Is this mileage bad for a 2008 motorhome

[Diane1969]

Hi all, we've been on a search again today and found a autocruise gleneagle 2008 model but the mileage is nearly 57000 miles, most vans around that age appear to be around the 20000 miles .
Would like some advice please

 

[scotjimland]

Fixed bed every time..

had plenty of caravans with seats that made into beds and have never found one that was comfortable.. many people end up putting mattress toppers on.. besides that, can't be doing with a jigsaw every night

Our sub 7mt Hymer has a full size transverse double bed .. a five seat L shape lounge ... plus a full size double drop down bed in the cab.. both have pocket sprung mattresses on beach wood slatted bases.. and the huge garage is great for our two bikes and all the other kit..

It has a double floor with useful storage.. all water pipes and tanks are in the void.. so no freezing in winter..

I will concede... no use if you want to entertain more than a couple of guests ... but plenty big for the three of us ..
view here Broken Link Removed

 

[FJmike]

Beats me why people get so hung up on mileage, have a look at any motorhomes in France and the average mileage (or should that be kilometerage) is five or six times what a Brit van would have. Perhaps its because they use their vans not keep them as drive ornaments

 

[scotjimland]

Beats me why people get so hung up on mileage

fine.. provided it's not ex hire

 

[Diane1969]

Yes we had just over two years worth circa 150 nights and got proper fed up with it. Autocruise Starspirit.
Our current van will see us into our 70's unless we win the lottery of course
Had our Rapido 7090F 3 yrs this November so another 12 years is a doddle. 47k on it now only

I take on board what your saying and we are now seeing what fixed bed layouts are about

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[Techno]

I take on board what your saying and we are now seeing what fixed bed layouts are about

Can do no harm
My van is 24ft 3" or 7.39 metres and also 4250kg

Mine was 4 1/2 years old when we bought it private in 2012 and paid 37.5k
Also has comfortmatic box
A forecourt price would have been closer to 45k

 

[9526]

We've gone the opposite way (fixed bed Rapido - u shaped lounge van conversion)

Bed is easy to make up (2 mins) we have gained loads of lounging space, storage similar, only downside is storing bedding (we have over cab locker though)

Horses for courses and all that, but the positives far outweigh the negs for us at the mo. The van has taken us through some villages that I wouldn't have considered in the coach built.

 

[Allanm]

We went for fixed bed too, had vans where you have to make up the bed everynight, but not anymore. We have plenty of space, in fact this was one of best layouts of all the vans we saw. No narrow corridors and plenty of room for both of us to lounge about and room for two dogs to move and lie around. And, if we need it, we can make a huge double bed out of the two side sofas too. We even had 8 sitting round the table for dinner!
As to mileage, an older van with low mileage will have spent most of its time sitting around doing nothing. While thats ok for lots of people ( sitting around!) , I think vans should be used as much as possible. Ours is 2 years old with 18k on the clock.
Many years ago, I managed to buy a 6 year old Triumph Vitesse 2 litre convertible with less than 5k on the clock.
It was one of the the worst car I ever had for the first few months. Tyres were perished, universal joints all started knocking after a few hundred miles ( and there are a lot on a Vitesse), all the suspension joints needed replacing and the brakes were shot and needed replacing. All through lack of use.

 

[Speve]

Fixed bed for us you can't beat not having to make up the bed every night and then taking it apart next morning, we have a Hymer Exsis I and there's plenty of space for the two of us and our two dogs.

 

[Cleve]

Buying

My life already, oi vey. you should have been here last week could not give them away this week they are gold dust

or

Selling

My life already, oi vey, you should have been here last week they were worth a fortune this week cant move for them so sorry cant give you to much. Tears

Salesmen are are nominated for the Acadamy awards .....

