Has anyone bought an ex-rental?

[dutts303]

Hi,

I'm a newbie but have just come back from an amazing three night trip in a rented Chausson C646 with my wife and our two young children (6 and 2), a bit of a trial to see if motor homing was for us, and we've definitely caught the bug so have started to look around for our first van.

We like the idea of fixed bunks and the overcab that we had in the rental and have noticed there are a few ex-rentals on auto trader within our price range (is auto trader a decent place to look, any other recommendations?).

I won't name the company (as I'm writing to them to complain and that wasn't the point of this post), but my worry is while we had an excellent time, the MH we rented had clearly had quite a hard life for a two year old MH; the main full height cupboard door was held on with just one working hinge, the front door's lower hinge had been bent and it didn't secure into the latch on the outside of the van any more, one of the struts on the large window next to the table had broken, a seat cushions had split at a seam and been crudely sewn back together, one of the overhead locker handles was loose and broken and the plastic part on the end of the table to hook it onto the wall was broken on one side. Is this typical of rentals?

Obviously we'd look at it and test drive it first but some of the ones we're seeing are quite a distance away so before we make the effort of travelling to them wanted to see if anyone else had good experiences of buying ex-rental?

Cheers

Rich

 

[The Wino]

Depends on what you want to pay what deal there is and how fussy you are. I suspect you would have change out of £500 for the defects you mention being fixed. We rented first and then bought an ex rental but from a different person who claimed it wasn't. But the prices was right and we traded in for £500 less 2 years later. The rental ones will have faults all the time theres not enough time to fix everything before they go out again and no-one is going to have 2 fleets and rotate every week so they have time to fettle them. We nearly had our rental cancelled as someone had driven off with a vent open and they only just managed to cobble it into place before we collected. A good advantage of buying secondhand is there are a lot who think they want one layout then find they want a different one later theres less depreciation if you miss the initial hit from new.

A van like our first one might suit you it was a chausson flash 3 I would look for private sales and not worry about the mileage within reason (don't look for one thats done hardly any miles I don't think it does them any good and it puts the price up a lot)

Hope you find what you want and enjoy it.

 

[dutts303]

Thanks for replying.

Yes we've been looking at the Flash 03 also, looks like an older version of the C646 unless I'm mistaken?

Our budget is around 30k, definitely looking for second hand and have seen a couple of private sales too of rear bunk Chausson models so seem to be a few options out there for us.

I think my initial worry was around finding spares for repairs, seem to be a lot of people having issues getting MH spares (especially for Euro brands like Chausson), so assumed that this sort of damage would be a problem, but your reply makes me feel a bit more comfortable about ex-rental. I understand what you mean about companies having to turn around these vans quickly, especially at peak holiday time. My main complaint with this company wasn't the damage to the van, it was more that they advertised as a "just bring bedding and towels" service, yet proceeded to bombard me with bills for gas, toilet pack, electricity hook up cable, etc.... every day after I'd paid my deposit. The extra charges almost doubled the initial rental charge.

Anyway, we had a great time which is what it was all about, so I'm not too bothered.

Can't wait to find the right van for us.

 

[Garfields]

As long as condition and price are ok and it's the layout you want.
Like everything some ex rentals will be better than others.

 

[The Wino]

Thanks for replying.

Yes we've been looking at the Flash 03 also, looks like an older version of the C646 unless I'm mistaken?

Our budget is around 30k, definitely looking for second hand and have seen a couple of private sales too of rear bunk Chausson models so seem to be a few options out there for us.

I think my initial worry was around finding spares for repairs, seem to be a lot of people having issues getting MH spares (especially for Euro brands like Chausson), so assumed that this sort of damage would be a problem, but your reply makes me feel a bit more comfortable about ex-rental. I understand what you mean about companies having to turn around these vans quickly, especially at peak holiday time. My main complaint with this company wasn't the damage to the van, it was more that they advertised as a "just bring bedding and towels" service, yet proceeded to bombard me with bills for gas, toilet pack, electricity hook up cable, etc.... every day after I'd paid my deposit. The extra charges almost doubled the initial rental charge.

Anyway, we had a great time which is what it was all about, so I'm not too bothered.

Can't wait to find the right van for us.

