Should I ?

Y

Yorkshirelad175

Joined
May 17, 2015
Posts
262
Likes collected
691
Location
South Yorkshire
Funster No
36,393
MH
Bailey Alliance SE
Exp
I am a Newbie
After much research, and reading advice on here, I have found a motorhome that is of interest to me. A new 2019, unregistered, and pre-tax increase model.
My dilemma is the vehicle is being offered for sale by a dealer based in Hampshire, and I am based in Yorkshire. It is a long distance to travel should there be any warranty issues. The majority of advice on here says buy local if possible. However the pre-tax increase, and the sale price of the vehicle attracts me. I can find no local dealer that can supply this model without paying the new tax, and the 2020 models are a lot more expensive.
Should I go for this motorhome or not ?
Hopefully there will be no warranty issues, but......

Your thoughts and advice would be welcome. Thank you.
 
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Yorkshirelad175 said:
After much research, and reading advice on here, I have found a motorhome that is of interest to me. A new 2019, unregistered, and pre-tax increase model.
My dilemma is the vehicle is being offered for sale by a dealer based in Hampshire, and I am based in Yorkshire. It is a long distance to travel should there be any warranty issues. The majority of advice on here says buy local if possible. However the pre-tax increase, and the sale price of the vehicle attracts me. I can find no local dealer that can supply this model without paying the new tax, and the 2020 models are a lot more expensive.
Should I go for this motorhome or not ?
Hopefully there will be no warranty issues, but......

Your thoughts and advice would be welcome. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Its your call i'm afraid. I had a similar experience but without the tax issue. Saw a new motorhome I wanted, it was the previous years model but brand new. Dealer was over 200 miles away so I phoned my nearest Adria dealer to see if they would do any warranty work, they said they would but then asked why I didn't just buy from them. Thought they couldn't match the deal but they offered me the current years model but the upgraded model with a better layout, automatic gearbox with increased horse power, spare wheel and many many upgrades. Use the deal you have as a lever and see if anyone will match or beat it. Good luck.
 
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You always get the advice buy local, that’s fine if a local dealer sells what you want.
We bought a new van and the nearest Globecar dealer was 2 hours away, that’s what we wanted so that’s what we bought.
 
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Yorkshirelad175 said:
After much research, and reading advice on here, I have found a motorhome that is of interest to me. A new 2019, unregistered, and pre-tax increase model.
My dilemma is the vehicle is being offered for sale by a dealer based in Hampshire, and I am based in Yorkshire. It is a long distance to travel should there be any warranty issues. The majority of advice on here says buy local if possible. However the pre-tax increase, and the sale price of the vehicle attracts me. I can find no local dealer that can supply this model without paying the new tax, and the 2020 models are a lot more expensive.
Should I go for this motorhome or not ?
Hopefully there will be no warranty issues, but......

Your thoughts and advice would be welcome. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Our MH converter is in Yorkshire. We use them for warranty and for a major repair after warranty. We have treated the couple of trips “up there” as a break and visited new places and for the major work when they had the van for 3 nights, I took an Airbnb in York and we had a lovely time there going into the free railway museum every day and walking around York.
It’s better if you have unlimited spare time though :giggle:

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Many thanks for your replies so far. The motorhome I have in mind is a
Bessacarr 524.
I know, it’s British built, and it’s a SWIFT which many will advise to leave well alone ! But I’m hoping a Bessacarr will be of a better quality. (?)
Would welcome any reviews from owners of this make.
None of my local dealers are willing to take on Warranty work from another dealer, which I find annoying, and none can supply a similar priced Bessacarr .
I do also like the Bailey range, and would definitely visit Simon Howard’s if I were to buy this brand.
But again some way from home, although not as far as Hampshire.
 
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Yorkshirelad175 said:
Many thanks for your replies so far. The motorhome I have in mind is a
Bessacarr 524.
I know, it’s British built, and it’s a SWIFT which many will advise to leave well alone ! But I’m hoping a Bessacarr will be of a better quality. (?)
Would welcome any reviews from owners of this make.
None of my local dealers are willing to take on Warranty work from another dealer, which I find annoying, and none can supply a similar priced Bessacarr .
I do also like the Bailey range, and would definitely visit Simon Howard’s if I were to buy this brand.
But again some way from home, although not as far as Hampshire.
Click to expand...
Cheers Yorkshire Lad and welcome to the site!
I used to think exactly the same regarding Swift and Bessacarr, we had the choice of Swift or Bailey and went Bailey.
Bessacarr was one of the reasons in my thought process. Swift seem to get slated everywhere although all vans give you problems, however the Swift rep explained that Bessacarr was now a mid level Swift and that they would be pushing to make Kontiki the flagship/ premium version (At £150,000 for some of them they certainly succeeded with the price!)
Bailey are fantastic value for money with a lot of toys. We like Bailey as A - they are an hour away from us, s any issues Bailey will come to us and use our workshop if needed, also we have Peugeot in house (4 Franchises) so we can do everything on the van without messing around trying to find a car dealer that happens to have commercial ramps etc.
Also Bailey are still new (8 years) making Motorhomes and they seem to be getting better and better (Autograph 3) which is the new Autograph for 2020 is a really good van and it seems like Bailey want to listen to feedback.
I think though, whatever van your looking at, the van and the quality is almost irrelevant, if you have a good dealer then you will be ok, whether that's us or elsewhere.
Simon
 
