Scrap or Sell?

There have been reports of problems, particularly on the Isle of Man, with old motorhomes being left and abandoned on the roadside. It is claimed that one of these motorhomes, presumably with a tank full of petrol, spontaneously exploded last month. Fortunately the explosion happened in a quiet area and nobody was injured, but it does raise questions about the right way to dispose of old and worn out motorhomes.

Sell on

A five minute scour of a site like eBay will tell you that people really are prepared to buy anything! People may wish to purchase your motorhome as a whole or you might find you’re better off trying to sell off individual parts. Interior fittings will probably sell quite well on auction sites or online, but for more mechanical parts you’ll probably need an expert. Some dealers will be happy to buy particular body parts if they’re in good condition.

Scrap

Alternatively, you might have to take your old motorhome to the scrap yard. There are a couple of ways to go about doing this: you can either leave it whole at a salvage yard where they’ll do the work for you, or you can try to dismantle it as best you can, separate all the different elements and try to sell it on for scrap metal. Aluminium is going for a reasonable price these days so your motorhome may fetch two or three hundred pounds. If you’re going to do this, make sure you have good motorhome insurance cover just in case of any damages and keep safe at all times.

Dangerous Items

You should be careful with fridges and ovens – both might contain dangerous gasses that need to be disposed of responsibly. Be wary of older models which may not have been moved in some time because gasses may have collected over the time it has been stationery. Whatever you do with your vehicle, make sure these elements are disposed of properly.

If you’re lucky you might be able to make a few quid off the sale of spare parts, but the most important thing is that your old motorhome doesn’t end up somewhere dangerous – even if you’ve abandoned it, you are still responsible.