Selling your motorhome

Keith Gooden

Welcome back to the Motorhome Matt podcast where we give you the inside on everything to do with motorhoming and caravanning, whether you’re thinking of hiring or buying. Hundreds of thousands of listeners, people hanging on his every word – the man, the expert, Motorhome Matt Sims.

Matt Sims

Here I am. Hanging on my every word?

Keith Gooden

Absolutely. I’m Keith Gooden, by the way, and what I do is I ask the stupid questions. And the first stupid question I suppose I’m going to ask you is it’s been a tough time for all businesses with the cost of living crisis, a war in Ukraine, the pandemic.

The latest in the industry with Motorhome Matt

Keith Gooden

The last few years have been a roller coaster. So what is the latest in the motorhoming and caravanning industry?

Matt Sims

The business secrets! It has certainly been a challenging summer. One of the big things that has happened within the shop at That Leisure Shop, which is our shop, is the delivery of products – we’ve waited for some products that we ordered in October last year, and they arrived in July or August.

Keith Gooden

So you ordered them last October and because of supply issues due to all those things that I’ve listed, they’re finally turning up on your doorstep. And then, I suppose, they send the invoice and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to pay for this.’

Matt Sims

Well, yes, that’s true. That’s what follows the delivery. And that’s why we’re seeing loads of sales at the moment. No doubt if you’re listening to this your inbox has filled up with some great offers from That Leisure Shop. Hopefully you’re subscribing to us. If not, why not? And we do have some fantastic offers on big household names like Go Outdoors and Mountain Warehouse.

I was in a Mountain Warehouse, which is obviously more about clothing. And I bought an outdoor waterproof coat for £25 reduced from £130 and a fleece for £8 reduced from £50. And you think, ‘How are you doing this? Why are you doing this?’

Keith Gooden

So the question is, ‘How are you doing it?’ Because isn’t it better to leave it on the shelf and sell it next year?

Matt Sims

Well, you’d think so, wouldn’t you? And I said to the guy in the shop – it was whilst we were on holiday in Pembrokeshire – I said, ‘Are Mountain Warehouse closing down?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘But this is earlier than normal to have a sale like this.’ And this was early August. It was interesting to chat to him. In fact, the other week we were at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, which is a huge outdoor event – beautiful weather, really hot.

And we took the shop along and we decided, ‘Right, let’s liquidate some of the stock and do some fantastic offers.’ And we were discounting heavily for that weekend. It kind of made me shiver, really. We thought, ‘Well, we bought this for £50. And we’re selling it for £50. What’s going on there? How does that work?’ And on the next stand our neighbour was this lovely guy Alan, who had a whole work life history which he was sharing with me. And he’d sold his business, but he actually bought Fosters Menswear. Do you remember them?

Keith Gooden

I do.

Matt Sims

I used to buy my school clothes at Fosters Menswear. But they were a business – I think they went bust. Anyway, Alan bought it and launched a whole retail chain of clothing shops. And he said, ‘Matt, what you’re doing is retail. That’s how it works.’

And I’m no expert in this. We’re learning as a retail team. Our whole shop team is new to it. And we bring, I think, a breath of fresh air to it. All of us are trying to get our heads around, ‘How do we fund this sudden backlog that’s arrived and the invoices that need paying?’

And the fact that we’ve bought ten and there are two or three left – do we want to keep them for next year, as you say? Or do we want to sell out of them and go again? And this guy Alan – it was like having a business coach for the weekend. It was brilliant. And he was selling cold drinks, bottled water and cold pop. He just kept topping us up. It was lovely.

But he was saying, ‘That’s retail, Matt, you’re doing the right thing. You need to, as a business, think of it as fresh cash back into the business and go again next year.’ So you are going to see and we are seeing huge sales, some ridiculous, huge discounts off the retail price as businesses, particularly the bigger ones must be facing big mountains of invoices to pay, just circumstantial and unique.

Again, as we’ve said before, it’s a new pattern for this year. So there are lots of great offers and sales out there. Interestingly though, whilst there is an overstocking bit where our warehouse is brimming with stock, there are lots of items going out of stock, and we can’t get any more. So if there’s something you want, my advice is to buy it now.

Keith Gooden

Yes. And there’s an advantage as well to the consumer, isn’t there? Because you’ve had this situation where you’ve put the order in – as you say it could be last October – and you’re finally getting the order coming through because of delays due to war or the pandemic or just the general downturn due to the cost of living crisis.

But suddenly the consumer is the boss and if you’ve got somebody who has got a motorhome or a caravan – you might be married to them. They might be a member of your family. Now’s the time to buy those Christmas presents while this summer stock is being sold on.

Matt Sims

Yes, that’s right. And with the sales, there’s normally a huge end of season sale, isn’t there? And you’ll see sales everywhere at the moment. And I think that’s why. There’s this huge backlog delivery as businesses try and cash flow their way through that. So yes, buy now ready for Christmas. If you don’t want it now then think early for Christmas.

Keith Gooden

www.thatleisureshop.com!

Matt Sims

Indeed, go there. It’s amazing. Honestly, it’s a fantastic shop. It’s a superb website. We’re a small family team. And the guys have worked so hard building it. We have some fantastic reviews – don’t take my word for it, go and read the reviews. And the range of products is superb. And it’s growing all the time. And we’ve big plans for next year. So yes, watch this space.

