New Motorhome Advice Needed and some questions (1 Viewer)

[Aido10]

Hi everyone, first post tonight. Been reading from afar for a while now. Delighted to become a member.

I've read a lot of great and very helpful advice already and I just wanted to hopefully try to get some help for my own questions before I take the plunge and purchase my first motorhome!

We're are a family of 4 (2 young kids - 2 and 4 in July) and we're looking to change from a caravan to a motorhome. I've researched for months now and think we are settled on a 4 berth twin fixed beds at the back for the kids and the drop down over cabin bed for ourselves. I've also spent a lot of time looking at models/brands matching that layout/style (and used vs New) and we are swaying towards the Hymer Exsis-i 580 pure special edition. There's a 2022 model available now to order for delivery in around Feb/March/Aprtil time 2022 on the Fiat chassis, automatic and from what I understand similar in spec to the pure 2021 model, except it's automatic and Fiat, not citreon.

The things on my mind at the moment stopping me from taking the plunge are some concerns around the payload and then around the actual cost given it's my first motorhome.

In terms of payload, I've seen loads of posts and I know you need to take the van to the weigh bridge but should I be concerned with around a 480kg payload with 4 of us? I've done some crude calculations and I think we should have more than enough but I am nervous that I am missing something.

The second thing is around the cost - I am not overly concerned about buying new, I just want to ensure that I've explored other options in around that price range. Are there any opinions around twin bed layouts in the same price bracket that would be a better fit or maybe even a better van? I don't believe I've seen too may negatives about Hymers in general and I've been very impressed with the brochures, reviews, info etc on this model. Perhaps there are some members who have opinion on the 580?

Sorry for the long post everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read (if you have!) and for any advice you may share. Hopefully this is my first post of many over the next many many years!

 

[scotzsue]

Having travelled with young kidsabout the same age as yours, I would prefer to have bunk beds but realise you would lose storage space with that, it is amazing just what taking all the stuff you need adds up to weight wise Take it you are tied to a 3500kg van Cant really help with your queries but welcome aboard, be wary of any extrs fitted they all take away form the payload.
In all honesty if I was travelling all the time with kids i would have a car and caravan, so much easier to get about. We do take grandkids still but John also takes his car, those kids are now nearly 14 and 16 and still love the life.
Wonder too if you have tried hiring a van with the layout you like, might save you an expensive mistake.

 

[donkey]

Hi
In my experience, not too many people find their ideal motorhome first time.
It is difficult to know without spending time in a particular model if it is right for you.
So as suggested above, try to hire the van type of your choice.
If you were to find your brand new motorhome did not live up to your expectations you could lose thousands swapping.
Geoff

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[Aido10]

Thanks for the comments. Some food for thought around payload and buying before trying. I don’t have the c1 license at the moment but I suppose I have time to get it prior to 2022. Not in an immediate rush for the motorhome as have a caravan for this summer

 

[Nanniemate]

I'm in the try before you buy team, just think about putting the bikes in alone anything else, get you licences sorted, it will give you so many more options , The little people will love it

 

[Hammie]

I bought second hand. It took a year to find it. It has a ton of payload and I’ve nearly filled it . I didn’t listen to the people commenting on the size etc. 6.99 mtrs. I’m glad I didn’t because the layout is the right one for me. The only thing that would get me to change it would be slideouts. Happy hunting.

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[David and Sally]

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Hello and welcome.
It is so exciting to be searching and evaluating what you want .
One point to remember is travelling seat belts for such young children.
Does the van have full point forward facing inertia belts for all 4?
Will you be using robust child seats, which are big and fairly heavy and take up room to store, and not fixed by isofix fastening?
And if you are using child seats, one will no doubtably be next to the window, but the other will have the gangway on its outside, unless, this van has forward and rear facing belts opposite each other as part of the dinette arrangement.
Personally, and not to take any enjoyment away from your excitement, I would have thought a good 4 berth caravan and tow car, possibly with a suitable top box, would meet, for now, your requirements admirably until the children are older, but more importantly bigger, if you were to have one up front with the driver in their own child seat, with the other safely secured in a rear forward facing child seat and full belt on the inside with an adult next to them for the outside gangway space (that is assuming you don’t have a set of belts as described earlier with the dinette arrangement, ie one facing on the inside and one opposite on the inside but rear facing.
I speak from experience with the weight and storage used for bulky, but essential, child seats and my van has 6 belts, 4 forward facing inertia for any use, and 2 rear facing lap belts primarily for adult use or a child over the age 12 and/ or at least 5 foot in height.
These are only my personal views but I hope they will help you in your decision making process.
Good Luck, but please don’t rush!
Part of looking is also part of the adventure and enjoyment.

