buying a van ,a cautionary tale (1 Viewer)

[Armytwowheels]

@cookie not doubting your findings on the first van at all, or subsequent vans, (especially as Autotrails were getting a bad rap a few years ago)but is it possible that your metre is being applied too close to metal. My reason for saying this is that our cheap and cheerful metre will give a damp reading if it touches or is very close to metal. It had me in a panic when I was checking our van out a few months ago.

 

[cookie]

How do you know I've got 1 cock ?

 

[Armytwowheels]

How do you know I've got 1 cock ?

pardon?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pyro]

You never did name the alleged culprit, so I'm a bit unsure how wisdom could have affected your judgment

If someone is trying to get you to part with your money through misrepresentation, it would do everyone a big favour if you reported it to your TSO and then posted up the details after they had concluded their investigation. The fact you haven't even referred to that is curious

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/buying-a-new-motorhome.190/

On the van itself, I have heard enough about autotrail to be a bit circumspect about buying a used one, especially given you appear to have a substantial budget to play with

 

[pyro]

How do you know I've got 1 cock ?

appropriate?

 

[Cliffdale]

Looks like it'll have to be a monocoque for you then!

How do you know I've got 1 cock ?

I got the joke, at least he has not lost a sense of humour!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Armytwowheels]

I got the joke, at least he has not lost a sense of humour!

Oh I see!  had me a bit confused there, mind you that's not difficult.

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

Oh I see!  had me a bit confused there, mind you that's not difficult.

Keep up, keep up

 

[Anthea M]

Cookie perhaps look for another make there are many out there.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cookie]

is there one the same layout, and payload, with air ride fitted. the savannah 2011 can easily be uprated from 4250 to 4500 , we like our wine

 

[Cilfan]

is there one the same layout, and payload, with air ride fitted. the savannah 2011 can easily be uprated from 4250 to 4500 , we like our wine

From the sound of things, if you get yourself an Auto-trail you could transport your wine in the bodywork. Just pore it over the hab door, fit a tap at the bottom and save the weight of the glass.

 

[ShiftZZ]

A reminder. It's always a good idea to pay the deposit or part of the purchase with a credit card as you will have rights under the consumer credit act 1974 s 74.1

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ShiftZZ]

As a matter of interest was the van £44k and what mileage?

 

[androidGB]

Quite interesting, we've gone from casting doubt on dealers to casting doubt on the products of a manufacturer.

I know who I'd rather be up against for defamation

Andrew

 

[pyro]

I know who I'd rather be up against for defamation

Provided that your account was truthful, then it would be yourself who would be at the receiving end of any damages for anxiety and damage caused to your own reputation.

However, I cannot fathom the apparent reluctance of the OP to simply refer the issue to their local trading standards officer and let them deal with the whole matter - no fear of repercussions.

That's of course if the account given was in fact what happened and not some form of wind up, which is naturally unheard of around here

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cookie]

oh it did happen , i assure you , my wife suffers severe PTSD as a result of an armed robbery 4 years ago, and you dont want to know how this has affected her.

i have written to the dealer now , we were bundled off his forecourt to quickly to make my feelings known at the time

 

[cookie]

@cookie not doubting your findings on the first van at all, or subsequent vans, (especially as Autotrails were getting a bad rap a few years ago)but is it possible that your metre is being applied too close to metal. My reason for saying this is that our cheap and cheerful metre will give a damp reading if it touches or is very close to metal. It had me in a panic when I was checking our van out a few months ago.

it did touch the metal after it had passed through the rot

 

[Chris]

Provided that your account was truthful, then it would be yourself who would be at the receiving end of any damages for anxiety and damage caused to your own reputation.

However, I cannot fathom the apparent reluctance of the OP to simply refer the issue to their local trading standards officer and let them deal with the whole matter - no fear of repercussions.

That's of course if the account given was in fact what happened and not some form of wind up, which is naturally unheard of around here

I think he was referring to post #103

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cookie]

we are now actually frightened to go and part with the cash for another van. is private the better option ?

 

[Langtoftlad]

we are now actually frightened to go and part with the cash for another van. is private the better option ?

I'd have thought not - no comeback.

