Any experiences to share re the above dealer? They have a motorhome I might be interested in.
4 Front Motor Sales near Haywards Heath
- Thread starter acropolis22
- Start date
Yes I do, I have sold a motorhome to them and bought one in a different transaction.
Selling.... easy process, reasonable offer for a 2 year old Eldiss 254. 2 years ago. Money transferred into my bank there and then . No pfaffing about.
Buying....
So, a reasonable experience. ( previously bought twice from Marquis Eastbourne, with no complaints there)
The PVC I bought from Fourfront suited our usage /plans fine, and the deal was done . Last year.
No discount deal or extras.
within a few weeks we had the bad storm following hot spell and the skylight leaked... panic, worried I’d bought a problem....
phoned them expecting sucking of teeth and long dates but it was a simple , ‘pop it back up and we’ll sort it. ‘ I did. They did, (foc) and then they spent a while explaining how they did it . (Full re seal)
What I would say is this, I may be doing them a disservice, but I felt I was dealing with a car dealership rather than a main motorhome service centre/ dealers, does that make sense? No bad thing , but I guess they turn over a variety of used models all day every day and are used to us lot..... they are very busy. Whenever I’ve visited there the staff outside ( not the sales folks) have always chatted.
They don’t do much with smaller vans vws etc although have the odd one in.
I dealt with Peter , straight forward.
I have left messages and have always received a call back.
There are 2 Garys at the business, ones more sales boss, the others v good on tech and happy to chat about bits and pieces.
Niggles?
I Phoned up during purchase process for pcopy of logbook but it wasnt easy to get the details I needed for insurance purposes.Obviously they are fraud aware and I did get it sorted in the end.
Had a minor gripe over vehicle cleanliness when I picked up the van, they were v v apologetic, just not cleaned to the standard I expect from any dealer.
The 100 £ admin fee is there for a reason but still it grips me! I know its not just them that do it.
I have had an issue with Webasto heater since one week of ownership and they were happy to take a look at it , but covid stopped play and I haven’t got round to travelling 35 miles ...
Thats my experience, I would buy from them again, being conscious they are a used sales business with high turnover of stock . Easy to access off A23 , plenty of parking and space to turn etc.
Happy to answer any other questions if I can help... I think thats a balanced view I’ve given but let us know how you find it , good luck wherever you get one from.
Selling.... easy process, reasonable offer for a 2 year old Eldiss 254. 2 years ago. Money transferred into my bank there and then . No pfaffing about.
Buying....
So, a reasonable experience. ( previously bought twice from Marquis Eastbourne, with no complaints there)
The PVC I bought from Fourfront suited our usage /plans fine, and the deal was done . Last year.
No discount deal or extras.
within a few weeks we had the bad storm following hot spell and the skylight leaked... panic, worried I’d bought a problem....
phoned them expecting sucking of teeth and long dates but it was a simple , ‘pop it back up and we’ll sort it. ‘ I did. They did, (foc) and then they spent a while explaining how they did it . (Full re seal)
What I would say is this, I may be doing them a disservice, but I felt I was dealing with a car dealership rather than a main motorhome service centre/ dealers, does that make sense? No bad thing , but I guess they turn over a variety of used models all day every day and are used to us lot..... they are very busy. Whenever I’ve visited there the staff outside ( not the sales folks) have always chatted.
They don’t do much with smaller vans vws etc although have the odd one in.
I dealt with Peter , straight forward.
I have left messages and have always received a call back.
There are 2 Garys at the business, ones more sales boss, the others v good on tech and happy to chat about bits and pieces.
Niggles?
I Phoned up during purchase process for pcopy of logbook but it wasnt easy to get the details I needed for insurance purposes.Obviously they are fraud aware and I did get it sorted in the end.
Had a minor gripe over vehicle cleanliness when I picked up the van, they were v v apologetic, just not cleaned to the standard I expect from any dealer.
The 100 £ admin fee is there for a reason but still it grips me! I know its not just them that do it.