Spares are expensive for all brands but I don't think are any easier to find for UK ones than others. If you don't want one yet winter/early spring might be a good time to get one at a reasonable price. I would keep looking in the for sale section on here the dealers will give you a warranty which may cover any defect but there are some where the warranty is worthless the private sales will typically be a good few grand cheaper and you get to meet the previous owner. If you go to a dealer start looking underneath/at the bumpers for repairs etc I looked under the back of a big posh A class the chassis legs were bent and when I pointed it out they just werent bothered. Just for your info there are alot of brands actually owned by the same group of companies chauson are part of the trigano group as are mobilvetta,roller team,adria,autosleepers autotrail,bennimar,challenger,elnagh and a few others!!!! Hymer also have several brands

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[DangerMousy]

We bought an ex rental a couple of years ago - there were plenty of MHs to choose from with our preferred layout, but buying the ex rental meant we got a much newer MH for the same price.

Mileage is high compared to private vans, but that shouldn't be a problem if serviced properly. Check EVERYWHERE for damage and get them to agree to fix before buying. Ours didn't have much wrong with it and the inside was better than some private MHs we'd seen. One thing to take into account is that yourey unlikely to have any manufacturer's warranty on an ex rental.

We've recently been thinking about changing and got a couple of indicative part exchange quotes which came in at around the same price we originally paid. So for us it was the right decision.

 

[The Wino]

We bought an ex rental a couple of years ago - there were plenty of MHs to choose from with our preferred layout, but buying the ex rental meant we got a much newer MH for the same price.

Mileage is high compared to private vans, but that shouldn't be a problem if serviced properly. Check EVERYWHERE for damage and get them to agree to fix before buying. Ours didn't have much wrong with it and the inside was better than some private MHs we'd seen. One thing to take into account is that yourey unlikely to have any manufacturer's warranty on an ex rental.

We've recently been thinking about changing and got a couple of indicative part exchange quotes which came in at around the same price we originally paid. So for us it was the right decision.

Similar experience to us except we bought effectively as a private sale no warranty. I think we paid 21.5k (not sure anymore it was 5 years ago) for a 3 yr old mh with 39k miles they are still advertised at more than that now on autotrader. Bought in January it had been on the market a few months and I think its the only time I bought a vehicle and really pinned down the seller on price!

 

[Camdoon]

You will find that people do not rent out their motorhomes because there is usually a right way and a wrong way of opening/closing/using things. In a house this tends not to matter because everything is robust while in a van it does matter which is why rentals tend not to have too many gadgets and stuff will get broken. Check everything carefully, high mileage will come back to near normal after a few years and you will undoubtedly do well.

 

[scotjimland]

personally I wouldn't, but appreciate I may just be fussy about how many people have slept in a bed before me.. why I loath hotels

they are also more likely to have been hammered, abused and misused .. much the same way people treat private rented property.. thy don't give a toss.

on the other hand, it does then no good laying on the drive for 11 months of the year.. better to have one the has been used all year, serviced correctly and maintained as it should be.. but not an ex rental..

 

[SpeedyDux]

One of the benefits of looking at a lot of used MHs and their interiors before deciding what to buy is that you will soon realise which marques start to show wear and tear early on, and which marques still look pristine inside after a few years' use. From my personal perspective that is as important as the right layout and enough payload. End of season might be a good time to buy because the dealers should be clearing their stocks and prepared to haggle. In 2017 they seemed short of used MH stock and scruffy ones had ludicrous screen prices, but this year used MHs seem plentiful.

There's a tradeoff between ex-rental prices and the extra wear-and-tear from renters who probably do this for the first time and are hamfisted or don't realise there are do's and don'ts as @Camdoon points out. The big rental fleets may provide their own sets of cushions etc so that the unused original upholstery is put back before the MH is resold.

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[jezport]

We looked at one for our first van, ended up getting the same model non rental for £1000 more.

Rental vans have had a lot harder life, being driven and used by people who dont take as much care as an owner driver. Wear and tear on the habitation side is usually high, as the vans are not designed for constant use.

 

[Lenny HB]

We have hired a couple of times, I think the state of the ex-rentals depends a lot on the hirer. We hired Hymers in Germany, the dealers were very fussy about the condition one van when we took it back they tried to dock our deposit because the van was dirty as in 3 blades of grass in the garage and a few coffee gains in one of the lockers. Also Hymer dealers normally put them on the road in March and sell them off in September so you would be getting a 6 month old vehicle.

Although the inside may be immaculate you don't know how they have been driven. One we hired had only done a 1000 km but driving onto ramps had a nice burning clutch smell & on mountain roads brakes were none too good. A lot get hired by people who have never driven anything bigger than a car and drive it the same way.

