Negotiating price on first motorhome (used) ... (1 Viewer)

[suemac43]

Hello all
We are just about to purchase our first (used) motorhome and have seen and test driven the one we want. I have purchased Jim's guide to buying a motorhome and had a quick look through the negotiation on price section but this was after our 2 visits to see the motorhome.

At the first visit, we let the salesman know we were very interested and asked if they could negotiate on price, but after 'checking with the boss' were given a firm 'no, its a good price plus 3 year warranty, MOT, tax etc included' so we left and said we'd think about it. They let us walk away with no attempt to make any offer. The second time we test drove it (a week later), again we left and no attempt on salesman's behalf to try and get us to buy. I am just wondering if this implies that they will not budge on the price, or should we keep trying? Anyone with experience of this, or any advice / comments welcome please. Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Hollyberry]

If it was me, I’d offer what I want to pay. If they don’t want to take my money, I walk away.

 

[Emmit]

I'm no expert but from what I've read, you've gone too far with this particular 'van to get a good (if any) discount.

You've nailed your colours to the mast by telling them that you were very interested in it.
We made the same, similar faux pas with our current, first van.
I should have told the Co. that we lived around the corner . Instead I told them we were travelling from Cornwall to see it. ie we were VERY interested.

'Vans are like buses, another one will come along. Treat this experience as just that.

If you go to a dealer, Tell 'em nowt. Have more than one on the forecourt that you are 'interested' in (but don't tell them.) Let them do the wondering. Leave your details if they ask but walk away. If they ring you, they are, in reality chasing you.

You are in the drivers seat here. There is no part ex. There should be a discount.

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[suemac43]

Thanks Hollyberry. Yes, have considered that. The only problem being that we have researched and have only found one other used vehicle of this make and style for sale (Hymer Ayers Rock) but more expensive, and it is this one my husband wants (I do like it too). We can pay the price they are asking, would just be nice to get it a bit cheaper!

 

[TerryL]

As long as you are quite definite this is the one you want, and I have to ask how many others you have looked at, then you're probably going to have to pay the dealers price. Not helped by making more than one visit - the salesman has "clocked" you as eager so is unlikely now to move.

Otherwise do as Hollyberry says, offer him what you want to pay and if he still says no, congratulate him on having plenty of customers, then walk away. There are always other motorhomes about.

EDIT: Emmit beat me to it!

 

[Drifter]

You could always try and get a few goodies not already fitted. When we went to look at ours we got money of the window price and they very reluctantly gave us a solar panel and mirror guards when we said we would maybe pop back later after visiting another dealer nearby. That got the salesman attention more than anything we said. They don’t want to miss a sale and know there are a lot of MH for sale

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[GSD]

You may have shown your hand too much at the beginning and the dealership may consequently have decided that you want it badly enough to pay their price. Your options are :-
1. Bite the bullet and pay their price.
2. Keep an eye on the vehicle and wait. As the season draws on the dealer may be more amenable to a price drop and you can use the late season argument to justify it. Of course you could lose the particular vehicle but there will be others.
3. Decide what you are prepared to pay (say £2k below dealers price) but that is just for illustration because £2K could be 20% or 2% depending on price. Then go to the dealer and say you are prepared to sign up to purchase at that figure but if he is not prepared to accept that you will walk away. This may lead to a counter-offer which you can consider or just stick to your guns and say "£X or nothing". You have to convince the Dealer that you are prepared to walk so have another credible deal in your mind.
4. Just walk away.

At the risk of being sexist I note the term "we" in your post but if you went to the dealership as a lone woman you may also have been perceived as being less street wise. Completely wrong of course but it is the sales game and the motor trade where commission is king and b*lls**t is normal.

Good luck

 

[Zains Pops]

Start the negotiation with a low bid below that which you will finally settle upon, just stay the number shut up and wait for his reply.
By the way no vehicle now comes with road tax, you’ll have to pay from the 1st of July( if you buy this month)
Good luck

 

[Hymer 1961]

Thanks Hollyberry. Yes, have considered that. The only problem being that we have researched and have only found one other used vehicle of this make and style for sale (Hymer Ayers Rock) but more expensive, and it is this one my husband wants (I do like it too). We can pay the price they are asking, would just be nice to get it a bit cheaper!

If it’s the well known dealer just off the M6 then you are going to need some very good negotiating skills. We purchased from them recently and it was like getting blood out of a stone. Does depend on the model etc, as they have 2 used in stock you may get some leeway. Good luck ?