I have had an issue with Webasto heater since one week of ownership and they were happy to take a look at it , but covid stopped play and I haven’t got round to travelling 35 miles ...
Thats my experience, I would buy from them again, being conscious they are a used sales business with high turnover of stock . Easy to access off A23 , plenty of parking and space to turn etc.
Happy to answer any other questions if I can help... I think thats a balanced view I’ve given but let us know how you find it , good luck wherever you get one from.
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OP
OP
Many thanks for taking the trouble to give such a comprehensive reply. Sounds like we won't be getting much of a discounted price then? Not that I would have expected much anyway in the current market.
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No sweat, getting a new veh is such a big step eh?
I doubt discounts too at moment but worth a punt.
Hope you find one somewhere, Fourfront is ok but everyone has different expectations. keep us updated won’t it be great to get out and about after all this madness
I doubt discounts too at moment but worth a punt.
Hope you find one somewhere, Fourfront is ok but everyone has different expectations. keep us updated won’t it be great to get out and about after all this madness
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OP
OP
Yeah, we're stupidly excited just to be jumping on the train to visit a dealership. Just like going abroad for the first time a a kid..... 
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- May 23, 2013
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- Hymer B504
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We went to look at a Motorhome there a couple of years ago, nice enough people but more of a used car dealer with Motorhomes on the side. We did feel compared to other motorhomes we looked at of similar age etc pricing was on the higher end even 24 months ago.
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OP
OP
They seem to have loads of cars in stock, but they regularly advertise motorhomes on Autotrader too. We'll probably have to take it on the chin pricewise if we like the van because there aren't many about of that model...... Thanks for your comments.
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Didnt see a single car there now but do they have another premises London way? They seemed to start out as 4 x4 specialists, and morphed into mohos. Loads and loads of mohos, you can spot the car dealership roots.
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Phileas Fogg
Free Member
They have been around for many years, they sold a van for me a lifetime ago and were fine then, it was a very long time ago though when they had the first motorhomes there.
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reckless
Free Member
This was what I posted about this place last year
Of course everyone has their own opinion and you may have a much better experience. I remember reading they were linked to 'webuyanymotorhome' don't know how true that is.
In any case, even if you stumble, looking for and buying a motorhome is an exciting time so enjoy the trip and let us know how you get on
Karen
Went to view a couple of MHs at a local-ish dealer, the 'salesman' acted like we were a nuisance and he couldn't wait to get rid of us. In particular I found him insolent and patronising and I do think it was a sexist thing (I'm female and seen it before - what do women know about cars??). He pooh-poohed every question I asked. I'm not stupid and I know a fair bit from reading this forum for years
As it happens the MHs were nasty and overpriced and I wouldn't have wanted them if they were giving them away.
Karen
Of course everyone has their own opinion and you may have a much better experience. I remember reading they were linked to 'webuyanymotorhome' don't know how true that is.
In any case, even if you stumble, looking for and buying a motorhome is an exciting time so enjoy the trip and let us know how you get on
Karen
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OP
OP
OK, here is a brief summary of our experience yesterday. We had booked to see three vans, although we were only seriously interested in one. A Swift Escape 614.
First off, we didn't buy the van! Nothing really wrong with it that we could see. It was clean and apparently well looked after - well it only has 8500 on the clock and hasn't really been used since July 2019. It still ticked all the boxes as it did on paper from viewing online. It was just that once we got inside it didn't somehow feel right for us. We may have been comparing the feel of the A class we owned previously. Probably an unfair comparison, but you can't help how you feel. It just didn't give us a buzz of excitement. Which was a shame considering it had taken us 5 hours on trains and taxis to get there.
