Buying a Campervan

[keen canary]

Hi All
You may have read earlier posting about buying a camper van now that retirement looms. Thanks to all that replied. We have looked at several different
vans of all prices. We seem to like the Mercedes 2.2 diesel with manual lifting
roof and side conversion.This has a swivel passenger seat which to us newcomers seems useful and the van is a little wider than Bongos ect although of similar age its will cost a bit more.This will possibly go into garage without changing the door so maybe a saving there. Insurance comes out at about £280
with AA road service ect included.
Does anyone have any comments or experience of the Mecedes van as we are complete
newcomers we would appreciate any feedback.
Regards
Keen Canary

[Dabs]

Sounds good!!
Are you talking about a Vito with conversion?
I know someone who swapped from a Bongo to a Vito a while back he was very pleased with it he did buy his as a brand new converted van and his only comment was that he could have bought a weeksworth of Bongos for what he paid for his new van....it was lovely though!!
In regard to the manual roof there has been some debate lately on the safety of these as there are some roofs that are fully tested and endorsed and then there are some that are poor copies and as such cheaper but an inferior product.I did hear recently of someone who picked a van up from a converter and after a quick demo was allowed to make their way home 200 plus miles,as soon as they hit the motoway the newly fitted roof which had not been properly anchored and locked off after the demo decided to open...not a wise thing at over 50mph on a motorway,luckily it did not rip the roof off but caused quite a bit of damage to the van..........a lesson learned I would think!!

Good luck with the search!!
Dabs

[Ian.C.S]

Hi All
You may have read earlier posting about buying a camper van now that retirement looms. Thanks to all that replied. We have looked at several different
vans of all prices. We seem to like the Mercedes 2.2 diesel with manual lifting
roof and side conversion.This has a swivel passenger seat which to us newcomers seems useful and the van is a little wider than Bongos ect although of similar age its will cost a bit more.This will possibly go into garage without changing the door so maybe a saving there. Insurance comes out at about £280
with AA road service ect included.
Does anyone have any comments or experience of the Mecedes van as we are complete
newcomers we would appreciate any feedback.
Regards
Keen Canary

Sounds like you found a bargain,I say go for it.the swivelling seat is a good idea,my VW had one it was very comfortable to relax in,lots of legroom when swivelled.Mercedes have a really good build.I would jump at it.happy camping!!

[karenw]

We seem to like the Mercedes 2.2 diesel with manual lifting roof and side conversion. Insurance comes out at about £280
with AA road service ect included. Does anyone have any comments or experience of the Mecedes van as we are complete newcomers we would appreciate any feedback.
Regards
Keen Canary

Is this by any chance a 2006 model with 26k on the clock? If so, it might be a van I've looked at...

I'm also assuming your insurance quote is with Safeguard? I've just had my policy cancelled this morning and will be moving to this company.

[keen canary]

keen canary

No this is a earlier model with around 50,000 mls on clock.
Insurance quote is through Swinton and is subject to a £60 cash back after 90
days which makes the quote £281.65.
the conversion needs to be recognised by the insurer.

[keen canary]

Sounds good!!
Are you talking about a Vito with conversion?
I know someone who swapped from a Bongo to a Vito a while back he was very pleased with it he did buy his as a brand new converted van and his only comment was that he could have bought a weeksworth of Bongos for what he paid for his new van....it was lovely though!!
In regard to the manual roof there has been some debate lately on the safety of these as there are some roofs that are fully tested and endorsed and then there are some that are poor copies and as such cheaper but an inferior product.I did hear recently of someone who picked a van up from a converter and after a quick demo was allowed to make their way home 200 plus miles,as soon as they hit the motoway the newly fitted roof which had not been properly anchored and locked off after the demo decided to open...not a wise thing at over 50mph on a motorway,luckily it did not rip the roof off but caused quite a bit of damage to the van..........a lesson learned I would think!!

Good luck with the search!!
Dabs

Hi Dabs
Thats a horror story. The roof on the Mercedes will hinge from the front so the air pressure should force the roof down, but your tale will certainly focus attention when closing down.

[karenw]

No this is a earlier model with around 50,000 mls on clock.
Insurance quote is through Swinton and is subject to a £60 cash back after 90
days which makes the quote £281.65.
the conversion needs to be recognised by the insurer.

LOL! Sounds like I was wrong on every count! There aren't too many Vito conversions around. I looked at one last March and it's still available so, had it been the same vehicle, this knowledge might have helped you knock the price down and get a good deal!

To my knowledge, Swinton don't do motorhome insurance unless it's via Safeguard but they don't offer the £60 cashback - unless you've found an offer which I've missed!! If so, please let me know because I'm about to buy a policy.

Good luck with your purchase - and the cashback (remember to read the small print and check it applies to the policy type you're taking out...).

[keen canary]

LOL! Sounds like I was wrong on every count! There aren't too many Vito conversions around. I looked at one last March and it's still available so, had it been the same vehicle, this knowledge might have helped you knock the price down and get a good deal!

To my knowledge, Swinton don't do motorhome insurance unless it's via Safeguard but they don't offer the £60 cashback - unless you've found an offer which I've missed!! If so, please let me know because I'm about to buy a policy.

Good luck with your purchase - and the cashback (remember to read the small print and check it applies to the policy type you're taking out...).

