Prospective Purchase - 1984 Fiat Ducato Glendale
Discussion
My other half and I have been talking about a cheap motorhome for a while and a 1984 Fiat Ducato Glendale 2.0L petrol has popped up around the corner. We love the layout and the retro driving experience.
We’ve been for a look and a test drive which went well, with a few issues noted in line with a 34 year old van;
- 2 rust spots in the front of the wheel arches where the front bumper connects (50p sized holes)
- Evidence of old damp in one corner (damaged plywood, however dry to the touch despite rain a couple of days ago). The leak was through the overbanding that runs round the seam of the outer skin – can tell as there is (old) flashing over the seam now.
- Exhaust blowing (noted on MOT)
- Carb needs a bit of tweaking as the idle drops too low with no choke (low enough to put the oil pressure light on)
The cab of the van has had a few reasonable quality rust repairs and a blowover, albeit not a brilliant job.
Does around £2500 sound a fair price for a van in this condition? It has done 60k miles, full MOT, 14(!) previous owners.
I can do the work myself – my main concern is the damp. My plan is to re-bond the overbanding and apply a sealant, remove the section of damaged plywood from inside, fibreglass over the inner joint, and bond in a new piece of plywood. Is this a reasonable fix?
We’ve been for a look and a test drive which went well, with a few issues noted in line with a 34 year old van;
- 2 rust spots in the front of the wheel arches where the front bumper connects (50p sized holes)
- Evidence of old damp in one corner (damaged plywood, however dry to the touch despite rain a couple of days ago). The leak was through the overbanding that runs round the seam of the outer skin – can tell as there is (old) flashing over the seam now.
- Exhaust blowing (noted on MOT)
- Carb needs a bit of tweaking as the idle drops too low with no choke (low enough to put the oil pressure light on)
The cab of the van has had a few reasonable quality rust repairs and a blowover, albeit not a brilliant job.
Does around £2500 sound a fair price for a van in this condition? It has done 60k miles, full MOT, 14(!) previous owners.
I can do the work myself – my main concern is the damp. My plan is to re-bond the overbanding and apply a sealant, remove the section of damaged plywood from inside, fibreglass over the inner joint, and bond in a new piece of plywood. Is this a reasonable fix?
For 2.5k you aren't going to get much better, the fact it is running and MOTd is a bonus. The only thing I would say is that if you do buy it get some use out of it first, don't dive straight into fixing everything and have an unusable motorhome sitting on the driveway throughout the summer (and possibly much longer).
Check everywhere for damp
Check again
Damp is the killer of old caravans and motorhomes.
Damp will turn your motor home into a soggy weetabix very quickly. Get a damp meter and give it a good going over.
I would also invest in some breakdown recovery too, with a van that old.
But heck this all part of the fun!
Enjoy, but I warn you, you will be looking to upgrade and like all hobbies, budget creep and man maths soon happen
Check again
Damp is the killer of old caravans and motorhomes.
Damp will turn your motor home into a soggy weetabix very quickly. Get a damp meter and give it a good going over.
I would also invest in some breakdown recovery too, with a van that old.
But heck this all part of the fun!
Enjoy, but I warn you, you will be looking to upgrade and like all hobbies, budget creep and man maths soon happen
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