Advice needed for buying a campervan

taytobreath

Hi all,

I'm considering buying a campervan, and I’ve found one on DoneDeal that I’m quite interested in. It’s listed for €22,400, which is a significant amount of money, so I want to make sure I’m making a sound decision.

Since I don’t have much experience when it comes to checking the mechanical condition of vehicles, I’m wondering if it would be worth hiring a local mechanic to inspect it before I commit. I really wouldn’t know what to look for under the bonnet, and I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, especially with such a large investment.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, or would you recommend getting a professional inspection for peace of mind? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371142/advice-needed-for-buying-a-campervan

Definately take a mechanic. The hundred or so could save you thousands on unexpected work.

taytobreath

Thank you, I will have to find a local mechanic to the area of the seller

Hailtothethief

Make sure OP that any mechanic you get knows campers. Most mechanic will have no problems checking the 'van' mechanical oily bits. Checking out the 'camper' habitation bits is also needed.

phelixoflaherty

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RiderOnTheStorm

+1 on mechanic

Also, as a general rule, campervans dont clock up the same miles that a commercial van would. You would think its the other way around as campervans are usually used for hols and go on long journeys but it itsnt. So the mechanical part of the van usually has less wear & tear than a van of same age. Its very common for a 20+ year old camper to be going strong. The issues (in my experience) tend to come from just being out in the elements for 20+ years. Window seal leaks, cracks in plastic trim, rust & worn pipes, etc. Many of these can be identified by having a good poke around. Dont be afraid to get on the ground and look underneath. As well as visual, do have a good sniff when inside the living area. Any smell of must, take a walk. Even if told that it did leak and it was fixed , its a gamble (with your €22k) that they got all the leaks, and there may be some damage (rot) to boards beneath. If there are any soft bits underfoot, take a walk too.

Lastly: do drive it. You have to know if seat is comfortable, and where the rattles & shakes are (and many are normal - a camper is a big echochamber and there are lots of stuff in presses / cabinets / storage that will make a merry sound!)

hope you have many miles of fun! Its great when you get a camper thats just right. Makes all the difference in the world…

Calahonda52

22.4 in what is still a very frothy market is not a lot so a lot of care and attention needed to make sure its not a pup.

Whats the engine?

Is it factory conversion or DIY.

IIRC you will certain certification on gas etc for insurance, not an expert but have heard this

techman1

Why is there so much interest in camper vans now compared to before, what has changed?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122668574#Comment_122668574

COVID pushed up prices initially and it tends to take time for things to come back down. However the real underlying reason is that weekend breaks can be horrendously expensive (€400 would get you a passable break in Ireland) so it is a very attractive way to get way for a few days without it costing more than a €100.00.

ballyharpat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122668574#Comment_122668574

For us , a campervan can be used for nice drives , it can be used in the winter to go for hikes and have a place to change in after and also to heat up a bit of food or have a tea/coffee. In the summer, it can be used to go to the beach for a day, or two.

We like quiet places, so we use it to just find a remote location and set up with no noise-every place is just so noisy-people have their phones on all the time, even at yoga classes-so there's always a 'bing' close by. People go to places and sit in their car, with the car idling-it's just a barrage of noise.

We go away, or used to go away, 4 or 5 times a year to hotels, and it's nice, but the restaurants can be sparse, especially in winter, so you pay big money for mediocre food. also, again,some of the restaurants have really annoyed me, there is little etiquette, since Covid, video calls, children being allowed all over the place, even if the hotel has places for children, and nooks/areas for quiet/reading, parents go there with their children.

We've also been stuck in hotels where there was a wedding, or a stag in the room next door, or a big match on…. everyone is entitled to enjoy themselves, and others live for that, but I don't. I love my peace and quiet.

All of these things may not bother other people, but they bother me, so having a campervan allows me to get away from it.

I have a vintage car, we used to go away in that. camping with a tent, we enjoyed it, but this summer, after May, we did not get two dry days together, so I started thinking about a small campervan, and couldn't stop myself when one came up, it's small, so it fits in a car space, and can go anywhere, so I'm not restricted in towns either.

That's my justification for it haha. #vanlife

BTW we are just back from 10 days around the causeway coast and it was brilliant- no rushing to get places or trying to get to a hotel to check in etc- just everything at arms reach.

Most of our trips are within 20km of home. If it's sunny on a Friday evening we just head off to one of our local stops and spend the night.

Feels like a real holiday and save the weekend just drifting away.

celtic_oz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371142/advice-needed-for-buying-a-campervan

There a huge financial penalty for buying a UK reg campervan, just in case you are thinking of that.

taytobreath

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I didn't end up buying it as it had already been sold.

What models are generally good?

rustynutz

The number one thing to look out for when buying a camper is damp. Water ingress over time, which isn't always obvious at first, can run into several thousand euros in repair bills. The second priority is rust, some base vehicles suffer with this more than others (ford, Mercedes) but all can suffer. After that, check all appliances work, camper appliances tend to be expensive, for example a 3 way fridge can be 1500 euro to replace. Make sure you take someone who knows motorhomes when inspecting, not just a mechanic.

Simon201

Like the OP, thinking about buying one myself so on the subject of getting or hiring a mechanic to look over everything, it is quite acceptable and normal? Like the buyer is not going to take a strop or whatever and ignore you if you say you'd like to do this? Also say one was 30k, how do people pay? it's a lot of cash so are bank drafts still a normal way to go?

Thanks!

RiderOnTheStorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122781870#Comment_122781870

Bank transfers are best imho. Can be done quickly on the phone, and you dont have to set up Payees (or whatever) before hand. Not sure if there is an upper limit on how much can be done in 1 go (or even in 1 day) so check it out. We bought last camper for 10k like this and no problem. The app would not let us Tx 10k to someone new, so we had to transfer 100 quid first , then confirm this was a trusted source, and then Tx the rest. All done before I finished the cup of tea the seller made me when we pulled the trigger.

taytobreath

Hi all

I notice alot of camper vans that have northern irish registered plates but they are been sold from southern Ireland.

Are people buying camper vans and letting them stay on the northern plates?

Is there a law against this?

RiderOnTheStorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828681#Comment_122828681

Keeping it on a yellow reg - yes, this is illegal

Buying it as a yellow reg and driving for a bit (ie getting it home) - not illegal, but you will have to re-reg it .

edit - sorry, just saw the 'sold from RoI' bit …. yes, this is a bit funny. Unless its from a dealer in the Republic who will only re-reg it if you are going to buy it (so keeping costs / paperwork to a minimum) ???? … thats all i got ….