Hi there everyone Looking for advice on changing my motorhome without being fleeced. (1 Viewer)

[Sticky Biscuit]

If you buy a MH which is still under Warranty make sure that there is a local place which is authorised to do Warranty work (not just authorised to do Serviceing). We have an Adria and it is a 300 + mile round trip for Warranty work which has been a logistic nightmare exacerbated by difficulties in obtaining spares from abroad

 

[corconx]

My thoughts for what they’re worth, it’s like most on here, unless they are new, have her have owned several layouts. In 30 years we have had six motorhomes, as you get older, you change, therefore your needs change. We had always wanted an island bed, and it wasn’t until 2006? I think they started to appear. We ordered one at the Düsseldorf show and took delivery in 2007. That’s in four years we decided we should really have bought the Two single beds. So again selling privately, we went to the Paris show, and ordered in 2016 a new twin bed, Which got delivered 11 months later.

The reason we went to the shows was because we prefer left-hand drive as most of our actual mileage is done abroad, And this allows for you to specify the actual engine chassis et cetera.

So we have gone from just a drop downbed, two corner beds, two island beds and single beds. It gets expensive buying and selling motorhomes, so stop and think whether an island bed is really what you need.

Only once did we trade in a motorhome, and that was the first one, for an American RV. All others we have sold privately.

Carol

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Are A class MH wider then?

The same as others other than van conversions.

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[ronecc1]

many thanks You know with cars there are various websites like we buy any car .COM

And like many We Buy Any Car.com, they will rip you off. They are just middle men, who sell on to genuine traders, so taking their slice of the profit. Try an agent, who will advertise the van for you, at the price you want and at a negotiable percentage commission.

many thanks You know with cars there are various websites like we buy any car .COM

We Buy..... com are all ripoff merchants. They buy from you at below Trade price and sell to a dealer. Try to use an honest dealer, or an Agent who will advertise your van, at the price you want, realistically. The Agent will charge a commission and should do all the work for you. Worked for me, but that was three years ago and I have forgotten the name of the company. I will rack my brains and see what I can dig out of the depths of my old memory. Of course the experience will only be as good as the Agent.

 

[KPM]

The Pilote P740FC is 7.45 m long which give it 35 cm more than we currently have and 35 cm longer than the Chaussan788

 

[KPM]

Yes I got a call back yesterday from "Webuyanymotorhome" people. Even lower than SMC's offer. I have also just contacted the brokers " MotorhomeDepot" whom I did use back in 2018 to sell my VW T6 conversion that I had personally converted . They took a commission but it did sell eventually, again I still didn't get quite what I really wanted for it and it took ages to sell as the market was swamped at the time.

I thank you for your contributions everyone. I guess some of you are in the industry and have confirmed a lot of my thoughts and experiences. I know as well that everyone wants a good deal . Thanks so much

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[Brains]

Just before Christmas there was a dealer selling a van identical to our 2018 Hymer.
The price was the same as would have been paid new in 2018!
Zero depreciation in 4 years!

That said, the 2022 version of our model now costs 20% more for basically the same spec. That is if you could buy one.
The dealers sold out their 2022 stock last spring and will sell out ther 2023 allocation in the next few weeks.
You will now be looking at 2024 delivery very soon.

 

[KPM]

My thoughts for what they’re worth, it’s like most on here, unless they are new, have her have owned several layouts. In 30 years we have had six motorhomes, as you get older, you change, therefore your needs change. We had always wanted an island bed, and it wasn’t until 2006? I think they started to appear. We ordered one at the Düsseldorf show and took delivery in 2007. That’s in four years we decided we should really have bought the Two single beds. So again selling privately, we went to the Paris show, and ordered in 2016 a new twin bed, Which got delivered 11 months later.

The reason we went to the shows was because we prefer left-hand drive as most of our actual mileage is done abroad, And this allows for you to specify the actual engine chassis et cetera.

So we have gone from just a drop downbed, two corner beds, two island beds and single beds. It gets expensive buying and selling motorhomes, so stop and think whether an island bed is really what you need.

Only once did we trade in a motorhome, and that was the first one, for an American RV. All others we have sold privately.

Carol

Carol this is gold dust! Thank you so much for your advise and experiences. I love it . We would have been into Europe had it not been for the Lockdowns and all that Covid has brought us all. We have used the MH in this country and even been over to Arran with it. We are loving using the motorhome and was beginning to wonder if there was a better layout / alternative to the French bed layout we currently have. We are generally interested in peoples opinions and experiences , it all helps to galvanise our thoughts . I also genuinely believed we'd chosen the ideal layout back in 2019.