Keith Gooden

And get buying as well.

Matt Sims

Get buying, yes!

Keith Gooden

Another reason to buy is that prices are on the rise.

Matt Sims

They are, yes. We’re under pressure to order now for next year. And there are some deals available to us if we order now for delivery in March or April. But prices – if we order in 2023 which right now, of course, is next year – we’re going to see 10 to 20% price increases, we’re told if not more.

So another reason to buy now – beat that price rise. New product coming through is going to be more expensive. Existing product that is coming through is going to be more expensive, just down to the shipping costs, production costs and a whole host of reasons. But yes, inflation is definitely here.

Keith Gooden

Right. Inflation is here to stay – some people say it could be as high as 22%. In the UK it is being driven by energy prices. It doesn’t relate to everything. But another reason to open your wallet and get buying while you’ve got the chance. Don’t wait until next year.

Motorhome supply news with Paul Chance from TMD

Keith Gooden

You’ve been talking to another friend of yours in the industry.

Matt Sims

Well, I was intrigued as to what’s going on as well with the supply of motorhomes particularly – motorhomes and caravans, but motorhomes especially, and so I caught up with a dear friend of mine

Paul Chance

. Paul owns TMD in Redditch in the Birmingham area. And I asked him, ‘Paul, what’s the future looking like for next year?’

Paul Chance

I was at Adria a month or so ago. That shut the line down because windows for their van conversions hadn’t arrived. But the core problem at the moment is chassis supply, being the biggest supplier of chassis and supply has been interrupted continually. Fiat factory has shut down numerous times.

Semiconductors are one of the biggest problems, certainly, more semiconductors go into an electric vehicle than go into a normal combustion engine motorhome but there would appear to be a focus towards building electric vehicles.

They’re rising in popularity, but I don’t think at the moment they fit what we need for motorhomes. I think there could be further developments down the line which will be better suited to motorhomes. The frustration is as much with the motorhome manufacturers as it is with us. They’ve got the capacity. They just can’t get the supply of chassis and parts.

Matt Sims

You mentioned Adria. Now, of course, they build on chassis other than Fiat. They build on Citroen and have recently relaunched a Mercedes product, the Supersonic, which looks amazing. I’m seeing this is a trend where more manufacturers are launching – I saw that Swift have launched a product on a transit. Is this a trend you think we’re going to keep seeing?

Paul Chance

I think the manufacturers would be foolish to keep all their eggs in one basket as they have done. It would be foolhardy. They need to look at other manufacturers and the talk is that they’re all looking at how they can perhaps spread the load across different manufacturers. Citroen are being spoken about, Mercedes, MAN – these are all in the mix in the future. I think that’s got to be the way that they will go.

We can’t have the situation we’ve got now. We are probably between 50% and 65% down on what we would normally order purely through the fact that the manufacturers can’t supply us with the vehicles for next year. It wasn’t a whole lot better this year and the delays are just compounding the problem. So I definitely think that they’re going to have to look at solutions going forward. None of us can sustain business with this kind of supply.

Matt Sims

We were talking previously, weren’t we, about electric motorhomes. It feels to me we’re still a long way from that in the mass market. You mentioned that there’s more attention being paid to electric by manufacturers. Can you tell me a bit more about your view on that?

Paul Chance

The popularity of electric vehicles is encouraging people like Fiat to build more electric vehicles. More components go into those and it’s getting taken away from combustion engines as I’ve previously said. I don’t think the battery solution is at the moment a good solution for motorhomes. They’re heavy, they take up space, the distance that you can travel is very, very limited. The infrastructure isn’t there.

However, I think with the other things that could come through in the future such as hydrogen, they offer a lot of benefits that do not need to use gas in the vehicle any more. You can use induction hobs and stuff like that that can give you. So I think that manufacturers won’t rush into electric. They’ve got to wait and see what comes along and what’s happening with technology. It’s definitely their thoughts whenever I’ve spoken to them.

Electric vehicles are in their minds, but it’s a little way off. In fact, it’s quite a long way off, I would say. There are lots and lots of different options that could be available which probably aren’t quite there yet, and they would work better for motorhomes. But as I say, I think at the moment, the current battery solution that we’ve got, charging batteries, would be an issue with payload, an issue with distance and the issue of infrastructure.

So I just don’t think that works for motorhomes at the moment. I think it’s a little bit of a non-starter. We’ve got problems in this country with licences and payload anyway so it’d make it even worse.

Matt Sims

Yes, which the government is hopefully going to review.

Paul Chance

It’s been spoken about, at least.

Matt Sims

So what’s your advice for people going to the NEC show coming up in October – which is only a few weeks away as we have this chat – what’s your advice to people looking at a new motorhome or even possibly considering used? You sell both. What’s your advice to them?

Paul Chance

I mean, the used market is going to be key for dealers going forward, because we’re not going to have the supply of new, but there are new vehicles that are going to be available. What I would say is the dealer cannot hand on heart guarantee you when those vehicles will arrive at the moment. They can give you an indication of when they’re going to arrive.

