First steps into motorhome ownership.

[Charliesniff]

Hello all,
Hoping to take my first step into motorhome ownership early next year.
Live in the Lake District.
I will have around £5,000 to spend so am obviously not into mega vans and big bucks but we all have to start somewhere.
Bit of advice needed. Thinking of either a diesel Trafic or Transit with two or three berths.
Any advice as to what to go for and what to look out for. I am fairly mechanical and practical minded but don't want to convert myself.
Charliesniff. :cheer:

 

[LizziePope]

Good morning Charliesniff and welcome to the Practical Motorhome forum!

 

[Retread]

Hi and Welcome.
Two killers of elderly Motorhomes, damp and rust. pretty much everything else can be fixed at a reasonable cost but if the Damp has affected the skeleton of your timber framed Camper then the cost of repairing the rot will well prove to be uneconomic, Rust, as well as the cosmetic consideration will probably indicate chassis rot as well with serious safety implications.
Welcome to motorhomeing, Trannies and Traffic are both famous for attracting the tin moth.

 

[Flicka]

Hi Charliesniff You say "I will have around £5,00 to spend so am obviously not into mega vans and big bucks but we all have to start somewhere." Fiamma do a nice little model if you can up your budget a bit or try Amazon here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motor-Zone-5470-Motorhome/dp/B006DD4B4E/ref=sr_1_1/278-8856218-3246869?ie=UTF8&qid=1415837429&sr=8-1&keywords=motorhome+model :silly:

 

[Retread]

Yes a Hymer would be beyond that :lol:

 

[Charliesniff]

OOPS. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.
5 grand or £5,000.
Cheers. :silly:
Charliesniff.

 

[Aspenshaw]

I'd look out for Fiat Ducato or Talbot/Peugeot based motorhomes as these were the most common base vehicles. Mechanics are usually strong but you'll need to get checked out thoroughly whatever you decide to buy. You are not going to get modern driving characteristics from these but with luck, you should get power steering and perhaps a turbo. Quite a few were petrol driven.

As Retread says, damp is the killer of coachbuilt motorhomes so a good damp check will be necessary. Panel Van Conversions [PVCs] are less prone to damp. Rust will be an issue with base vehicles.