 

[Rob and Val]

we are now actually frightened to go and part with the cash for another van. is private the better option ?

Have you read Jim's (our leader) Guide to Buying a Motorhome?
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/the-motorhome-buyers-guide.181/

Another thought is that perhaps you could buy an older and therefore much cheaper MH as a starter 'van. That way you could find out if you really enjoy motorhoming. If you do, then you could trade up - you would not lose so much on depreciation. If you don't enjoy it, then an older MH would be easier to sell on than a £45k model. This dealer has some older MHs and is not far from you. (Hope it's not the one you've already had dealings with!
http://www.octmotorhomes.net/showroom.php

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pyro]

oh it did happen , i assure you , my wife suffers severe PTSD as a result of an armed robbery 4 years ago, and you dont want to know how this has affected her.

i have written to the dealer now , we were bundled off his forecourt to quickly to make my feelings known at the time

Sorry to hear that @cookie. It wasn't aimed at you, but that's history. I have much the same problem myself (PTSD), following a spell across the water in a 'career interlude' that I still don't like to talk about even now

It is always safer to buy from a dealer, as you then have consumer protection rights and legal redress . This link will be of help to you http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/buying-a-new-motorhome.190/

Hopefully the dealer will be cooperative. Otherwise the Trading Standards Officer will be of help to you. I bang on about it as Trading Standards keep those less helpful dealers on the straight and narrow, and protect us all

 

[Yorick]

we are now actually frightened to go and part with the cash for another van. is private the better option ?

Pay by credit card then you're always covered

IIRC, it's OK even if you only pay part by CC

 

[cookie]

Have you read Jim's (our leader) Guide to Buying a Motorhome?
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/the-motorhome-buyers-guide.181/

Another thought is that perhaps you could buy an older and therefore much cheaper MH as a starter 'van. That way you could find out if you really enjoy motorhoming. If you do, then you could trade up - you would not lose so much on depreciation. If you don't enjoy it, then an older MH would be easier to sell on than a £45k model. This dealer has some older MHs and is not far from you. (Hope it's not the one you've already had dealings with!
http://www.octmotorhomes.net/showroom.php[/QU

had a van for 6 years so not virgins , travelled all over europe in it, it wasnt the best but we knew its faults, sold it privately 3 weeks ago

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cookie]

already had a van so not virgins at this, had a leaky lunar ,1 year old had a damp test and failed miserably , had it fixed used it for 6 years all over europe , wanted a better van so sold ours privately, at a bit better than trade in price even with a bit of damp . yes buyer was told about it and got it for 10k less than dealer price.

 

[Camping Gaza]

I may be totally wrong, and forgive me if so, but this post seems to have done very little good except throw a total mystery on what reputable dealer would sell a van where you can punch a hole in a rotten door for 44K, and potentially, I say again potentially, put people off buying the autotrail brand whatever the condition.

To me not naming the dealer and at least allowing the dealer the opportunity of feedback from the unknown dealer, good or bad or defensive, is wrong. And if I was someone from autotrail reading this I would think that this thread could seriously compromise my sales and would want to know whats going on here.

Just my tuppence ha'porth, no need to get snotty... OK! Good job it wasn't f*%&ing plastic Mirror Protectors!! (don't worry if you don't get it)

 

[Jim]

To me not naming the dealer and at least allowing the dealer the opportunity of feedback from the unknown dealer, good or bad or defensive, is wrong.

No one has said he can't name the dealer. Just that the rules here, rules we all signed up to, says he shouldn't do it here. He can do it on review sites, he can do it on your website, he can do it on social media. This is a place for the fun aspects of our hobby, getting letters from solicitors is no fun at all which is why we don't allow it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Cliffdale]

@Jim

Whats the difference of the carp listed about Marquis after sales here,

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/marquis-service.129923

 

[Camping Gaza]

You are right of course, the legal implications outweigh any need to name them, And it would be catastrophic to get tangled up in such.... but it don't stop that itch of wanting to know who they were and avoiding them like the plague!

 

[Jim]

@Jim

Whats the difference of the carp listed about Marquis after sales here,

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/marquis-service.129923

no difference, just that no ones reported it and I haven't seen it

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}