Challenges selling privately

[ChoisyaTernata]

I'm sad to say I haven't posted very often. I joined in 2020 but after a couple of posts on my phone while stuck in Morocco during the Covid lockdowns my account stopped working. I can't believe I only discovered the subscription option earlier this week.

I recently advertised my motorhome for sale here on MotorhomeFun, and also on AutoTrader. I was surprised when within a couple of hours someone called via AutoTrader, saying it was the motorhome they had been waiting for and that they would come to collect the following day. It seemed almost too good to be true (spoiler, it was).

When they arrived today I was on my own so it was difficult to keep both of them in sight. They were not interested in a test drive, said it was perfect as it was, and would just need to check for damp before sealing the deal. At this point I noticed a small but not insignificant puddle of water (glistening against all odds in the brilliant sunshine) on one of the window seals which wasn't there only minutes earlier when I was preparing the vehicle for the viewing. I can't speculate on how it got there. They then proceeded to use a damp meter and found damp from 50% to 99.9% all over the place and suggested that it would take £10,000 to repair.

If it was me in their place I would have run a mile at those results, but they said they would still take the motorhome if I knocked off the "repair costs". In good conscience I could not sell something that had such serious problems, so I told them I would not sell it to anyone until I had had it repaired myself.

If my motorhome was genuinely wetter than a submarine then obviously that would need to be resolved, but we've never had any problems and I find it hard to believe. This is the only motorhome we've ever owned so this is my first time trying to sell one. Has anyone ever had an experience like this?

There's a huge wait time to get a habitation check done and I was hoping for a quick(ish) sale, but this experience has put me off trying to sell privately. I have spoken with the company who did the last habitation check (November 2020) and they were perplexed and have even offered to take a quick look at it for me this weekend free of charge. Hopefully in a couple of days I'll have a more independent opinion.

We've had 5 amazing years with our motorhome, but today's events have left a bitter aftertaste.

Is is always better to buy/sell from a dealer?

For now I have removed the AutoTrader advertisement and will do the same here on MotorhomeFun later tonight.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[DJL220]

I wouldn’t be put off by these chancers! I suspect there will nothing wrong with your MH and I would be suspicious of anyone not wanting a test drive?
I would leave it on MH fun as the chances are that you will find a proper buyer on here. Last time I went to see a MH a fair distance away (private sale) I offered a deposit of £300 just so they knew I would turn up. I didn’t purchase as I found proper dampness underneath.

Good luck with your sale going forward

Darren

 

[tonka]

There is known con where they tip water inside the van, hence creating the high readings.
I suspect you may have been a victim.

 

[daventess]

I'm sorry you had such an experience, and it is rather awful to have to say that you have to be very switched on to this kind of play as a seller of anything. And it was a play, pure and simple.

But is sounds like you absolutely did the right thing. If you're not comfortable, walk away from selling (it's not just buyers who get to walk away).

Please don't be put off by this. Just keep your spidey sense active and you won't be ripped off by these kind of people. It's just an experience. A nasty one, but hopefully not a defining one.

 

[Clivefog]

Yes there are little scallywags about. I would not have thought so on this site.

Another trick is to squirt used oil up the exhaust start engine and look it's dripping oil.

Hope you have an easy sale whatever you do.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[chrispenrallt]

I’m thinking of selling too, but there is no way I will be on my own when anyone comes to to view. I have read about some of the tricks these chancers get up to and I would say that they tried to trick you into dropping your price by £10k. As Daventess has stacted in a post above, keep your wits about you and definitely have another person with you to watch what they are doing. Good luck

 

[Jolak]

Speaking of test drives, there is the question of insurance cover. If they say that their policy covers them to drive other vehicles, this is usually third party cover only. If the prospective purchaser damages your motor or worse still, totals it, you've got to rely on his/her good will to compensate you. I've considered selling mine and doing it privately to minimise my losses and this is an issue that concerns me. I would be prepared to take them for a run in it, but only with me driving it. Good luck.

