Ex grey nomad caravaners looking to purchase a second hand motorhomes. Is there anybody who could advise us what to look for and what to keep away from.

Hi Chrissie,

Some of the obvious ones are:

Large mileage.
No service history, no purchase.
Previous involvement in accident/s.
Cracks in body work.
Wear and tear inside cabin. Water stains.

Not so obvious ones:

Leave it alone if it has a towbar - unless you know what has been towed and how.
Check bathroom and toilet for leaks. Evidence of water leaking from bathroom.
Condition of toilet mechanism. Cassettes can be replaced I'd necessary.

Some of the earlier models are more solid that later ones. You can still pickup early models with low mileage. I also prefer rear wheel drive, manual transmission and a Ford chassis in a second-hand vehicle. Ford parts are easily obtainable and can be serviced anywhere around the country. Apart from that, they are a very good drive.

The Kea are a vey solid and well-built motorhome. Worth consideration if you can find one with low mileage.

If you can, hire a few different models and layouts to give you a feel for what works best for you. We drew up a list of preferred options but, through this process, discovered that some of them just didn't suit us.

Finally, be patient, there are some good bargains to be had.

These are my opinions only. Hope this helps.

Cheers...

Thanks for the advice. We are not going to rush into it. Decided to have a good look around first.

You are very welcome.

Enjoy the search.

Cheers...

Another question! Have you heard anything about the Wallaby brand of motorhome. They are located in Sydney. Haven't checked them out yet. They are mostly VW vehicles. Looked at a second hand jayco conquest today 2006 model with 42000 ks. Had towbar used as a bicycle carrier. Any opinions would be appreciated.

Hi Chrissie,

Apologies for the slow response...

No, I haven't heard of the Wallaby brand but that doesn't mean too much. There are new brands coming on the market from time to time and there is no reason why they shouldn't be good. It's always good to look at new ideas and manufacturers.

When researching vehicles, check owners' experiences with servicing and when major items have needed replacing, etc. I'm not the best to advise on this. Regarding Jayco, they have a fair slice of the market for good reason but sometimes their quality is questioned. I have a friend who loves his and that's all that matters.

An important issue when buying a motorhome, good storage both inside and out is a must. i've seen some that would be very difficult to take on a long trip. Put together the items that you would want to take with you for an extended trip to determine how much storage you are going to need.

Hope this is helpful.

All the best.

Cheers...