We can only give you the best information we’ve got at that time, and that is the best information that the manufacturers have got at that time. If something happens or Fiat changes those dates, then it just gets passed down the line. So it is going to be a little bit difficult. And of course, like everything, prices are going up in terms of new vehicles.

What’s happened in the past is that there have been price guarantees when things have been ordered. I don’t think manufacturers can afford to keep that going forward. So I doubt there’ll be a lot of manufacturers giving price guarantees.

Keith Gooden

No. It’ll be interesting to see what the show offer is. It takes me back to February 2020 and October 2019, pre-Brexit, with the risk of huge tariffs on the motorhome screen pricing and that being passed to the consumer. So lots more uncertainty ahead, then?

Paul Chance

There will be vehicles available. There will be a lot less available. So if a customer really, really wants one, they should go to the NEC show and have a look around and order one. But as I say, there will be uncertainty around the delivery time, and possibly uncertainty on a final fixed price.

Keith Gooden

So that was Paul from TMD with some of his views about what next year might hold. What’s your view on that then, Matt? What do you think?

Matt Sims

I think it’s really interesting. I think it’s exciting. I think it’s a little bit scary. And part of the problem is that nobody can actually predict what is going to happen here. Manufacturers, retailers – we’re all waiting to see how this unfolds, this evolving, if you like, from diesel powered motorhomes into electrified motorhomes.

Nobody’s got the answer. Nobody really knows what it’s going to look like and when it’s going to happen. Yes, it’s an intriguing time and definitely an exciting time to be part of this industry, I think.

Selling your motorhome

Keith Gooden

So what if I want to sell my motorhome? And that’s the main subject of today’s podcast – selling my motorhome. But why would I want to sell my motorhome? Because, as we’ve talked about in the past, in some cases, in a lot of cases, dare I say in most cases, it’s an appreciating asset, isn’t it?

Matt Sims

Yes, it is. Yes, well, there’s lots of motivations for why people want to sell them. Maybe they’ve done it. More than ever have done it, just bought one and had a go. But they can now go back on those traditional holidays that they used to do and perhaps they’ve just fallen out of love with it or just said, ‘Well, that’s it, we’ve done that for a season, now we’re going to sell it,’ or they want to upgrade it.

Maybe you bought the wrong layout and you want a bigger or smaller motorhome or a different style. So there’s lots of reasons as to why people would sell them. And of course, there are lots of ways in which you can sell one. And that’s what we want to unpack and talk about today.

Keith Gooden

So how do we go about it?

Matt Sims

Well, obviously you can sell it privately. You write your own advert, take your own pictures, get your own description, you suffer all the costs and all the hassle. Or you could trade in if you’re going to buy a new one, whether it’s new to you, so secondhand, or brand new. You could trade it in or you could go and give it to a dealer and they buy it from you and give you the cash or they broker it where they will take it on and display it.

They take all of the hassle from you, all the costs of advertising it, and they agree with you a return based on a sale price that they will sell it for and the difference there is you don’t get the money until they’ve sold it.

Choosing the right way to sell your motorhome

Keith Gooden

So what’s the best deal for me if I’m selling my motorhome, and what’s the best way at the moment?

Matt Sims

Well, it depends what your motivation is for selling it, really. It’s interesting because private prices are often pretty similar to dealer prices, because the demand is there. And if your motorhome is sought after or hard to get then it’s going to have a strong value. Selling privately, you can’t offer a warranty, unless it’s covered by the manufacturer warranty because it’s still new enough to have one. That would be transferable. Usually that’s the case.

And for the buyer, they may want the support after the sale from a dealer. So if something goes wrong, they can take it back. In the worst case scenario, they can just block the gate and put up a sign – I’ve seen that happen many times – and get some support afterwards.

So in terms of the best deal, that’s going to be a very subjective answer. That could be you selling it. You have all the hassle, then, but you could get probably just as good a deal if you were to broker it through a dealer. Generally when you give it to a dealer to sell, brokering gives you more of a return than if they’re going to buy outright from you.

Dealers are going to want to make anywhere between 10% to 25% across the vehicle. That’s a typical dealer margin, and 10% is when it’s on brokerage. And for that higher percentage, people think, ‘Gosh, that’s a lot of money.’ Well, that dealer’s got the overhead of a showroom, the yard with the rates, the rent, the staff, all the advertising costs. They’re in business, they’re not a charity and they pay VAT, remember, on the margin as well.

So that’s a cost, whether they’re brokering it or buying it off you. So generally you’ll get a better deal if you broker it. And you might get a very good deal if you part exchange it, the risk of part exchanging it, if you’re buying a new one, is you could give them the motorhome and then wait a year for your new one to arrive. And you can end up with no motorhome.

I know lots of people in that situation at the moment, which is really, really unfortunate, because that wasn’t their plan. A dealer might do a deal with you and say, ‘Well, I’ll give you this much for it when the new one arrives.’ And then you’ve got your old motorhome until that new one arrives.

So what’s the best deal? It is going to depend and you’re going to need to explore each of those. Selling privately is probably the most complicated. My brother-in-law – he might be listening to this, so I’ll be careful what I say! He won’t mind me saying this. He’s selling his. He rang and said, ‘I’ve not sold it. What can you do to help?’ I said, ‘Well, I’ll sell it for you for mates’ rates.’ Well, sort of mates rates.

