Advice needed when buying a used Auto sleeper

Hello everyone. My name is Amanda and I am looking to buy a used auto sleeper and need a bit of advice on some things from the experts before I go ahead. 

I have spotted a 2002 Peugeot Harmony, 4 berth Petrol, 31,000 miles for £15995. I think this is slightly too expensive and consider £14,000 a more realistic figure. In your opinions is this more realistic. I have totally fallen in love with the smaller auto sleepers; peugeot and VW's but I want to do a lot of research before I buy. What would you recommend I look for when having a look at an auto sleeper that I like?

I am looking for 4 berth, low milage, vehicles with fully documented service history, toilet with shower, I'm looking out for signs of wear and tear and rust, full MOT, possibly a new timing belt. Is there anything you think I should particularly pay attention to? Are different models susceptible to rusting in specific areas? Is there any part of the engine that I need to check? 

I would really appreciate any help you could give me as I want to get it right. Its a lot of money to spend and I can't wait to have a reliable auto sleeper for myself and my 2 children to enjoy.

Thanks 

Amanda

From personal experience when I was looking for my first, I went for a VW as the ones I saw were rust free, good engines and solid, after my first Auto sleeper with a VW base when I wanted bigger I again went down the VW route, they seem to have less issues than other makes, are well built and reliable. Other makes I looked at there were rust problems, cabs not so comfortable, VW are more car like to drive and quieter. excellent on fuel costs, low insurance. Just my findings. if well serviced ie oil change I have done every 3,000 miles, will go on for ever. I hope I haven`t jeopardised my van saying that.

Good hunting for your perfect van,
Regards,
Margaret

Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum.
You seem to be starting off on the right footing in your search for a nice A/S 'van. Setting out your needs is the correct thing to do and then looking to see what's suitable.
I take it from your post and assessment of the price of the Harmony that you have done some research in order to judge the value.
If the price quoted is from a dealer and you're able to do a straight cash deal then you should certainly be able to offer what your valuation is.
I started on our search for a 'van by buying MMM and then scrutinising all the online dealer adverts until I saw the 'van that suited us (and luckily was able to buy it).
Hopefully several members on here will be able to give you some accurate guidance if they've got 'vans similar to what you require.
Be patient in your search to make sure you really get what suits your families requirements and the best of luck to you.

Thanks for the advice and kind words, its all very exciting this van buying!

Hi Amanda 
Welcome to the forum from Bridlington 
Boaby

Welcome to the forum, and good hunting!

You quite rightly have given some thought to your needs, you can afford to keep looking if a van doesnt feel right or is not priced right compared to what else is on the market.
The next few months is "the time" to concentrate on a search as vans that were ordered new at the main Motorhome Show in October will be hitting the dealers so there should be a reasonable seletion of used one in dealers.
Happy Hunting

I offered a dealer £1,000 less than screen price for a 2008 neuvo he wanted £29,999 in November 2014.... He wouldn't accept ...so I walked away and ended up buying private in December a 2009 with awning and very low miles ( under 6000) so far very very happy. I did a lot of research before deciding a neuvo was for me there's only 2 people using so plenty big enough for us plus I may be confident in driving her when we eventually get away.

See I knew you guys would have all the inside info. Thanks

The neuvo looks super cool but slightly bigger than the sleepers I was looking at. How do you find driving it around the small country lanes? Have you driven it abroad? If so is it tricky? I would really love to drive to the south of France when I eventually buy which means reliability is key.

You should expect to pay significantly more to buy the van from a dealer as he will have valeted it, repaired obvious faults and will offer some form of warranty.  If you buy privately you take all the risk.

For example my first van was a then 6 year old 1999 Duetto.  Among several faults I found that the previous owner had not drained the van for winter and the boiler had frozen and split.  The obvious fault - the leak - I found quickly and the boiler was replaced however a few months later I noticed spots of rust appearing in the paint under the boiler flue.  It turned out that water from the leak had been trapped between the inner and outer floors and the side of the van was rusting from inside out.  A large section of the side of the van was replaced by a specialist body shop at the expense of the dealer - if I'd bought privately.........!

Peter

No trouble driving the Nuevo abroad. Took ours to Cote d'Azure last year and then on to Garda and Italy, mainly on non toll roads. Country lanes in UK are best avoided unless you don't mind a few scratches.
Hope this helps
Fred

Amanda. Between Peugeot and VW I would go for the VW every time in my opinion the VW has a bigger following and are well screwed together.However, Peugeot or VW I hope you find what you are looking for and have loads of fun.

Thanks, I do have a real preference for the vw. Can anyone tell me why diesels are preferable and more expensive than petrol. The difference in running costs must be slight. Is it to do with durability of the engines?

Amanda I believe it was started by the converters there are many more heavy oil vehicles made by the manufacturers so if they were buying 6 vans to convert it was easier to purchase six non petrol models.From that point they found owners bought them quite happily and they were no doubt more economical but as fuel prices have fallen petrol has become more competitive so in my opinion the difference is not so large.

Hi Amanda, welcome to the fun of motorhoming.

You'll be pleased to hear that the excitement of buying one is way exceeded by the thrill of using it.

Have you considered the implications of having two kids in a smallish space over a long journey?

Chrissie and I thought very carefully about the amount of 'lebensraum' needed for several weeks away from home, not just living space, but storage space for all the little things that make for comfort.

We feel we chose correctly with a Boxer based Executive, three weeks into our France trip last year we asked ourselves, "could we manage this for another three weeks" and the answer was "yes".

There are pros and cons to a larger vehicle, but one of the slightly smaller VW based monocoques might suit you at around that price, have you looked at one yet?

Just my two-penneth. 

You live well out of London but be aware that a diesel first registered before January 2002 cannot be driven into Greater London unless you pay £100 a day - the Low Emission Zone. That is likely to be tightened up in the future and may spread to other cities.

Hello & welcome from S/Yorks.