State of the Market for older Vans

[Dionysius]

I'm looking to buy a van budget £15-30k. Have been looking for a while but had to postpone buying for a year due to my mother being ill for a very long time but ive been following various prices of vans Im interested in.

For the last year prices have been in my opinion artificially high for even rusty and high mileage older vehicles, and vans selling very quickly, so quick in fact theyve gone before I can contact the sellor.

My question is therefore....

With the impending cost of living crisis, winter/xmas coming, fuel and mortgages rising steeply, and now half-term is over many families have had their last holiday of the year, will prices return to a more reasonable level at the lower end of the market ?

I'm sure for new/nearly new stuff if you can afford £70k+ on a new van these costs probably arent much of a worry, but lower down the food chain ?

Have people noticed a slow down and prices dropping ?

 

[TONCAZ]

Not really, seen a Hobby 700 on 07 plate for 35,000 so I would say not yet, last year was the same they stayed quite buoyant defo a sellers market at the moment, but there will be one out there at right money..

 

[dazandandrea]

Keep looking and youll find one, we did.

 

[Guigsy]

The pandemic has pushed up demand and prices have gone through the roof. New vehicles are hard to find. All the way down, prices are massively inflated compared to three years ago.

The expectation is that now the pandemic has eased, a lot of people will sell their vans to go back to fly-away holidays. Combined with the cost of living crisis, prices should drop quite a bit...

... but they haven't yet.

 

[Reallyretired]

Not just motorhomes. Due to supply problems on new cars the second hand prices are high. My car is apparently worth £2k more than I bought it for 18months ago.

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[seasideBill]

Crazy situation….. many of the conditions that would normally restrain a market are present but prices keep on motoring upward, presumably a hangover from post Covid supply shortages? Bubbles inevitably all end the same way so my money would be on a price correction when the market settles, could be some way off tho’.

 

[Dionysius]

I'm following vans on Autotrader and Ebay and seeing a lot of vans that keep being re-advertised at the same price but not selling.

Or vans on Classifieds listings that have been there since September...

And self build vans with a Buy-It-Now of £20k but the auction bids are getting to not even half that..

And vans that are "A Professional Conversion" but then they dont state the convertor (and in photos look to be a better quality self-build) that never exceed their reserve.

But the headline prices dont seem to be dropping yet....

So as 'Nessa says .... whats agoing.. ?

 

[Northernraider]

I'm following vans on Autotrader and Ebay and seeing a lot of vans that keep being re-advertised at the same price but not selling.

Or vans on Classifieds listings that have been there since September...

And self build vans with a Buy-It-Now of £20k but the auction bids are getting to not even half that..

And vans that are "A Professional Conversion" but then they dont state the convertor (and in photos look to be a better quality self-build) that never exceed their reserve.

But the headline prices dont seem to be dropping yet....

So as 'Nessa says .... whats agoing.. ?

Because a lot of people are prepared to hold on to them till they get the price they're after.

I've seen a few vans on ebay recently that seem pretty cheap yet they haven't sold and others way over priced.

I'm hoping the prices stay high till I sell mine next spring

 

[roadwarrior]

maybe the bubble has BURST but as prices are still high in expectation nobody is sure .. i traded my immaculate 2017 autotrail 634 with a new ticket and uprated to 3800k and only 3000 miles on the clock to a dealer in september and note its still for sale at 53,000 pounds now.

 

[Just smiffy]

I'm looking to buy a van budget £15-30k. Have been looking for a while but had to postpone buying for a year due to my mother being ill for a very long time but ive been following various prices of vans Im interested in.

For the last year prices have been in my opinion artificially high for even rusty and high mileage older vehicles, and vans selling very quickly, so quick in fact theyve gone before I can contact the sellor.

My question is therefore....

With the impending cost of living crisis, winter/xmas coming, fuel and mortgages rising steeply, and now half-term is over many families have had their last holiday of the year, will prices return to a more reasonable level at the lower end of the market ?

I'm sure for new/nearly new stuff if you can afford £70k+ on a new van these costs probably arent much of a worry, but lower down the food chain ?

Have people noticed a slow down and prices dropping ?

I’m in the same boat, I’ve been looking for over 2yrs and I’m after an automatic and that puts the price up and makes few and far between coming up for sale, I’m really dithering at the moment to even buying one if one did come up… I’m just disappointed when I see a van that looks good for the money and then I look up the mot history and that generally does it for me, lots of fails for rust…

I think the vans you see on auction sites and autotrader are of similar elk and there priced high because they paid a high price for it in the first place and don’t want to lose too much on it… lot of scams around at the moment too…

It’s a mine field at the moment …

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[Dionysius]

Ive also been checking MOT Histories..

