Advice on Purchase

Hello
I am new to owning a campervan so this would be my first one. Any advice, comments on Peugeot Boxer above? What do I need to look out for and would this be a good first buy? What should I expect to pay for it.? I will be getting a mechanic to second view it with me. Any comments and advice welcome 
Many thanks

Hello and welcome to campervans. Not sure which above you refer to, main thing to be aware of are ex hire vans. Mostly others are well cared for but age will result in usual issues, to some extent over ten years of age parts become more scarce to obtain once a main dealer stops stocking parts. 
Anyway difficult to say unless know what model you are looking at.. Good luck anyways.

Thanks for this . I did put the make of vehicle in description but it is not shown. It is
1999 AUTO SLEEPERS RAVENNA 4 BERTH REAR LOUNGE

PEUGOET BOXER 1.9 Turbo Diesel.I am told that are trade in vehicles from Marquis

There is a "feature" with this message board that doesn't pass the description you posted on to this page so I have copied it below.

1999 AUTO SLEEPERS RAVENNA 4 BERTH REAR LOUNGE PEUGOET BOXER 1.9 Turbo Diesel

Now I have to say I don't know about that particular van - I am waiting for my first coach built having started with a self build VW followed by somebody else's self build Transit.

In general they will cost more than your budget but even so, buy the best one you can find.

Before deciding on your final one get in one of that type and pretend to live a day.

Get out of bed. Can you put the kettle on before you put the bed away? Is the cooker at the right height or do you have to bend too far or use tip toes? Can you sit comfortably enough on the rainy days that you may occasionally have. And having decided that "this" van is just right for you, can you park it where you live.

Before deciding on a A/S Nuevo we made the long list of must have, nice to have & don't care. Even so our short list was 3 vans that were each apparently as good as each other. The A/S finally won as its microwave wasn't too high.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks Dave , very helpful

Not a van I am terribly familiar with either, but autosleepers are usually pretty well built. I guess the main issues might be service history is it complete. Does it have any signs of damp penetration around the corners and windows and rooflights especially a damp meter test is a good idea. I know that Marquis would not be interested in it on their forecourt as mainly newer motorhomes so that makes sense. Has it had a recent habitation test done on it? Then it is down to have you actually had a test drive and like the way it drives. Happy decision making.. 

Thanks for this. I am told all the tests have been done. Need to check service history. I am not sure what is a fair price for this type of vehicle. Any suggestions 77000 miles in tidy condition for age

Nothing wrong with a Ravenna but on a Peugeot chassis I wouldn't touch an engine other than the 2.5 td ( 2.8 is fine ). If you look at the Ford chassis Ravenna then the 2.4 td is fine

Difficult one price, a 99 is more about condition and supply and demand.   I suspect dealer price will be more than private. Have seen vans of that age anything from 13000-20000 asking price. Make an offer, always worth a try then a comparison with what else is on the market...Google search will suffice.

Thanks for this ..they are asking 14000, dealer. Just wanted to get sense of what it should go for, so it seems to be in the right ballpark

Might be in the right price bracket, but the engine might be rather under powered as roli suggested. He knows a lot more than me, but then again it really depends on intended use. Probably going to struggle on hills down your way. My last van was a similar weight and had the old non turbo ford 2.5 engine with an auto box, we managed with it but it was not a motorway van happy at about 60 and no more. It also struggled with steep hills but we took it over the Alps and Exmoor ok. Horses for courses and at the end of the day you know what you intend to do with it and how far you intend to travel. More powerful the engine, less strain on it really and I did not rate earlier fiats and Peugeot's myself when I test drove a few. But some find them fine... 

Thanks...yes Devon = hills, main use in this country and Europe. it is a turbo not too sure what difference that makes.....need to take it the next step and drive it and get a mechanic to look at it I think

is Volkswagen a better bet?

It depends on condition age, the VW has a very loyal following and tends to command higher prices too. I have to say I am a lover of the older fords, their main issue is however rust. The drive I found excellent and did 20000 in our last one a mk4 transit base. But there are those swear by VWs. Not heard of any Peugeot fans as such the main issue i have noticed seems to be spares. Clutch pedal is plastic I believe and can snap, some other bits I have heard people have problem finding. Fords are usually easier to get spares for VWs also... 
Good luck, what you buy will eventually tell you what you do and do not like, so my advice to a newby is think it all over and look at lots before buying one. Is it for 2 or a more , travel seats with belts is an issue for some. Are you comfortable in the driving seat and in the living area. Do you want to make the bed up every night or want one that is fixed...the list is horrendous but it pays as change quickly and you will probably lose money doing so. 

Excellent thanks

I am a big fan of VW`s and on my second one, economical, lovely and comfortable to drive, also quiet to some other makes, trouble is you are limited to the model of the Auto-sleeper , depends how you want to use it and the space required.
 I had a small one to start with a VW  Topaz found I wanted more room and more comfort so went for the VW Anniversary Clubman. Take your time and do lots of research and ask for members views on their particular van. Also depends whether you are able to do any jobs required yourself or will you have to pay some one? Look at as many vans as you can and good luck with your search.

It`s a great hobby / life.

Best wishes,
Margaret

Thanks Margaret good advice I will try to find a VW I think

as you are new to campervanning I will throw another item in the mix.

Do you have a preference towards a coach built or panel van?

