Advice on buying a nearly new van private

Having finally decided to fulfill a 15 year camping dream and buy a motorhome, it’s not been quite as I imagined it would be.
Having owned camper vans and a small caravan I already knew I wanted a compact 2 berth (non European layout).  Starting out, I looked at the lovely shiny Swifts, Elddis etc... but was quite shocked at the general build quality once you start probing a bit deeper behind those nice cupboard doors. To cut a long story short, here I am looking for a Nuevo EK low profile, about a year or two old.

To begin with, am I wrong to say that the dealers seem to have buyers and sellers over a barrel???

This brings me back to my original question, buying say a 1 year old van privately. I (wrongly) assumed that the warranty would be much like if you bought a car, take it down you local dealer and everyone is happy. I’m guessing the Peugeot base is covered like that but the main conversion seems a minefield.
I’ve read up on here as much as possible but thoughts/experiences of buying a nearly new Autosleeper as a private sale would be most welcome.

Thanks, David.

Hi David, 2 simple points buying, ask if it has been serviced at the recommended intervals especially the habitation check.  Verify documentation for proof as any miserable warranty will be dependant on these small details later if you require to make a claim. Even some dealers will tell blatant lies on this point so demand to see receipts and check with company named that van is known to them.
     No2 , is the van owned outright or under finance ?  Someone saying  that they will pay off outstanding HP finance as soon as they get their hands on your £40k would make me worry.....especially when they trot off into the sunset and 6 weeks later you find that the finance company decide to reclaim their van leaving you pennyless and vanless!
     On the point of warranty, I have always considered A/s to be behind rivals with poorer warranty duration. We sold an Elddis coachbuilt that had a 10 year water ingress warranty and bought a newer A/s Van conversion that only had 2 years warranty. Even now I believe water ingress ( the main enemy of a coachbuilt) warranty lags behind industry standards at only 6  years.   Premium product perhaps with no confidence in their work??   As long as you bear these points in mind have fun hunting..... at this time of year it beats camping!  

AFAIK the AS warranty has to be changed into your name and AS make a charge (£100 cones to mind) to do that. Others will confirm it. 

From my experience with damp, I’d ask a mobile fitter to damp test the van before you buy. Don’t assume at a year old it’ll be damp free and avoidance is I think better than extensive warranty claim.  

Good luck.

I've  bought several nearly new A/S vans from dealers and privately.
As mentioned you must ensure that the warranty conditions have been met by the previous owner for the base vehicle and the habitations side, in accordance with the manufacturer. This is important should problems arrive after you have purchased. The warranty transfer for A/S is £100, but well worth it and far more useful that any dealer warranty. 
Don't forget if buying privately get an HPI check done

The main enemy of vans at any age is damp . Dont assume a year old van is damp free. I bought a 1 year old van from a dealer who swore it had been damp checked at 2 of their branches before me buying it as it was moved closer to us for picking up from one branch to another. They made great play about them both checking as they would not sell a van from another branch without doing their own check. Damp check proof was asked for but they said they are held online and printed off when required. We asked for a print off but funnily enough their printer was awaiting repair that day...
        Youve guessed it on arriving home and getting the van into shape while adding some extra 240v sockets I started to see things I did not like in the far corners of lockers etc Resultant was an independant damp check paid for by us with  van showing up to 95% damp around floor area. Dealer who did check reckoned van had been recently  flooded ....One large fight later saw us getting our money back luckily but we were green in those days and new to motorhomes.....
     If buying private I would invest in a good damp meter such as a Protimeter, not some cheap £10 . Can be bought online 2nd hand around £50 Ask if seller is ok with you doing your own checks and be thorough to satisfy yourself. If they refuse then walk away . I have witnessed dealership damp check being carried out and one or two prods later van being declared damp free. When asked why so few points checked 'technician replied that it was only 2 years old so should be ok!' The hassle of dealing with damp is not worth the stress and especially buying private your come back is minimal as you know.

Blimey, 4 replies already and it’s not even 9am! I’m impressed!

Some great points there which I will add to my checklist.
Can someone explain how this Autosleeper £100 warranty transfer works in practice as I’ve read that the dealers are reluctant to entertain warranty work on vans not sold by them.

Provided you get you warranty transferred through A/S, I would always advise taking the vehicle back to the Wilersey for them to undertake any warranty work and not bother with any dealer. Assuming your location in your Avatar is correct you are not too far away from A/S.

Thanks, yes I’m not that far away.
So are they willing to allow you to bypass the dealers and go direct? 
I’m confident sorting out most minor niggles myself (obviously I wouldn’t divulge this while under warranty) so it would only be more serious stuff that I would need to go back with.

Difficult to suggest or advise as so much depends on personal preferences.

My first thought would be, "Why is the person selling it so soon after buying it?" - to which you may or may not receive an honest answer.

With a nearly new van I wonder if a private sale would be significantly cheaper than using a dealer, taking into account the possibility of future problems.

Taking note of all the very helpful caveats offered already, I would at least compare the prices of similar vans offered for private sale with those from a reputable dealer.

One such is Cotswold Motorhomes. They are not the cheapest, but you could buy from them with the confidence of knowing you have excellent support and service after they have trousered your cash . . . as many of our members will attest.

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Just a thought.

I agree with Gromit, Frank Williams is an upstanding honest dealer (Cotswold Motorhomes). There are also many reasons for fairly new MHs for sale. We sold a Broadway  EK which was nearly two years old. There was nothing wrong with the MH, we had had a bike rack  and a Van Bitz alarm fitted as extras.  Someone had a bargain.

The reason for selling was purely down to layout, nothing more. It was one we found did not suit us. We had downsized and found the area around the kitchen restrictive, with bathroom and exterior door in the area.