Unless it was 10 grand cheaper don't think I would bother and best to have a contingency fund of a few grand for repairs.

 

[scotjimland]

Not sure, but does using a van as a rental not invalidate the convertors warranty ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Not sure, but does using a van as a rental not invalidate the convertors warranty ?

Possibly, probably OK with a Hymer from a Hymer dealer as the rental scheme is run by Hymer. A lot of them on offer are going to be out of their 2 year warranty anyway.

 

[scotjimland]

I Just had a look at , they have a 6 year body warranty.. but it excludes for hire or reward. .. so the way I read it, an ex rental Swift would have NO Swift warranty

Body Shell Warranty – provided by Swift
Swift will repair (or at its option, replace) any defects with the habitation body shell for 6 years from the date of purchase (or hire purchase), subject to the conditions, terms and exclusions below.

Extended Body Shell Warranty – provided by Swift
For the first owner, Swift will repair (or at its option, replace) any defects with the habitation body shell for 10 years from the date of purchase (or hire purchase), subject to the conditions, terms and exclusions below.

1. Swift shall also not be liable under the SuperSure, Body Shell and Extended Body Shell Warranties if the Motorhome has been neglected, misused, modified or used for hire or reward or if the identification marks (chassis/VIN numbers) have been removed or defaced.

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[DangerMousy]

Unless it was 10 grand cheaper don't think I would bother and best to have a contingency fund of a few grand for repairs.

I reckon we saved closer to 15k compared with the same model of a similar age model from a dealer.

Not sure, but does using a van as a rental not invalidate the convertors warranty ?

Usually yes. Which is why you need to check everything. Ours came with a 12 month warranty from the hire company (though we never used it) but nothing from Bailey.

 

[Lenny HB]

I Just had a look at , they have a 6 year body warranty.. but it excludes for hire or reward. .. so the way I read it, an ex rental Swift would have NO Swift warranty

Body Shell Warranty – provided by Swift
Swift will repair (or at its option, replace) any defects with the habitation body shell for 6 years from the date of purchase (or hire purchase), subject to the conditions, terms and exclusions below.

Extended Body Shell Warranty – provided by Swift
For the first owner, Swift will repair (or at its option, replace) any defects with the habitation body shell for 10 years from the date of purchase (or hire purchase), subject to the conditions, terms and exclusions below.

1. Swift shall also not be liable under the SuperSure, Body Shell and Extended Body Shell Warranties if the Motorhome has been neglected, misused, modified or used for hire or reward or if the identification marks (chassis/VIN numbers) have been removed or defaced.

So they won't cover water ingress that rules out Swifts then.
Might be worth taking the risk on a German van, particularly a aluminium/aluminium sandwich one, wouldn't want to risk any other van without water ingress warranty.

 

[DangerMousy]

my worry is while we had an excellent time, the MH we rented had clearly had quite a hard life for a two year old MH.......

......Is this typical of rentals?

I don't know if its typical or not, it probably depends on the age and hire company. Ours was above average condition on both the habitation and mechanical/engine side. But I saw the state of the MH my parents hired for a week (from a different company) and it was in pretty poor condition inside.

I think you need to judge each van on it's own merits and compare the condition and price against what else is available on the market. I definitely wouldn't discount something just because its ex-rental, but you do need to go in with your eyes open.

 

[TerryL]

With the problems the OP had with his hire van don't think I'd buy one of their ex-rentals!

 

[dutts303]

With the problems the OP had with his hire van don't think I'd buy one of their ex-rentals!

Oh yes, I don't think I'll be buying off this company, although that have been spamming me twice daily since I paid my deposit with offers on ex-rentals. Don't have much faith in them though, they're still trying to sell me RAC breakdown cover for my van hire, even though the hire ended yesterday!

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[mitzimad]

your own skill set will also have a bearing on this if your competent enough to be replacing hinges door catches and window stays then it probably works out ok if your thinking of putting it in to a dealer for repairs it might be too expensive
most things on a van can be repaired modified or replaced by a competent diy'er

 

[Ridgeway]

Our first van was an ex-rental. Our local dealer here gets in around 20 new vans each Spring, hires them out that year and then sells them on so they are typically 12 months old. For us it was the perfect way to start out and get a van that was about 10% cheaper vs regular prices. One thing we did notice is that the family vans get hammered more than say an A class or even a Profile van. It didn't make too much difference to us as our crew would soon provide that "lived in" look to any environment