Kerryn

19 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

I agree wholeheartedly with this.

 

AND you should research the cost of conversion too; it may surprise you.

Pop Top installation does not come cheap !

 

It may be more economically, and less risky, to buy ready converted.

We were originally going to buy an already converted one but that was going be £23k plus. 

We want a rear kitchen which is a bit cheaper so the whole conversion will come in at about £8k. That gives us a good budget for a base car so we should be able to get a really good, low miles example.

The temptation with this one was that it was near and available. I am really excited to get one as soon as possible so was rushing a bit!

16 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

I think you have made a wise decision.

I did not want to list all my observations, as it would be so depressing.

 

Anyone notice the tail gate bottom edge has a foot long (at least) deformation.

 

The vehicle has not been well cared for.

Now you've said it yes, the rear is a mess!

2 hours ago, dezufo said:

If you are getting a pop top then the sun/moon roofs are just a waste of money. I notice that Torqu2u picked up on 7 sensors in the back bumper, they only come with 5 sensors so 2 of them have been retro fitted and not very well as they are larger than oem and the bumper looks dimpled. The mot says "front oil leak" but does not mention if it's on the engine, transmission cooler/pipes/, or power steering. The site gives no info on what the "huge specification" is. The speedo is still in kmh so that will involve paying for either a converter chip or a replacement mph dial if you want to make it easy to stick to uk speed limits. As it's a 3.0l the cam belt will need replacing if only due to its age rather than the kilometers traveled. There is no obvious rear fog light, although it could have the ones in the bumper, and no fog light switch, a switch or blank is missing on the dash and another blank has had a small led fitted and then removed leaving a hole. If you think it might be worth getting then get the vin number off the dealer and do a CarVX check, cost approx £25, that will give the odometer reading at the auction and also if it has been in an accident, also the auction grade. Another iffy point is the on site mot testing

Lots of great information there, thank you. I'm not now considering this one but I will definitely factor in the above for any more suitable ones that come up!

I do love forums for finding knowledgeable people who are willing share info and helps others. Thanks again all for you help and advice! I will post again if I find any other alphards and will eventually post about the process of getting the one I buy converted.

1 hour ago, Lanciaman said:

I'd be wary. Second photo looks like the rear door doesn't match paint wise... Missing button on the dash. OK, that's minor but if its representative of the care taken... 

 

No expert on camper conversions but I think i've read sunroof cars not ideal? Could be wrong. 

 

If local then have a look but any reservations then there's plenty out there.  An alphard specialist would be a better bet in my view. 

 

Best of luck. 

You are absolutely right about the door colour. I thought it was the lighting but picture 27 shows it from another angle and the colour is definitely off.

Thank you for pointing it out.

Thanks for all responses!

The point about sunroofs is a very good one as I will be getting a pop top.

I might go and have a look anyway but am a bit put off.

No not currently an owner, I chose a random one as it insisted on me saying I owned one to sign up! I hopefully will be soon though and will update accordingly.

Thanks for your response 👍

They have an on site mot station and promise an advisory free mot. So they will do all of that assuming it hasn't been done already.

Oil leaks can be difficult to sort out on some cars hence why I am worried mainly about.

I don't spend the same again on a conversion to then find it's got an incurable oil leak or a damaged engine further down the line!

Hi all

I am looking to buy an alphard to then convert into a camper. This one is fairly local to me so I am going to have a look:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310022576807?sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Alphard&page=3&postcode=rg402ad&fromsra

The reg is bw07tsy

I have two questions:

It was imported in July and is now up for sale again which seems a bit strange. Does anyone on here know anything about it?

At its last mot it had a oil leek as a advisory, is this common on the 3.0 and is it anything to worry about?

Any comments are really appreciated.