Buying a motorhome but 3 owners in 3 years

[oldmanriver]

we bought a swift kontiki 669 a 2008 with only 9000 miles on the clock, great van previous owner only used it for two weeks a year, so don't be put of by low miles, early kontiki had joins in the roof which would leak hence "leaky kontiki" the newer ones don't suffer from this, some people like tag axles some don't its all a matter of choice

 

[etap]

Hi Mountaintiger,
It's always a worrying time spending a lot of money on MH's cars etc, and there is always somewhere you can find something negative about your prospective purchase, the marketeers say " if you have good service you tell 5 people about it and if you have bad service you tell 35 people about it". My view for what it is worth is that if you have covered all the things that you are worried about and are dealing with " as you see them" genuine people then go ahead. As you state the vehicle you are looking at has already been sold twice in 3 years so it is a saleable item I guess. Good luck.
Etap

 

[Minxy]

We only kept our first MH for 6 months then changed to a different layout. One year later we are looking out for another different layout. Nothing wrong with either MH, maybe the 3 previous purchasers decided the layout wasn't for them. Perhaps you could try posting the reg and see if it may have previously belonged to a funster.

If its the one I found, its on the DVLA image I posted above but just in case you didn't spot it, its: CN61 BYD.

 

[irnbru]

If its the one I found, its on the DVLA image I posted above but just in case you didn't spot it, its: CN61 BYD.

Thx Minx, too new for me.

 

[Minxy]

It is most likely that the MH was bought on a whim, the first owners found it too big so traded it in, the second owners thought it was a bargain but again found it wasn't suitable ... the third also ... this is a BIG motorhome and will restrict where you can go - not everyone realises that when they buy big uns!

When we got our current camper it was less than 3 months old and had had one owner with around 1000 miles on ... it turned out that the chap who bought it to use with his elderly Mum found that his Mum didn't like the rear bed so he changed it for a different layout. I confirmed this with him so knew it was true, it was simply a case of him buying the 'wrong' van ... not that I'm complaining a we love it!

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[iandsm]

Probably the most important question is, do you really need one that big. I know some people say bigger is better but I know that's true on small aires and restricted access campsites, would think there are many supermarket petrol stations in France such as carrefour or Super U where you won't get in or out and you will always need two spaces in car parks.

I suppose it depends how and where you want to use it but if you can accept a more compact vehicle you will find it more convenient I am sure.

 

[gibbon]

If your spending a lot of money, from EVERYTHING I've read on various forums the one thing that seems to be of paramount importance is that the dealership is a good one.
Quite a few posts knocking around suggest that Brownhills is not up there with the best!!!
Buyer beware, merry Christmas .

 

[Jandc]

You may call us mad, but we have Bolero bought from Brownhills, both van and Brownhills have been fine. Did originally upgrade to Bolero from smaller Nuevo on a whim as I loved layout of the Bolero. First Bolero, from a different dealer, was written off by young lady in Wales on our second day of ownership, we were gutted!! In receipt of insurance payout of full purchase price 6 weeks later we had every opportunity to have rethink on layout and size, but we bought another Bolero as I couldn't find anything I liked better.

Your motorhome is a home, there is a lot to be said for the gut feeling you get on viewing, exactly as with your bricks and mortar home.

Find one you like and enjoy, someone will always have a horror story whatever the make

Merry Christmas

 

[lesr48]

I would expect when parting with that amount of cash that you would get a minimum of a 12 month warranty. We purchased our Lunar from a much smaller dealer than Brownhills and we got a 12 month warranty - and a bottle of Champagne.

 

[Bryzzy]

I would ask the dealer if he would give you the previous owners details , and don't feel embarrassed to ask , if he has nothing to hide and would like to make an honest sale he should be happy to let you contact them to assure you that you are not spending £52k on something that has faults that you will inherit .
If he won't agree to your request he might know more about the vehicle than he's letting on , if this is the case then I would look elsewhere to spend your money . There must be plenty of out of season bargains !