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[laird of Dunstan]

im also in the fixed beds camp , ive had caravans up until now and ive found that the novely of making up the bed every night and breaking it down in the morning becomes old very quickly,id also stay away from what are described as French beds,these are stuck in the corner and if one of you needs to go in the night it can mean having to climb over the other.
We opted for an island bed, the lounge area was less of an importance as we envisage sitting outside more than inside
Try out the bathrooms as well, im 6ft 1 and found that some models were built with shorter people in mind

 

[ianandkath]

fixed bed every time. mines low mileage but only cos it was stored for years

 

[Techno]

I often stay up late sat in the captains seat in just my skiddies with a glass of red and the forum while wifey turns in.
On other occasions I've felt unwell or very tired and I've turned in at silly o'clock while wifey carried on.
Neither are possible without a bed.
Of course the island bed is the mutts nuts for those who prefer one bed

 

[Spidey]

We have got a chausson 510, and i love the fixed bed. However since it stores in the ceiling we also have a large lounge. The compromise for us is a small garage :-(.

 

[TUCANO]

Oldish Hymer A class here, it takes seconds to rearrange the bed and then push it up out of the way, easy peasy and not a bed in sight until I lower it again, fixed beds NNNNAAAAAAAAAAA
Each to their own just don't rush into it, take your time and enjoy the search.
Norman.

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[Diane1969]

Oldish Hymer A class here, it takes seconds to rearrange the bed and then push it up out of the way, easy peasy and not a bed in sight until I lower it again, fixed beds NNNNAAAAAAAAAAA
Each to their own just don't rush into it, take your time and enjoy the search.
Norman.

We borrow a hymer and love the over cab bed for that reason but we haven't seen a layout we like , British over head beds are too high and a bit claustrophobic

 

[Daz n Tina]

Have you thought about buying a mh in Europe, the pound being strong you may get a bargain.

Their seems to be plenty of members that have gone down this route.

 

[Steve devon]

We have had our new scout for 6 months and it has got 4500 miles on it already, it cost an awful lot of money and I do believe the idea is to use it isn't it?

 

[WillH]

Had our 2008 van from new, 2.3 multijet engine, 48,ooo miles, interior pristine, fixed bed. I didn't consider the engine run-in until we had 20k on the clock. Sees between 80 and 100 nights usage each year plus day trips to the seaside. Runs like a good-un and still returns 30-31 m.p.g. Wouldn't part with it just now.

 

[The Wino]

I've got that one in my watch list, the one we saw today is £32000

Each to their own but I would go for a cheaper make new for not a lot more.

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[Diane1969]

Have you thought about buying a mh in Europe, the pound being strong you may get a bargain.

Their seems to be plenty of members that have gone down this route.

Hi not really something I'm comfortable doing, I'm finding it hard enough to get time to look at ones in the UK. But thanks for recommending

 

[Welsh girl]

As we can't go over 3.5t we have 2 singles in our rear lounge. We can't have a long enough van to have both fixed bed and somewhere to lounge like we have now. The beds were manufactured as single beds (sprung) so are very comfortable to sleep on being electric, orthopedic and also comfortable when we have the back cushions on and used for a sofa, takes as lot as the kettle boils to make into a lounge again. We would love to be able to have a garage also but haven't been able to find one that suits so compromise and have the cycles on a rack.

 

[Bailey58]

I echo what @Techno100 said. We had a Starspirit and mainly used the rear lounge as 2 singles to sleep on but it was a problem with the duvalays stored on there during the day and too much fuss to make up the double. French bed for us now and the wife doesn't get up in the night. In fact I have a job getting her up in the morning.

 

[DanielFord]

Our 2011 van now has 47,000 on the clock, a good deal of those were racked up by us, 2,800 on our holiday around Europe. Engine is sweet as a nut, and so is the gearbox, now it's been fixed!

Mileage isn't your main concern, the engines fitted are truly wonderful and will go on for years if looked after. Worry more about the important things, like layout.

 

[Big bus man]

Chances are you will only be doing 2-3000 miles per year yourself so forget the mileage, a dealer vehicle will be guaranteed for damp which is the main issue. Over time the joint putty on body panels goes hard, it can crack or shrink and then allows water through, this is also common on newer caravans where flex can play a part in it so my advice is ask for a ladder and look at the top seals, most dealers would happily re-seal a joint but don't rely on their 'damp test' and if they say they have replaced something because of damp be sure to inspect the work in detail.