We'll welcome your experience, please, over good questions we should be asking at the NEC show next weekend, of people keen to sell us camping vans/MH's.
We're very grateful to all those who posted in my thread "Camping van or caravan after tent years?" (opened on Sept 29th). We're now vastly better informed, though still open minded, still researching and hiring before buying.
It'll make the whole NEC trip so much more worthwhile if we know the right questions to ask, despite our complete lack of experience other than decades of years of tent holidays!
One possible route may be a van big enough for a loo, so maybe panel van conversions, but certainly not big Motorhomes. (££££!)
So any advice will be gratefully received.
Many thanks & best wishes.
Thanks - more research needed here, obviously! We're certainly not buying anything new, and £40K ain't cheap in our book! I'm more looking to know what to usefully ask about things so we then have knowledge of what to find in second hand versions. Or do such vans just keep their value until they are not worth driving?
I have a brand new NV200 Nissan conversion with an added Khyam awning tent complete with porta-potti. Total cost 28K with built in satnav , air con, cruise control, heating, cooking, storage, leather seats, tinted glass, thermal blinds, rock and roll bed, park anywhere, and cheap as chips to run (57 mpg and 110 road tax, 220 insurance). Worth a consideration.
The NEC show is really a showcase for new models. I doubt you will find much second hand or under £30000 there. What you will find is the opportunity to see lots makes and layouts and you'll be able to look round them, inside and out, and envisage how you might use them and how they suit you.
However, a lot of the new models are just upgrades of old models so do as we did, find something you like - forget about all the new bells and whistles and concentrate on build and layout- make a note of what you want/like/don't like/ can do without then go away and use that knowledge to seek out second hand vans in your price range that meet those requirements at dealers, private sales and even other shows where they have second hand sales.
We did this for both our panel van conversions and then spent a long while (months and months) looking until we found the right one but as we'd done our homework it paid off. I'll gloss over the motorhome we bought on a whim, totally against all the above advice, that we hated and sold on within 6 months.
Quote: Originally posted by Gonnate on 08/10/2016
We'll welcome your experience, please, over good questions we should be asking at the NEC show next weekend, of people keen to sell us camping vans/MH's.
We're very grateful to all those who posted in my thread "Camping van or caravan after tent years?" (opened on Sept 29th). We're now vastly better informed, though still open minded, still researching and hiring before buying.
It'll make the whole NEC trip so much more worthwhile if we know the right questions to ask, despite our complete lack of experience other than decades of years of tent holidays!
One possible route may be a van big enough for a loo, so maybe panel van conversions, but certainly not big Motorhomes. (££££!)
So any advice will be gratefully received.
Many thanks & best wishes.
Autotrail Tribute do a van conversion for around 37k but there may be some good deals if your a cash buyer
As someone has rightly said - look at build (shake that shower!) & layout (imagine yourselves at breakfast or dinner or on a wet day or with friends dropping by). We said to the salesmen when we first went to NEC, "we're looking at what we might buy in 10 years". Because the reckoning is, you half the value in 10 years.
LIE! to them....say you are going to buy....you have looked around at many models with a list of must haves. AND this one....the one you are looking at, has most of what you are after.....NOW PLEASE SELL IT TO ME. I bet they will be surprised, and will then go into a sales pitch. You will learn a great deal about the 'stuff' you can not see. How it works ( or should ). But please most of all.....gadgets, the technical stuff. Just buy what you need within the 'van not things you will never use. Ask them to show you how the seating actually 'turns' into the beds, and how easy is it to fill your water tank. The 12v 'pumped water' tank arrangement is NOT much use unless you stay on fully serviced pitches for any length of time. Quite a number of 'vans have things like that.....all manufacturers should get women involved in the design etc on vans. Try looking at the Autotrail 'waste' bin, it is a complete 'waste of space' in a very expensive door they fit, it is over designed and almost unusable. Complicated things are forever being 'designed' into vans. Whatever happened to the less complicated things, the things that you do actually need....like insulated waste tanks, insulated water pipes, fridge salad drawers without lids are out there....who wants one of those? Check also...that the 'remove able' freezer compartment is actually remove able....most are not. Microwaves, that you need a ladder to be able locate the turntable of most!
We have had 3 manufactures M.H's...all new, and all have had things we did not like, or did not use. This is just how it goes....so check & check everything. Most of all, enjoy your day and take your wish list with you. Wednesday, if you subscribe to MMM, or have access to the October issue you will find a coupon for entry for two people at a very reasonable rate of £6.00 each. Not worth going out to buy one though. Have a good day, remember if you buy a 'NEW' van.....there is going to be a hike in the road fund licence in 2017. It is not being talked about in the industry....but will cost one hell of a lot EXTRA for the next 4 or 5 years. With this in mind, it may pay you to buy a 2016 model at a very discounted price, as the 2017 models are out there now. Like I said....have a good day. BUT take your food and drink with you.
Hello again....I gave a reply, it IS here and readable, however it is NOT showing in the log. LET this one under the radar and I will be truly miffed lol.
I do like the people on this website! Thank you, one and all, for these useful pointers. As I'm sure I've said, no way are we buying anything new, but noting and comparing what features there are to like or hate will be much better informed now we have all this advice!
And Austins, your post notification came to me OK, so it was perfectly visible :-)
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: Questions to ask exhibitors at NEC show?