 

[Aido10]

Thanks, that is great advice. I’ve decided to slow down and do a bit more research and to go check a few out in person. as you say that’s all part of the fun and the adventure. My wife’s anxious to get one sourced and sorted but all of the points in this post suggest we’ve a lot more thinking to do. Really appreciate all the advice, the last thing I want to do is rush into a very expensive mistake!

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[Wellington]

I have banged on (at length) about this elsewhere, but I advise caution. I do motorhome with my daughter (who is ten) and in many ways its a royal pain in the proverbial. Motorhoming isn’t like camping, or carvanning. You pack up and down ALL the time. You don’t have an awning to throw the bikes, scooters, lego creations, wet towels, extra chairs etc etc etc into. You have to stow them, every time you want a pint of milk or go out for the day. You have to put EVERYTHING away every morning before you go out for the day. Or you could could stay in just one place, but then you have to put everything away before go and get water, or pop out for more coco pops. And really, why have a motorhome to stay in one place? And there is no floor space for them to play in if it’s wet. Car seats are the real deal breaker though. They are bulky and awkward and there is nowhere to stow them in you want to use the travelling seats to sit on. Ours didn’t even fit through the motorhome door, and you couldn’t get two side by side in the dinette, AND the lounge is L shaped and there is nowhere for the person in the corner to put their legs without taking the L out, losing the stowage, and associated seating, meaning only three can eat at the table. They are designed for retired couples who occasionally want to take the grandchildren away (but who generally take a second vehicle when they do). We make it work by having a four berth, four travel seat 6.4m rig and by shoving the car seat upsidedown in the front passenger footwell and leaving the drop down bed over the cab down for play space, and a patchwork system of electric bikes, a bike towing system, taxis and buses. We have a motorhome with a large garage for bikes and scooters and whatnot, and we don’t move so frequently as I would like, and I have a girl that’s pretty happy with a lot of mucky outside play and a DVD player! I also carry a pop up tent to shove things like inflated pool toys and chairs in when I really can’t be doing with putting everything away properly.

I love my motorhome. I have wanted one for years, and it works for us, but we are only two people, one of whom hates towing with a passion and has vowed never, ever to go anywhere with a less comfortable bed than home. We also don’t have a family type car to use as a tow car. It’s seriously impractical for families, in my experience. I know people do it in those VWs, but what they actually do is use them as a van and attach a large tent to them, then use the van as a car to go out. Its a lot cheaper to just buy an actual van, or a trailer, and a large tent. I’d seriously recommend a caravan, if you can manage the towing. Honestly, even I’d consider it if I wasn’t so attached to my car. I’ve done both, and if there are two of you to hitch up or set it’s much easier (I personally found setting up a tent on my own too much of a chore for a supposed holiday) The value of a motor home is in being properly self contained, and being able to easily move on often, neither of which is really possible with kids in car seats. There’s just nowhere to put them. I bet if you take your car seats to a few vans and fit them, you will end up with a very short list of possibles. Remember your children will need to be in seats until they are 135cm tall. My daughter has just hit that at ten, although she is a little on the small side, most kids won’t hit it until eight at the earliest, more likely around 9, so it’s a issue for a fair while.

It might be worth hiring ( perhaps through Camplify) one of the models you are thinking of to see what the issues could be for you. Most people don’t get it right first time, even seasoned caravan owners (like yours truly, who was adamant she didn’t want a garage, and then discovered what a pain it is to put electric bikes on a rack and that there was no where for the kiddie stuff!) I’d love to hear how to you get on and if you find something that works for you.

 

[ByronMH]

Hi Aido10, welcome aboard and best of luck with whatever you decide.

I shall also give you my two pennies worth... Coming from a caravanning background since a kid and very recently bought our first motorhome too. Firstly, as others have said, life in a caravan and motorhome are in some ways very different. Consider those differences when choosing your layout is my advice. Secondly, I also really believe you should try before you buy.

To put things into perspective, we're a family of five - three young daughters, 9, 12 & 13 and the two of us - we've moved into the van full time and are "world-schooling", so it's entirely possible. We rented a motorhome for six weeks and went touring around Europe before deciding on layout etc. The one we hired had rear fixed bunks (because that's what we thought we wanted to buy). In practice though, we ended up with a rear u-shaped lounge, as we needed that extra space during the day; kids for schooling and myself up the other end for working. Hiring a van really helped us to be able to realise a lot of things before forking out on our van and so glad we did it. I think a lot of how you get on in your new motorhome will come down to you as a family and your approach to life. All the best!