 

[chrispenrallt]

Speaking of test drives, there is the question of insurance cover. If they say that their policy covers them to drive other vehicles, this is usually third party cover only. If the prospective purchaser damages your motor or worse still, totals it, you've got to rely on his/her good will to compensate you. I've considered selling mine and doing it privately to minimise my losses and this is an issue that concerns me. I would be prepared to take them for a run in it, but only with me driving it. Good luck.

Yes that has crossed my mind too. I think that I’ll be letting them go up and down our long tarmaced drive and that will be it unless they can arrange cover over the phone

 

[pampam]

Well we havent had any rain for ages so i dont know who they thought they were trying to fool with water on the window seals?crikey its a shame you didnt have a camera in your van to catch them out,you could stand one inside van for next potential buyer, it would put people off trying to con you £35 from argos good luck pampam

 

[ChoisyaTernata]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words, it makes a big difference.

We had planned to have multiple family members about and it was just by chance the time they arrived I was on my own. I was prepared to take them on a test drive (with me driving) but they weren't interested.

They didn't mention the pool of water at all but I've spent a big chunk of my life in the MH over the last 5 years so I noticed it immediately, especially as stated above there hasn't been any rain for ages. After they left I found water in the washroom sink, and the habitation electrics had been switched from the leisure batteries to the engine battery for some reason. It was just bizarre.

I don't understand the process yet (I need to learn quickly) but surely 99.9% dampness is almost neat water? Would running a damp hand over the area shortly before testing give a similar result? I've been looking on Amazon at damp meters (I didn't know they were an affordable option until today) and for £20 or so I think I'll get one. Are there any particular recommendations?

I'm going to leave the advert on here for now, and hopefully anyone who reads it will also find this thread. Hopefully after speaking with an expert this weekend I'll know better what to do next.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[poppycamper]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words, it makes a big difference.

We had planned to have multiple family members about and it was just by chance the time they arrived I was on my own. I was prepared to take them on a test drive (with me driving) but they weren't interested.

They didn't mention the pool of water at all but I've spent a big chunk of my life in the MH over the last 5 years so I noticed it immediately, especially as stated above there hasn't been any rain for ages. After they left I found water in the washroom sink, and the habitation electrics had been switched from the leisure batteries to the engine battery for some reason. It was just bizarre.

I don't understand the process yet (I need to learn quickly) but surely 99.9% dampness is almost neat water? Would running a damp hand over the area shortly before testing give a similar result? I've been looking on Amazon at damp meters (I didn't know they were an affordable option until today) and for £20 or so I think I'll get one. Are there any particular recommendations?

I'm going to leave the advert on here for now, and hopefully anyone who reads it will also find this thread. Hopefully after speaking with an expert this weekend I'll know better what to do next.

Only recommend on damp meters I can give is don't get a pronged version as they have to pierce walls to get reading..

 

[Nanniemate]

Maybe get a dealer to sell it for you there are a few on here

 

[UptheGas]

Tell them to Fiddlesticks off ! I had a similar experience a few yrs ago selling a car , a bloke drove down from Leicestershire to Bristol to buy it…. Then discovered all sorts of ‘problems’ .
He’d take it off my hands for half the price . I just laughed and walked back in my house. Then 20 mins later he texts me to say he’d driven all that way and he’d offer me a fair price …. Another few hundred pounds. I told him to wait there as I thought about it ….. an hour later he texts again . Told him to go Fiddlesticks himself .

 

[ChoisyaTernata]

Maybe get a dealer to sell it for you there are a few on here

I anticipated that selling privately would probably require more effort but I thought I'd have a go. I'm now contemplating whether to go through a dealer instead, or even something in-between like Motorhome Depot. I'm going to take my time and consider my options over the weekend. I'm partly inclined to keep it. My eldest is about to start college so our schedules would need to adapt, but if we kept it we would have to force ourselves to use it whenever we could.

20 mins later he texts me to say he’d driven all that way and he’d offer me a fair price ….

I had the same, perhaps there is a standard operating procedure.