What it has helped us to confirm is that there are different standards of construction and , although the "comfortmatic" gearbox is ok, I believe the new 9 speed genuine automatic developed with BMW for the Fiat Ducato is a real a step change . You see we had also wondered if a Ford cab was an improvement on the Ducato layout . Ours does seem a bit basic but as I keep saying "its a Fiat , its a van !"

Thank you

 

[Brains]

To get the layout right, we rented 4 motorhomes before we bought ours.
So far after 3 years of ownership, we still think we have the correct layout.

So my recommendation would always be "rent twice buy once".

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[KPM]

Yes I would agree we did rent twice, Once in Canada and then % years later in the USA doing 3500 miles in 3 weeks on both trips. Both were the french bed layouts which we ended up buying . Its not just the bed layout that we are considering . the lounge in ours is more of an L shape which creates a natural bottle neck. The FC layout is more of the traditional parallel benches up in the lounge area generating more floor space . Then there is the garage space that Island bed layouts generate that we are drawn to. Add into the mix this new 9 speed gearbox that Fiat offer that was developed in conjunction with BMW . Then you see it starts to rack up . As I say this is all planning . Thanks

 

[jonnystrong]

Hello everyone. I joined as I love to do my research especially when buying a new vehicle. We have a 2 year old Pilote P710 auto with a French bed. Once you use a motorhome you learn a lot more about it and wonder if there are some improvements we could make. We have realised that there may be a better layout for us, yes the Island bed layout of the P740 FC. and the new 9 speed properly automatic gearbox. Having now convinced ourselves we find ourselves in a situation where there appears to be none available in Britain. SMC are our local dealers and yes we have visited them, but there seems little they can do just yet . Sop I am trying to find out as much as I can about how to sell ours, or part exchange it. I don't want to loose more money than necessary to change so hence joining this forum I want to see if there are alternatives ie other dealers , people who really want to buy ours.

Hi: just sold mine to Alan Kerr - a trusted trader on here - excellent service and a very good deal - recommend, 1st time I have used a dealer, normally buy and sell privately over the years but that now has its challenges etc

 

[KPM]

I have just contacted him thanks much appreciate you taking time to contribute

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[Melian]

Thanks so much yes we are heading to the show at NEC to see other dealers. I have written emails to some to try and get some vauge idea about the value of ours . I am sure its quite high as its only about 2.5 years old and with the lockdown we have only covered 4200 miles . Any ideas how to get an honest valuation at the moment?

If your taken the van to the NEC I would put a for sale notice in the windscreen,
Just a thinking out loud

 

[Blue Knight]

Thank you Andrew for all this helpful and insightful information I am very appreciative. I had wondered if I would be in a stronger bargaining position with my MH as a part ex or in fact cash My gut feeling is they can make money on my van as well as profit on the nee one

If you were to receive a PX value of £50K against the retail price of a new £70K Pilote then in theory the dealer would make a gross combined profit of around £29,000 for both transactions before any sales incentives or reductions were applied.

That said, the market is so buoyant in respect of new and nearly new vans these days that you're unlikely to receive any reduction on the screen price; with the exception of a slight discount on any additional accessories you may purchase at the point of sale.

The dealers will need to make as much money as possible during this period as the lack of supply of new vans to their forecourt is likely to have a huge impact on their businesses and their profit margins during the next 24-months so don't be surprised if a couple of dealers come unstuck along the way.

Good luck with the process and I'm sure you'll play it cool enough to help reduce your cost-to-change.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[gus-lopez]

Pilote p710 sensations are pretty rarely up for sale.

It’s what I am looking at. but as has been said, and as tempting as it is, I wouldn’t part with that kind of cash on a private sale for my first van. Too much of a risk to take.

I can see where youy are coming from but if the Op sold to the dealer at50k & you then bought it from them for 68k what are you getting apart from a 'guarantee' & what is that actually worth that 18k saved isn't going to fix ?

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[Tony50]

Sold mine to Simpson's Great Yarmouth , fair price I think , but , they like any other Dealer they are in business to make a profit , the good thing about a Dealer your money can be transferred right away , there's no time wasters , no fraud , plus peace of mind, also if you book the New Premier on the seafront you can enjoy a nice walk along the Seafront

 

[VXman]

Are A class MH wider then?

Only the cab of an A class section is wider than a coach built as it is as wide as the rest of the body whereas the coach built cab is narrower and then gets wider at the habitation section.