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[tonka]

Hello all
We are just about to purchase our first (used) motorhome and have seen and test driven the one we want. I have purchased Jim's guide to buying a motorhome and had a quick look through the negotiation on price section but this was after our 2 visits to see the motorhome.

At the first visit, we let the salesman know we were very interested and asked if they could negotiate on price, but after 'checking with the boss' were given a firm 'no, its a good price plus 3 year warranty, MOT, tax etc included' so we left and said we'd think about it. They let us walk away with no attempt to make any offer. The second time we test drove it (a week later), again we left and no attempt on salesman's behalf to try and get us to buy. I am just wondering if this implies that they will not budge on the price, or should we keep trying? Anyone with experience of this, or any advice / comments welcome please. Thanks for your help in advance.

Would that be Oaktree near Nottingham by any chance ??
Had same experience but the van was what we wanted and was cheaper and newer than one we had seen week before. Unusual for me but i bit the bullet and just went for it. My part exchange was same, the guy who bought it contacted me and they stuck to the advertised price.

If its not what you want or the price then walk away and look elsewhere. But if its a good find then go for it.. If it is Oaktree and the RAC warranty be aware the basic package they give you is basic so consider the upgrade and be aware of the implications with service schedules etc..

 

[suemac43]

Thanks Emmit ... yes, I did fear that. Oh well, will be better armed next time (hoping that won't be for a few years though!).

 

[Campervan_man]

Hymer Hymercar Ayers Rock Motorhomes for sale | Caravansforsale.co.uk

Browse local Hymer Hymercar Ayers Rock Motorhomes for sale near you at the best prices. Buy and sell from trusted dealers and private sellers today!

www.caravansforsale.co.uk

Good choice here for Hymer Ayers Rock.

''Dealers do like to make a profit margin.''
Hobby Vantana are nice vans- worth a look?

HOBBY VANTANA K65T, Luxury German 3 berth van conversion | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for HOBBY VANTANA K65T, Luxury German 3 berth van conversion at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

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best wishes
ian

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[Simon Select]

Completely wrong of course but it is the sales game and the motor trade where commission is king and b*lls**t is normal.

Good luck

Bit of an unfair comment.

 

[Wagoneer]

Might be worth checking the terms of the 3 year warranty and who is providing it. Some are not worth the paper they're written on IMO. Also check the MOT against the reg for any advisories.

 

[suemac43]

Thanks Hymer, I guess it's Stafford you are referring to? We did have a look in there initially but what they had was too expensive for us. Have just seen the other Ayers Rocks online there now (thanks for pointing out) ...
Tonka, yes Nottingham. I think we will be doing like you as it is what we want (sizewise and habitation) and cheaper than the others we've seen online (albeit older by 1-2 years, but low mileage). I have been reading about the warranty on various forums ... seems it is not really worth much, and even the upgrade has poor reviews. Do you have the warranty / upgrade? Had to use it at all? Did you manage to get any extras thrown in from the company? Thanks for your reply.

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[Just smiffy]

Don’t worry about the mileage, these vans are designed to do an average 250,000 miles...

I’d rather one that has been driven around then sitting on a drive....

 

[suemac43]

Thank you all for your very helpful comments and suggestions. I think, having browsed the caravansforsale website (thanks Machzoneman), the one we are considering is a good price so we may have to just go with it. The Hobby Vantana looks very good but we need 4 berth and smaller length (for now).
Perhaps we will try and get some freebies thrown in although I am not experienced at this and it probably shows! GSD, you guessed very well ... although not there as a lone woman, I did do the talking whilst hubby occupied the children as he is even more useless at negotiation than me! This leads me on to another quick question ... vehicle is 2016 with 6000 miles - is it worth getting an independent inspection by AA or RAC? Or should the dealer's free inspection be sufficient?

 

[tonka]

Do you have the warranty / upgrade? Had to use it at all? Did you manage to get any extras thrown in from the company? Thanks for your reply.

I took the standard warranty then decided to upgrade based on the fact of how much the vehicle had cost.
All my life I have never bought extra warranty on anything, sold thousands when i had my Retail business so this went against the grain a bit.. Fingers crossed...

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[Lenny HB]

For the same or less money you could buy a new one in Belgium or Germany, why pay silly UK prices.

 

[iandsm]

You have as has been said, shown your hand, if you like the van and you have the money, buy it.

 

[Norfolk Nomad]

For the same or less money you could buy a new one in Belgium or Germany, why pay silly UK prices.

