Motorhomes....How to value them??

Motorhomes....How to value them??

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Discussion

dave_s13

Original Poster:

13,868 posts

276 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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My old man has recently retired and is on the lookout for a morothome for trips around the UK and over into France/Italy/as far as he dares....I also really want him to get one so we can nick off off him obviously.

He just moved house and it just so happens there is an elderly couple living in the street that have one and have offered it for sale as their mobility has declined and it's not getting much use.

Anyway, all I know is it's a MY2000 (W reg) Hymer B544, left hand drive, 35k miles - I think it's a 2.8 derv, manual box.

Apparently it's in A1 condition and has a multitude of optional extras including a large awning and camping paraphernalia.

Looks like this



As a private sale, between neighbours, what do we think it's worth? Interestingly, and very fair of them to do so, they've offered loan of the beast for a long weekend/week as a taster to see how they get on with it.

Only concern is LHD - I've suggested to my old man it just isn't an issue, you aren't going to be overtaking anything and the driving position is so high it won't even register as an issue after a few minutes on the road.

Anyway, what's the general consensus on these things, any useful tips and experiences would be gratefully received.

Krikkit

26,995 posts

188 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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From a quick Google it seems they're generally well-liked, the van base varies though, which makes issue checking a bit tricky. I think the 2.8 is from the Fiat Ducato around that period, but it is quite a simple unit.

If it's in good condition, £18-20k is about right, depending how good and how many extras etc.

cptsideways

13,648 posts

259 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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There can be a 10k price difference depending where its sold. Check out Mobile.de for a fair price in Germany for one, find the exact model though as they do vary a lot. Left hooker not really an issue. My guesstimate is that should be in the teens.

john2443

6,393 posts

218 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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Friends bought one that was petrol and very quickly realised they should have bought a diesel as it did B all to the gallon.

LHD shouldn't be a problem, whichever side the wheel's on it will be wrong some of the time and it's probably better to have it on the correct side when driving on the continent.

nagsheadwarrior

2,789 posts

186 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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Hymer 544s are good news, the best selling model from what was arguably the best large scale manufacturer.
Because of how theyre built major damp is very unlikely which is great news.
Cabs a fiat 2.8 probably idtd,very reliable but 3rd or 5th gear synchros go at 50k.
A good fair price private would be anywhere 15-16500 maybe a little tickle more?

dave_s13

Original Poster:

13,868 posts

276 months

Monday 1st July 2013
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies, I'll pass it on and keep my fingers crossed.

That figure sounds like it could be a goer, good tip re the g'box too. Cheers.

ColinM50

2,651 posts

182 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
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It's the LHD that's the killer on that I reckon. Not many Brits are brave enough to drive a left hooker that big unless they've had a R/H one and are now looking to explore "le continent". V limited market I reckon

Quite old at 13 years now, so will need some money spent on it. For example at that age it'd probably need new tyres all round purely from their age so budget for those and a good service can add another £500.

As to value, others have given you a figure which IMHO is a bit on the high side. Similar M/H in France is advertised by a dealer at €21k, so £18k, and with a bit of negotiating take 15% off plus of course they give you a freshly serviced warranted vehicle.

http://www.loisireo.fr/vehicule-12210830/hymer-cca...

I Googled "Hymer motorhome dealers Toulouse France" and came up with several

If it were me or my dad, I'd be looking at no more than £14k tops mainly because of age, but most because of LHD. But take them up on the borrow it for a couple of weeks and see how he gets on with it. Can he say to them, I'll hire it and buy it if I like it?

MH's aren't always what people think they are, I know we weren't keen after hiring one but we'd been really gung ho before the hire and were very let down with the whole experience