Horse boxes- to good to be true?! What can I expect?

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EquestrianFairy

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I have a £5k budget for a horsebox, ideally I want a master or Movano and a professional conversion rather than a DIY.
I am seeing some 2008 professional conversions for sale for a mere £3k... Are they worth the trip (they are quite some distance away) or is that a 'too good to be true' scenario? I appreciate with Christmas coming up I might get a good deal but that's giving it away!

Thoughts?!
 
£3k for a 2008 conversion is just not going to be right. I wouldn't bother wasting money on fuel to go and look at it.
 
You could buy (with careful shopping) a 2008 van for anything from £1,900 (ex-fleet, higher mileage) to the skys the limit - averaging about £3k for one with mileage in excess of 90thou miles with basic cab (more for all dancing models with eletric everything etc)

Then you have to pay for the build.....

Which should cost from around 10k upwards for a proper purpose built box (where the old body is cut off & a complete new one rebuilt)

If a van conversion, then I would estimate its not going to cost 2k - which is the remainder of your budget - by the time its had a good solid bulkhead put in, then ramp, safety boarded, window(s), breastbar as a min.....

Do your sums missus, it doesn't add up at present :(
 
There are various places that will convert your own van for you for around £3K, is that perhaps what you've seen? However as they mostly appear to do nothing with regard to strengthening bulkheads etc I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.
 
I bought a chassis of that age myself and had it converted. The chassis alone cost nearly 5k and that was quite a high mileage one. It simply is not possible to get a conversion complete of that age for 3k.
 
My guess would be, for a reasonably recent van (i.e. no earlier than 2000) and the simplest sort of conversion, no less than £5k. I looked for a long time (with a somewhat higher budget) and I don't remember seeing anything at all for less, except very old boxes, or sometimes the ones on a transit or other chassis, which are less desirable.
 
As I thought then, simply too good to be true.
I have found a 2003 professionally built for £4000 (was up for £5000 but never sold) however it is 5 hours away. I rang the company that converted it and they were able to confirm the accuracy of the advert but 10 hour round trip is a lot for a box. :(
 
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