30 years?
We paid £10K for a 10 year old Autosleeper Clubman in 2003, non-rusting monocoque body on VW T4 diesel cab. We part X’d it when it was 25 years old in 2018. It had done well over 100K miles by then. We got £6K for it; same model same age (1993 plate), similar mileage on private sale recently at £16K.
MH prices got silly during Covid when people were unable to holiday abroad. They’re still silly because of the chip shortage, meaning long waiting times for new ones, so second hand ones are probably overpriced at the moment.
It's not an easy question to answer, it really does depend upon how you get on with the motorhome and how well it suits your needs.
We've been motorhoming for 17 years and are on our 6th motorhome, on that basis we only keep ours for less than 3 years. The longest we've kept a motorhome for was 7 years from new, we only changed it at that stage because it would've lost too much value in px and because we wanted a motorhome with an island bed rather than the French style bed it had.
We kept its replacement for just over 2 years, it had the island bed but it was just too big so we've changed it for something smaller but still with an island bed, our current plans are to keep it for about 5 years when it will be about 8 years old but we'll see how we get on with it.
How long any motor vehicle lasts is down to how it is looked after. Any half-decent motor vehicle built this century should last 30 years, in my opinion, as long as it is regularly serviced and it is well looked after. In all probability the two things that will determine the life of a vehicle today are availability of spares and government legislation. My current car is 15 years old and I intend to keep it until one of those two things puts it off the road.
We had our first VW Transporter van for 10 years, it was a new conversion of a used van. We changed it last year prompted by the Greater Manchester low emission zone which we live in. As it happens, the scheme is still under review.
However as we changed the van we changed the size and layout, which suits us better now. We expect it to see us out.
Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 22/10/2023
I would add another item, that is how much money you are prepared to spend to keep it in good condition.
saxo1
In my case, if I spent as much as I bought it for (£4,000) it would work out far cheaper than replacing it with anything better.
Quote: Originally posted by hankakampa on 21/10/2023
If you buy a motorhome between 6 months to 1 year old and intend to keep it,
How long could you reasonalbly expect it to last?
miles would be approx 9k pa and of course it would recieve all its required maintenance and services.
No reason why a motorhome as new as that would not last 20 years or more if looked after properly. The only issue I can see is that 9000 miles a years is pretty high mileage for a motorhome and I suspect the average is nearer to the 5000 mark, with many doing less. On your basis the motorhome would have 180000 miles on the clock in 20 years time! That would probably mean quite a lot o incidental engine servicing expenses and quite a few changes of tyres.
It would probably need a cambelt change plus brake discs and pads at some time. Also if a diesel manual it might need a clutch and dual mass flywheel replacement. Not cheap but less than changing the vehicle.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Thankyou everyone for your replies - every reply adds useful information for me to think about - so a big thankyou to you!.
you cant buy knowledge - it comes with experience of owning and using - my next consideration is depreciation!.
Looking at for example a 6 month - 1yr old model, and then looking at the same or equivalent model thats about 5 years old and the changes can be minimal.
Iv seen some very nice models around 5 years old with low mileages and its making me think that the savings over almost new would most certainly cover the cost of most repairs if any are needed.
This is harder than buying a car! - so much to consider!.
The newer you go the more you have to think about depreciation. Most motor vehicles lose the biggest chunk of their value in the first year. Once they start to get older, the rate of depreciation gets smaller, and by the time they get to the age of our outfit (car 15 years - caravan 31 years) they are starting to go up in value if anything. They have certainly done all the depreciating they are ever going to do.
I would imagine however that motorhomes depreciate less than cars anyway.
Mine is a 1994 and still going strong others in my club are reaching historic status (40 years old. it is not how long it can keep going but how it is looked after and managing to source parts (a skill in itself) as they fall out of production that matters.
------------- Regards
Johno
VP and Librarian of the Renault Trafic MK1 Owners group
We usually go for ex demo or nearly new. Our last Santa Fe was a limited edition ,one of a few left so we got a good deal.
We just changed it for a Tucson hybrid, it was a cancelled order they had in the showroom so,we got a good deal again. There is a few months wait for new ones.
We wanted a Santa Fe but they are very pricey and you get hit for the higher VED No diesels either. New model due next year.
The Tucson is a bit smaller but tows our van happily ( it can tow 1650 kg)
Our van is 1400 ish.
I wasn't too bothered to change but it's the wife's car and she fancied an auto.
5 year unlimited mileage warranty. They are pretty quick with 230hp. Nice to drive. Fuel economy is very good as it runs on electric too. Its a self charging not plug in.
It's an Ultimate so all the toys.
My Mini is an auto too, petrol and lots of fun.
A lot of manufacturers seem to be stopping manual models.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
We had our Santa Fe 7 years. Prior to getting my Mini convertible I had an 07 Saab 93 convertible for 10 years. I got it at age 3.
It cost a bit in repairs and servicing but was a reliable car. If they still made them I would have bought another. Service parts are still available for them.
When we were both working we would change our towcar every 3 or 4 years, I kept the Saab because they went out of production in 2011.
In the past I have owned 5 Saabs. 900, 9000 etc. They were lovely, Turbos very quick
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: how long would you expect it to last
via mobile 21/10/2023 at 11:21pm
No diesels either. New model due next year.
