2nd hand BT's

Hi Theo ,

I would go for a second hand one and save some money . I bought my 2001 , 16' last year for $62,000 and apart from tired tyres , brakes and suspension (springs ),
it is in really good condition .

You will save a bit more than $10.

Willie .

G'day Willie,

Being from the Penrith area originally I have to tell you that your timing for your return to the big smoke is a little out. In case you haven't noticed it is a lot cooler right now compared to the Kimberley! Sooner be broken down in Kununura then back in Sydney this time of year.

Thanks again for your response.

Kind regards

Theo

Theo,
As a proud and enthusiastic Bushtracker owner for 4 years it is with great reservation that we are presently considering putting our 18ft Bushtracker and our F250 on the market.

I wonder at your reference "about $10 "savings". Every Bushtracker owner I have met has given meticulous preparation to the design and development of their particular Bushtracker. Not accounting for numerous trips to the factory prior and to the completion of their particular van. A great deal of effort is involved in every single unit.

Stating that the savings of buying a second hand van are outweighed by the problems you have been made aware of others encounters should be an advantage to you rather than a broad statement which infers there must be something wrong with just about every second hand van!!! My only suggestion here is maybe looking at one owner vans might produce a better result... as one owner vans have been nutured from the inception by the original owner and like us they have a vested interest in their particular 'pride and joy'
The fact that one van you inspected "had a very serious water leak" is either a maintenance if not a warranty issue - depending on the age and the nature of the leak.

I think you need to consider if the extra $25,000- or so for say a 21ft van current value over one that is about 4 years old is quite a substantial saving but maybe it is worth that amount of money to you to design your very own van and enjoy the anticipation of seeing your design come to fuition.

We have had a fabulous experience with our Bushtracker and it has served our purpose very well and everything works as good as the day we took delivery with NO damage or issues to report just one very satisfied BT customer of a quality product.

Cheers,
Helen

Hi Helen,

I hope I haven’t offended you – there was always a chance with such a question so my apologies. You make some very good points, we have seen some lovely vans and I was in part testing my information. My savings number is rubbery as I can not possibly know how much people have spent on their van but I was comparing the asking price to a 12 month old price list to come to my conclusion. The layout and inclusions are such a personal thing and it is unlikely that two people will ever like the same layout (I have arguments with the bride regularly about this!) so the question (even if poorly described) was really asking if buying a second hand BT, which will be a compromise, that also has some wear and tear was worth the savings.

At the risk of offending others I feel the need to share some of my experiences from just last weekend. Van 1 was a 21’ van which was about 4/5 years old (have details at home) and the layout would have been OK but there was moisture in the footlocker next to the bed and there was no plumbing nearby so this is coming from outside (fortunately it rained the day before). The asking price exceeded the price of a 20’ van which was in perfect condition and several years younger I had seen the week before (the layout did not suit us). Based on its inclusions it was clearly over priced not mentioning the type of money required to fix the problem. The same weekend we viewed another van and we are still in discussions with this seller but it has significant hail damage which is also not reflected in the price.

I also agree that if I can’t find a suitable 2nd hand van that I would “enjoy” the purchase process in buying new.

It was merely a question as it seemed to me that the asking price has been high and the quoted new price seemed also inflated so I was trying to get my mind around the real savings in going 2nd hand. I haven’t been put off by my experiences and thanks to feedback from this forum I will continue to look.

Kind regards

Theo

Hi Theo,
We have corresponded by email but you havent been to see our van yet! You live in Brissy I believe. We are only an hour or so away. You could easily fall in love with our setup. And if you do and you are as persuasive as you are perspicacious, you might convince us to sell it at your valuation!!!
Looking forward to your visit
Cheers,
Franki & David
PS... we are in the process of building a steel shed. In the 2 month period between signing the contract and getting the erection performed there have been 2 steel price rises of 15% EACH and I believe there is to be another very soon. I should imagine that BT will be affected by these price rises also so new buyers can look forward to steep price rises AND the long wait.
D