Keith Gooden

You told him it was mates’ rates.

Matt Sims

No, I looked at his advert and frankly – and Mike won’t mind me saying this – it was rubbish. The photos were awful. It had the wrong description, the wrong title, the description was really poor. I said, ‘I’m not surprised you haven’t sold it!’ It was also so many thousands, maybe £3,000 or £4,000, too much for a private sale, I felt. And anyway, so he said, ‘Well, I’ve had a think about it, Matt, and we’re going to carry on. I’ve made some changes.’ I said, ‘Oh, great. What have you done?’ ‘I’ve knocked £500 off of it.’ Same photos, same description. And guess what? I saw him at the weekend at a family wedding about three weeks later – still hadn’t sold it. In fact, now he’s going to keep it, apparently.

Keith Gooden

So what’s the reason he hasn’t sold it? Why is that? Was that a bad idea?

Matt Sims

Well, I think when we’re selling a vehicle, we make a big effort with the photo. So we prep the vehicle really nicely. We photograph it with a lovely backdrop which is actually our front garden, and we have a fantastic view. If you’ve ever seen some of the stuff I do on Instagram, you’ll see it. And it is phenomenal. And it puts the motorhome in a great light.

And we’re trying to feed people’s imagination and have them imagine that they’re in it. And we go to great lengths photographing the detail. So the questions that people have are answered through a photo. A photo is worth a thousand words, as they say. So we often will put 50 photos up. And then in the description we’re trying to cover off all of the specification, how you use it and some of the history of the vehicle if we know the owner.

We’ve got one for sale and the previous owner sadly passed away. That’s why it’s for sale. That kind of history is really useful for someone looking to buy one. ‘Well, if it’s so good, why is it for sale?’ ‘The owner is not here to use it any more, and they loved it.’ And so that kind of back story, I think, is really important. It’s a great sales technique.

But actually what you’re doing is presenting something that’s very genuine and giving the buyer all of the information so they haven’t got to ring you and ask all the questions. You want them to bring and have a conversation, but you can answer the obvious questions at the get go, which is really important.

Keith Gooden

It’s like when you buy a car, isn’t it? Your car is never as clean or as shiny as the day you buy it from the dealer, and it goes a long way. ‘Oh, that looks lovely. Isn’t that nice? It’s all clean.’

Matt Sims

It’s also never as clean or as shiny as the day you sell it. And I’ve seen your car. It definitely is not for sale.

Keith Gooden

For something as basic as that, a dealer will sort it out for you. They’ll make sure it’s nice and clean and shiny and all the rest. And like you said, it’s the information, isn’t it, that the buyer wants instead of just a boring list, they want the information presented in the proper way.

Understand how to work with a dealer

Keith Gooden

So I’m selling my motorhome. I’ve decided, for instance, to go with a dealership because I think dealers are having a hard time at the moment. I’m not doing it for charity, because I’m in business too. I want to get the best price for my motorhome. But he or she hasn’t got a lot of stock, so we’re going to broker it. What should I expect? What should I ask for on that brokerage deal? How much of that money am I going to keep?

Matt Sims

Yes, as I say, they’re probably going to want around 8% to 10% across the top of it. They might have a fixed fee basis, which would be typically £3,000 to £5,000. It really is going to vary. It is going to depend on the motorhome you’re selling and it’s going to depend on the dealer as well, and their model.

But typically, they’re going to want a lump out of it that’s going to mean it’s worth their while brokering it. Remember they will be able to give a warranty on it. They will be able to offer finance on it to a future buyer. And there’s that support as well after the sale. So there’s that sense of security for a buyer.

And so potentially, there’s a higher chance of it selling more quickly with a dealer. Many of them are open seven days a week, although I’ve heard stories of some deciding to shut and be open only five or six days a week because of energy costs – different story.

But they’re there to serve the customer all day, every day. They’re not waiting in like you would if you’re selling it privately for a tyre kicker to turn up and spend two hours looking around it, asking questions only to say, ‘Oh, we’re going to go home and think about it.’ That happens all the time when people are looking at motorhomes and rightly so.

Keith Gooden

Yes, but also you’re buying the contacts and the skills of the dealer, aren’t you? Because there’s no point you coming in and saying, ‘Well, he only made two phone calls and took 25% off me.’ The fact of the matter is, the dealer has got the contacts and you haven’t.

Matt Sims

And they might have spent 20 years building up those two contacts. That’s what you’re paying for, that expertise. Yes, they might sell it really quickly. And yes, you might feel a little bit aggrieved, ‘They didn’t work very hard for that.’ Well, no, but that’s why. This is what they do.

Keith Gooden

It’s the skills or knowledge you’re buying, isn’t it?

Matt Sims

It is, yes, and the insight as well and understanding what it’s worth. So you’re going to go and do your research before you sell it. And you’re going to go on eBay or AutoTrader, and go and look at what it’s worth. What they’re advertised for is not necessarily, of course, what they’re selling for. It’s really important to remember that. So you’re going to get a flavour of the market, and a dealer is going to give you their take on that as well.