4Front have a lot of motorhomes on site, and the salesman, Peter, was trying to deal with other things at the same time as opening up vans for us, so he left us to it for quite a while. Some people might have felt that he wasn't interested, but it suited us to be left alone with our thoughts. He did seem to miraculously appear out of nowhere once we seemed to be packing up. We then asked him to demonstrate the pull down bed and assemble the lounge table from where it was stored. All of which he did happily, chatting to us all the time. So, after all that, we told him it just didn't seem right for us. He didn't sulk or turn nasty. He just asked us some careful questions aimed at seeing if he could identify the problem, and then asked if we'd like to see a couple of other vans in the light of our first three viewings.
After we'd seen some other suggestions, none of which appealed, we returned to the Swift. We were still undecided because we had been optimistic that this was the one. Eventually, Peter, confirmed our thinking by saying that this was too much money to spend if we weren't excited about the van. So, not a pushy salesman at all. He seemed to understand that it's better to give the right advice even if it doesn't result in a sale. We left feeling quite happy about his attitude and approach. Of course, if there weren't buyers falling over each other at the moment he might have been more pushy...... (Call me cynical). Although, I do think he is just basically a decent bloke.
Today, our £250 deposit has been returned to our bank account already, so no complaints there. The only other thing to mention is that he did say they are not discounting at all at present. Just cannot supply the demand, so no need to discount. As with many other dealers too I imagine.
So that's our experience. On another day, in another time, with another salesman, it might have been very different. No way to tell.
Thanks to all who have responded to this thread. The search continues.
First off, we didn't buy the van! Nothing really wrong with it that we could see. It was clean and apparently well looked after - well it only has 8500 on the clock and hasn't really been used since July 2019. It still ticked all the boxes as it did on paper from viewing online. It was just that once we got inside it didn't somehow feel right for us. We may have been comparing the feel of the A class we owned previously. Probably an unfair comparison, but you can't help how you feel. It just didn't give us a buzz of excitement. Which was a shame considering it had taken us 5 hours on trains and taxis to get there.
4Front have a lot of motorhomes on site, and the salesman, Peter, was trying to deal with other things at the same time as opening up vans for us, so he left us to it for quite a while. Some people might have felt that he wasn't interested, but it suited us to be left alone with our thoughts. He did seem to miraculously appear out of nowhere once we seemed to be packing up. We then asked him to demonstrate the pull down bed and assemble the lounge table from where it was stored. All of which he did happily, chatting to us all the time. So, after all that, we told him it just didn't seem right for us. He didn't sulk or turn nasty. He just asked us some careful questions aimed at seeing if he could identify the problem, and then asked if we'd like to see a couple of other vans in the light of our first three viewings.
After we'd seen some other suggestions, none of which appealed, we returned to the Swift. We were still undecided because we had been optimistic that this was the one. Eventually, Peter, confirmed our thinking by saying that this was too much money to spend if we weren't excited about the van. So, not a pushy salesman at all. He seemed to understand that it's better to give the right advice even if it doesn't result in a sale. We left feeling quite happy about his attitude and approach. Of course, if there weren't buyers falling over each other at the moment he might have been more pushy...... (Call me cynical). Although, I do think he is just basically a decent bloke.
Today, our £250 deposit has been returned to our bank account already, so no complaints there. The only other thing to mention is that he did say they are not discounting at all at present. Just cannot supply the demand, so no need to discount. As with many other dealers too I imagine.
So that's our experience. On another day, in another time, with another salesman, it might have been very different. No way to tell.
Thanks to all who have responded to this thread. The search continues.
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Thank you for updating us , quite a trip!!OK, here is a brief summary of our experience yesterday. We had booked to see three vans, although we were only seriously interested in one. A Swift Escape 614.
First off, we didn't buy the van! Nothing really wrong with it that we could see. It was clean and apparently well looked after - well it only has 8500 on the clock and hasn't really been used since July 2019. It still ticked all the boxes as it did on paper from viewing online. It was just that once we got inside it didn't somehow feel right for us. We may have been comparing the feel of the A class we owned previously. Probably an unfair comparison, but you can't help how you feel. It just didn't give us a buzz of excitement. Which was a shame considering it had taken us 5 hours on trains and taxis to get there.
