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Subject Topic: helping friend buy motorhome Post Reply Post New Topic
Personhankakampa
15/5/2024 at 1:40am
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hello everyone,

a friend of mine has decided she would like to buy a motorhome after many years of saving and she now has the funds.
She has found a motorhome that she likes thats being advertised by a private seller. She has asked me what checks she should make before parting with any money.
Its 4 years old, the service and habitation checks are up to date and the owners have shown her the V5 which is in her husbands name and the address on the V5 matched the address of the house she went to view it at. she checked for outstanding hpi and it shows as being clear and the mot is valid for 10 months.
Its a lot of money and she is nervous about buying privately in case theres something wrong which shows up 2 miles down the road and then she has a battle to get her money back - is her main worry!.

Would someone who is experienced with buying / selling privately kindly offer some guidance as to what additional checks my friend needs to do before parting with her hard saved up for cash please - many thanks in advance!


PersonDave and Cyn
via mobile 15/5/2024 at 8:35am
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In this situation I would strongly suggest she gets a mobile engineer to give it a thorough check over.
Even that is no guarantee it won't go pop 10 miles down the road.


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PersonDavid Klyne
16/5/2024 at 8:38pm
 Location: Milton Keynes
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One thing she might want to do is to check the internet for prices of the same model and year to make sure she is not being over charged. I have seen a lot of motorhomes for private sale where people are trying to get more than they paid originally.

David


PersonAncient Uncle
via mobile 17/5/2024 at 6:04pm
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I know it is nice to try and help a friend with a large purchase like this, but I would err on the cautious side and simply advise to get it checked by a mobile service engineer. Just supposing you said it would be ok but it proved a costly mistake.
Just give the best advice, get it checked out by a professional caravan engineer.


Personsaxo1
17/5/2024 at 7:55pm
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I think it would be better to get a mechanic to check it rather than a caravan engineer, there is more to go wrong with the vehicle than the habitation area.
The AA provide a vehicle pre purchase inspection, a basic inspection is £145 a detailed inspection is £191.
saxo1

Post last edited on 17/05/2024 20:00:27


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Personallisd
via mobile 17/5/2024 at 8:48pm
 Location: Scotland
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As the op has said the basic checks of ownership (v5) at the address be sold, mechanical service and Habitation service are up to date but do they provide historical documentation of previous checks. MOT for 10 months is good,however the MOT is really only valid for the day it was tested and more important it passed because it met the MINIMUM requirements required in the UK and does mean trouble free use for 12 months. Companies like Hab Check (UK wide) provide Pre purchase inspection about £299 +vat which is not a lot of money if you consider the purchase price of 10,s of thousands.
At the end of the day things can go wrong no matter how much pre checks you do so my advice would be to do everything you can to safeguard your purchase but keep a few pennies in reserve just in case.


Personallisd
via mobile 17/5/2024 at 8:57pm
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Sorry should read 'does not mean '


PersonMonty15
17/5/2024 at 10:26pm
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As competent and knowledgeable as I am, I'd defer from taking the responsibility for such a significant purchase on behalf of anyone else! You have two distinct minefields there!

Fully advise that you suggest a qualified caravan/MH engineer does the evaluation of the MH aspect, AND a vehicle engineer, assesses the base vehicle! Unfortunately they tend to be very separate areas of expertise, so two evaluations needed!


Personhankakampa
22/5/2024 at 12:05am
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Thankyou everyone who answered this for me - all absolutely valid points - Iv made a list and will suggest she gets independant expert advice on this as its a lot of money involved.

Many thanks to everyone - youve all been really helpful and mentioned many things that I hadnt considered mentioning to her, so thankyou!.


Personbeazy
29/7/2024 at 2:06pm
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Water damage is the biggest issue on motorhomes. A small leak can trash a trailer in a few weeks. Look for discoloration on the ceiling and walls. Look for anything inside or outside that is bent or buckled. Feel the floor for soft spots as you walk around. Smell when you first enter for mustiness and mold.


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PersonFiona W
via mobile 29/7/2024 at 6:23pm
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Quote: Originally posted by beazy on 29/7/2024
Water damage is the biggest issue on motorhomes. A small leak can trash a trailer in a few weeks. Look for discoloration on the ceiling and walls. Look for anything inside or outside that is bent or buckled. Feel the floor for soft spots as you walk around. Smell when you first enter for mustiness and mold.


Valid point, though we don’t know what the MH is that’s being considered. Might be helpful to know??
If it’s got a monocoque body, i.e. no seams at the edges like a caravan, it’s very unlikely to have a leak, unless an owner has fixed something like a bicycle rack in the wrong place. Our Auto-sleeper Clubman was rock solid above the water line at 30 years old. Rusty bodywork under the cab, however: something else to check before buying.

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Personiank01
30/7/2024 at 8:22am
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I suspect that the motorhome has either been bought or shelved. Considering it is a very expensive outlay I would not buy privately as no warranty, no protection etc if something goes wrong.


Personsaxo1
30/7/2024 at 8:45am
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I bought mine privately with a full dealer service history and habitation services and saved £20.000 from buying new, when I sold it 5 years later I got nearly as much as I paid never had any problems.
saxo1


Personbirdman101
via mobile 30/7/2024 at 8:56am
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Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 30/7/2024
I suspect that the motorhome has either been bought or shelved. Considering it is a very expensive outlay I would not buy privately as no warranty, no protection etc if something goes wrong.

I will second this 100%. There will be no warranty private. I would look at a reputable dealer as they are heavily reducing prices at the moment due to lack of sales At that age it will be a lot of money to risk
Also beware there is, not any finance still owing on it.

Post last edited on 30/07/2024 09:00:31

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2023 Swift Archway Woodford, MK3 Kuga ST Line X 190 ps AWD Auto
Now 52 years Caravanning completed.



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