Yes Dabs it is safeguard through Swintonand they did offer the cash back to me which is something I have done before on other policies with them with no problems.
One important detail, you have to register your claim for cash back with a simple phone call or you will miss out.
Hope this saves you some pennies

[karenw]

Yes Dabs it is safeguard through Swintonand they did offer the cash back to me which is something I have done before on other policies with them with no problems.
One important detail, you have to register your claim for cash back with a simple phone call or you will miss out.
Hope this saves you some pennies

Grrrr! *jealous*

I was insured via Swinton with my Kangoo van and enquired about motorhome insurance only to be told they didn't offer it, and no mention of a cashback either. Are there any online links to this offer because I'd very much like to save £60.

I've just had my policy cancelled after a month because the underwriter wouldn't accept my 29 years NCD because the last vehicle it was transferred to was a van - hence I need to find something fast.

[Vanderella]

I've just had my policy cancelled after a month because the underwriter wouldn't accept my 29 years NCD because the last vehicle it was transferred to was a van - hence I need to find something fast.

These insurance companies are a total pain! Even when they agree to insure you you are left wondering whether they would ever actually pay out!

[cedas]

Grrrr! *jealous*

I was insured via Swinton with my Kangoo van and enquired about motorhome insurance only to be told they didn't offer it, and no mention of a cashback either. Are there any online links to this offer because I'd very much like to save £60.

I've just had my policy cancelled after a month because the underwriter wouldn't accept my 29 years NCD because the last vehicle it was transferred to was a van - hence I need to find something fast.

wonder if you could take that up somewhere with an ombusman (ie the NCD not being allowed because one vehicle was a van).

It really annoys me the way insurance companies try to wriggle out of things. Was this SWINTON?? Let us know and let them know how many people are potentially viewing your comments and will not even consider them in future.

My experience has been that if your vehicle is really classified as a motorhome with DVLA the insurance is surprisingly low - prior to buying my romahome I was put off buying a lovely little doblo conversion - quite new and reasonable price and mileage but the it wasn't registered with DVLA as motorhome so the insurance (£600 +) and the conditions attached - register quicly with DVLA (quickly not possible as I understand, full habitation check immedaitely (not poss because of where I live and strangely I haven't been asked to get one for the romahome - though somewhere along the line this year I will do so) . All this put me off. I now have my romahome which although older is much better roomier and better designed and the insurance fully comp was reasonable at around £280

[karenw]

wonder if you could take that up somewhere with an ombusman (ie the NCD not being allowed because one vehicle was a van).

It really annoys me the way insurance companies try to wriggle out of things. Was this SWINTON?? Let us know and let them know how many people are potentially viewing your comments and will not even consider them in future.

My experience has been that if your vehicle is really classified as a motorhome with DVLA the insurance is surprisingly low - prior to buying my romahome I was put off buying a lovely little doblo conversion - quite new and reasonable price and mileage but the it wasn't registered with DVLA as motorhome so the insurance (£600 +) and the conditions attached - register quicly with DVLA (quickly not possible as I understand, full habitation check immedaitely (not poss because of where I live and strangely I haven't been asked to get one for the romahome - though somewhere along the line this year I will do so) . All this put me off. I now have my romahome which although older is much better roomier and better designed and the insurance fully comp was reasonable at around £280

The broker, which is one of the most prominent for motorhome insurance, was fine with the van NCD (23 years of which relates to a car) but the underwriter wouldn't accept it. There was no negotiation - they tried to impose an additional premium surcharge based on zero NCD, then a £25 cancellation fee and then the broker offered to pay the additional premium but this wasn't acceptable because I'd effectively lose my clean driving history and be unable to protect my NCD until it had built up again in 4-5 years. I claimed I was 'misled by omission' and it's now been agreed that the policy will be cancelled with a full refund (and no cancellation fee!) and I'll have benefited from a month's free cover. Having obtained other quotes, I have found only two MH insurers who won't accept NCD earned on a privately owned van. I won't name the insurer publicly but if you'd like to know which it was, then please send a PM.

Other insurers have refused to quote due to my occupation and not owning a second vehicle, despite being a named driver on my husband's policy.

My Romahome is registered as a motorhome - otherwise I could foresee another long string of problems. Ironically, one of the main reasons for buying the RH was because my very simple van adaptation ideas were uninsurable so I had little option other than to take a completely conventional route to fall into a neat little tick box - or so I thought....

[peterholden]

Hi Karen

Deal with Safeguard direct and as a new customer you should get £60 cash back as advertised in MMM.

We have been insured with them for about 8 years and have had to make a couple of claims - they were excellent to deal with.

Peter

[karenw]

Hi Karen

Deal with Safeguard direct and as a new customer you should get £60 cash back as advertised in MMM.

We have been insured with them for about 8 years and have had to make a couple of claims - they were excellent to deal with.

Peter

Hi Peter

This sounds like a perfect deal and I'm about to accept a quote BUT... I can't find any reference to this £60 cashback deal. As I can't drive the van for the moment I can't head out in search of a copy of MMM (assuming they're stocked locally!). Is there a special code to quote, different webpage to visit, telephone number to call.... anything?! I'm very keen to save £60 and have to act fast, but just can't find it!!

Please advise.... Thank You.

Just one thought, I notice they require a van to have a 27 litre water tank and Romahomes seem to have only 20/25l. I assume this wasn't a problem for you?

[peterholden]

I will root out the advert tomorrow.

They seem quite conversant with Romahomes and no one aske the size of the water tank.

I am though building up to a battle with the DVLA, ours is a pullman with the extra belted seats but is only registered as having 2 seats. I have got the form from the DVLA and Daniel Bailey from Romahome has dug out a copy of the job sheet, I need to take some photos and then off to my local DVLA but I will have to be quick as I am supposed to start jury service on the 30th of January.

Peter