Please Can People Explain To Me...

[JJ]

Because of my Princess's desire to buy a motorhome coupled with the fantastic help being given by several Funsters I have seen a mass of brilliant looking motorhomes for sale well under £10, 000.

Add to this actually sitting in one or two superb vans in truly excellent condition and packed with well built equipment and I find it more and more difficult to understand why so many people seem to pay so very much more money for lesser motorhomers.

Is it simply because they are newer?

Is this so called "upgrading" anything to do with perceived status?

I am sure Funsters will be able to enlighten me.

JJ :Cool:

 

[haganap]

Because I like things like. ... power steering.... 6 gears for touring at 60mph 28mpg airbags.. disc brakes all round.... on board pc plus a hundred other things.... some of us have to drive the things as well as live in them.

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

Certainly for us, we had no choice in spending more on our newer motorhome, living in London we had to ensure it was LEZ compliant.

We expect this to be our last purchase and for it to last some years.

With the older compliant motorhomes we did find that sourcing parts was extremely difficult.

 

[JJ]

Hi Paul... got all that (minus one gear) in the Wagon plus a hand cut parquet floor fashioned from recycled mahogany...

(And a passive Bose sub-woofer...)

JJ :Cool:

Edit. Whoops... no airbags either... sorry for thst omission.

 

[jhorsf]

Because if we did not buy the new ones you peasants would not be able to buy our cast offs (well you did ask)

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[MR. FUSION]

a motorhome is essentially a base vehicle with a habitation space. A vehicle becomes more unreliable and unsafe with age and wear, it is safer and much less hassle to replace a base vehicle once over a certain number of years. I wouldn't drive anything older than 8 years because by that time unseen rust will be an issue (as will various other component's) and the only time you will find that out is in an accident when its to late.oh:

 

[JJ]

a motorhome is essentially a base vehicle with a habitation space. A vehicle becomes more unreliable and unsafe with age and wear, it is safer and much less hassle to replace a base vehicle once over a certain number of years. I wouldn't drive anything older than 8 years because by that time unseen rust will be an issue (as will various other component's) and the only time you will find that out is in an accident when its to late.oh:

Interesting and thank you for posting your valid points.

However my vehicles are slightly over your age limit and the Hymer beats it by 17 odd years. True I had a recurring problem with the wipers one day but apart from that it purred all the way from Portugal to Malvern and beyond (via Toulouse) and back again trouble free. Over 5000 kms.

No rust underneath either.

I know that just because my trip went well it doesn't prove that all older vans are better value than some newer ones but judging from all the tales of woe I have come across I'll go for an older, better priced motorhome every day.

JJ :Cool:

PS. Haven't suffered any accidents due to worn out or failed parts either... yet!!!

 

[Snowbird]

Have you taken the chief winder upper job whilst Shifty is away JJ

 

[lorger]

Because we are all different and if we weren't it would be a very boring place

I like my comforts and did look at older vans but just never felt like they where for me i also get the same feeling when i view big fancy RV's althought they are great and i can see why folk want them i just dont.

 

[JJ]

Because if we did not buy the new ones you peasants would not be able to buy our cast offs (well you did ask)

Thank you all very much! :thumb:

JJ :Cool:

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[hilldweller]

why so many people seem to pay so very much more money for lesser motorhomers.
JJ :Cool:

Laziness and lack of computing power.

They buy into newer more and more complex fashionable designs that are engineered to be unsustainable sooner and sooner. Once they fall for the manufacturers Grand Plan they are locked in to the cycle of keep feeding cash to the dealers and manufacturers.

The older ones, without computers and solidly built need some tender care and will last just about indefinitely.

Break down in Morocco in your Hymer and you could have the engine or gearbox rebuilt overnight for about 5s 6d.

Break down in a Euro 5 vehicle and if they don't fly in a specialist the only way out is on a trailer.

 

[Peter & Elaine]

This is interesting as I reckon I droped a bit of a booboo
Now I do love my burstaner and would not change it for anything newer
But after a couple of rallys and looking at other peoples older vans in particular some of the hobbies and hymer I think I could of saved 15 grand and possibly ended with something better than we have
Or more to our to our needs now that we are just realizing what they are
Why did I buy our now van
I thought that
Newer was better
More modern would be cheaper in long run and more reliable

Seems I was 'well not quite right'
ho well life goes on

 

[Chris]

Peter - I don't wish to be pedantic, but you always refer to your van as a Burstaner. Is it not a Burstner? It might be an A class but there isn't an A in the name.

 

[Collyer911]

i had a budget of 25k when i bought my van
although i could of gone maybe 5 or six years newer i settled on an older van because of layout ,perceived quality of fixtures and fittings,
i like nothing better than trawling through, for sale motorhome ads,
and have yet to find another with a better layout,equipment level i already have,

although those old hymers do it for me every time!