Better be quick, according to Boris we'll be out by 31st October.

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[GSD]

Well I concede a generalisation so it could be said fair to some but unfair to others. We probably both accept that commission driven behaviour and bs both happen.

 

[suemac43]

So, we did it!! Managed to negotiate and get £1500 discount, which was better than the nothing I had thought we'd come out with. No extras thrown in though, but I'm happy with our deal and looking forward to picking up in 12 days time. Can't wait for summer!!

Thanks again to all the replies, they were really helpful.

 

[Hymer 1961]

So, we did it!! Managed to negotiate and get £1500 discount, which was better than the nothing I had thought we'd come out with. No extras thrown in though, but I'm happy with our deal and looking forward to picking up in 12 days time. Can't wait for summer!!

Thanks again to all the replies, they were really helpful.

Congratulations. The £1500 is certainly going to come in handy for all the equipment needed when kitting out a Motorhome or camper for the first time. Good luck!

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[Just smiffy]

You’ll have post some pictures now.... welcome to the club....??

 

[Cheshirecat57]

So, we did it!! Managed to negotiate and get £1500 discount, which was better than the nothing I had thought we'd come out with. No extras thrown in though, but I'm happy with our deal and looking forward to picking up in 12 days time. Can't wait for summer!!

Thanks again to all the replies, they were really helpful.

Makes the £15 subscription fee look good value doesn’t it??

 

[Southdowners]

Well done.... congratulations!

Happy travels

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[GAVLAD]

Would that be Oaktree near Nottingham by any chance ??
Had same experience but the van was what we wanted and was cheaper and newer than one we had seen week before. Unusual for me but i bit the bullet and just went for it. My part exchange was same, the guy who bought it contacted me and they stuck to the advertised price.

If its not what you want or the price then walk away and look elsewhere. But if its a good find then go for it.. If it is Oaktree and the RAC warranty be aware the basic package they give you is basic so consider the upgrade and be aware of the implications with service schedules etc..

I was just reading through this thread and before getting to your post on this tonka I thought to myself, I bet the dealer is Oaktree!
Exactly the same happened with my buying experience from them.
In fact, they were bloody awful to deal with.
Fortunately, I had the contact details of the guy who owned the van he’d advertised it previously on Ebay before placing it with Oaktree to sell on a commission basis for him, otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up buying it.
They gave a take it or leave it attitude, wouldn’t budge on price, stayed in the van whilst we were looking at it and even when we asked for 5mins to discuss between ourselves, he was a bloody nuisance but as soon as we tried negotiating he walked off.
Then, as you say, the 3 years fantastic warranty they advertise - when we bought and came around to paying the balance, we find out that the warranty they include is the basic of the basic. The level of warranty to match what the initial sales guy made out includes, we had to pay an extra £900 to get that over (RAC) so be careful of the initial sales patter. I had to beg for a gas cylinder. They gave us the wrong awning for it and when I phoned them as soon as I got it home to complain that the wing mirror kept folding inwards whilst on the M1, they didn’t want to know - and the warranty didn’t cover wear & tear.
It was a delightful opportunity to tell them what I thought of them when they kept calling me to remind me about it’s first service, habitation & MOT a year later though!

My advice to you suemac43 is to collect your van and don’t take it back there for any future work doing.
I believe that this is the only way a company will change their approach and ask questions of themselves.
(And I’m sure there’ll be others on here who will say what a fab service they got and diss what I have said but thats my experience of them)
I’m pleased for you that you got there in the end and it’s what you want.
Looking for your first van is always a bit fraught if not exciting as you’re handing over such a lot of money - you’d expect a better experience from a company who is meant to be in the business of selling Motorhomes.
Happy travels with it!

 

[Gaston aires]

Well done to ya!
Now enjoy it.
Phil

 

[Mike800966]

Hi and welcome again!
What a lot of excellent advice you have had all for £15!!
The van wont be perfect, there are bound to be things you would like different or perhaps dont work but take your time, enjoy the 'van and this summer with the family. There will be a lot to learn.
Motorhomes are sold as perfection, they rarely are, just enjoy and talk to people on here and you will usually get help and advice aplenty

We were told by the dealer that we would get Fiat 3 yr warranty, it was 1 year + the Lunar warranty, we didnt- I was later told at Lunars NEC stand to "read the warranty papers again" as it only relates to the original purchaser. At that time the 'van was 6 months old with 600 miles on it. Its now almost 85000 so we have made good use of it .
Best wishes

Mike & Ann