And they’ll say, ‘Well, yes, you can always drop the price, can’t you? It’s hard to put it up.’ So they’re going to agree a return for you based on a figure they’re going to sell it for. I would always ask the dealer, ‘What is your intention in terms of the retail price?’ Then when you see the advert you don’t get a shock.

And that’s your point to negotiate as well, because if they start putting £50,000 on it and they’re offering you £10,000, that’s not a great deal is it? So ask the question, ‘What do you anticipate selling it for? And obviously, what they sell it for is totally their business. They might take a car, a caravan, a boat or a jet ski. We took a jet ski in once.

They might take a tandem bike or a pennyfarthing in part exchange! That’s for them to deal with. And once that’s done, you’re going to get your return, so all of that hassle is dealt with by them. And of course, selling through a dealer means you open up the opportunity to sell to all those people that have a part exchange, which as a private seller, you might not be interested in – you know, taking their 30 year old rotten box.

Keep your expectations reasonable

Keith Gooden

Yes, but the point is, Matt, you’ve been telling me for the last year that motorhomes are a great investment and they’re selling for more than you paid for them. Are people being unreasonable in their expectations if they’ve got that rotten box, taking it along and wanting to get a good price for it?

Matt Sims

Well, you sent me one the other day.

Keith Gooden

I saw one and I thought, ‘I’ve got to send this one to Matt.’ It was from 1978 or something like that. It was a boat.

Matt Sims

It was a goldfish bowl on wheels. It was rotten.

Keith Gooden

They only wanted £3,500 for it.

Matt Sims

£3,500?! That would have been worth nothing three years ago, and suddenly it has a value. So yes, it’s not always the case that it’s going to be worth more than you pay for it. Not at all. But motorhomes definitely have gone up in price.

And we were talking about selling a motorhome – when’s a good time to sell one and when’s a good time to buy one? I’d say the answer is now. There’s never really a bad time. People say, ‘Well, I’ll wait until the end of the season.’ You can wait until the end of the season. You’re going to have summer’s mileage on it so you’ve had another season’s use out of it.

The peak times for motorhome sales, interestingly, are not July and August. They’re March and October typically. And the reasons for that are that the new registrations come out in March and because of the October show season with the big show at the NEC in Birmingham. And the smart cookies that know how this industry works order their motorhomes then to normally get delivery of them in the spring the following year.

So the great time to be selling is around there when people are looking to buy. It does mean there’s always a bit of a flood of stock coming on to the market, but that’s okay. Yours just has to be the best out there and the most desirable. Another factor as well that people get wrong is all the extras that they paid a fortune to have fitted.

They don’t always have a massive impact on the resale value. And yes, they might have cost you £10,000, but they’re not going to carry that value forward. So just bear that in mind when you’re buying one and equipping one. And when you come to sell it, all those extras really do is make it more desirable than the next one on the list.

Keith Gooden

You’re not necessarily going to get all the money that you lashed out for it. So basically, you can sell it yourself with all the hassle that involves, as you said, the tyre kickers coming round and even perhaps even some dealers coming around and offering you silly prices.

Matt Sims

They will. They’ll be on the phone.

Keith Gooden

You can sell it to dealers who will buy it from you or take it in part exchange for a new motorhome. Or you can ask them to sell it for you and they will take a percentage from you. It’s up to you what deal you do. Yes, motorhomes, as you’ve explained before, are holding their value. But if you’ve got that old rust bucket, you’re not going to be sitting on a fortune.

How to deal with finance when selling your motorhome

Keith Gooden

So what’s the final thing that people need to know about if they’re selling their motorhome?

Matt Sims

Finance. So what if you bought it with finance because it was a stretch to buy or whatever reason you put finance on it. Maybe you just decided it was commercially a good idea. When you come to sell it, you don’t actually own it, that finance company owns it. So how do you get out of that if you’re going to sell it privately or to a dealer? Well, a dealer will do an HPI check. And they’ll see that it’s got a finance imprint on the vehicle. They will pay the finance company, and then they’ll pay you any difference.

If you’re selling it privately, you are going to have to present to a prospective buyer the fact that it’s got finance on it. Hopefully, they’ll do an HPI check. They cost £6 or £7. They’re not expensive. And that will not only tell you if it’s got finance, it will tell you if it’s been written off, it will tell you its history of number plate changes, it will tell you how many owners it’s had, which can verify the V5 registration document. So it gives you a whole load of history on the vehicle.

But I would suggest if you’ve got finance on a vehicle that you’re selling privately you contact the finance company and get a settlement figure and get that letter and show the buyer. And they are going to have to pay the finance company directly. That would be fair. I think it would be mad of a buyer to give the seller the money and then trust that they’re going to clear the finance off. They could run off into the sunlight.

But if you’re the seller, I would be prepared to say to a prospective buyer, ‘Yes, there is finance on it. And here is the settlement figure from the finance company. If you pay it off, it will take a couple of days for that HPI footprint to disappear from the vehicle. But they will confirm that it’s been cleared off.’ And then any difference you would pay to the seller. The buyer would pay it to you as the seller.

So that’s a consideration. It complicates the sale a little bit. If you can clear the finance down before you sell it, even better. If there’s an affordable amount of money left to pay, and you can, then get rid of it. It’s a much cleaner transaction.

