Buying at a show (1 Viewer)

[ABZSteve]

I can see that there are manufacturers and dealers at motohome shows. Do the manufacturers sell direct or do they point you in the direction of a dealer?

 

[WillH]

As far as I know the always send you to a dealer, may be wrong though.

Rgds
Bill

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

There will be dealers salesmen/women on the stands or as the PC/EU brigade wpould say.................. salespersons

No major converter sells direct, no p/x, servicing or after sales facilities

Peter

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[ABZSteve]

Well I guess if there are deals to be had at shows then I will have to hope that Scottish dealers are present.

Thanks

Steve

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Well I guess if there are deals to be had at shows then I will have to hope that Scottish dealers are present.

Thanks

Steve

Steve

Buying on price alone is not the best option, metal movers (discounters) invariably don't give good service as many people have found out to their detriment.

Peter

 

[Minxy]

Steve

Buying on price alone is not the best option, metal movers (discounters) invariably don't give good service as many people have found out to their detriment.

Peter

I agree with that Peter, however we bought a new Chausson Flash 04 at an NEC show from Highbridge Caravans in Somerset ... 250 miles away from where we live! We knew they had a good reputation and also were asking for the equivalent of £3,000 LESS than anyone else ... yes really ... £3,000!!!!! :thumb: We thought it was a no-brainer as that would pay for a lot of repairs and diesel if needs be. When we were discussing the deal with the chap on the NEC stand he did query whether we'd be happy to travel that far and we just said that if the deal was right we would ... it was ... so we did! So sometimes it DOES pay to consider dealers further away BUT you MUST check out how you'll be able to get the habitation/warranty work done locally if needs be, or be prepared to travel.

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[Puddleduck]

I'd be very reluctant to buy a motorhome at a show no matter how good the discount because of the possible distance to go for after sales service. Shows are good for research and buying accessories as far as I am concerned.

If there is a huge discount on a motorhome at a show I have to ask both why it is so heavily discounted, and can I negotiate such a discount on the forecourt?

From past experience buy in haste and repent in poverty. If someone tries to hassle me into something I'll walk away.

 

[ABZSteve]

Steve

Buying on price alone is not the best option, metal movers (discounters) invariably don't give good service as many people have found out to their detriment.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I agree. I will be giving due consideration to location as well as price and after service; I am doing my homework now, honest guv . I have a budget and like everyone else, I want to get the biggest bang for my buck; hopefully I can do that and the dealer still thinks its a win win situation. The biggest problem I think I will have is location. For example, a local dealer is selling a new van @ £40K with no extras. A dealer not too far from Liverpool (800m round trip) is selling the same van albiet a special edition for them only, at the same price but with many extras including lux pack, awning, digital TV, alarm, reversing camera, bike rack, electric step, skylight, winter pack, cab blinds, etc. etc. Another distant dealer (1120m round trip) has the same van with many extras again at the £40K mark. The problem with purchasing so far from home is aftersales, especially warranty work. So, I do have to weigh up the price I pay against aftersales. If I could buy a certain marque from one dealer and have any warranty work done at any certified workshop for that specific marque then it would be easy. Unfortunately as you know, that is not how it works.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[ABZSteve]

I agree with that Peter, however we bought a new Chausson Flash 04 at an NEC show from Highbridge Caravans in Somerset ... 250 miles away from where we live! We knew they had a good reputation and also were asking for the equivalent of £3,000 LESS than anyone else ... yes really ... £3,000!!!!! :thumb: We thought it was a no-brainer as that would pay for a lot of repairs and diesel if needs be. When we were discussing the deal with the chap on the NEC stand he did query whether we'd be happy to travel that far and we just said that if the deal was right we would ... it was ... so we did! So sometimes it DOES pay to consider dealers further away BUT you MUST check out how you'll be able to get the habitation/warranty work done locally if needs be, or be prepared to travel.

I wouldn't mind a 250/300 mile round trip not each way but that's about as far as I would like to stretch it.

Steve

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[Puddleduck]

I agree with you Steve.

I've never bought a vehicle at a show so what about test drives etc.?

 

[ABZSteve]

I'd be very reluctant to buy a motorhome at a show no matter how good the discount because of the possible distance to go for after sales service. Shows are good for research and buying accessories as far as I am concerned.

If there is a huge discount on a motorhome at a show I have to ask both why it is so heavily discounted, and can I negotiate such a discount on the forecourt?

From past experience buy in haste and repent in poverty. If someone tries to hassle me into something I'll walk away.

The distance is a huge consideration that I must take in to account. I would buy at a show if I thought the deal was good and the distance for aftersales was not prohibitive.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[ABZSteve]

I agree with you Steve.

I've never bought a vehicle at a show so what about test drives etc.?

I would hope that a test drive would be offered at the show or I would not buy.

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[Chris]

We never had a test drive in either of our vans.

I don't test drive cars either.

Edit - I don't try on shoes either before buying them. That has caused me more grief than vans or cars though.oh:

 

[Puddleduck]

The distance is a huge consideration that I must take in to account. I would buy at a show if I thought the deal was good and the distance for aftersales was not prohibitive.

Cheers,

Steve

I think I would let the dealer know I was interested and get his/her contact details plus a verbal agreement that the price would be held. Then I think I would go home, think about it and do some research. After that I would phone the dealer and see what could be negotiated. I wouldn't sign there and then - as I said before past experience has left me wiser and poorer.

We are not as far north as you are but probably just as rural. I know there are dealers with good reputations around 50 or 60 miles away both north and south or us. Whether they have what we want at the price we are prepared to pay remains to be seen.