This was a personal thing. I don't wish to decry this layout as I know many people love it.

It just illustrates why there are some young used MHs for sale. Ours never hit the forecourt, I was told they had anyone of ten people who would buy it. We did have a good deal on our new MH also.

Leighton.

kaspian wrote:     If buying private I would invest in a good damp meter such as a Protimeter, not some cheap £10 . Can be bought online 2nd hand around £50 Ask if seller is ok with you doing your own checks and be thorough to satisfy yourself. If they refuse then walk away . I have witnessed dealership damp check being carried out and one or two prods later van being declared damp free. When asked why so few points checked 'technician replied that it was only 2 years old so should be ok!' The hassle of dealing with damp is not worth the stress and especially buying private your come back is minimal as you know.

Would fully agree with Kaspian. We’ve been present during three damp checks on our van and the thoroughness of the independent fitter was far superior to the slap dash approach of the dealer. We use someone someone from the NCC Approved Workshop Scheme. Their website says they also do pre purchase inspections.

Thank you thank you everyone, what a learning curve this is and I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface!

Many more questions to come I’m sure, I’m in no immediate rush to buy so I think I will continue to do my research while keeping an eye on the reputable dealers in case the right van comes up.

Would appreciate a bit more info on the £100 warranty transfer and going direct to AS if anyone can help.

Dbvwt wrote:Thanks, yes I’m not that far away.
So are they willing to allow you to bypass the dealers and go direct? 
I’m confident sorting out most minor niggles myself (obviously I wouldn’t divulge this while under warranty) so it would only be more serious stuff that I would need to go back with.

I've never had a problem going direct and bypassing the dealer. I can also endorse of what has been said of Cotswolds Motorcaravans.

Thanks, that’s good to know

A couple of things to bear in mind - the £100 transfer is subject to VAT. The habitation warranty (3 years) is transferrable but the water ingress warranty (6years) is not transferable. So if you were to buy a motorhome approaching 3 years old, then you have to decide if the transfer is worth it.

Thanks Paul, so let me get this right...DAMP in a one year old van that I would have just spent a vast amount of money on is not covered under warranty because I didn’t buy it new???
Please tell me I’m wrong.

Paulmold wrote:
The habitation warranty (3 years) is transferrable but the water ingress warranty (6years) is not transferable. 

Wow Paul,  if you are correct , you learn something every day and as such I have even less respect for A/s as a so called  quality company. If the van is under 6 years old with proof of full water ingress check history at the recommended period, water ingress  warranty should be honoured no matter WHO owns it!! Even at 6 years it is way behind many other so called budget brands that adopted new construction methods years ago. A quality company professing to produce 'motorhomes of excellence ' should have the confidence to stand by their product by way of honouring  warranty.

           David , dont be put off buying private . As others have said good near new vans appear as buyers find out  the layout didnt suit or they see a rival van that betters theirs and they 'must have'  In that case dealers insult them with a low trade in value and they sell private to stop dealers making easy money at their expense. If you are sensible and either check thoroughly or get a good workshop or mobile agent to make a pre inspection , good bargains can be had.

Kaspian, I’m starting to think a private sale with a Comprehensive check from a reputable engineer is not the worry I first thought.
In my search to date I have been to around half a dozen dealers and 2 private sales (1 Swift, 1 Elddis using Motorhomedepot as the broker).
Despite Motorhomedepot getting poor reviews online, personally I found both agents totally professional and the sellers to be genuine couples who had obviously made an error in their choice as mentioned above.

Blooming heck, I thought this motorhome thing would be easy!!!

Dbvwt wrote:Thanks Paul, so let me get this right...DAMP in a one year old van that I would have just spent a vast amount of money on is not covered under warranty because I didn’t buy it new???
Please tell me I’m wrong.

This is the wording taken from the transfer form of a 2016 warranty booklet...

"If the motorhome is sold before the end of the original warranty period the benefit of the remaining period can be transferred to the new owner using the
warranty transfer form. There is a fee of £100 + VAT.
Failure to request this transfer within 14 days of acquisition by the new owner will invalidate the remaining warranty.
Note that it is not possible to transfer the unexpired portion of the Water Ingress warranty"


Buying from a dealer will of course provide a warranty which should cover water ingress.

Thanks Paulmold, we didn’t realise this. So buying a 12 math old van, even from a dealer, leaves you at the mercy of the dealer should you be unlucky enough to encounter damp. And if you buy private you have no cover at all. Does anyone know if this inability to transfer the balance of the water ingress warranty is an industry wide practice or unique to AS?

Dbvwt wrote:
So are they willing to allow you to bypass the dealers and go direct? 

As far as I know, amongst the big boys, they are alone in this.

The other big builders put up firewalls to keep customers away, referring you back to the dealers every time.

Dennis

As for the Warranty Ts&Cs, why not call Auto-sleepers customer services and ask for clarification? Contact information on their website. Get it straight from the horses mouth (no disrespect Paul).

The 14 daytime limit is a catch for the unwary.

Dennis

The warranty booklet is available on the website, Paulmold is correct. Which has prompted us to check AT, Swift, Elldis and they all transfer the balance of the warranty, albeit Swift transfer only 6 years not the 10 given to buyers of new vans.

Dare-devil-dennis wrote:



The other big builders put up firewalls to keep customers away, referring you back to the dealers every time.

Dennis

Not in our case Dennis , we dealt direct with Elddis who were superb with warranty and they dealt direct with our preferred dealer who was an  Elddis caravan dealer only but were willing to help with warranty work and did superb work for us. As I said it says a lot about a company NOT willing to put faith in their own product by honouring their warranties .

I stand corrected, I should have said most big builders.

Glad you had a good experience.

Dennis