The Fiat is the most popular rig for motorhomes in Europe because everything behind the front wheel drive cab can be anything that the converter wants.
Personally, I would never buy a front wheel drive motorhome. I have seen too many "bogged" and spinning wheels on flat damp grass or even wet bitumen if there is slope.
Most of the weight is on the rear axle and that is not a good scene for a front wheel drive.
Cheers,
Peter

Due diligence..... Check out the Fiat Ducato forums. There were lots of problems with the earlier models. Weak front suspension that bottomed out and cost a fair bit to rectify.

The Ducato used to come in on a frame. Cab and front suspension only. No chassis, that was built by the MH manufacturers. One of the issues was they had only a short exhaust because that was how they came in ,so the exhaust was just behind the front wheel under an opening window. They managed to wriggle out of that so it's another thing to look for in a second hand vehicle.

 

Has the suspension been upgraded and the exhaust legal.

 

I was at a MH rally in NSW and one of the members had just picked up his brand new Avida based on the Ducato. Drove from Sydney to Adelong and took 24 hrs.

2016 model. Hit a large pothole and it went into limp home mode. Went to the nearest Fiat dealer and they had no idea how to reset the computer. NRMA came out and to give them their due they phoned Italy to get the procedure direct from Fiat to rectify the limp home problem.

The years of problem vehicles is on the forums.

It's like a lot of vehicles, some had known faults and if those have been sorted you'll get a good vehicle.

But I'm with Peter-N- Margaret Rear wheel drive for me.

 

Fiat ducato are probably the most popular motorhome at a number of Campervan and Motorhome (CMCA)Rallies that I have attended with up to 1100 RV's on site. I personally like the Jayco Mh's with the Club lounge at the rear with the drop down bed.

I would be checking out the chassis that the MH Maker has put on under the MH as have seen some that have gone rusty after a few years, and is near impossible to get rid of rust in some of the nooks and crannies, also I understand that water (from the windscreen) can get into the electrical circuits under the bonnet in some early models (there is a fix).

Definitely review the comments on the Fiat Ducato Forum.

Agree with the comments about traction, just endeavor to park on flat ground if there is rain about.

( My Bias, We have a Long Wheel Base, High Roof, Mercedes Benz, Sprinter Campervan)

Peter

-- Edited by PeterInSa on Friday 14th of December 2018 10:19:54 AM

There have been a few reports on here of very significant delays in obtaining spare parts for them.

Usual disclaimer, I do own a 2006 Fiat Ducato, Jayco FD 22 2 motorhome, based on the 244 chassis, 2.8 litre engine, and 5 speed manual gearbox, and below are my own observations

I purchased mine in 2014, for its low genuine mileage of just over 30,000 kilometres, at a price of $60,000, which was within my budget

What I find is that Fiat Commercial workshops and spare parts, are very few and far between, in Australia

This vehicle is front wheel drive, and chews out the front tyres
Same brand on front and rear axles, rear have done over 60,000 and should last another 15,000 minimum, front have done 42,000 and I will change them within another 5,000

The jump between 4th and 5th gear is too large, this makes it awkward on hills

The vehicle now has just over 90,000 kilometres

The windscreen wiper motor failed at 55,000 kilometres in 2016
I had no option but to make temporary repairs, as there were none in Australia
In my opinion it failed as it is open to the atmosphere, and rusted out. Fiat quoted over $600 and 8 week wait from Italy, as there were none in Australia
I purchased one direct from England, and carry it as a spare

Radiator sprung a leak south of Alice Springs, (77,000 kilometres, in 2017), and found no Fiat agents in the Northern Territory
Made temporary repairs using radiator sealer, and drove accordingly to the Fiat agent in Adelaide
New radiator fitted, old radiator patched up, and I carry it as a spare

Replaced front passenger side wheel bearing, (was quoted over $1,100 by Fiat, if nothing went wrong) and no Fiat wheel bearing in West Australia
Made a jig, and purchased a 32 tonne jack, for this job
Next time I shall purchase a 50 tonne jack

The windscreen sun visor, does not swing over to the door, (I have been unable to find any), and I use paper secured by closing the window on it, as a side sun visor

On the Jayco, living area, side of the motorhome, I found that...