4Front have a lot of motorhomes on site, and the salesman, Peter, was trying to deal with other things at the same time as opening up vans for us, so he left us to it for quite a while. Some people might have felt that he wasn't interested, but it suited us to be left alone with our thoughts. He did seem to miraculously appear out of nowhere once we seemed to be packing up. We then asked him to demonstrate the pull down bed and assemble the lounge table from where it was stored. All of which he did happily, chatting to us all the time. So, after all that, we told him it just didn't seem right for us. He didn't sulk or turn nasty. He just asked us some careful questions aimed at seeing if he could identify the problem, and then asked if we'd like to see a couple of other vans in the light of our first three viewings.
After we'd seen some other suggestions, none of which appealed, we returned to the Swift. We were still undecided because we had been optimistic that this was the one. Eventually, Peter, confirmed our thinking by saying that this was too much money to spend if we weren't excited about the van. So, not a pushy salesman at all. He seemed to understand that it's better to give the right advice even if it doesn't result in a sale. We left feeling quite happy about his attitude and approach. Of course, if there weren't buyers falling over each other at the moment he might have been more pushy...... (Call me cynical). Although, I do think he is just basically a decent bloke.
Today, our £250 deposit has been returned to our bank account already, so no complaints there. The only other thing to mention is that he did say they are not discounting at all at present. Just cannot supply the demand, so no need to discount. As with many other dealers too I imagine.
So that's our experience. On another day, in another time, with another salesman, it might have been very different. No way to tell.
Thanks to all who have responded to this thread. The search continues.
Well done on making decisions , you’ll get there. Peter is very straightforward to deal with and in a way its good to be left to nose around vehicles without hard sales . I’m kinda relieved the review I gave was in line with your experience ,,we all have different perceptions of dealers don’t we.
Exciting times eh! Good luck!
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MaidinDevon
LIFE MEMBER
Maybe a bit late, but thought i would add my two pennorth. I bought my current van from them. The van was possibly over priced, and they wouldn't negotiate, but on the other hand they offered me a generous part ex, so it worked out fair.
I agree, they are more like a used car dealer, and don't know that much about vans. The Hymer was out of water, and so they filled it up, much consternation and head scratching when the water just gushed all over the forecourt. It was me who found the freshwater tank access, under the floor, and discovered the plug in the bottom(well, lack of!).
The van was rare, and the right one for me, so I bought it, and it has been a good purchase. However, if I had a choice, i would have preferred a different dealer.
The salesman was quite difficult, he made a point of saying that they would not respond to aggressive complaints. I felt that he was telling me subtly not to bother complaining, or trying to claim on the warranty. I was definitely not being aggressive. He definitely had an attitude when dealing with a female, as well. My friend visited with me, in his van, and the salesman treated him differently, (a bit blokey). Perhaps he was challenged by a woman buying a 7m van, to travel in on her own!
In short, I would buy from them again, if they had the van I wanted. And to be fair, they were very helpful and prompt when we were discussing a part ex, from my old van. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Karen
I agree, they are more like a used car dealer, and don't know that much about vans. The Hymer was out of water, and so they filled it up, much consternation and head scratching when the water just gushed all over the forecourt. It was me who found the freshwater tank access, under the floor, and discovered the plug in the bottom(well, lack of!).
The van was rare, and the right one for me, so I bought it, and it has been a good purchase. However, if I had a choice, i would have preferred a different dealer.
The salesman was quite difficult, he made a point of saying that they would not respond to aggressive complaints. I felt that he was telling me subtly not to bother complaining, or trying to claim on the warranty. I was definitely not being aggressive. He definitely had an attitude when dealing with a female, as well. My friend visited with me, in his van, and the salesman treated him differently, (a bit blokey). Perhaps he was challenged by a woman buying a 7m van, to travel in on her own!
In short, I would buy from them again, if they had the van I wanted. And to be fair, they were very helpful and prompt when we were discussing a part ex, from my old van. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Karen
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