First Purchase.

[Yorkshirelad175]

Ayup,

I'm a newbie here, and seeking some very welcomed help & advice please.
I am looking into enjoying the, "freedom of the road", by purchasing a new motorhome for the first time.
Leading favourite so far is the Majestic 195 from Marquis, although I am waiting to view the new Bailey Advance 665. (none of my local dealers have this model in stock as yet !)
The Majestic range does include some very tempting "extra features."
Having scoured the internet for information on motorhomes, I am alarmed at some of the horror stories from folks regarding faults with their new purchase, and the treatment they have received from their dealership after the sale.
Does anybody have views or experience of the Majestic 195, and with the Marquis dealership ? And what about the Bailey range ? Would this be a better purchase ?
A lot of hard earned "brass" at stake here, and being a Yorkshireman, I do not part with mine easily !!!
Looking forward to your replies.
Thanks very much in advance.

Yorkshirelad175.

 

[scotzsue]

welcome Yorkshirelad175.
Not had any experience with either the Marquis brand or Bailey motorhomes, apart from looking at them at shows. Yes there are some horror stories, but how many threads are there from happy owners? We were delighted with our Swift which gets bad press and reviews, and despite a problem with our new solar system on our replacement van, so far, are happy with it, only time will tell.
Would advise you to buy from close to home as a long trip for habitation checks to maintain the warranty can be a pain, think trying to get to north of England in the snow.

 

[CWH]

Ayup ter thee an'all @Yorkshirelad175

I also have no experience of Marquis or Bailey (sorry!) but agree with @scotzsue about buying close to home, there will almost inevitably be niggles with the van as it settles in (think of buying a new house - lots of snagging to do) so unless you have the freedom to drop everything & spend a couple of days on holiday at the dealer's as we do, either to sort out stuff or for the hab check, it can be a real pain. (We have to travel from West Cornwall to Taunton so we always make it the start or end of a trip away!)

 

[irnbru]

 

[Bluemooner]

We have the Bailey 540 and love it

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[Yorkshirelad175]

Ayup Scotzsue, CWH and irnbru,

Many thanks for your welcome and valuable advice.
Yes, one of the plus points about Marquis is that there is a branch almost on my doorstep, and they also offer storage at their site.
Yet another requirement I will need ! Would be ideal for returning for required hab checks and servicing etc.
The nearest Bailey dealership is some 30 miles away, not too bad, but not ideal.

 

[Yorkshirelad175]

Ayup Bluemooner,

Many thanks for your reply.
Yes the Bailey does look a brilliant one. I am very tempted with the Autograph 765, but it is the weight that is the problem.
Slightly over the limit where I don't have to have my driving licence signed off by the doc. Will not be too long before I will need this,
and I object to having to pay the doc an exorbitant fee for the pleasure of his scribble ! (Told you I was a Yorkshireman tight with his brass. )
Also I know the family will no doubt be "borrowing" the van for their hols, and as younger drivers, are limited to weight restrictions by their licence.
Am I mad to agree to this ???
The Bailey Advance 665 comes within the allowed limit.
No final decision made yet.

 

[CWH]

Am I mad to agree to this ???

Not if, as a tight-fisted Tyke, you charge them just above the going rate

 

[Yorkshirelad175]

Ayup CWH,

Tha's reet there, trouble being the lads are also true Yorkshiremen, and just as tight with their "brass"

 

[scotzsue]

Ayup Bluemooner,

.
Slightly over the limit where I don't have to have my driving licence signed off by the doc. Will not be too long before I will need this,
and I object to having to pay the doc an exorbitant fee for the pleasure of his scribble ! (Told you I was a Yorkshireman tight with his brass. )
Also I know the family will no doubt be "borrowing" the van for their hols, and as younger drivers, are limited to weight restrictions by their licence.


.

Don't use your own GP google for the ones that do medicals for HGV much better price

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[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[musson]

There is always bad comments about Brownhills but they have a good selection and not fare from Yorkshire,you can look at layouts to make sure you get the one that suits and dont be afraid to ask what you might think is a daft question it may save you money.If you want to make a day of it SMC is about 1 mile from Brownhills and Lowdhams is about 14 mile.

 

[Norm]

Welcome Yorkshirelad175.

I am fairly new to all this but last year was in the same position as you - looking to buy my first motorhome and I wish I had taken heed of the advice offered at the time. Other Motorhomers all told me to rent initially or buy secondhand. I didn't! We looked at layouts and bought a new Autotrail but after 7 weeks touring Spain & Portugal we realised we wanted something different. As a result we have just taken delivery of a new Burstner having taken a loss in part exchange on the Autotrail. Wish we'd listened!!
The other best tip which you have already had is to buy as local as you can. Even if that means paying a little more. There are always bits & pieces that need attending to or about which you need advice and distance can be a big issue,

 

[Gandhi]

Not being aware of your financial standing and wouldn't want to assume but..... the second you drive that out onto the tarmac you will lose a fat wedge of money! As a newbie have you thought about getting your hands on one three or four years old? Some of them that age can have less than a couple of thousand miles on and still look and feel 'new'. The fall off on value of new MH's in their first three or four years is shocking. We paid £25k for a 5 year old MH with 12000 on the clock that would have been close to £42k new.
Just a thought.
As an aside the rear lounge layout of what your looking at is very popular for good reason. We have a U shaped lounge and spend 80% of out time in it.

 

[hovisbrown]

I would echo what Gandhi says, also regarding the rear lounge, our first 2 vans had dinettes, we now have a rear lounge and with just the two of us (oh and the dog) it suits us much better and is much more comfy for just chillin, and at bedtime takes literally minutes to end up with 2 full size singles or 1 massive double bed.
Regards

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[Reevsie]

Rear lounge for us too. We had a caravan with a fixed double bed and a large bathroom. This meant of a day we had 50% of the van we never really used. We went for a Kontiki 649 as it has a lounge in the rear for the misses to relax whilst I sit up front either working or reading at the dinette. The whole van gets used all day. It takes less than 5 minutes to make up the rear bed. BUT.. I would love a rear garage for more storage.