Panel vans are based on the delivery vans you see every day and basically have a caravan built inside them. They will then tend to have a large sliding door.

Coach builts are based on the same cab as panel vans but are completely new from behind the front seats. These will tend to have a slightly (or more than slightly) accommodation area and a smaller access door.

Each has there own advantages and disadvantages and you will come down to wanting this from that one and that from this one.

Our Transit is a panel van and has a difficult to assemble bed made up from the long bench seat. This is fine if you don't tour and don't mind the bed being up all day but becomes very tedious doing that every day for three weeks. We also found the van just a little bit too small for both of us.

We have recently hired a (Swift) coach built and loved the extra room. Although the bed was still made from the bench seat it was so easy to assemble we didn't mind doing it. There was room to move about without taking it in turns to use the same bit of floor. We did miss not having the large door but in view of the weather at the time it wouldn't have been opened!

Coachbuilt vans tend to be wider than panel vans although that is not a definite. Swift have a coachbuilt that is just squarer to give the extra space. The length is also important but you can get both sorts in short medium and long, just make sure you can park it at home. Some ferries & campsites charge more for vehicles longer than 6m but that is a trivial expense compared to the cost of a van.

You are young enough not to be limited to 3500kg on your driving license but if you have a medically limited license or are close to 70 it would make sense to only look for <3500kg vans. MOST small to medium vans are under 3500kg but if you do end up looking at a bigger one just be aware.

And finally (for now) how many people will be using the van? We have gone for a 2 berth only. If anybody wants to come camping with us they will have to bring a car and tent. If you do need a four berth, do you need to transport four people? Most serious van builders have the correct number of belted seats for bed spaces but some are very cheeky and don't.

Finally, try and get out and see as many as possible. Sometimes you can talk to owners in supermarket car parks and if you do go to a dealer try to talk with other lookers. They will have their own list of things to look out for.

cheryltim wrote:Thanks Margaret good advice I will try to find a VW I think

I have absolutely nothing against VW but coupled with an AS conversion you have a very limited choice.

If you intend to use the van as an everyday vehicle then the base vehicle performance and economy are very important. If the prime use is as a motorised caravan then the habitation facilities and layout are far more important.

There are no major generic problems with any of the base vehicle that AS have used a chassis so its down to ascertaining the actual condition of the one you are interested in buying so if you are not an expert, get a trusted one to check the vehicle before you buy.

Hi,its just exactly as Peter said ,weve got a Nuevo and the layout is pretty good for us [I don't think the perfect van 100% exists!] I love VWs, but you cant have what they don't make! Its a case of compromise ,weve had 3 vans over 19 years, and if we mixed the best from all 3 im still not sure id say we had the perfect van,needs change! But all 3 were Peugeot/Fiat and although not without problems, were always a pleasant driving experience.  Best of luck with your search, but take your time, our vans had average ages of 7 years each because we didn't jump into quick decisions.     Regards        Paul

Hi I bought the equivalent van in November 2015 although mine was on a 1.9 litre petrol engine.  The van is also 1999 and is in really good condition and has only completed 26700 miles.

I have not managed to get out in it properly yet but we are really pleased with it.  I had a full mechanical service of the van which included changing pumps, timing belt etc and this came to circa £500 but the mechanic confirmed everything was mechanically sound and at least I know were I stand.

I think Petrol consumption may be an issue and I would not expect much more that 20-25 MPG but we shall see.  Good luck in the search but we are pleased with this van so far

Carl

Thanks everyone for all the very helpful and sensible replies

Cheryl Tim

We bought a Ravenna last September of similar age. Ours was a 2002 with 82k miles on the clock, on a Ford Transit 2.4TD.

I would agree with all the earlier comments about it being possibly under powered. Ours will cruise at around 60mph happily but loses speed on the hills. We don't have a lot of stuff in the van so I would suggest that a 1.9TD will be even worse.

This might not be a problem in itself if you are happy with slow journeys but if you are easily wound up, then you be aware may find a queue behind you on single lane hills.

Re the comment about panel vans, I'm 6'2" and can't find a panel van with a transverse bed that I can comfortably lay in. The extra few inches width in the Ravenna make all the difference. It is one of the smaller coachbuilts on the market which was a big issue for us, as we have to reverse uphill onto our drive from a busy road. 

We find it a well finished van with a lovely bright and airy feel. The over cab bed isn't really big enough for adults and should only be considered for kids.   

Let me know if there are any specifics you want help with.

Thanks for this. It is a Turbo but I am not sure how much difference that will make. It seems that the consensus is that it is underpowered. We are  touring France soon for 3 months and think we may have left it too late for this trip in March sadly.  The VW auto-sleeper seems to be favoured but the budget will mean an older model. Difficult to get all we want for 12/13,000.

Hi,
Comparing base vehicles the peugeot diesels are under powered in the lower sizes, the petrol is better but will only give you in the low 20's consumption. What is more to the point is that the van is 17 years old, mechanical parts especially the gearbox are out of production, also the generation of mechanics who are familiar with these vehicles are sparce. While the bodywork is marginally better than the transit at least transit parts are still available. Volkswagen t4's were a nice vehicle but are now getting past there sell by date. So, £14000 for a vehicle which could have a sudden terminal gearbox failure does not strike me as a good idea. The interior may be a nice place to sit while you wait for the AA but I would think long and hard before commiting myself to a van of that age
Chris