Buying a used campervan or motorhome on the Isle of Wight

Campervan or motorhome?

People use the words loosely, but there are three main kinds.

• Campervans are vans or people carriers with a bed, a small kitchen and often a pop-top or elevating roof. VW Transporters, Mazda Bongos, Toyota Alphards and Nissan NV200s are the common ones on the island. They drive like a big car and park in a normal space.
• Panel van conversions are high-top vans like a Fiat Ducato or Peugeot Boxer fitted out inside. Romahomes and Auto-Sleeper's van conversions are this kind. There's more room to stand, but they're longer and taller.
• Coachbuilt motorhomes have a purpose-built living area on a van chassis, often with a fixed bed and a washroom. Swift, Elddis, Auto-Trail and Bailey build them. They give the most space and cost the most to run and to ferry.

How much it costs to take a campervan or motorhome on the ferry

There are three car ferry routes. Wightlink runs Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Lymington to Yarmouth, and Red Funnel runs Southampton to East Cowes. All of them price by length and height, so a few centimetres can move you into a dearer band. On the island you'll cross often, so this is a cost you'll pay for as long as you own the camper.

Both operators measure the whole vehicle, including roof bars, roof boxes, bike racks and tow bars. If you book the wrong size, you may pay a supplement at the port, or be told to wait for a later sailing that has room.

• A short campervan such as a Bongo or an Alphard with its roof down is usually under 5m long and around 2m high. That's a car fare on Wightlink. On Red Funnel it's right on the 2.0m line, so a roof box or roof bars put it in the high band.
• A long-wheelbase VW Transporter is over 5m long. That takes it out of Wightlink's car band, though it's still a car on Red Funnel if it's under 2.0m high.
• A coachbuilt motorhome is usually 6m to 7.5m long and nearly 3m high. It's in the high motorhome bands on both operators.

Gas on the crossing

Both operators want a camper's fixed gas supply turned off at the bottle for the crossing. Neither allows spare or loose gas cylinders on board. If you're collecting a camper from the mainland, check the gas is off before you board, and ask the seller to keep any spare bottles. The rules are on each operator's dangerous goods page. Read them before you travel, because they change.

Damp: the fault that costs most

Water gets into campers through roof seals, window frames, pop-top canvas and the joins around vents and lights. By the time you can smell it, it's often already rotted the wood behind the walls. On a coachbuilt motorhome that can cost thousands to put right, and some aren't worth repairing.

• Ask for a habitation check from the last year. It's a service for the living area: gas, electrics, water, ventilation and a damp test. It isn't part of the MOT. Motorhome dealers and some garages on the island can do one.
• Read the damp test. Readings under about 15% are normal. 15% to 20% is worth asking about. Over 20% means water is getting in.
• Press the walls and floor around the windows, in corners and under the beds. Soft or spongy panels, staining and lifting wallpaper are all warning signs.
• Raise a pop-top or elevating roof fully. Check the canvas for mould and tears, and the seal where the roof meets the body.

Check the conversion as well as the van

Many island campers are converted locally or imported from Japan. A good conversion is worth paying for, but check it as carefully as the engine.

• Seats and beds that carry passengers should be crash tested. Rock and roll beds are often sold as "M1 tested". Ask for the paperwork, and count the seat belts.
• A gas safety certificate and an electrical check should come with any camper that has a gas hob or a mains hook-up.
• Look at the V5C. A converted van may be registered as a van or as a motor caravan. This affects insurance, and can affect the speed limits that apply. Tell your insurer exactly what has been fitted.
• Japanese imports like Bongos and Alphards are popular on the island because they're short enough for a car fare on Wightlink. Ask for the import papers, check the speedometer has been converted to miles, and look for underseal underneath. Spare parts can take longer to arrive, so a dealer who imports them regularly is worth a lot.
• On a Bongo with an electric roof, raise and lower it a few times, and check the motor and the canvas.

Your licence and the 3,500kg limit

If you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997, your licence covers vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass. That's the plated weight when fully loaded, not what it weighs empty. Campervans and most small motorhomes are well under it. Some larger coachbuilt motorhomes are over it, and you'd need the C1 category to drive them.

If you passed before 1997, you usually have C1 already, up to 7,500kg. You have to renew it with a medical from the age of 70. The weight is on the plate inside the door or under the bonnet, and in the handbook.

Buying a campervan privately

A lot of island campers are sold privately. You'll often pay less, but you lose most of your rights if something goes wrong, and you can't easily check how good a conversion is. Do everything in our guide to buying privately, and also:

• check the MOT history for the base vehicle
• ask for the habitation check, the gas certificate and any conversion paperwork
• try every appliance: hob, fridge on gas and on 12V, heater, water pump and leisure battery
• see it in daylight and, if you can, after rain