 

[Snowbird]

A little off topic so please forgive me JJ, but I think it has a little relevance to your question.
Back in the day of pioneering long haul truckers the favoured truck was the none computerised no frills engine that could be serviced at any crossroads garage. Parts availability at any corner shop. If you were unfortunate to have a piston pick up, you could drop the sump, take it out and run home on the other 5. I once owned and ran a Volvo F89 with well over a million kilometres on the clock and was still running to Baghdad on a regular basis, serviced by myself with no formal skills. Am not saying that modern drive by wire engines are no good, what I am saying is that the man in the street cant maintain them. You have to use a main agent. The problem starts with the lightweight materials used in modern vehicles. Because we demand more and more accessories and better fuel consumption the builders have to lose weight somewhere. Unfortunately its generally in the habitation part that this weight is lost. Floors that feel like sponge, beds that collapse, cupboard doors that fall apart and hinges that fall off.
When our old behemoths were built they were built to a quality, not to a price. They were expensive then, imagine what they would cost today. When the likes of Hymer, Arnold etc were building motorhomes, there was no competition, price did not matter, only the wealthy owned motorhomes. Now they are built in just about every country in Europe, with cheap labour costs, and on some models it shows. Your Sclass Hymer would have cost a fortune when new, it was the Hymer flagship. Most people would not be prepared to pay for that quality today, and even if they did they would want to change it every 3 or 4 years when the manufacturer brought out a new model. I have looked in some of the new models at shows, but have not seen anything better than what I already have, not at any price. When I had the carpet taken out and vinyl flooring fitted even the floor was made from fibreglass. They maybe old JJ, but they were certainly built to last, as we have proved beyond any shadow of doubt.

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[Peter & Elaine]

Peter - I don't wish to be pedantic, but you always refer to your van as a Burstaner. Is it not a Burstner? It might be an A class but there isn't an A in the name.

You know I never even realised
when I changed over from I pad to galaxy tab I think its the spell checker
And its not a A class it is a fiat C class
Plus my spelling is crap
And no I dont mind being told if people dont tell you how do you learn
Thanks chris

 

[cmcardle75]

Because of my Princess's desire to buy a motorhome coupled with the fantastic help being given by several Funsters I have seen a mass of brilliant looking motorhomes for sale well under £10, 000.

Add to this actually sitting in one or two superb vans in truly excellent condition and packed with well built equipment and I find it more and more difficult to understand why so many people seem to pay so very much more money for lesser motorhomers.

Is it simply because they are newer?

Is this so called "upgrading" anything to do with perceived status?

I am sure Funsters will be able to enlighten me.

JJ :Cool:

Mine cost under £5000. That is less than £1 per kg.

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

My experience is the older the motorhome the better the build quality, what a sad thing to have to say

 

[Allanm]

Laziness and lack of computing power.

They buy into newer more and more complex fashionable designs that are engineered to be unsustainable sooner and sooner. Once they fall for the manufacturers Grand Plan they are locked in to the cycle of keep feeding cash to the dealers and manufacturers.

The older ones, without computers and solidly built need some tender care and will last just about indefinitely.

Break down in Morocco in your Hymer and you could have the engine or gearbox rebuilt overnight for about 5s 6d.

Break down in a Euro 5 vehicle and if they don't fly in a specialist the only way out is on a trailer.

Interesting point of view and one that I have nearly always subscribed to. I used to run old Land Rovers and an old Triumph motorcycle. They broke down regularly, and were fixed regularly using bits of chicken wire and any other old rubbish you could find anywhere. Well, not quite but you get the idea
One day, I bought a new Honda m/c to replace my Triumph. I was so disappointed in the fact it never broke down and it was built so well. The camshafts were machined along the whole length, unlike my Old Jag where the only parts that were machined were the lobes.
Then I sold my old Landy and ( with the help of a large redundancy payment) bought a 3 year old Range Rover Vogue. I kept it for 4 years and it never went wrong. I used to lift the bonnet and look longingly at all the nuts and bolts I would never undo.
We had a new Beetle for 5 years and 86000 miles and 4 services later, It never missed a beat
So, while new engines are complicated, the vast majority are so well engineered, they never break down. But, of course, you are right, if the do break down in the middle of somewhere remote, your stuck.

Anyway, the choice between an old or new van was easy to make.
Mrs A wanted a van with a toilet nobody had ever used. Plus, she bought it.
I had no chance of getting her to pay for a Hobby 750......
Allan

 

[Teepee]

Because if we did not buy the new ones you peasants would not be able to buy our cast offs (well you did ask)

Perhaps you should start a new forum called motorhome snobs. Then you could all look down on us peasants in our second hand vehicles and second hand awnings and have a good laugh. I would think there are enough of you out there for a new forum.