 

[Aido10]

Thanks everyone for the comments. We are still doing lots of research but went again yesterday to look through layouts in person with a lot of the points in the posts above in our minds. ByronMH Your point on the U shape layout really makes sense, to be honest my wife has been told that several times, that with kids we'd need more space but I've been trying to navigate down the fixed bed route. Unfortunately there's not a lot of stock left where I am from so we could only see end Lounges in one model so far but I was very impressed with how spacious it all felt. For now the Hymer I initially posted about is on hold, it just feels like I'd be making too many sacrifices regarding space and payload.

Thanks all again

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[Hammie]

there are some vans that have a drop down bed above the u shaped lounge

 

[Hammie]

My Arto 69G (N&B Hymer) has transverse at back and drop down at the front both doubles an L shaped sofa with two turning seats in lounge. It also came with a safari room which would give familial space. I love it!

 

[suavecarve]

408 kgs payload for a growing family of 4 is in no way even close to being acceptable unless you are going to use your van as a day van only. There are numerous threads on here which will show you how you will have a choice of taking the pushbikes or the wife on a day out at 3,500 kgs.

Getting the C1 (for the both of you ?) is not insurmountable and you will have it for life (or until 70) then you may want to go higher than a 3850 or 4100 kgs van.

My questions to pose to you would be how you are going to use the van. If remaining in the UK for weekends away and a fortnight in the summer, then I would be plumping for a caravan. If staying in one place, caravan, if going for day van, smaller version, if going over to Europe for 2-3 weeks at a time twice a year + then motorhome.

If you come to the conclusion that the motorhome is the way to go and you explore buying abroad for better value for money and LHD (loads of advice about that on here as well) then gambling that the pound will improve versus the euro could save you a number of shillings, as well as the cheaper prices in Belgium or Germany.

But, I would do it a different way with what you have written. I read a wife that wants to get going, and a hubby who wants to protect his hard earnt cash. (Apologies if I have got that the wrong way round)

I would buy a motorhome that is somewhere near what you are thinking of buying in terms of layout, and I would buy it now. I would look at about the £20K mark and use it for a year. I wouldnt buy one from a garage but a private sale. I would probably buy it from the adverts on here and looking at the member who was selling it to ease thoughts but an honest history rather than a blind ebay purchase. Then I would use it for a year and sell it to either purchase the van you decide upon or to replace it with what you are actually after. Wife = happy, kids get excitement, you get an education and it is not beyond the realms of possibilities that you make a profit on the van at around that price.

Best of luck

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[Hammie]

Mine is LHD I got it down to 27k in the end. The only thing that would get me to sell would be slideouts. It has air suspension so 4.1 ton. I’ve nearly filled it but to be fair it is my second home with heavy glasses and porcelain plates etc. some beach campsites are limited to 4 ton vans

 

[Hammie]

Due to Sandy soil

 

[nicholsong]

Aldo10

Welcome.

You have obviously taken on board that more research is needed - I did loads before I bought 11 years ago and fortunately got it right as we still have it and I only spent £27.5K on a N&B at 6 years old.

i cannot help with the child aspects, either for seats nor beds., buI one has to presume that they will at some stage want their own bikes and maybe you want to cycle with them, at least on roads to keep them safe. That could result in 4 bikes, which can be carried on a bike rack at the rear, but probably easier in a garage, but then that precludes a rear lounge.

I support most of @suarvecarve's comments about payload, especially re the bikes and also the kids are going to get heavier as the years go by. I would support the idea of one or both of you doing the C1 test.

Another point on payload is how you want to use the MH, which involves decisions on which country(ies) and whether you want to go to campsites, or wildcamping, because some of those decisions affect things like how much water you carry or whether you can fill on arrival at a campsite - most water tanks are 90/100kgs and I guess after 3-4 years the 4 of you will weigh about 225kg. Then the bikes or any other sports equipment. How about 1/2 tank of diesel - say 40Litres, (32kg). You might like an awning(70kg). Second battery? Levelling ramps? Water hose? Electric cable? Tool box? That just about eats up your prospective 480kg and you have not loaded any clothes, incl wellies etc., nor food and drink, bottles of coke,, beer, wine, milk, potatoes, fruit, cans - it all adds up. I hope I have said enough on this point.

