Motorhome prices

Have the prices dramatically gone up over the last couple of years?

Yes, Covid followed by chip shortages pushed all vehicle prices up but motorhomes especially...........

Will they settle down......?

Nobody knows the answer to that ! 

Not whilst people keep buying them no !  But how long will people keep dipping into pension funds, inheritances etc. Everybody seems to want a motorhome and whilst demand is high, so will be prices.  But the spring isn't a good time to find a bargain. Wait till November and you might get a better deal...?

Due to emissions and older engines you may find clean air zone charges coming into the equation. It will pay to weigh up all the factors involved.

Before COVID you could by a reasonably speced basic new motorhome for around £50000, probably a bit less in some cases, but that same van is now likely to cost you between £65000/70000 for all the reasons Randomcamper mentions. I think it's also likely that manufacturers, because of the shortage of supplies have concentrated on slightly more upmarket versions in order to maintain profit levels. How the future will work out depends on the demand, if that falters they you may see cheaper, less speced vans start to appear but how much that will impact on secondhand prices it's difficult to say. If you have a particular brand in mind it might be worth having a look at Facebook buying and selling groups dedicated to that brand as they might offer better value but, of course, when buying secondhand caveat emptor applies.

David

Now that's something I hadn't thought of.  We run an electric car so pay little attention to these zones but with a motrorhome that might be a problem!

Have the prices dramatically gone up over the last couple of years? Will they settle down like house prices seem to have or should I just go ahead and get on?

The price of a similar 'spec' van as our 2019 model is circa £30k more in 2023.

The only difference I can see is the new 9 speed auto gearbox compared to our comfort-matic + a chassis upgrade to 3650kg which mine could be up - plated to anyway.....

So yes!

I'm surprised they have not started to dip as I thought they would follow caravan prices. I've recently bought a demo 2022/23 model from a dealer. Of the 5 dealers I spoke to they admitted being over stocked and finding it difficult to move vans. Big discounts are available, that more than offset the reduced trade in being offered.

Colin

Colin

I know new caravans are becoming expensive, particularly the better equipped they are. However I suspect motorhomes are on a different level and there are still delays in getting cab bases on which to build. This seems to have pushed new motorhome prices skywards since the pandemic. The prices new will always impact on the secondhand market. I purchased my first motorhome 10 years ago, new. Even today I see them for sale at prices that are only a few thousand below the original makers list price. Obviously prices can't continue to go up and perhaps some levelling off will start to impact on the market. I think the first sign of that will be motorhome manufacturers reintroducing budget ranges at slightly lower price points. I have not seen that yet but you can't rule anything out. A lot of it might be done to how a motorhome purchase is financed?

David

David, re 'cheaper sub brands' in Europe, Knaus has its Weinberg brand, Hymer Group has Carado, Sunlight (Dethleffs) and Etrusco, Rapido has Itineo.

These have been around for a good few years now and have been grabbing plenty of market share...certainly in Europe and now over here...

not everyone is going to be speccing up a Neissman + Bischoff..or a Liner For Two...

when the L42 was introduced by Carthago in 2019 it retailed at £118k plus (probably) around £30k of extras...say £150k...that same model van now (albeit with a few more 'improvements' is fetching going on for £100k more!

in the uk, I've noticed that with (say) Swift, lower ranges like Escape are being tarted up and moved upmarket, only to bring in something else (more) budget below it. Autotrader has one Escape at well over £80k! 2 years ago this budget range would have been trying to keep its price under £50k....today it seems, anything goes...

As a result, in order to distinguish the top line models from these 'upstarts' they are being pushed up the price ladder.

about 18 months ago I was shocked to see Swift and Autotrail vans priced at over £100k!

AS have even got a panel van on its way that's likely to be significantly more than six figures....

im confident I could sell my six year old van for what I paid....and possibly more, but a new direct replacement has moved on by around £30k.

surely, this can't go on?

Our motorhome was a year old when we bought it and held it's purchase value until recently, to me it doesn't matter what has been paid eg 10k or 100k it's been the holding factor that has been surprisingly good. However this won't continue due to emissions and older engines. Pollution charges will continue to rise. They're not like houses and will fall apart at some point and they're also not something that everyone wants.

It's a purchase that probably should only be considered with a loss in view. As most financial adverts warn, prices can go up or down.

 My first caravan -  new - cost a quarter of my annual income, so I suppose the prices Young Thomas has quoted are about right for those on half a million a year these days. I’m out.