family camper on a budget

wuben · 13-04-2020 7:58pm #1

Hi Guys my self and my wife are thinking of buying a camper. We go to france every year with the kids and would like to buy a camper for this purpose and weekends away during the year here. We are looking for advise from any of you guys as we have no experiance with campers. We have 4 kids so would need a 6 berth, our budget will be max 15k. My questions our- are we mad buying anything on this sort of budget (would we be buying trouble?). we understand with this budget we would be buying an old camper.

- does anyone know a dealer that would sell campers for this sort of money? we have searched the net and theres not many 6berths sold by dealers that matches our budget.

Thank you

Nekarsulm · 13-04-2020 9:32pm

5 years ago we bought a 5/6 berth privately from a gent in Kilkenny, advertised on Done Deal.
14,000 euro for a 2000 Ducato RollerTeam. 2.8 turbo diesel with 60,000 miles.
It's been mostly very good. Needed a clutch kit this time last year, that was about 600 euro fitted.
The year before it needed a 5th gear replaced, and that was down to me never having checked or changed the gearbox oil. 300 euro for that, fitted myself.
For 4 children and 2 adults it would be great to get a layout that didn't need to turf two kids out of a bed to turn it into a breakfast table.
Also ours has just two gas rings and no oven, cooking can be a bit of a juggling act. An extra ring would be great..

wuben · 13-04-2020 9:36pm

thanks for info all sounds encouraging! can i ask if you dont mind what sort of money are they to get insured?

Nekarsulm · 13-04-2020 9:38pm

As long as the driver is insured on another "everyday driver" policy, it's about €360 a year with Dolmens.
It you MH is going to be your principal vehicle, its nearer €800 I believe.

Damp is the most important thing to check for.
Most MH's mechanical problems are due to lack of use, not the miles they put up.
But you must be sure there are no leaks into the structure of the habitation area, typically theres a plywood layer between the metal cladded skin, and the interior finish.
If the plywood has got wet and swollen/rotted its VERY expensive to fix.

wuben · 13-04-2020 9:40pm

great stuff thanks for reply

Aidan Harney · 13-04-2020 9:41pm

I used have one too, insurance was with dolmen, it used to be about 360 euro but I used to pay a little extra of about 400 euro to have open drive on it so anyone could drive it. That used to be very handy as it was slow and journeys used to take a long time, it was great to have the option for anyone with me to sit in and do a bit of driving...

Aidan Harney · 13-04-2020 9:48pm

My biggest problem with it was I'd nowhere to store it. Other than that I miss having the option to hit the road any time. I used to keep it stocked with pasta, tins of beans, rice, coffee, drinks etc so that at any stage I could hit the road of a Friday evening and take a few hours off a journey, park up somewhere safe and discrete and next morning be 'away somewhere' and just need the milk and bread rather than needing a big shop....

niloc1951 · 14-04-2020 11:42am

As said, damp/rot is the beggest problem and can be hugely expensive to rectify, it also wrecks the value of a motorhome.
If you do find a motorhome that seems to fit your requirements GET IT DAMP TESTED BY A TRUSTWORTHY AND COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL.

If you are looking at a Ducato based model try and get a post 2002 model as they have, among other improvements, a better trouble free gearbox. This Model

AckwelFoley · 15-04-2020 12:33am

15k can be tight, but you can buy trouble at 50k, let alone 15, so it's not necessarily price.

For 15k you're probably going to get a better vehicle off a owner that's selling privately.

Look for low mileage, year is less important than mileage jn my opinion. But, as said, leaks are crucial to avoid. Caj be easy enough to spot, usually around roof windows look for diacolouration, and possibly a spongy crackling sound if you press

Clutch can be an issue. Lots of people blame faulty clutches, it's not, its faulty drivers! The motorhome are build on the cab of a ducato van or similar, commercial vans rarely carry full payload all the time, whereas the motorhome is practically at 3500kg all the time and isnt helped when drivers are trying to reverse up or drive up onto wheelchocks from an almost standstill. Burt clutch is a regular smell at campsites if you're familiar with the smell

Dont rush into a purchase, if it doesn't look to clean, it probably wasn't well looked after. Most MH owners would trade their spouse before their MH and are well looked after, so there is no reason you wont find what you're looking for at the budget.

JimmyVik · 22-04-2020 9:41am

Ive wanted one of these for years, but dont have anywhere to park it.

If you dont have space at home are there any storage options to leave your motorhome at, near Dublin, Say out near the N2 near Ashbourne or even the N3 (Ive seen big storage sheds along that road but dont know if thats what they are), preferably in a big warehouse or something and then drive to it and leave your car there when you want to take the MH out?

If that type of storage option did exists how much would it cost for per year?

alias no.9 · 23-04-2020 9:17am

Storage in Dublin, particularly indoor storage is hard to find, ourdoor storage is much more available. More options as you go out further.

m8 · 27-04-2020 8:10am

Best advice is bring someone that has a camper for a few years as they will be aware of the pitfalls. Also get it checked by a macanic. Once you have the one you want you will be delighted with it for years. Best of luck with the hunting.

JonMac · 29-04-2020 11:40am

When I was looking for my first, used, camper I decided to go to a trustworthy dealer as I didn't have a clue.

I never regretted that.

If you PM me I'll give you their name.

PS One member of the family wrote all the tips at the top of the screen.

loobylou · 29-04-2020 11:48am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ1n5hJK88A
This is U.K. obviously but you can get a rough idea

SixtaWalthers · 06-07-2020 2:28pm

With 6 berths Zefiro could be an exciting option, but if you go with a new vehicle, then pricing would also be high. I would suggest you to check sites which sell used campervans. I find Coachman Amara and Swift Challenger Sport 636 here https://www.caravansforsale.co.uk/campervans/6-berth under 15k. Yes, they are used ones, and both have 6 berths. I think you should consider them.

In the same token, you can also consider Gumtree to purchase used campervans. I also found this link for you https://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/cars-motorbikes-boats/campers-motorhomes/477/q_campervan/. Probably, you can conduct searches on different sites and would have a better idea about quotes and other terms and conditions.

august12 · 06-07-2020 6:50pm

SixtaWalthers wrote: »

With 6 berths Zefiro could be an exciting option, but if you go with a new vehicle, then pricing would also be high. I would suggest you to check sites which sell used campervans. I find Coachman Amara and Swift Challenger Sport 636 here https://www.caravansforsale.co.uk/campervans/6-berth under 15k. Yes, they are used ones, and both have 6 berths. I think you should consider them.

In the same token, you can also consider Gumtree to purchase used campervans. I also found this link for you https://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/cars-motorbikes-boats/campers-motorhomes/477/q_campervan/. Probably, you can conduct searches on different sites and would have a better idea about quotes and other terms and conditions.

I think it's a motorhome the OP is interested in.

JimmyVik · 25-08-2020 3:19pm

Aidan Harney wrote: »

My biggest problem with it was I'd nowhere to store it. Other than that I miss having the option to hit the road any time. I used to keep it stocked with pasta, tins of beans, rice, coffee, drinks etc so that at any stage I could hit the road of a Friday evening and take a few hours off a journey, park up somewhere safe and discrete and next morning be 'away somewhere' and just need the milk and bread rather than needing a big shop....

Where did you end up storing it?
Are there places you can store caravans, like lockups, and then just pick them up and leave the car?

family camper on a budget

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