Now the new or secondhand debate? I think there are a few factors to take into account.: -

Price
Warranty
How long you will keep the first choice MH
Choice of layout
Availability

The factors are somewhat interlinked, e.g if your choice of layout on a new MH proves to be wrong and you do not keep it very long that is going to cost you a lot - maybe lose 30%, so on a new Exsis that could be £30K plus. On a secondhand MH you might lose £5-7K after 2 years.

On warranty, of course there are always snags with a new vehicle but then you have to consider how close you are to the selling dealer. With secondhand you can find many problems have been ironed out in the first owner's time, and many people have experienced problems with dealers' warranties. Buying privately gives you no warranty, but a hell of a lot of cash saved to fix any problems. I bought a N&B Arto at 6 years old and it did not need anything fixing for a few years.

Choice of layout? I think i have to leave you to decide, but see my comments above about changing a nearly new MH. If new I think you need to think of keeping it for 8-10 years, but remember the family sleeping requirements may change in that time.

Availability. This is getting tighter on both new and secondhand. On new the base vehicle manufacturers are not producing enough vehicles for the MH converters and promised delivery dates, which were always a bit problematical, seem to be a bit of a lottery now. Secondhand market has been getting thinner in UK, but you could look at German market on mobile.de - There is speculation as to whether a lot of new motorhomers will will stick with the hobby if travel restrictions continue or return. Anybody's guess.

Sorry, long answer, but as you are starting to appreciate it is a complex decision, but you have time.

My personal advice is do C1, for now and for future, and buy secondhand the first time, especially if you are thinking of quality like Hymer, or better - they are out there at much less than new prices, which also tells you what you would lose on new.

Geoff

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[Jimbohorlicks]

If your licence allows why not think of adding a small trailer for all the kids stuff you need to take?

 

[Aido10]

408 kgs payload for a growing family of 4 is in no way even close to being acceptable unless you are going to use your van as a day van only. There are numerous threads on here which will show you how you will have a choice of taking the pushbikes or the wife on a day out at 3,500 kgs.

Pushbikes win every day of the week

 

[Aido10]

there are some vans that have a drop down bed above the u shaped lounge

Hi Hammie, thanks for the advice. We are looking at some of the U and L shaped lounges. There's models with front and rear drop down beds which leave the lounge intact. Lots of options out there. Glad I posted on here. So much great advice and feedback.

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[Aido10]

408 kgs payload for a growing family of 4 is in no way even close to being acceptable unless you are going to use your van as a day van only. There are numerous threads on here which will show you how you will have a choice of taking the pushbikes or the wife on a day out at 3,500 kgs.

Getting the C1 (for the both of you ?) is not insurmountable and you will have it for life (or until 70) then you may want to go higher than a 3850 or 4100 kgs van.

My questions to pose to you would be how you are going to use the van. If remaining in the UK for weekends away and a fortnight in the summer, then I would be plumping for a caravan. If staying in one place, caravan, if going for day van, smaller version, if going over to Europe for 2-3 weeks at a time twice a year + then motorhome.

If you come to the conclusion that the motorhome is the way to go and you explore buying abroad for better value for money and LHD (loads of advice about that on here as well) then gambling that the pound will improve versus the euro could save you a number of shillings, as well as the cheaper prices in Belgium or Germany.

But, I would do it a different way with what you have written. I read a wife that wants to get going, and a hubby who wants to protect his hard earnt cash. (Apologies if I have got that the wrong way round)

I would buy a motorhome that is somewhere near what you are thinking of buying in terms of layout, and I would buy it now. I would look at about the £20K mark and use it for a year. I wouldnt buy one from a garage but a private sale. I would probably buy it from the adverts on here and looking at the member who was selling it to ease thoughts but an honest history rather than a blind ebay purchase. Then I would use it for a year and sell it to either purchase the van you decide upon or to replace it with what you are actually after. Wife = happy, kids get excitement, you get an education and it is not beyond the realms of possibilities that you make a profit on the van at around that price.

Best of luck

Thanks for the detailed post. Food for thought. You have it right, I just don't want to make an expensive mistake. Made plenty of them in the past. We've enjoyed exploring the options and the research over the past 48 hours. This group has made us understand that we don't want to rush into anything. We'll definitely also look at the used options.

 

[Aido10]

Aldo10

Welcome.

