Horseboxes on Ebay

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trundle

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I'm seriously thinking about buying a lorry, and looking at ads in all sorts of places, including Ebay...has anyone ever bought a lorry off Ebay? Are they all likely to be in need of major work or has anyone found a decent one?

In the same vein, if a lorry has just passed its MOT this month, its likely to be in a sufficiently good condition to just get into and drive away, isn't it? I have read so many scare stories about lorries with duff floors, etc, that I now fear that practically every lorry out there has an unsafe floor....but realisitcally, every private sale lorry belongs to someone with a horse, so people aren't likely to be travelling their own horses in unsafe lorries...are they...?
 
As with any other sale - caveat emptor!


If you're buying from eBay take someone to check the box over BEFORE YOU BID.

Passing an MOT has absolutely nothing to do with the safety of the lorry floor or any of the "horsy" fittings. They all need to be carefully checked.

I bought my lorry through eBay nearly three years ago for just over a grand. She looks dreadful but has reliably got us out on about three occasions each week for those three years and has been no more expensive to run than the 11K lorry that I was really tempted to buy which ended up with a friend. Mine has actually been off the road less!
 
Always take someone with you who knows lorries & specially horseboxes when you go to view one, they will know what to look for. Just because it has a new plate does not mean that the floor is sound.
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I now fear that practically every lorry out there has an unsafe floor....but realisitcally, every private sale lorry belongs to someone with a horse, so people aren't likely to be travelling their own horses in unsafe lorries...are they...?


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They are selling the lorry though aren't they.......so why? Always be suspicious & don't bel;ieve anything you are told unless it can be verified.
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I got my 3.5T lorry from ebay. But I went to see if before the bidding end date and managed to do a sale with them out of ebay. Once I got it home I got someone to check it over. Never looked back since, it has never let me down. Not yet anyway. Good luck with your lorry hunting!
 
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I now fear that practically every lorry out there has an unsafe floor....but realisitcally, every private sale lorry belongs to someone with a horse, so people aren't likely to be travelling their own horses in unsafe lorries...are they...?


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They are selling the lorry though aren't they.......so why? Always be suspicious & don't bel;ieve anything you are told unless it can be verified.
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Good point, thank you.

If it has a recent MOT it should be driveable, though, right? So even if the "horsy" bits are not up to scratch, i ought to be able to get it from their yard to mine, at which point I can tackle the other issues?

I am actually more afraid of buying something that conks out two miles down the road and can't be re-started than i am of getting something that needs work to the horse areas.
 
If it has very recently passed its test then yes it should be driveable. Buying from eBay is no different than buying from any private ad in the paper - just the price is variable.

You really MUST see it and get it checked before you bid though.
 
There is a very good article in this weeks Horse and Hounds about what to look for when buying a horsebox.

The fact the vehicle has an MOT does not mean it is safe to transport a horse in. It also does not mean that it requires some serious mechanical attention.

Get it checked out by a commercial vehicle engineer that specialises in horseboxes.
There is one that advertises in Horse and Hounds.
 
An MOT will check safety of the vehicle - it will not guarantee that a lorry will not conk out half a mile down the road. If this is your main concern about the lorry take a friendly mechanic to look over the lorry. Most mechanics that are worth their salt will be able to advise you what makes / models to avoid - and also what things to look out for on certains makes.
 
My lorry had passed its MOT two weeks before i bought it, I shouldnt have, as breaks were pants and its injectors had gone... there are such things as dodgy MOT people too it seems!

PLease get it checked before you hand over any money as we wouldnt have bought ours had we known it requires 2k worth of parts!
 
I sold my first horsebox on ebay and will be selling my second one on there. It will be 12 months plating although I just tried to book it in and it can't be done until June so will have to take somewhere else.
 
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My lorry had passed its MOT two weeks before i bought it, I shouldnt have, as breaks were pants and its injectors had gone... there are such things as dodgy MOT people too it seems!

PLease get it checked before you hand over any money as we wouldnt have bought ours had we known it requires 2k worth of parts!

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Injectors are nothing to do with MOT. If you feel that the MOT test station was dodgy then please do report it. Is this on a 3.5 or a 7.5 tonne lorry?
 
Hi

I would just make sure you buy a lorry with a demountable body in case by a dodgy one! We paid £3500 for an old 7.5 tonne lorry with 12 month plate, new brakes etc and thought it was a bargain. We took a so-called mechanic friend who said it was in good nick for age! A year later, it needed £2,500 spending on it to get through plate but was advised to scrap it. We scrapped it and got £400 so spent £2500 buying a 1997 Iveco chassis cab and having box put on it. Painted the lorry up and now have a decent one, 3 horse and living which people think we have paid a lot for but cost £2900 in total!
 
I bough mine from ebay, been a good little lorry. completely converted my mum from trailers to lorries, we have now decided to upgrade so it is for sale again, will probably go on ebay if it doesnt sell in the next few weeks.
 
Bought mine on e-bay. Went to see it before i bid and then they took my offer there and then and withdrew it from auction. Was an absolute bargain and has been totally reliable.
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Treat eBay as you would horseandhound, horsemart etc. Its just a cheaper way to advertise a lorry

However that said 6 months on and I am still searching for mine!
 
Remember when buyiny a lorry haulage contractors buy lorries to haul goods up and down motorways 52 weeks of the year. Each lorry driver drives an average of 90 hours every 2 weeks. Yes they do get well used. If you buy an ex contract vehicle from a big name company at least they will have been inspected every 5/6 weeks or less. This is just like an MOT test. I bought an ex- boots contract lorry from Measham Auctions it was 4 years old and brilliant when I won the bid I was asked how many I wanted at that price, I could have had 15 of them all looking the same,same age, and condition.
 
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