Looking for a Used motorhome?
Check out our Used Motorhome Buyer's Tips...

Depreciation:  Motorhomes depreciate like any other motor vehicle and new ones depreciate fastest in the early years, due in part to the VAT element of the purchase price.

Extras:  Most new motorhomes are ordered with additional equipment which is not standard; for example, awning, alarm, reversing camera, satellite navigation, satellite TV system, cylcle rack, generator etc etc.  A list of these items can add £’000s to the price of a new vehicle but do not add the same value to the price when part exchanged or resold, so the next buyer of such a vehicle effectively gets the extras for a fraction of the original price.

Manufacturers Guarantees:  If the motorhome you are considering is under 3 years old, it will almost certainly have some manufacturers’ guarantee remaining.  Many makes have even longer guarantees, which the next owner can benefit from.  You will have to ensure that the manufacturers’ servicing requirements have been complied with and register change of owner to enjoy any warranty remaining.

Timescale to change:  It’s a fact that many people change their first motorhome within 2 years of purchase.  This isn’t because they don’t enjoy it, but because by using their motorhome on a regular basis, they gradually appreciate what they like best about the layout/facilities combination they have, and what they would like to change to make enjoyment their motorhome even better.  See also ‘depreciation’ above.

Careful Owners:  Many owners have invested a great deal of time and money into their motorhome and realise the benefit of regular attention to maintain reliability and value.  It is their home from home, which they take pride in and this shows through when offered secondhand.

Checking out a Used Motorhome – The main points, whether buying privately or from a dealer:

Base Vehicle & Chassis: The same rules apply as when buying a secondhand car.  There needs to be a logbook, previous MOT’s (from year 3 onwards) and service history (by a main agent during the guarantee period).  Motorhomes usually cover many less miles than would be expected of the same commercial chassis under ‘normal’ duty, eg parcel delivery van;  6-8000 miles per annum is typical.  Generally speaking, mechanical problems are relatively rare, but a vehicle which has been used very infrequently needs careful inspection to ensure components have not corroded or seized.  Check tyres, in particular the sidewalls for damage and cracking, as tyre wear is less likely than deterioration.  If the tyres have been on the vehicle for 6 years or more, you should consider renewing them even if the tread is good. 

Body: Most motorhome bodies have a number of plastic or fibreglass mouldings.  With the exception of van conversions, the outer walls are often of thin aluminium or fibreglass laminate.  This inevitably means they are susceptible to damage, especially to front and rear corners, front roofs and at high level, scratching to panels and windows from tree branches etc.  Check underneath, especially the rear on vehicles with long overhang, for damage or grounding.  Where a towbar is fitted, you need to know whether it was fitted professionally and what has been towed, to judge whether overloading has taken place. Note that many motorhome bodies extend past the original chassis and a towing bracket should be fixed to the chassis, not just to the motorhome floor.

Habitation areas: First impressions count here, trust your nose as well as your eyes.  Some wear and tear is to be expected depending on the age of the motorhome, but you should look for dents and chips to worktops and sink enamels, cracks to plastics, especially shower trays and vanity sink plug holes. Marks, stains and tears to upholstery may be hidden by covers. Check rolled up removeable carpets.  Not everyone uses a motorhome purely for touring holidays - some live in their motorhomes for part or even all of the year, so you will occasionally find a low mileage vehicle which has a lot of internal wear and tear.

Floors on coachbuilt, low profile and ‘A’ Class motorhomes are usually made of a laminated sandwich comprising a plywood top and bottom skin and high density foam within.  The floor should be firm, without give or sponginess. If it is spongy, the glue bond between the layers has parted (delamination).  Depending on the severity, this can be rectified, but is not cheap to deal with.

Plumbing systems can be damaged by frost when a motorhome is left unused in periods of cold weather, with water in the system.  You probably won’t be able to see the water system working when viewing, but the giveaway signs will be cracks to tap or shower spouts, or hoses which are detached from their fittings, requiring further investigation.  Frost damaged water heaters are expensive to replace. 

‘Dodgy DIY’ is something you may come across.  Whilst it is perfectly natural to personalise a motorhome to enhance its facilities, just like home DIY, the quality of work carried out can vary.  In particular, legislation requires that alterations to gas and electrical installations should only be carried out by competent (qualified) persons. 

Habitation servicing is just as important as mechanical servicing in a motorhome, so evidence of gas tests, water ingress tests and electrical inspections (which make up the key elements of a ‘full’ habitation service) should be sought. Aside from the safety concern of ensuring no gas leaks or electrical faults, water ingress into a motorhome body can be very expensive to repair.  Even if the vehicle has had very little use, it should still have been checked on a regular basis, ideally each year as a minimum.

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