diff --git a/offlineimap/repository/Base.py b/offlineimap/repository/Base.py
index 594f864..34f2f4a 100644
--- a/offlineimap/repository/Base.py
+++ b/offlineimap/repository/Base.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import traceback
 from offlineimap import CustomConfig
 from offlineimap.ui import getglobalui
 
-class BaseRepository(CustomConfig.ConfigHelperMixin):
+class BaseRepository(object, CustomConfig.ConfigHelperMixin):
     def __init__(self, reposname, account):
         self.ui = getglobalui()
         self.account = account
diff --git a/offlineimap/repository/Gmail.py b/offlineimap/repository/Gmail.py
index 97637b8..fd95361 100644
--- a/offlineimap/repository/Gmail.py
+++ b/offlineimap/repository/Gmail.py
@@ -16,33 +16,37 @@
 #    Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301 USA
 
 from offlineimap.repository.IMAP import IMAPRepository
-from offlineimap import folder
+from offlineimap import folder, OfflineImapError
 
 class GmailRepository(IMAPRepository):
     """Gmail IMAP repository.
 
-    Uses hard-coded host name and port, see:
-      http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=78799&topic=12814
+    Falls back to hard-coded gmail host name and port, if none were specified:
+    http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=78799&topic=12814
     """
-
-    #: Gmail IMAP server hostname
+    # Gmail IMAP server hostname
     HOSTNAME = "imap.gmail.com"
-
-    #: Gmail IMAP server port
+    # Gmail IMAP server port
     PORT = 993
     
     def __init__(self, reposname, account):
         """Initialize a GmailRepository object."""
-        account.getconfig().set('Repository ' + reposname,
-                                'remotehost', GmailRepository.HOSTNAME)
-        account.getconfig().set('Repository ' + reposname,
-                                'remoteport', GmailRepository.PORT)
+        # Enforce SSL usage
         account.getconfig().set('Repository ' + reposname,
                                 'ssl', 'yes')
         IMAPRepository.__init__(self, reposname, account)
 
     def gethost(self):
-        return GmailRepository.HOSTNAME
+        """Return the server name to connect to.
+
+        Gmail implementation first checks for the usual IMAP settings
+        and falls back to imap.gmail.com if not specified."""
+        try:
+            return super(GmailRepository, self).gethost()
+        except OfflineImapError:
+            # nothing was configured, cache and return hardcoded one
+            self._host = GmailRepository.HOSTNAME
+            return self._host
 
     def getport(self):
         return GmailRepository.PORT
diff --git a/offlineimap/repository/IMAP.py b/offlineimap/repository/IMAP.py
index 3517d88..82d9e32 100644
--- a/offlineimap/repository/IMAP.py
+++ b/offlineimap/repository/IMAP.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 #    Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301 USA
 
 from offlineimap.repository.Base import BaseRepository
-from offlineimap import folder, imaputil, imapserver
+from offlineimap import folder, imaputil, imapserver, OfflineImapError
 from offlineimap.folder.UIDMaps import MappedIMAPFolder
 from offlineimap.threadutil import ExitNotifyThread
 from threading import Event
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ class IMAPRepository(BaseRepository):
         """Initialize an IMAPRepository object."""
         BaseRepository.__init__(self, reposname, account)
         # self.ui is being set by the BaseRepository
+        self._host = None
         self.imapserver = imapserver.ConfigedIMAPServer(self)
         self.folders = None
         self.nametrans = lambda foldername: foldername
@@ -94,17 +95,34 @@ class IMAPRepository(BaseRepository):
         return self.imapserver.delim
 
     def gethost(self):
-        host = None
-        localeval = self.localeval
+        """Return the configured hostname to connect to
 
+        :returns: hostname as string or throws Exception"""
+        if self._host:  # use cached value if possible
+            return self._host
+
+        # 1) check for remotehosteval setting
         if self.config.has_option(self.getsection(), 'remotehosteval'):
             host = self.getconf('remotehosteval')
+            try:
+                host = self.localeval.eval(host)
+            except Exception, e:
+                raise OfflineImapError("remotehosteval option for repository "\
+                                       "'%s' failed:\n%s" % (self, e),
+                                       OfflineImapError.ERROR.REPO)
+            if host:
+                self._host = host
+                return self._host
+        # 2) check for plain remotehost setting
+        host = self.getconf('remotehost', None)
         if host != None:
-            return localeval.eval(host)
+            self._host = host
+            return self._host
 
-        host = self.getconf('remotehost')
-        if host != None:
-            return host
+        # no success
+        raise OfflineImapError("No remote host for repository "\
+                                   "'%s' specified." % self,
+                               OfflineImapError.ERROR.REPO)
 
     def getuser(self):
         user = None