 

[GAVLAD]

I'd try selling it yourself.
The money you negotiate to discount from the asking price is the money that a dealer would charge commission and in addition, a buyer is going to want to haggle with the dealers price anyway.
You could do with a friend or neighbour being with you for the next viewers and then at least one can keep an eye on one and you the other.
Not to try put you off, a very small minority will try things on like you've experienced.
I once viewed a van at a dealership and anything that could have been removed from inside, had been.
It had no cupboard handles, no fridge or oven knobs, some light fittings. I thought what a crap van thats been unloved but the dealer told me that a couple of handles had been stolen and an oven knob so they decided to remove everything with a view to putting them on when sold.
So things like this even happens on the forecourt.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Anyone not wanting to test drive a vehicle when spending so much money is suspicious in my view.
Even if someone sends you a PayPal deposit to hold it, they'd want to test it before handing over the rest of the cash.
Be strict with the cleared funds as well before you hand over keys and log book.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ChoisyaTernata]

I think we all knew what was coming, but I've just got back from having an expert check over the MH. In a nutshell, everything was fine.

I had already told him of my recent experience (which is why he offered to help me at short notice) but within seconds of taking a look he stated that it was obviously bone dry and they had clearly been trying it on. He then spent a good 90 minutes checking everything and explained the whole process to me as he went along.

He did find a small (3mm) gap in one of the seals near the habitation foot-well, and there was a slightly increased reading in that area, but he said it was low enough to not be a concern. He gave me a full tube of sealant so that I could seal the gap myself (I offered to pay but he wouldn't accept anything).

He finished by saying it was the driest 12 plate on his property and we had obviously taken good care of it (I'll take a compliment anytime).

He is a shining example of the good that humanity has to offer.

For the sake of simplicity while selling I've asked for a full habitation check to be done at the earliest opportunity, that way I will have an independent record that everything is in good shape.

I'm going to try again to sell it myself, but with a little more experience under my belt.

 

[Furry Paws]

My last one a Transit Motor Caravan conversion when advertised on Gumtree or MotorTrader I cannot remember - the same day I received a message from 2 different women saying they wanted to buy for their son, same story so I noticed a pattern! They were going to send a representative round to drive it and would tell them if it was OK they would then pay by paypay and their representative would drive it too them!
Of course if I had been an idiot and gone along with it they would have faked Paypal and I would have lost my vehicle because the insurance company wouldn't have paid out as they had been given the keys!
My answer to them both they could "BOTH" send their representative with the Cash in his hand and after paying a deposit I would drive him so he could make sure he was happy! Then he would pay me the balance and could drive it away!
Strange neither of the "Representatives" turned up? Even stranger the Van was stolen a few weeks later and the police think it was all connected they just wanted to get my address and said by the time I noticed it missing it was probably stripped or halfway down an Autobahn to a customer!

 

[ChoisyaTernata]

Ever keen to help in my hour of need, my visitors contacted me a couple of days later to put me in touch with a "habitation expert" who would be able to undertake all the repair work and get all the parts at the best possible prices. I wonder how that would have worked out if I had taken them up on their offer and handed the MH over?!?

... they just wanted to get my address ...

This has been a big concern of mine. It's not really possible to sell without giving out your home address. Thankfully I don't keep my MH at home, but it's still a concern even so.

I'll probably put some potential buyers off, but after my first experience this is where I'm at:

• No damp meters allowed (the habitation check and service history have the answers you need);
• No-one except me gets to drive it;
• Cash paid directly into my account inside the branch or a direct bank transfer are the only payment methods I will accept.

Even though I had read about these kinds of situations I never expected to actually experience it, which is part of why I originally posted about it. The more people who see what can happen the better. Probably the hardest part of all this was the effect it had on my daughter. She's only young and took everything they said at face value. She was in tears after they left and I had to explain to her that some people lie.

Keep safe everyone.

 

[CAB96]

Difficult to justify no damp meters, especially non-invasive ones, but absolutely appreciate why you would want to require that.

Spot on with the other two though.

 

[ChoisyaTernata]

Difficult to justify no damp meters, especially non-invasive ones, but absolutely appreciate why you would want to require that.

