Category: Auctions

Mercedes motorhomes cheap at auction in the UK

Mercedes motorhomes make a sensible choice when looking for style, comfort and reliability. Couple this with easy spare part location and you have a sensible, affordable choice. Sprinter based conversions can offer car-like performance too.

VW T5 campervan

If you talk in terms of a robust, commercial vehicle, the Volkswagen T5 has it all. With its arrival in 2004, the European market was simply dominated by this van and it won awards all over including International Van of the Year. I have owned 3 and found them to be ultra-reliable and very car-like from drive to interior. The Caravelle (Multivan) is a 7 seater with clever adjustable seating positions. There are panel van (no side windows) and Highroof options where you can choose from a huge 3 roof heights! There are double cab and wider load flat bed truck options too.

The T5 is known as a Kombi or Shuttle in Europe so expect to see imports with this name. Campers include ‘Kombi’, ‘Beach’ and ‘California’ branding.

CamperAuctions verdict:
Buy one of these robust vehicles and benefit from low maintenance and a car-like driving experience. Great resale values and good supply of spares

Fiat Ducato motorhome

Hugely popular because of their incredible value, the Fiat Ducato motorhome is a well built and reliable option for the entry to mid range motorcaravan market.

In 2009 this was voted “Which motorcaravan best base vehicle”.  No surprise then that 2 out of every 3 motorhomes sold in the UK are built on this robust chassis.  There’s nearly half a million at time of writing that are registered in Europe!

CamperAuctions Fact:

The commercial Fiat Ducato is sold as the Citroën Jumper and the Peugeot Boxer and the motorhome is used as a base in Australia for  A’van, Jayco, Horizon, Paradise, Suncamper, Sunliner, Trakka, and the venerable Winnebago motorhomes.

At auction, these vehicles provide a safe bet as parts are plentiful and the reliability is good

VW type 2 T2

In 1968 we saw the first T2 camper. This broke from the earlier van by having a single windscreen, not a “Splittie” as before.

This one piece window led to the term “Bay window” being coined. Wish I had a pound for each person I’ve explained that to…..
A funnier although less endearing term is “Breadloaf” because the whole van resembles one of Kingsmill’s finest.

Nicer nicknames include Bulli (German for “Ox”) and Kombi. For this article I researched what Rugbrod meant as this is used by Danish owners. The answer? Well it’s Danish for a loaf of bread……

This model improved on load carrying, driveability and power with their 1.6 litre 48HP motor. Transmission and suspension is greatly improved over the older T1 with a half shaft axle instead of the previous swing axle giving better handling all round.

We saw the T2b in 1971 and this model’s production run carried on in Germany before finally moving to Brazil in 1996. I believe that there was also production of this van in Mexico for a few years before 1996.
Better brakes, stronger wheels, bigger bumpers, brighter lights and auto boxes were introduced on this model and a much more modern and powerful 2 litre lump was available in 1976.

The T2c came out in 1991 with a higher roofline and an optional front mounted 1.4 litre engine from the VW Golf. (Aaaarghh! Water cooled!!). They did keep the air cooled option though.

CamperAuctions verdict:

If you are considering a T2 then it may well be a sound choice. The T1 is lovely and more collectable but you can live with a T2. We’d say go with the aircooled T2 for authenticity and that classic engine note. The safety and comfort advantages it brings will make it a usable classic as opposed to a shrink-wrapped investment.  The T2’s legendary durability means you’ll have years of fun with it.

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