What You Need To Know Before Buying a Used Campervan |
Posted: October 10, 2018 |
A road trip with a campervan is the ultimate adventure. Buying a used campervan is a good option when you’re looking for your first home on wheels. Experienced campers know that buying used campervans can save a huge amount of money. Money that can be better spent on campground fees, fuel or picnic fare. It takes a fair bit of savvy to sift through all the used campervan selections you find online to arrive at the best choice for you and your family. Here are some pieces of advice from some of the most experienced campers in the country. Expat Brit Anna Phipps has toured not only Australia in a campervan but also backpacked across most of South Asia as well. She advises prospective campervan owners to first familiarise themselves with all the options. Know Your Campervan Buying Options Before You LookAvoid a slick seller talking you into more amenities than you need. Decide which options you want in a van, before you look at used campervan buying options online. Pared-down versions can range from a basic van with room for a mattress in the back, to vans with a few amenities, such as a small cooking stove or sink. Luxury models can come equipped with toilets, kitchen sinks and showers. Completely fitted-out kitchens with stoves, ovens and sinks are also available. As well as a set ups for televisions and entertainment options. List what you cannot do without. Underneath those items, list your ‘I wants’. These are amenities you’d like to have, but can do without if your budget comes up short. Set Your BudgetWhen you buy a campervan, set a realistic budget. Unless you plan to live on the road permanently, remember that this is a holiday vehicle. Don’t spend half your family’s annual budget on buying a campervan you’ll only use for three weeks out of the year. Look Online And OfflineOnline marketplaces offer the widest range of choices, but you may be able to find a used campervan by searching adverts in local newspapers, says Phipps. As you search, limit your short list to only those campervans that fit both your budget and your needs. Always See Your Prospective Campervans In PersonNothing gives you a better idea of how a campervan will work for you than climbing aboard, test driving it and inspecting the interior for suitability and condition. Test any fittings like the stove, sink and other appliances. If the camper has them, check the beds and table for sturdiness and wear. If it has an awning, test that mechanism too. Ask questions. Learn how easy or difficult it is to operate all the van’s features. Think of the interior as you would a home. Whether it’s dated décor or the burner that doesn’t work, adjust your offer accordingly. If the campervan needs more repairs than you have time to make, calculate the cost required for a professional to fix any problems. Narrow Down Your SelectionMake a list of all the campervans you look at. Draw a grid to list the pros and cons of each. Look for vans that meet your amenity requirements, are in reasonably good shape, meet your usage criteria and have good resale value. This is in case you want to sell or trade for a newer model later.
For example, you may love that leopard-striped bench seat and cracked-ice table from the 1960s. Yet that style won’t appeal to a wide range of buyers. So you may want to adjust your offer to account for the remodeling you may have to do when you sell.
If so, plan to buy a van that has popular amenities and plenty of visual appeal, to increase rental demand in your van.
If you plan to use your campervan only a few weeks a year and never rent or lend it out, you might be able to get away with a shabby, yet fully functional interior.
Create Your Final Prospect ListOnce you’ve evaluated all the vans you’ve seen, limit your list down further to three or four selections. Number them by desirability. In case your top choice falls through. This strategy will give you more options. You won’t have to start the entire process again. Have a Thorough Inspection on Your Top ChoiceThe campervan of your dreams can become a nightmare if you don’t make sure it’s mechanically sound. As the travel experts from the Two Drifters blog advise, you may be able to live with a tiny oil leak, if everything else is sound. However, an engine about to blow—a different matter entirely. As Donovan puts it, ‘sorting through the lemons’ is a must to avoid a holiday disaster. Hire a mechanic that is familiar with campervans. Ask them to perform a thorough check, inside and out. It’s well worth the small expense of a thorough inspection to avoid expensive repairs down the road. Major mechanical faults should disqualify a campervan for consideration, unless the mechanic assures you they can repair them completely. Minor faults should be easily repairable and should figure into your negotiations with the seller. If your top choice fails the inspection, arrange for an inspection of your second choice, and so on. Do this until you find a campervan that is roadworthy and ready to go. When you find that van, negotiate with the seller. Settle on a price and get ready to enjoy adventures galore on the road with your new campervan.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|