get exactly the right one!

Good hunting.
 

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