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Subject Topic: Renault Trafic Camper - advice please!
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23/4/2017 at 3:07pm
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My husband and I are not new to camping/caravanning, but are new to campervans. We've just seen a 1991 Renault Trafic Campervan, it's done 72,000 miles and the interior is in very good condition. Mechanically it's had a lot done in the last 3 years: 2014 - new driveshaft, alternator and auxiliary belt, 2015 - new clutch and bearing guide, 2016 - new starter motor, MOT and full service, 2016 - new water pump fan relay. We are keen to buy but there are a few areas of rust on the bodywork - mostly on the wheel arches and a bit on the drivers side window, front bumper and passenger side mirror. What would we be looking at in terms of repair? Is it something that can be done easily enough with a manual/you tube tutorial and supplies from Halfords or something? Or if we get it done at a workshop what's a ballpark cost? We'd like to know before we decide whether to buy or not. Please help!! Thank you :-)


23/4/2017 at 4:19pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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Depends how much you're paying for it I suppose. A van like you describe would have to be very cheap to tempt me.
Is the mileage verified?


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23/4/2017 at 4:20pm
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Hi, thanks for your reply! Mileage is verified. We can get it for £1000 I reckon.


23/4/2017 at 4:24pm
 Location: South Wales
 Outfit: Elddis Majestic 155
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Hi,
Please excuse the negatives here but being realistic, a van that age will require quite a bit of maintainance.
OK if you are handy at DIY and mechanics.
They were renowned for rusting along the windscreen lower corners which can be repaired (I done my own years ago).
I would however have someone check underneath as well.
Unfortunately any garage work is not cheap now and bodywork repairs can mount up hourly wise..
The biggest problem I found was acquiring spares not only for the van itself but also the habitational side of things ,eg water heater, and controls.
You do not state a price for the van so difficult to know if it is a bargain or not.
Having said that we had a lot of fun in ours and it never let us down.
Good luck if you go for it.
Regards,
Greg

-------------
Growing old is not for sissies


23/4/2017 at 4:28pm
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Thanks for your reply Greg. We can get it for £1000 I reckon, possibly slightly less. At the moment neither I or my husband are very 'mechanically minded' but we could learn! Depends on if it's worth it or not really. The current owner has had a lot of work done to it mechanically, so I'm not worried about that. My only concern is whether the body work will be too expensive!


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23/4/2017 at 5:01pm
 Location: South Wales
 Outfit: Elddis Majestic 155
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Hi Lisa,
By the way, welcome to the forum.
If it has a long or new MOT, and everything works, a thousand (or better still less) I would be tempted.
We can all learn how to repair things.
If you had someone with a bit of knowledge it would be handy for you to check brake pipes ,chassis etc..
Sounds like it might be worth a punt.
Depends how much £1000 means to you I suppose.
Good luck should you go for it.
Regards,
Greg

-------------
Growing old is not for sissies


24/4/2017 at 10:08am
 Location: Preston Lancs
 Outfit: Auto-Sleeper Symphony
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Hi Lisa,
There are many far older Trafics giving sterling service in the RTMR http://www.rtmr.org .
Rust is always something to watch out for on any van, Trafic or not, Some Trafics suffer badly from rust, but others [of the same age] seem to be relatively rust free.
There is nothing on them which is too complex for a DIYer, apart from say, the diesel injector pump [is this one diesel?] but again, that is true of any van.

Trafics have always been at the cheaper end of the market, which is why so many first time motorhomers are attracted to them, as was the case when we bought ours. I loved ours, but there were features which we decided we wanted which were not available on any Trafic conversions so we bought the Symphony. I still have a soft spot for Trafics though and I'm still a member of the RTMR.

£1000 sounds a bargain.
Frank


24/4/2017 at 11:23am
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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Yes I would be tempted at £1000. If it's MOTd What's the worst that can happen?


24/4/2017 at 3:34pm
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A grand is cheap for any camper van if it is MOT'd and safe to drive.
My only concern is why would the seller have all that recent work done and then be prepared to sell for a grand or less?

Mechanics are easily sorted....structural repairs are not - make sure the chassis is solid, otherwise I would walk away

-------------
From VW to Merc to Toyota


24/4/2017 at 3:38pm
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Hi everyone, thanks so much for your replies and advice. We've decided not to buy on this occasion as the rust was quite extensive and the van would've needed quite a lot of interior work in order to fit me, my husband and our large Greyhound in!! We're looking at other types of van now, such as VW T25's. Thanks again.


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24/4/2017 at 4:40pm
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If you are looking at T25s then expect to add another £4k to that grand - I have had vans for a long time and was looking to spend £5k on a T25 - I didn't see any that were worth that price tag....I think the VW badge doubles or triples the price.
In the end I spent more - £7k but I went Japanese and bought a Toyota Hiace - it is like driving a car....in my opinion it's interior is better designed than most T25s and is more economical to run...the advantage of a VW though is the amount of parts available and the amount of mechanics who know the engine.
If you do decide to go for a T25, my advice would be to concentrate more on the condition of the bodywork and chassis, rather than the mechanics....mechanics can be easily sorted...rust cannot, at least not cheaply anyway
This is like the one I got - I have had VWs and Mercs, but I absolutely love this


-------------
From VW to Merc to Toyota


24/4/2017 at 4:47pm
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Hi MarleyMarl, cheers for the pointers! I'm still looking at other vehicles as well, it's just that with such a large dog the T25's seem to have the best interior configurations to fit all three of us in. I will look at Toyotas too, and have on my EBay watch list an American RV, a Talbot Express pop top and a couple of Hymer motor homes - all for £3k or less. Am I being mental in hoping I can get something halfway decent for around £3k? I'm prepared to spend a bit during my ownership of a van to keep it well maintained etc but ideally want a van in decent running order to begin with that has a clean, non damp interior!! Is that too big an ask?!


24/4/2017 at 5:26pm
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Hi Lisa, I suppose the old adage is 'you get what you pay for'. There are bargains out there, but I went well over my budget of 5K because I have lost out before trying to spend less in the hope it'll be OK in the end...which generally it wasn't.

If you are looking at Hymers then I would expect to pay 7-8K minimum for anything half decent.
American RVs are generally expensive to run and difficult to find parts/mechanics
If you want a larger van, then the VW LT range is worth looking at. I had one and it was great inside - there are several variants LT28 LT31 and LT35....I think the bigger numbers carry more weight. They are not as desirable as the smaller VWs but if you don't mind going slowly (my LT35 was happy at 60mph) and you don't mind paying more in fuel (mine was a petrol and did about 20mpg)- I reckon £3k would get you a decent one.
Also worth a look are the Merc 307D and 308D - some are aluminium so don't need to worry about rust....ones that I have seen that are decent go for around 5-6K....let us know how you get on

-------------
From VW to Merc to Toyota


24/4/2017 at 9:52pm
 Location: Gloucestershie
 Outfit:  Fiat Ducato campervan
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Get the seller to get it MOT then you will have a good bye


14/8/2018 at 3:04pm
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Hi Gregg, I am a relatively new owner of a Renault San Remo. I see you were an experienced owner. Could you please advise whether it has a Leisure battery and if so where usually stored and also the floor pump for the water seems to have stopped working? Any advice would be much appreciated!


14/8/2018 at 4:26pm
 Location: Turriff Aberdeenshi
 Outfit: Romahome R30 Dimens
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I'd avoid the Talbot express. I had one - No power steering, terrible gear change and wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding - but it was reliable.


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Two drifters off to see the world.

I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.



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