The three way fridge was rubbish, it was not "T" rated, and just did not like to work in the heat

The Jayco built in battery charger (SETEC) is rubbish, the manual says to plug the 240 volt in for several days before a major camping trip
I will assume that this system may be OK, if you are only travelling between caravan parks, and not free camping, relying on the engine to charge the house battery

The 12 volt wiring is on the small side, (I am not an electrician, so can not say that it is sub standard), and Jayco do not have a wiring diagram to sell to me

I have no insulation in the roof, so it gets rather warm inside the living area

In all honesty, I can not recommend my model, Fiat Ducato Jayco Motorhome, to anyone

Get a couple of large size sand tracks to get some grip for the front wheels. Once you make a bit of momentum you should be right. It's not as if you're taking the van on the beach.

You have sand there which put some of our roads to shame. I saw a handful of 2wd cars on the beach when we drove up from Deep Creek NP last year.

dave48 wrote:

---

Well I know everyone has their opinion but I have a Fiat Ducato based Knaus motorhome. We've done 65000 kms so far. Wet and dry, bitumen and dirt and can honestly say I've had no problems at all.Front wheel drive can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes but use a bit of common sense and you won't have a problem. Anyway that's what I've found

---

 The original poster, is asking for information on second hand Fiat Ducato motorhomes, Dave

If you mention the model etc of yours, it may help him if he comes across one

As I pointed out, I only have experience of my own model

Thanks for your response!

Wrong !!!  Fiat DO NOT supply 80% of the European market for Cab/Chassis. Check out the ACTUAL figures. Fiat have been dropping sales over All their model range in Europe for the last five years. Some more than others.

Fiat had a company in Australia that was so Bad Head office in Italy shut them down here in Australia. Opened their own dealership and look how many people have to wait months for parts from Italy.

A brand new Ducato on it's first trip and hits a Pothole and goes into limp home mode, Fiat Australia didn't know how to fix it.

The facts are easy to source on the internet and yes some people will have had few if any problems with their Ducato.

It's all the other poor sods who have had heaps of problems and expense with theirs.

 

-- Edited by montie on Saturday 15th of December 2018 08:08:35 AM

Relating to the post above, Iveco is owned by Fiat, presumably they both use VM Motori engines, also owned by Fiat.

in 2015 I purchased a new Auto-trail Tracker FB. It has travelled almost 65,000 klms. The Fiat end has been 100% reliable to date. The habitation end has also been reliable except for a very few minor issues. Overall so far after 4 years I believe we made a good decision. I have noticed that a lot of the critical comments about Ducato come from those folk that have never owned one. Some habitation builders that use Ducato are better than others and so if you are looking at a second hand vehicle you would be well advised to look at build quality of the conversion to see if the quality suits your needs. I would have no hesitation in buying another Fiat Ducato based motorhome. I would however hesitate to buy a locally built MH as none I can find offers the layout that suits our needs with the equipment level that met our budget.

i suggest you firstly determine the layout that best suits your needs then find examples that are available. If it is on a MB or a VW or a Ducato vehicle you should be guided by the condition of that individual unit. 

Good luck with your search.

-- Edited by Geeco on Saturday 15th of December 2018 04:21:39 PM

I would also check the roof as some Motorhomes have a Rubber Membrane that can deteriorate with age or be ripped by a tree branch either way water can get in and cause major damage. Recently met a fem that checks her roof every 3 months for the above. There is/are a fix/es as per below, I understand there are different methods to do the whole roof. ( eg special paint)

www.youtube.com/watch

I would also check the roof of a Fibre Glass Mh as have seen a Mh less than a year old, from a major OZ builder with dinner size bulges on the roof where the FB had not been prepared properly, whats more the owner had asked for the complete roof to be redone and all that the dealer/manufacturer was grind the previous bulges off and redo and the result I saw was a new set of bulges. This Mh may have been built on a Friday.

I like the "Full Metal Jacket" metal sides/roof of our Long Wheel Base, High Roof Sprinter Campervan, but of course, this RV does not have the living room space of larger Mh's.

Peter