You're probably right. Depending on the rest of any conversation I might relax that rule... will play that by ear. This weekend an expert showed me how to use a damp meter correctly and discretely so as not to cause any damage. The guy that assaulted my MH with his meter last week obviously hadn't completed his training yet.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Howard B]

Only recommend on damp meters I can give is don't get a pronged version as they have to pierce walls to get reading..

I was told the non invasive type are prone to false readings, certainly the case with the one i have.

 

[Henry57]

Been tryng to sell our motorhome privately for about 3 months, on Motorhome Fun, Autotrader and Gumtree, with a lots of interest but with relatively few viewings. Now thinking that I have left it too late to sell this year and wonering whether it is better to take off the market till nxt March.
Has anybody have an opinion as to if this is the better option, than ultimately taking a dealers 'best price' this year.

 

[Nanniemate]

Been tryng to sell our motorhome privately for about 3 months, on Motorhome Fun, Autotrader and Gumtree, with a lots of interest but with relatively few viewings. Now thinking that I have left it too late to sell this year and wonering whether it is better to take off the market till nxt March.
Has anybody have an opinion as to if this is the better option, than ultimately taking a dealers 'best price' this year.

Maybe some more internal.pics to demonstrate the quality and lack of wear and tear of the interior would help

 

[Howard B]

Been tryng to sell our motorhome privately for about 3 months, on Motorhome Fun, Autotrader and Gumtree, with a lots of interest but with relatively few viewings. Now thinking that I have left it too late to sell this year and wonering whether it is better to take off the market till nxt March.
Has anybody have an opinion as to if this is the better option, than ultimately taking a dealers 'best price' this year.

Is it priced realistically? I had no problems selling mine privately last year, got a dealer PX price and added a few grand on top. Could maybe have squeezed a bit more, but very happy with the way my sale went.

 

[headlight]

I'm also surprised the OP is having problems selling if it's realistically priced and in good condition inside and out.
I've just been offered 3 grand more than I paid for mine 18 months ago which would cover the extras I've fitted as well.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Bessy765]

It isn’t just private buyers, I traded a van some years ago the dealer knock £3000 of the trade in he said it was riddled with damp would cost thousands and take weeks to repair. SoI took the hit. The van was advertised at another dealer 5 days later. Got my friend to phone to see if he came up and paid a deposit when could he take the van told give us a week

 

[sweetie]

Been tryng to sell our motorhome privately for about 3 months, on Motorhome Fun, Autotrader and Gumtree, with a lots of interest but with relatively few viewings. Now thinking that I have left it too late to sell this year and wonering whether it is better to take off the market till nxt March.
Has anybody have an opinion as to if this is the better option, than ultimately taking a dealers 'best price' this year.

I sold my last motorhome through Motorhome Depot they took all the photos advertised it and showed 3 persons who viewed first 2 had boats to sell first, 3rd person bought at asking price. Sold for £1000 pound less than i paid for it 8 years ago. Brokers cost was £3000.00 Very pleased with the service. Took 3 months but that was from November solf end January the one they sold for me is in avatar

 

[PeterCarole29]

I sold my last motorhome through Motorhome Depot they took all the photos advertised it and showed 3 persons who viewed first 2 had boats to sell first, 3rd person bought at asking price. Sold for £1000 pound less than i paid for it 8 years ago. Brokers cost was £3000.00 Very pleased with the service. Took 3 months but that was from November solf end January

I have several friends who have sold through this company and it has worked well on all 3 occations

 

[Bertilak]

Private sales can go the other way. We had our 240K miler VW on ebay for £9K, and got a real buyer almost worryingly keen to come, an hour later he's here with wife and daughter. The van was solid but hardly perfect, but when they mentioned him "welding the Land Rover" I knew he'd understand and cope with the issues. They offered to transfer the agreed amount then and there, even though we couldn't deliver for a week...
We were pleased to see it go to a nice family that wanted it to use, and didn't mind not trying to squeeze out the maximum price.