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[simplyjimbo]

Hi Mountaintiger,
We have a 669, and we love it. We tow a Smart car on a trailer, been all round France and UK and never had any real size or other issues.
People will always have their favourites, I spent £39k on a Mercedes convertible once and it was the worst car I have ever owned.
Send me a private mail if you would like to know more, and we can chat off site...
Cheers
Jim

 

[Cal54]

Can't really comment on the van you are proposing but have had the misfortune of dealing with Brownhills. All I would say is go over it with a fine tooth comb and make sure they agree in writing to put everything you request right. You should certainly arrange to spend a couple of days on their premises if/when you make a purchase and if any faults found don't leave until they are rectified. I also agree with other posts - speak to previous owner and if Brownhills won't facilitate this then walk away.

 

[Mr Colpot]

We have been guilty of buying "on a whim" a couple of times and as a result have added an extra owner to the Motorhomes in question is a short period. That said both times there were good reasons for deciding to sell them on - one went back to the dealer who sold it to us after a couple of months as we just couldnt get comfortable lounging in it and also in spite of me upgrading the weight it still couldnt be used as a six berth (lost about £6k on the deal). The other one was bought in a hurry as we needed a replacement for one we had sold and with hindsight should never have bought it but traded it in for our current Bessacarr after a few months ownership. The dealers that take these Motorhomes in never seem to question the reason for changing/selling them.

 

[longdog]

SWIFT.....enough said.....BUSBY.....

Oh don't be silly!

Swift vans, (and Bessacars and Aces), are put together and finished much better that some of the stuff that comes from CI !

 

[bobandjanie]

My van is over 8 years old, and I'm only the second owner.

But what about all the motorhomes you had before you found the right one Sue.
If you can find out the reason great, and if its one of the better dealers great, but although we knew all about Brownhills and took a extended warranty, no way would we have gone back there if we had needed to.
When I got my last new car, my daughter got it on the scrappage scheme, so her name was on the V5 then mine although she had never even sat in it.
So when it was sold it already had two owners.
What ever you buy these days the quality is no longer there, so a good dealer and a good warranty is a must!
We got our present van from Becks in Norfolk a family business and 12 months warrenty on secondhand vehicles and free loan car, very happy with them and would buy from them again. Bob.

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[PJGWiltshire]

Had our Kontiki 669 since May 2009, 25K now on the clock, substantial yearly usage and a few small issues but everyone sorted out by the dealer without any issue. About to set off on a 1 year expedition who knows what will go wrong. I think they main issue re quick turnovers of the large tag axles is the manor of use. Its not a van that you can drive and park next to the sea front(unless you got a blue badge) You have to plan ahead where to park. We are away very often and a small bit of research and we have not found issues. So i could see how owners see the lay out and space and its up there and ticks all the boxes but when it comes to driving, Parking, popping in and out of sites some people just don't like it. We love the space especially in the cooler months in the Uk when we are inside. The obvious thing is to check out the service history with Fiat and if possible any history with Swift.

 

[busby]

Oh don't be silly!

Swift vans, (and Bessacars and Aces), are put together and finished much better that some of the stuff that comes from CI !

But CI vans are hell of a lot cheaper.....BUSBY.

 

[Gorse Hill]

No interest in UK market, all overpriced rubbish.....

Bit of a sweeping comment judgemental, and not backed up with any real evidence if I did a Google search there would be plenty of problems with various vans not just british manufacturers I think it would be more helpful if you qualified your comment if you have a previous experience of a British van in particular a swift which is what the OP asked about
I have a new german van and had a number of problems and I have read on here plenty of problems with European vans

 

[Reallyretired]

My mh is 7years old and I am the second owner. The first owner traded it in for a new one after a year, which he always did, owing to not being short of a bob or two. This does not apply to me so I plan to keep it, I haven't yet found one with a layout I prefer, and at 7.6m long it is about the maximum length I wish to tour with.