 

[Adtan]

Hi we have the Pilote G720 FC with the new auto box it drives really well prefer the A class to our previous Chauson Coachbuilt plus prefer the Island bed lay out
We use Hayes leisure in the midlands might be worth looking at them re available stock family owned Pilote & Chauson dealer always had a good deal from Bill & Steve

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[KPM]

Hi Yes I have been in touch with Hayes myself to see if they are able to help. sadly they have recently sold a P740 FC they said their new stock will be in the region of 71 K thanks

 

[KPM]

Have made contact with Simon Alan -Kerr today , sounds like a really nice chap , understanding and genuine. I passed on the positive comments some of you expressed to me with regards his knowledge and honesty . Will have a chat with him in the flesh at the NEC in a couple of weeks. |Waiting for Pullingers to get back to me as well at the moment

 

[KPM]

I can see where youy are coming from but if the Op sold to the dealer at50k & you then bought it from them for 68k what are you getting apart from a 'guarantee' & what is that actually worth that 18k saved isn't going to fix ?

Sorry I don’t know what you mean by “ OP” also I am confused as I don’t know if you are referring to my current Pilote for which SMC we’re offering £50 px and which one is the £68k referring two. I have no idea what a dealer pays for their stock but as other have said, they are in the business to make a profit to pay wages pay loans buy stock pay bills etc I don’t begrudge them making a profit. Also I appreciate they can afford to have a vehicle sat on their forecourt until they get what they need to. They also can afford to offer warranty which a private seller can’t without forking out more money for an insurance policy. All we hope is that people are not exploited and you get what your wanting be that peace of mind , reassurance and hopefully ba blooming good Motorhome

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[KPM]

Made contact with a broker yesterday. Motorhome Depot may be a good halfway house. Certainly safer than selling totally privately

 

[Excaliber]

Hi, welcome to the madhouse,
We had excellent service from E.S.Hartley Ltd, 2 x outlets in the northwest, we let it be known on social Meeks that we were selling our 18mth old Bailey Autograph and Hartley offered substantially more than both the dealer we originally purchased from and also from the dealer who was supplying our new mh
The offer was made sight unseen on the proviso the mh was as we described, an employee arrived at our storage area checked it was as we’d stated then he waited until the money was transferred into my account from their accounts department before driving back to their depot
All was handled with care and assurance at all times, I wouldn’t hesitate to consider using them again

 

[WESTY66]

Have made contact with Simon Alan -Kerr today , sounds like a really nice chap , understanding and genuine. I passed on the positive comments some of you expressed to me with regards his knowledge and honesty . Will have a chat with him in the flesh at the NEC in a couple of weeks. |Waiting for Pullingers to get back to me as well at the moment

I have bought my last two motorhomes off Simon-Alan Kerr neither time was I fleeced, in fact quite the opposite, he worked his ass off to give us a good deal

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[TheBig1]

Sold mine to Simpson's Great Yarmouth , fair price I think , but , they like any other Dealer they are in business to make a profit , the good thing about a Dealer your money can be transferred right away , there's no time wasters , no fraud , plus peace of mind, also if you book the New Premier on the seafront you can enjoy a nice walk along the Seafront

I am not referring to the dealership mentioned, just in general that not ALL dealers are as honest as you imply. I have known of dealerships take in a van and delay payment and in more than one case go bust still owing the money

 

[Tony50]

I am not referring to the dealership mentioned, just in general that not ALL dealers are as honest as you imply. I have known of dealerships take in a van and delay payment and in more than one case go bust still owing the money

Our money was transferred whilst we had just handed over the vehicle

 

[TheBig1]

Our money was transferred whilst we had just handed over the vehicle

you were lucky, some others not so. As I said, not all dealers are up front and honest. Look for tell tale signs like very little stock and or bad reviews

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[gus-lopez]

Sorry I don’t know what you mean by “ OP” also I am confused as I don’t know if you are referring to my current Pilote for which SMC we’re offering £50 px and which one is the £68k referring two. I have no idea what a dealer pays for their stock but as other have said, they are in the business to make a profit to pay wages pay loans buy stock pay bills etc I don’t begrudge them making a profit. Also I appreciate they can afford to have a vehicle sat on their forecourt until they get what they need to. They also can afford to offer warranty which a private seller can’t without forking out more money for an insurance policy. All we hope is that people are not exploited and you get what your wanting be that peace of mind , reassurance and hopefully ba blooming good Motorhome

The Op is you.The "original poster"

I was replying to another poster as to why he would buy from a dealer at a far higher price rather than off you at a far lower one. As far as I am concerned if you accepted the 50k it would be sold on by them for 68k. & why i pointed out that I consider that yours is worth what you paid for it if sold on now ,privately =64k

 

[KPM]

Thank you for clarifying that and taking time to explain so clearly. Appreciate that.

 

[Steve-N]

Welcome to the forum

I would keep looking, there are dealers and there are *dealers* and quite a few have a good stock of vans booked for delivery this year.
We've just managed to strike a deal on a new Ducato 9sp auto PVC that's due for delivery in July at a acceptable price, we agreed to px'd our existing van when the new one arrives, it will be 3 yrs old in May with only 12k mls for £3k more than we paid in May 2019

Happy days

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