I've had 2 S700's in the last 15 years and I love them. Assuming you are not afraid of a toolbox and rolling your sleeves up, then this is my advice. You won't find a perfect van, so it's a matter of how much money and work you are willing to commit to any given van. Most things in a van are cosmetic and not worth getting worried about, as long as the price isn't daft. Batteries, appliances, fridges, wiring, front dash board etc are all reasonably straightforward DIY jobs, and there is usually plenty of work to be done, unless it's been kept on top of by a previous owner. So what you are really looking for is a van that just "feels right" - something that can be worked on - a vision. At a basic level it is a box on wheels, so it's the box and the wheels that need to be looked at most carefully. Look at the expensive things. You want an engine that sounds quite sweet and isn't leaking oil, although some oil leaks can be easily fixed. A bit of smoke from cold is fine and should fade away. Check an auto box very closely, it is imperative to have a test drive. The van should move smoothly through the gears, and kick down on hills. You want progressive acceleration up to 50-60 and then a reasonably smooth cruise - these vans are not fast. Manual boxes should select all gears normally, but don't worry about 1st gear being stiff and difficult to engage. It's a crawler gear and designed to be selected at standstill. If the stick feels spongy and sloppy then it's usually the selector mechanism, not the box itself, and easily fixed. I have written another article about this on this blog. Steering should be reasonably tight and vibration free, but problems here are usually just a matter of worn bushes and easily fixed.
Next, use your nose and smell for damp. Old Hymers are generally watertight unless they have been damaged or abused.
Around the front end drivers door, if it has one, and the dash board - which is a favourite for getting rotten - it's a piece of plywood and gets soft from all the condensation that drips down the inside of the windscreen. It's a weekends work, and pretty much every old Hymer needs it done at some stage. A knowledgeable seller will tell you if it's been done, but if not, rock the van from side to side, inside, and if you see any movement between the bottom of the windscreen and the dash board, then you know it will need doing. It shouldn't be a deal beaker if you like the rest of the van and are handy with tools, a drill and a jigsaw.
Then take a good long look underneath - you are looking for any areas of bad rust on the main chassis members. Hymers were very well undersealed at the factory, so don't be suspicious if you find it surprisingly clean, but occasionally you will find chassis members flaking with rust, especially behind the back wheels. If the van has mudflaps at the back wheels, that's a good sign. Also check the rear of the floor right at the back in the boot - it gets rotten with all the road water.
Also - these vans have character. Just sit in it quietly for 5 minutes and imagine yourself living in it. Hopefully it will whisper to you!
Price wise - The Germans are asking around £16k for fully loaded lovingly maintained examples. For this sort of money it should be perfect. More than perfect! Most UK vans that need a bit of TLC are around £10 to 13k. Maybe a bit more at this time of year. The right price should be the purchase price plus whatever you need to spend to get it up to scratch, so if you have a fixed budget bear this in mind. If you find any areas of concern and need advice, take pictures and an audio recording of the engine and come back on here. Good luck!
Thanks Ron, good of you to share years of knowledge on here. Trying to buy an S class myself at the moment. Any tips re the auto box? Does the 4 speed have enough range to give a sensible cruising speed (of around 60mph) without excessive engine noise? Paul.
ReplyDeleteWow somebody actually reads this stuff! I have never actually driven an auto box myself, but in years of monitoring the web, and talking to other owners, I can't honestly say there is much difference. Mercedes were responsible for the chassis, and their auto box had to prove itself in the commercial world - motorhomes are just a load, the chassis doesn't care what the load is. I just haven't heard any gossip that one is better than the other, other than the fact that nowadays an auto box failure is generally more expensive than a manual. I wouldn't particularly want to go mega long distance, like outside Europe, on rough roads, with an auto box. But for normal use on tarmac, is just a matter of convenience. Jon Avery has an auto box on his 660 and he never moans. Engine noise is easily dealt with, and I have not heard anything to suggest that autos are any noisier than manuals. Personally, like most blokes my age, I have always had manuals, for no other reason than I was brought up on them, know how to drive, and I have been in some rad situations where an auto box would have stranded me. But other than doing daft things, most of us just drive our vans from place to place, and in traffic an auto box is a boon. It's tough work nursing a manual box and a heavy clutch through a big stop start motorway queue. I have cruise control on my manual and now that I am older my knees thank me for it! So its horses for courses. If I was presented with a low mileage Classic Hymer that was fresh and low mileage and otherwise lovely and near perfect, but had a manual box ... I wouldn't hesitate. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteYep, it is read, lapped up the whole blog, some great tips and funny stories. Glad to hear you know of someone with the auto that is happy with it, some talk on web about the 4 speed not having enough gear range to get up to a cruising speed without excessive engine whine. I would actually prefer the manual but there are a couple of clean looking auto's on the market so was workimng ot if worth travelling view. Suppose the ultimate proof will be in the test drive. Happy travels and thanks again for the info.
ReplyDelete