And yes lots of fails for rust.

But they are still asking £25k for a 25yo old van with these problems.

 

[Northernraider]

Ive also been checking MOT Histories..

And yes lots of fails for rust.

But they are still asking £25k for a 25yo old van with these problems.

If it has a current mot then the rust has most likely been repaired.

Anything metal rusts over time , it can often sound worse than it is on an mot page too, you will struggle to find a fiat ducato or a merc based motorhome that doesn't have rust under it whether it's sat around with low miles or it has high miles.

It's a case of inspecting the van or getting someone else who knows about vehicles to inspect it for you and make sure its been repaired properly. I had to weld my 2004 hymer as it had the usual rust behind front wheels , most of them rust in that area. Fortunately the one I have now I caught it before the rust took hold and cleaned it up ,painted and stone guarded the area.
Most people buy these vans and never spend any time doing preventative maintenance to the underside and rely solely on garages.

I never have a vehicle fail an mot because I do everything required to it before it goes in for one.

 

[Dionysius]

If it has a current mot then the rust has most likely been repaired.

Anything metal rusts over time , it can often sound worse than it is on an mot page too, you will struggle to find a fiat ducato or a merc based motorhome that doesn't have rust under it whether it's sat around with low miles or it has high miles.

It's a case of inspecting the van or getting someone else who knows about vehicles to inspect it for you and make sure its been repaired properly. I had to weld my 2004 hymer as it had the usual rust behind front wheels , most of them rust in that area. Fortunately the one I have now I caught it before the rust took hold and cleaned it up ,painted and stone guarded the area.
Most people buy these vans and never spend any time doing preventative maintenance to the underside and rely solely on garages.

I never have a vehicle fail an mot because I do everything required to it before it goes in for one.

Which 2004 Hymer did you have and which chassis was it on ? An A class or coachbuilt ? I was kinda under the impression these didnt rust much as most of bodywork was GRP... but clearly theres rust areas here too

 

[Ridgeway]

The bubble won’t burst ie a van that was worth 15k 3yrs ago and an equivalent today is say 20-25k, won’t suddenly become 15k again tomorrow. What may happen is that they take longer to sell, prices may slightly reduce here and there but I see it more like house prices just without the risk of interest rates which can and have caused crashes if they spike, here there is no release valves in the MH market. If you’re already on the ladder so to speak then in theory you’re sort of OK as you can sell your old van for current market prices but if this is someone’s first step then it can certainly be a big one…

Good luck.

 

[EuroTrotters]

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Same model as our first motorhome Plus points: Go anywhere chassis Rear Wheel drive (twin wheels) Automatic Double floor Winterised (designed to cope with -29c) Bullet proof Mercedes 5 cylinder engine Automatic Good payload 4 belted seats. Downsides: SprintShift robotised manual is the...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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[The Wino]

I think prices could well fall once people have less disposable income as prices for other things rise and taxes are raised but it might then be that relative to disposal income the price is the same as now so no more affordable.

 

[seasideBill]

If it has a current mot then the rust has most likely been repaired.

Agree, it’s like the classic car market, just about everyone you look at will have had MOT rust issues in the past, but given the high value of the vehicle it’ll most likely have been properly repaired and better protected from future corrosion than when it left the factory.

 

[IRHP]

Im

maybe the bubble has BURST but as prices are still high in expectation nobody is sure .. i traded my immaculate 2017 autotrail 634 with a new ticket and uprated to 3800k and only 3000 miles on the clock to a dealer in september and note its still for sale at 53,000 pounds now.

Not surprised

 

[Loftyjeff]

I'm looking to buy a van budget £15-30k. Have been looking for a while but had to postpone buying for a year due to my mother being ill for a very long time but ive been following various prices of vans Im interested in.

For the last year prices have been in my opinion artificially high for even rusty and high mileage older vehicles, and vans selling very quickly, so quick in fact theyve gone before I can contact the sellor.

My question is therefore....

With the impending cost of living crisis, winter/xmas coming, fuel and mortgages rising steeply, and now half-term is over many families have had their last holiday of the year, will prices return to a more reasonable level at the lower end of the market ?

I'm sure for new/nearly new stuff if you can afford £70k+ on a new van these costs probably arent much of a worry, but lower down the food chain ?

Have people noticed a slow down and prices dropping ?