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[Chris]

Perhaps you should start a new forum called motorhome snobs. Then you could all look down on us peasants in our second hand vehicles and second hand awnings and have a good laugh. I would think there are enough of you out there for a new forum.

I don't think he was being serious

 

[GJH]

When we bought our Autoquest we obviously knew far less than now. We had a budget and bought the one we thought suited us best. Just before that van was "Asda-d" we were thinking of changing it the following year after a good look round.

In the circumstances in which we found ourselves we needed to buy a replacement in a shorter timescale and found our current Burstner (actually a year older than the Autoquest) - but said to ourselves that it was a stopgap and we could trade it in later in the year. That was until we started using it and decided there would be little value in changing it. We've added a few things and had to fix a few things but we're very happy to have a van which is now more that 10 years old.

We also like modern toys and have plenty of toys - but generally not fixed to the van

 

[chrisgreen]

in my case its about what i could afford at the time without going into debt:thumb:
if someone works hard and can afford a new motorhome,good luck to them i say:thumb:
but if i had 80 grand lying about i would never consider buying another motorhome and would never buy a new one.
the one i own now, is the last motorhome i will ever own
when the day arrives that i cannot repair it or maintain it,it will go, never to be replaced,if it get's smashed or damaged beyond repair i will take the insurance and move on to another intrest.probably golf

 

[Busman]

If no one bought new ones there would be no old ones to buy

 

[Scout]

Laziness and lack of computing power.

They buy into newer more and more complex fashionable designs that are engineered to be unsustainable sooner and sooner. Once they fall for the manufacturers Grand Plan they are locked in to the cycle of keep feeding cash to the dealers and manufacturers.

The older ones, without computers and solidly built need some tender care and will last just about indefinitely.

Break down in Morocco in your Hymer and you could have the engine or gearbox rebuilt overnight for about 5s 6d.

Break down in a Euro 5 vehicle and if they don't fly in a specialist the only way out is on a trailer.

5s 6d? Id want the engin & gearbox done plus a full retrim, a 200w solar pannal and a tank full of deasil for that much,

Spendthrift pppphhhh

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[Scout]

This is interesting as I reckon I droped a bit of a booboo
Now I do love my burstaner and would not change it for anything newer
But after a couple of rallys and looking at other peoples older vans in particular some of the hobbies and hymer I think I could of saved 15 grand and possibly ended with something better than we have
Or more to our to our needs now that we are just realizing what they are
Why did I buy our now van
I thought that
Newer was better
More modern would be cheaper in long run and more reliable

Seems I was 'well not quite right'
ho well life goes on

true, but rememember in 15/20 years time our newer vans will be then be the older ones, :thumb:

mines on its way but its only a mere 9 years ( bloody hell another cam belt next year)

 

[Allanm]

5s 6d? Id want the engin & gearbox done plus a full retrim, a 200w solar pannal and a tank full of deasil for that much,

Spendthrift pppphhhh

.....and some change to get a bag of chips and 20 Rothmans

 

[joner8888]

I keep wanting to change my 16 year old Autotrail Scout.
I can afford to if I want to, but the problem is--

Spend my savings on a vehicle that will devalue my money or keep what I use most weekends now and in Europe sometimes and is well built and keep my money.

I can run @60mph all day and do what a 2010 MH can do.

All it needs is some repairs from time to time but no more than any other later ones.

I could keep my MH running for the next 10 years if I keep it in it`s indoor storage and do what needs doing:thumb:

And keep HWMBO indoors from keeping on about a bigger fridge

 

[Scout]

I keep wanting to change my 16 year old Autotrail Scout.
I can afford to if I want to, but the problem is--

Spend my savings on a vehicle that will devalue my money or keep what I use most weekends now and in Europe sometimes and is well built and keep my money.

I can run @60mph all day and do what a 2010 MH can do.

All it needs is some repairs from time to time but no more than any other later ones.

I could keep my MH running for the next 10 years if I keep it in it`s indoor storage and do what needs doing:thumb:

And keep HWMBO indoors from keeping on about a bigger fridge

the only reason Id change my scout would be for the bigger arapaho, mainly for the bigger lounge as were couch potatoes, I missed a nice one last year:Angry: and it wasnt to be.

 

[Larby]

[HI]If no one bought new ones [/HI]there would be no old ones to buy

Quite right that man, but the cost of new would start to fall until someone cracked.
I would have to be very rich knowing the value on a new one after 1 mile has plummeted.

Mine's 8 years old and my car is a 1994 Cavalier. Agricultural technology! No snobbery here.
Admittedly the lights can dim when I go uphill but that's because if the oil is low it doesn't reach the wicks !

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