Keith Gooden

So trust doesn’t really have a bearing on it at all. It’s a business arrangement, as Matt says. You wouldn’t hand over money and trust somebody else to pay the finance company. Get all of your documents straight and make sure that the motorhome is presented in the best possible way. A dealer, of course, will do all the HPI stuff for you, won’t they?

Matt Sims

They will, and they’ll also want to service it as well. They’ll want to check it all over. So the service history is really important. Make sure you’ve got all the documentation up together. I love it when I flick through a ring binder in those Polly Pocket things and there’s every service and every manual – it is just great. It gives me the impression that this person has taken care of the service history. They’ve therefore taken care of the vehicle.

It’s a really, really good thing to do. So be organised. Make sure you’ve had it serviced. That’s going to make it much easier to sell. And make sure that all the history is there for the buyer to see as well.

Keith Gooden

Fantastic.

Win tickets to the NEC show this October

Keith Gooden

It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. We’ve been talking about selling your motorhome. We’ve got a couple of other things to get through here, Matt, in today’s podcast. First of all, let’s talk about the big show in October at the NEC. You’re going to be there and the podcast is going to be there. We’ve also got some tickets to give away.

Matt Sims

We have, yes! We’ve got six pairs of tickets to give away. Thank you to the organisers for letting us have these. We’re very honoured, and we are going to be at the show with a stand. We’re going to be recording live content from the show, interviewing lots of people and recording on the stand. We hope to have a chat with you, our listeners. Come and say hi! We’re in the entrance to Hall Nine. That’s where we’re going to be. Keith’s going to be there as well in a brand new shirt.

Keith Gooden

Yes, and a hat!

Matt Sims

He’s gonna give his dad his shirt back and get one of his own.

Keith Gooden

And by the way, you’ll know what Matt looks like because he’s got his crazy fizzog on posters all around – not one of me, incidentally, just Matt! – all around the show area.

Matt Sims

You won’t miss it.

Keith Gooden

He has paid a fortune for it, and by golly gumdrops you’re going to know exactly what that man looks like by the end of the show. And you’ve also got a great deal, haven’t you? We’re going to talk about how you can win the tickets. But you’ve got a great deal for people who want to buy some tickets, haven’t you?

Matt Sims

Yes, so you want to buy them, then they’re still for sale. The show’s yet to sell out. The February one did sell out, of course. This one is likely to. But yes, if you want to get a discount, we have a code! Have you got your pen? It’s EX1. So when you go to the Motorhome and Caravan show website to buy a ticket, enter the code EX1 and it will save you a few pounds.

Keith Gooden

Yes, so you buy the tickets directly from the NEC show. When it asks you for a discount code, enter EX1 and that will give you your discount courtesy of the Motorhome Matt podcast. We’ll mention it again at the end, but this is how you win some tickets.

Matt Sims

Yes, so we’ve got six pairs to give away. We want to hear your stories. So we want to hear your funny stories about motorhoming, caravaning, your disaster stories, any story that’s memorable for whatever reason that it might be memorable to you. And we want to try and include them in the podcast if they’re not too offensive or too rude!

Keith Gooden

It could be something to do with the kids. It could be something to do with the way you parked your vehicle. Maybe there was something you didn’t know and you made a big mistake. Heartwarming stories! We always love a heartwarming story.

Matt Sims

We love those.

Keith Gooden

And especially about your family! Whatever – any story that you think might tickle us here at the podcast, make sure you send it to us. Now, how do people do that?

Matt Sims

Very easily. So we’re going to ask you to record them, ideally! Go to www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt. So head to our website, hit the orange button, record your story and press submit. It’s dead easy. In fact, so easy a child can do it.

Keith Gooden

Or even me! If I can do it, you can do it.

Matt Sims

But if you’re worried about recording your voice, if you don’t like the sound of your own voice unlike Keith, then you can enter your story on the form. Just type it in and press submit and then we’ll read it out on the podcast for you.

Audience questions

Keith Gooden

Okay, we’ve got some of the people who have been in touch with us – listeners. Thanks very much for listening. Let’s have a listen to some of the questions they’ve been asking you, Matt.

Colin

Hi, Matt. It’s Colin from Bristol. I have a question about heating an RV. We’re looking to do year round camping and motorhoming so obviously we want a heated RV. I’ve noticed that some are dual fuel with diesel and others are dual fuel with gas. Is there any advantage to either option or disadvantage? And what are the relative costs? Thanks very much. See you in Birmingham!

Keith Gooden

He’s going to be there!

Keith Gooden

Okay then Matt, what’s the answer to that one?

Matt Sims

Wow, great question. Thanks, Colin. So yes, heating your motorhome or RV – recreational vehicles. That’s an Americanism, isn’t it?

Keith Gooden

It is indeed.

Matt Sims

No, this is obviously really important if you’re going to use it all year round. There are three types of motorhome heating system. So Colin alludes to the diesel systems which are often makes like Webasto or Eberspächer. And they hail from heating trucks and heating boats and they’ve become increasingly popular in motorhomes and campervans.

They’re low cost to install, low cost to run and the great thing about a diesel heater is that you can get diesel everywhere. There’s no issue of supply for your diesel heater.