I would possibly buy from a dealer near my family (Manchester, Cambridge, Glasgow, Tyneside) and use the service time for visiting. I would not buy from a dealer in, say, Cornwall when I live in Scotland. No offense to Cornwall, it's lovely and on my "to visit" list.

 

[Puddleduck]

We never had a test drive in either of our vans.

I don't test drive cars either.

I'm the opposite! Before I bought my last car I test drove 7 different cars on the same day from the same dealer. In the end I bought a car I had previously dismissed for various reasons and only after the salesman laughingly suggested I may as well try it since I'd driven everything else. Small vehicles aren't comfy for a person with a generous frame.

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[Minxy]

I'd be very reluctant to buy a motorhome at a show no matter how good the discount because of the possible distance to go for after sales service. Shows are good for research and buying accessories as far as I am concerned.

If there is a huge discount on a motorhome at a show I have to ask both why it is so heavily discounted, and can I negotiate such a discount on the forecourt?

From past experience buy in haste and repent in poverty. If someone tries to hassle me into something I'll walk away.

As I said you must check out what the 'reality' of buying some distance away actually means. If the difference had only been, say £1000 we might not have bothered but as we were staying overnight it gave us the opportunity to do some research on the web BEFORE we signed on the dotted line so we knew what we were getting into and how much it would cost us for the same MH elsewhere. We'd done quite a bit of research previously so knew what other dealers were offering in PX for our MH against other similar types of new ones, indeed there was another dealer at the show, much closer to where we live, with the same new MH and there was no way he could match Highbridge's deal. As it was a new model out we were limited to where we could get it from anyway. We didn't test drive it but had the same but previous model of base vehicle on our PXd MH so knew they drove well as most of the change with the new one were cosmetic. Highbridge knew they could easily sell our PXd MH whereas the more local ones would have struggled as it was a big beast, which I think help with the deal a lot. Indeed once we'd got our new MH I looked our old one up on the web and it sold within a couple of weeks of being on their forecourt, and not with a massive mark up either.

YOU have to be happy with the decisions that YOU make ... we were extremely happy with ours but I appreciate others may not be willing to do so ... so you have to make your own mind up.

 

[ABZSteve]

I think I would let the dealer know I was interested and get his/her contact details plus a verbal agreement that the price would be held. Then I think I would go home, think about it and do some research. After that I would phone the dealer and see what could be negotiated. I wouldn't sign there and then - as I said before past experience has left me wiser and poorer.

Yes I agree, should have been a bit clearer when I said buy at a show. I would of course do some more research at home

 

[maz]

I would hope that a test drive would be offered at the show or I would not buy.

Don't know how practicable it would be to get a van at a show out for a test drive. Most of them seem to be wedged in like sardines!

However, I'd certainly make any purchase conditional - subject to a satisfactory test drive, back at the dealer's or wherever.

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[Minxy]

Don't know how practicable it would be to get a van at a show out for a test drive. Most of them seem to be wedged in like sardines!

However, I'd certainly make any purchase conditional - subject to a satisfactory test drive, back at the dealer's or wherever.

I suppose this shows the difference between us 'well worn' MH owners who have had various types over a good number of years, and those who have only had one for a relatively short length of time, or not yet got one. Once you've had a few, there isn't much difference between one and another in reality other than the size, so for us, as we've had long and short ones, coachbuilt luton and low profile ones, van and a home conversion, we pretty much know what to expect, but if going out for a test drive is a possibility then we will still do so.

When we bought a new Rapido (18ft) in 2003 we didn't test drive it though as we had the previous model Fiat base so weren't concerned about it as it knew it would definitely be better than we had - it went like brown stuff of a shovel and was a dream! Then when we changed it for our Rimor (nearly 24ft) which was the longest one we've every had, we did take it out for a test drive as we needed to make sure we were happy with the length, which we were.

We bought our current PVC, a 2 month old Autocruise Accent, at an outdoor show and arranged to take it for a test drive after the show had closed for the day as we wanted to see how it handled being on a LWB rather than the MWB we had on our Chausson coachbuilt.

 

[maz]

I suppose this shows the difference between us 'well worn' MH owners who have had various types over a good number of years, and those who have only had one for a relatively short length of time, or not yet got one.

Mel, it's nothing to do with that. All I will say is that I would never recommend anyone to buy a used van without a test drive - because maybe I know what's been traded in and why.

 

[Puddleduck]

With a used vehicle I want to test drive it to listen to engine noises and then check for emulsion on the oil filler cap.

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[ABZSteve]

With a used vehicle I want to test drive it to listen to engine noises and then check for emulsion on the oil filler cap.

I would have no idea what to look for unless it was blatantly obvious.

 

[Puddleduck]

I would have no idea what to look for unless it was blatantly obvious.

My father in law was a vehicle fitter and showed me a few basic things to look for. If you take the oil fill cover off and the oil on the cap looks milky then there is a problem. Also sniff - does it smell "burnt". Both are red flags. These are just two very simple things to do.

 

[Puddleduck]

Oh, rub a small amount of the oil from the vehicle's dip stick between your fingers. It should not feel gritty. Make sure you have a tissue or rag to wipe your fingers afterwards or you will say rude words AND be in the dog house. Father in Law didn't do this more than once The lesson learnt was that old engine oil does not wash out of new clothes no matter what you do.

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[ABZSteve]

Late night

 

[Puddleduck]

Yeh, I have a medical condition and needed to wait up until the time I could take my meds....