You have obviously taken on board that more research is needed - I did loads before I bought 11 years ago and fortunately got it right as we still have it and I only spent £27.5K on a N&B at 6 years old.

i cannot help with the child aspects, either for seats nor beds., buI one has to presume that they will at some stage want their own bikes and maybe you want to cycle with them, at least on roads to keep them safe. That could result in 4 bikes, which can be carried on a bike rack at the rear, but probably easier in a garage, but then that precludes a rear lounge.

I support most of @suarvecarve's comments about payload, especially re the bikes and also the kids are going to get heavier as the years go by. I would support the idea of one or both of you doing the C1 test.

Another point on payload is how you want to use the MH, which involves decisions on which country(ies) and whether you want to go to campsites, or wildcamping, because some of those decisions affect things like how much water you carry or whether you can fill on arrival at a campsite - most water tanks are 90/100kgs and I guess after 3-4 years the 4 of you will weigh about 225kg. Then the bikes or any other sports equipment. How about 1/2 tank of diesel - say 40Litres, (32kg). You might like an awning(70kg). Second battery? Levelling ramps? Water hose? Electric cable? Tool box? That just about eats up your prospective 480kg and you have not loaded any clothes, incl wellies etc., nor food and drink, bottles of coke,, beer, wine, milk, potatoes, fruit, cans - it all adds up. I hope I have said enough on this point.

Now the new or secondhand debate? I think there are a few factors to take into account.: -

Price
Warranty
How long you will keep the first choice MH
Choice of layout
Availability

The factors are somewhat interlinked, e.g if your choice of layout on a new MH proves to be wrong and you do not keep it very long that is going to cost you a lot - maybe lose 30%, so on a new Exsis that could be £30K plus. On a secondhand MH you might lose £5-7K after 2 years.

On warranty, of course there are always snags with a new vehicle but then you have to consider how close you are to the selling dealer. With secondhand you can find many problems have been ironed out in the first owner's time, and many people have experienced problems with dealers' warranties. Buying privately gives you no warranty, but a hell of a lot of cash saved to fix any problems. I bought a N&B Arto at 6 years old and it did not need anything fixing for a few years.

Choice of layout? I think i have to leave you to decide, but see my comments above about changing a nearly new MH. If new I think you need to think of keeping it for 8-10 years, but remember the family sleeping requirements may change in that time.

Availability. This is getting tighter on both new and secondhand. On new the base vehicle manufacturers are not producing enough vehicles for the MH converters and promised delivery dates, which were always a bit problematical, seem to be a bit of a lottery now. Secondhand market has been getting thinner in UK, but you could look at German market on mobile.de - There is speculation as to whether a lot of new motorhomers will will stick with the hobby if travel restrictions continue or return. Anybody's guess.

Sorry, long answer, but as you are starting to appreciate it is a complex decision, but you have time.

My personal advice is do C1, for now and for future, and buy secondhand the first time, especially if you are thinking of quality like Hymer, or better - they are out there at much less than new prices, which also tells you what you would lose on new.

Geoff

Thanks for this Geoff. Very detailed and helpful. The plan initially was always to have the van for minimum 10 years so as you and a number of others have stated, it's extremely important that we get the layout right. I don't want to buy new and then battle with myself about having to change and take a big hit due to something major that's not fit for our purpose. I think I'm going to do the C1 anyway, why should I limit my options. Definitely think my initial decision at the start of the post around the fixed twin bed Hymer was more impulsive that I realised. I am glad I joined the group and posted the question. We aren't 100% on the layout yet but we are definitely 100% on that we don't want to be restricted and constantly making sacrifices to fit everything into 3500kg. Thanks again

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Why not do both for a year? Buy a cheaper van, in the layout that best suits, with best payload. Have a tow bar fitted to the M.H. and take the caravan you already own with you? Use the van as a day van, and sleep in the caravan,or visa versa if that works better.
Mike

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[Grummyb]

Hi everyone, first post tonight. Been reading from afar for a while now. Delighted to become a member.

I've read a lot of great and very helpful advice already and I just wanted to hopefully try to get some help for my own questions before I take the plunge and purchase my first motorhome!

We're are a family of 4 (2 young kids - 2 and 4 in July) and we're looking to change from a caravan to a motorhome. I've researched for months now and think we are settled on a 4 berth twin fixed beds at the back for the kids and the drop down over cabin bed for ourselves. I've also spent a lot of time looking at models/brands matching that layout/style (and used vs New) and we are swaying towards the Hymer Exsis-i 580 pure special edition. There's a 2022 model available now to order for delivery in around Feb/March/Aprtil time 2022 on the Fiat chassis, automatic and from what I understand similar in spec to the pure 2021 model, except it's automatic and Fiat, not citreon.