Often they’ll stop working when the fuel gauge gets to below a quarter because these heaters run from the main fuel tank. So if you get to a quarter of a tank, they’ll often stop working and that’s to allow you to still start the engine and go and travel and fill up again with diesel. They can be quite noisy. They obviously generate smoke, a little bit of smoke because they’re diesel.

In my experience, they’re very effective, but they’re not as good in my experience and the motorhomes I’ve been in as a gas-powered heating system. And they’re often made by brands like Truma or Alde. Truma is a blown air system that uses gas and or electric so when you hook up on the campsite you can run on electricity, and that heats a boiler of hot water through a heater element and blows warm air around the motorhome. A diesel heater will also be blowing the air round the motorhome.

I have found the Truma systems are a lot more expensive – double the price, I would say. You’re looking at £2,500 for a Truma system and possibly half that for a diesel system. And there are so many variables in that. Take that with a pinch of salt, but typically that’s a guide. The gas systems mean that you can run off grid. They’re very effective, but you’ve got to have gas.

So then you come to this whole debate about gas and gas bottles, and if you’re using Calor gas they are currently very hard to find. And so people are converting their motorhomes to refillable gas systems. And the refillable points are also becoming increasingly hard to find. In fact, some dealers have resorted to installing their own and that’s simply because people aren’t running their cars on gas like they used to.

The other option is the Alde system which I mentioned and they run a fluid filled system, a radiator system like you have at home, but rather than water there’s a specialist fluid that they use. And they heat up – they’re a little slower to heat up, but once they’re warm, wow. They’re amazing because it’s pure convection rather than blown air. So this is just hot air moving around and rising and they are a lovely place to sit and to be in.

And they are a more expensive system again, and they are often prevalent on the higher end motorhomes and caravans, whereas diesel systems are often – not always true, but they’re often present on the cheaper, lower end with Truma in the middle. And Truma have been around for years heating motorhomes and caravans for a very long time.

Keith Gooden

You mentioned gas like Calor gas. So are those gas prices rising with the huge increases we’ve seen in the UK with gas for the home?

Matt Sims

Yes, not massively, 5% to 10% price increases on gas bottles. The bigger issue is actually getting an empty bottle to exchange for a full new one. That’s been the challenge, and Calor is facing issues with the supply of steel. Lots of their bottles are expiring so they’re being scrapped.

Camping Gaz in France – the factories shut down this year for the summer and they stopped shipping them, I’m told, to the UK. So there’s currently a massive shortage of Camping Gaz bottles. There’s lots of supply issues. That will undoubtedly fix itself. I hope so. And that will make using gas bottles much easier.

Keith Gooden

You’ve got some gas bottles here, haven’t you?

Matt Sims

Yes, we sell them.

Keith Gooden

Yes, so that’s the thing. There’s a market for empty gas bottles as well.

Keith Gooden

Celia has sent us a question. ‘Hi,’ says Celia. ‘We’re in the market to buy our first motorhome. Apart from the obvious of having more or less space,’ she says, ‘Matt, why does size matter? As a first time buyer, we just don’t know what we don’t know. So why does size matter?’

Matt Sims

You’re such a dad.

Keith Gooden

Tell Celia.

Matt Sims

Well, for lots of reasons. Space is key. People often have a misconception that, ‘Oh, the six berth is the same price, we’ll buy that.’ Well, that’s actually potentially going to give you less space, because there’s a lot more furniture in it. I don’t know whether Celia is talking about the internal space or the external size. So for going over to Europe, there’s a consideration there about going on a ferry and the length of the motorhome.

Keith Gooden

Yes, she does say, ‘We could go for a six metre, seven metre or eight metre. We were advised to keep it under seven metres to lower ferry fares.’

Matt Sims

So you only read half the question!

Keith Gooden

I read the important part of the question.

Matt Sims

Oh, sorry.

Keith Gooden

The bit that you would understand!

Matt Sims

So yes, going on a ferry is going to have an impact on your transition cost across the channel. And if you’re going to do that a lot that’s going to add up. It does surprise me and it does fascinate me how much importance people put on this when you’ve spent possibly tens of thousands of pounds on a motorhome and the focus is the cost of the ferries.

It’s not a huge cost when considering the price of the motorhome, but maybe for Celia this is a consideration – obviously it is. So another factor is which campsites you can fit on. Campsites often have a limit of seven metres for most pitches and if you turn up in an 8.4 metre tag axle, so you’ve got six wheels not four, then you may not be welcome on the campsite.

So that’s a consideration, and height is also a factor at toll booths. Certainly in France they will measure the height of the vehicle and that can impact the cost of the toll so if you are doing a lot of European travel then I’d say definitely it’s a consideration.

Keith Gooden

And of course in this country as well a lot of car parks do have a height barrier as well.

Matt Sims

They do.

Keith Gooden

You can’t drive motorhomes in.

Matt Sims

Exactly, yes. It will stop any motorhome going in. It is a sad and sorry trend of things happening, really. It’s always a minority that spoil it for the majority, that’s what they say, whether that’s true, but there are increasingly councils that are stopping motorhomes parking overnight or even visiting for an hour into local car parks or visiting seafronts, and just be mindful of that when you pull up. Are you allowed to park there?