I would wait till 2023 there should be more second hand ones only the market especially after the MH show in February

 

[Monty don]

Its not long now before prices will start to drop
Asking prices are still high and those won't sell if you want it sold right now it needs to be keen

2023 is going to be very different buckle up eveyone

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[AndyVW]

I have just come back from California, being a regular visiter (family there) I was very interested to see just how they are handling
the Finacial issues that are plaguing us, All the obvious stuff has risen like ours, food at the supermarkets, some products in short supply,
Electric & gas price hikes, And there beloved gas prices (Petrol) to an unheard off level. But and the reason for posting this here, the number of old motorhomes (RV,s) parked, or more appropriately described as marooned, under fly overs, on waste bits of ground, In industrial areas, with big gas bottles out side, with electric cables connected to lamp posts, with familys living in them, was just
unbelievably overwhelming, There were hundreds of them,

Having seen this starting on a much smaller scale in Europe earlier this year, with some camping sites 3/4 full with "residents",
in defiantly not road worthy Kit. I dont think the very old motorhome market is dead anytime soon.

 

[iandsm]

Because a lot of people are prepared to hold on to them till they get the price they're after.

I've seen a few vans on ebay recently that seem pretty cheap yet they haven't sold and others way over priced.

I'm hoping the prices stay high till I sell mine next spring

I think they will stay high. Dealers who have given good trade in prices are hardly likely to sell off those vehicles at a loss. They all watch each others prices and will only drop a little to get a sale.

 

[Derek’soldvan]

Not really, seen a Hobby 700 on 07 plate for 35,000 so I would say not yet, last year was the same they stayed quite buoyant defo a sellers market at the moment, but there will be one out there at right money..

Ah but those old Hobbies are great vans!!

 

[Northernraider]

Which 2004 Hymer did you have and which chassis was it on ? An A class or coachbuilt ? I was kinda under the impression these didnt rust much as most of bodywork was GRP... but clearly theres rust areas here too

It was an a class on fiat ducato chassis , yes the body is grp/ aluminium but all the under frame is original fiat. With alko chassis extensions. But the jacking points ,outriggers etc directly behind the front wheels is a bad point on these vans ,and with the wider motorhome body fitted it means there are plastic flares joining the original steel. There is sealant there that obviously degrades over time allowing water behind the plastic trim. Rusting the steel unseen for years.

That's why on my current van I cleared out all those areas , painted , stoneguarded and resealed it. Won't rust now .

 

[Dionysius]

Well what do people think of the market now we are further into winter.....

I've been following lots of vans on Ebay and Autotrader, mainly Autosleepers which is what Im looking to buy and seeing the same Vans there at the same price at the same dealers that have not sold - I think quite a few Im watching have been on sale since September.

I would think the new or nearly new stuff would be continuing to sell as if you have the money to spank off £70k + for a van you are not affected by the Cost of Living Crisis, but those looking at older vans probably will be....

Or is it just stagnation in run up to Xmas ........?

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[Northernraider]

Well what do people think of the market now we are further into winter.....

I've been following lots of vans on Ebay and Autotrader, mainly Autosleepers which is what Im looking to buy and seeing the same Vans there at the same price at the same dealers that have not sold - I think quite a few Im watching have been on sale since September.

I would think the new or nearly new stuff would be continuing to sell as if you have the money to spank off £70k + for a van you are not affected by the Cost of Living Crisis, but those looking at older vans probably will be....

Or is it just stagnation in run up to Xmas ........?

I follow them all the time and I don't see any change from previous years to be honest. What I do see is plenty of self builds selling for more than some factory builds.

If you really want entertained check out the quirky campers website .

 

[The Wino]

I follow them all the time and I don't see any change from previous years to be honest. What I do see is plenty of self builds selling for more than some factory builds.

If you really want entertained check out the quirky campers website .

I think it's a time of year when traditionally sales would be slow and dealers would be increasing their stock ready for what they hope would be a busy Easter. I think if sales were affected the thing that would be noticeable would be a lot of new or nearly new vans at reduced prices I've not looked but haven't heard any reports of that happening

 

[Figaro]

and seeing the same Vans there at the same price at the same dealers that have not sold - I think quite a few Im watching have been on sale since September

Try a cheeky offer then ?
You never know until you try

 

[IRHP]

I can’t see how they can stay high for ever. Newer vans will still be very expensive but at the end of the day whether it be 25 or 30 years they will be worth nothing apart from scrap value. The depreciation will just increase, it just depends at which point you jump on that band wagon. People paying 20k for 25 year old vans might be very disappointed in a few years.

 

[nicholsong]

I can’t see how they can stay high for ever. Newer vans will still be very expensive but at the end of the day whether it be 25 or 30 years they will be worth nothing apart from scrap value. The depreciation will just increase, it just depends at which point you jump on that band wagon. People paying 20k for 25 year old vans might be very disappointed in a few years.

So you are predicting that my very serviceable N&B Arto 2003 will be worth scrap value in 5-10 years? How much do you want to.bet?