The things on my mind at the moment stopping me from taking the plunge are some concerns around the payload and then around the actual cost given it's my first motorhome.

In terms of payload, I've seen loads of posts and I know you need to take the van to the weigh bridge but should I be concerned with around a 480kg payload with 4 of us? I've done some crude calculations and I think we should have more than enough but I am nervous that I am missing something.

The second thing is around the cost - I am not overly concerned about buying new, I just want to ensure that I've explored other options in around that price range. Are there any opinions around twin bed layouts in the same price bracket that would be a better fit or maybe even a better van? I don't believe I've seen too may negatives about Hymers in general and I've been very impressed with the brochures, reviews, info etc on this model. Perhaps there are some members who have opinion on the 580?

Sorry for the long post everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read (if you have!) and for any advice you may share. Hopefully this is my first post of many over the next many many years!

 

[Lenny HB]

I think you need to get that C1 as there are very few vans you run at 3500 with a family of 4.
With Hymer and most other German Vans you will lose between 100 to 200 kg of payload once you have specd them to a decent level.
With a German van you really need 700 kg of payload for 2 people. Our last van was an Exsis I678 with nearly 600kg of payload we ended up uprating it to 3850kg just for the 2 of us.
Our current Hymer had 1350kg payload we have used over a 1000 kg of it.

 

[Snoopy]

It's a difficult decision no doubt, as other funsters have said, payload is equally important, their is the ever changing needs of a growing family, but safety is paramount so getting secure seating, as we found when searching( over a year) for the choice of taking the grandkids, we have a 2003 hymer 5 berth, usually hubby myself a 11 year old up in the over cab bed( penthouse suite), but when just us it's great storage, we had restrictions on length due to storage location..lots of factors, then in our case budget aswell, their is always a compromise, but definitely when you can, try everything put , lay on sofa, stand in the shkwer, what room do you have say down on the loo! All of it is essential, I was quite adamant on what I thought we wanted, but after great advice on here, chose ' zebedee ' suits our needs for where we are at, now at the stage in our life, then we bought quest
Pro screen house.easy to put up, saved on weight. All good, best of luck to you and your wife,

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[Hammie]

Hi Hammie, thanks for the advice. We are looking at some of the U and L shaped lounges. There's models with front and rear drop down beds which leave the lounge intact. Lots of options out there. Glad I posted on here. So much great advice and feedback.

My Arto drops down over the cab seats leaving the sofa and kitchen undisturbed with transverse double at the back. Interested to note Nicholson’s has kept his as well. Mine was seven years old when I bought it.

 

[Aido10]

Hi everyone, I’ve went quiet on the post for a while as we’ve been researching motorhomes, viewing motorhomes and really accessing what we need/want. I’ve started studying for the c1 test so thanks again for all the advice.
We’ve picked a layout and van/model that we both love and from a practicality perspective ticks most of our wish list. We’ve spent some time in it and more importantly tried to find faults and annoyances based on all the feedback above (like we’ve done for a few vans we’ve visited) so that’s really helped get us to a more comfortable point in what we want from a motorhome.

The challenge I now have is that there’s only one dealer where I live that supplies this model and they have limited supply for this year. (2-3 more coming in July/august time). We are very early in discussions but I haven’t been able to wiggle any discounts other than a potential discount on additional accessories. I’ve read the guide and tried the techniques, other than walking away which is still an option, I’m not sure how to progress. It’s higher than I want to pay, as it has been fitted with a number of factory upgrades increasing cost above the budget I had originally set. Is the power in the dealers hands given they are the only local supplier?

I suppose I could always travel to other dealers but for the same model that would result in a boat trip to England and I’m also concerned about what that means to servicing/warranty? Can I get that sourced locally or does it always have to be the original dealership?

Apologies for the questions, I’m trying to weigh up potentially losing the van over a discount vs paying the price and having some sort of buyers remorse vs challenges that may come from sourcing a vehicle hundred of miles and sea away!
The other issue I have is that the wife has absolutely fallen in love with this model!

 

[GeoffnDee]

It is rare to be able to get any dealer to carry out any form of warranty work on a Motorhome that they have not sold to you themselves and this has been found to be the case many times. (Despite what people have been told)
Although I have not had this problem as I have been able to buy locally, many people on here (and elsewhere) have had problems with this happening to them and I would suggest you need to look into this very carefully.