Keith Gooden

Why are they doing that? Are they trying to make more money out of motorhomes or are they just being bloody minded?

Matt Sims

Yes, it’s an element of both, I think. Some councils just don’t want that kind of activity going on on the seafront, yet there are others that are opening up and welcoming. There are lots of Facebook groups where this is being reported. And if you dare to go on Facebook, you can quickly get some advice from lots of these travel groups and motorhome and caravan groups. And it’s motorhomes that are welcome normally on a seafront rather than caravans.

Keith Gooden

Yes, I must say, I was at Exmouth seafront not so long ago and they are very welcoming to motorhomes. There’s plenty of space for them there. And also just a quick mention as well for the supermarket Morrisons in Chippenham. I noticed a lot of motorhomes go in there and do their bits and bobs and get a bit of shopping and put their feet up and they’re not chased out.

Matt Sims

No. Essentially, I’ve often found that supermarkets aren’t bothered. We’ve stopped in Tesco and Sainsbury’s and have spent the night there. I’ve never been challenged. I’ve not always got a very pretty view! We used to – before kids – we’d often stop in a supermarket car park and go and do a shop and wake up in the morning. And once the blinds are down you could be anywhere.

Keith Gooden

So thanks, Celia. So that’s your answer for the size. Why does size matter? We’re going to do a future episode on this next question.

Keith Gooden

Just a quick line or two on this one, Matt. Cliff has dropped a line to us saying, ‘Why do motorhomes suffer from damp issues?’

Matt Sims

Well, if you think of how a motorhome is built, it is that the sides, back and roof are clamped together and sealed. And that sealant can age or crack over time and that can allow water ingress to take place. And older motorhomes especially were built traditionally out of timber. So there’s a lot of wooden construction inside. And that of course is just a sponge to water.

Newer motorhomes are not, and it’s become a big marketing thing to say there’s no wood in the construction, and they’re using manmade materials that don’t absorb water. I would say just do your research on what types of motorhome are known for water ingress.

Keith Gooden

And if you do get some water coming in, are there quick and easy fixes to it, or is it really just shipping off to somebody who knows what they’re doing and getting a couple of thousand pounds’ worth of work done?

Matt Sims

Yes, it could easily be that. Spotting it early is key. Pimpling on the wallboards, so inside, you get these tiny little spikes. That’s a sign that there has been water in there and it’s dried out. That’s a surefire sign that there’s damp or there has been damp. And if you get pools of water inside, running down the wall, on the table or on a window frame, then get to it straight away. Try and find out where the water’s coming in. That’s the hard bit. It could be six feet away from where the water is visible.

Keith Gooden

Yes, water finds its own level, doesn’t it? It’s like in your house – deal with a water ingress immediately, even if it’s just a splodge of silicone to stop it in the short term. Make sure you get it properly looked at.

Matt Sims

Yes, damp repairs. Damp is the enemy of a motorhome or caravan. And it can turn into that thing you sent me on Facebook the other day.

Keith Gooden

Kenny’s written to say, ‘Forgive me if I’m wrong,’ but he was listening to the podcast where we were talking about carbon monoxide. ‘Doesn’t carbon monoxide rise from the floor?’

Matt Sims

Yes.

Keith Gooden

So it’s going to be high up first.

Matt Sims

Yes.

Keith Gooden

Okay. ‘So why are most if not all alarms you’ve seen so high up in vans?’ He says, ‘You’re going to be dead before the alarm goes off.’ But that’s not strictly true, is it?

Matt Sims

No, it’s not. It’s the same in homes as well. So the reason they’re high is that they are meant to be placed above the highest point where there’s an escape route for it. So above the top of a window frame or above the top of a doorframe, and in that roof space, the carbon monoxide can gather and build. And then it will ultimately come back down with convection. And that’s when you get a problem.

So it can gather and build in density above your head, which is why the alarms are put up high. Because if there’s a window open or a door with a door frame, there could be a gap that the carbon monoxide can escape from. So potentially you’re not going to have a problem because it can get out. It will build in the roof space, and that’s why the alarms are high.

Keith Gooden

So that’s the reason for that then, Kenny!

Get in touch with Matt and Keith

Keith Gooden

Thanks to everybody who has written to us and left messages for us. Just to remind you again, the way you get in touch is…

Matt Sims

Yes, you can get in touch via Facebook. We are @MotorhomeMatt. On Instagram, we’re @motorhomematt.co.uk. Visit the website as well – remember to enter our competition at www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt and you could win yourself a pair of tickets to the upcoming NEC show. But just ask us any question, whether you want to win the tickets or not. Just send us a question! We love getting them.

Keith Gooden

Remember for the competition, we want your motorhome experiences, whether it’s accidental ignorance, fashionable, funny or anything else. We want to hear your stories. And the way to do that, Matt, is…

Matt Sims

www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt.

Keith Gooden

And if you are booking tickets for the big show at the NEC and you don’t want to enter the competition you can get a discount just because you listen to the podcast. The code is EX1 when you are on the NEC website – not the Motorhome Matt website, the NEC ticket booking website. EX1 and you will receive a discount nobody else gets!

Matt Sims

You’re welcome.

Keith Gooden

Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.