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If the price is good enough go for it. We live in Kent and bought our Hymer from Becks in Norfolk because it was what we wanted and we negotiated a deal that I knew was so good that I would kick myself if I walked away from it. Becks have been very good to us and whenever we need anything done on it we go up to them and use it as an excuse to get away for while. But we are retired so can go where we want when we want.

But, I am not sure about your logic with the choice of Bessacarr. I think there is no real difference between it in the way they are made than any other Swift model. I know that Robert Clark was less than impressed with his Bessacarr.

There again personally I also do not like the layout of the Bessacarr, as I like to have a large garage for my scooter and also I prefer the A class set up. I know they are more expensive but I would prefer to buy a second hand A class than a new C class. But that is just personal preference.
 
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Personally,I wouldn’t buy a new van/car/bus/lorry/aeroplane.......you get my drift!
Too much tax,too much depreciation,too many faults/problems/hassle.
Questionable build quality.
I think one can get better vfm buying used.
Good luck,enjoy it whatever it is!:giggle:
 
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I don't think the distance matters if the price is good enough, if you save 10 grand it pays for a lot of trips back to the dealer.
All 3 Hymer's we have had we bought in Belgium a saving over all 3 of around £40-50k pays for a lot of trips to Belgium. Rarely ever had to make a special trip just combine a visit with a holiday.
 
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Yorkshirelad175 said:
After much research, and reading advice on here, I have found a motorhome that is of interest to me. A new 2019, unregistered, and pre-tax increase model.
My dilemma is the vehicle is being offered for sale by a dealer based in Hampshire, and I am based in Yorkshire. It is a long distance to travel should there be any warranty issues. The majority of advice on here says buy local if possible. However the pre-tax increase, and the sale price of the vehicle attracts me. I can find no local dealer that can supply this model without paying the new tax, and the 2020 models are a lot more expensive.
Should I go for this motorhome or not ?
Hopefully there will be no warranty issues, but......

Your thoughts and advice would be welcome. Thank you.
Click to expand...
I understand if it is made in Germany it will never have any warranty issues!
 
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We have same concerns as you we have a very good deal on a Warwick xl from a very reputable dealer 200 miles away from us local dealership would not match price so I doubt that they would help with any warranty issues. Becks are 70 miles away so might have to consider looking at the Wildex range for peace of mind.
:confused: :mask:
 
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As others have said on here, it is more important to get a good dealer than one that is close. Of course in an ideal world you would want both good and close, but the motorhoming world is not ideal.

I can thoroughly recommend Becks. One of the few that still offer good service after they have got your money!
 
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Hi, I have a 524. Did you buy one or not as my advice would be to buy a unit nearer home.

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kingspeed said:
Hi, I have a 524. Did you buy one or not as my advice would be to buy a unit nearer home.
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You say that, but if I spent most of my time holidaying in the West Country I would look at dealers there. I can guarantee your electric drop down that breaks at home isn’t too much of an issue but if your on your big holiday and it goes pop then it’s a big problem. Let’s face it the vast majority of dealers that didn’t supply the vehicle would rather see you burn than help.
I sold a new Bailey to a guy that lives in Birmingham who was concerned about me in Somerset being too far away. I asked him what and where he would be using the van, he said he only ever holidays in Weston super mare and all his friends and family meet there a few times a year. I explained Howard’s has several dealerships there and he gave me a deposit on the same phone call!
 
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Hi Kingspeed,
No I did not go for the 524 in the end, for various reasons both personal and financial. At the time we had family illness which was a major concern, thankfully now over. Also although I cannot put my finger on anything particular, there was something about the dealer that gave me an uneasy feeling. Don’t ask me what it was, I couldn’t give you the answer, but I didn’t have full confidence in him. I walked away from the deal.
I have since ordered a Bailey, which arrives September time hopefully.
Although not local to me, this dealer has a reputation second to none, and I am more than confident I am in good hands and will be dealt with fairly and honestly. Time will tell if I have made the right decision in my choice of motorhomes. 😉

What is your experience of the 524, are you happy with it ?
It is still a model I like.
 
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Yorkshirelad175 said:
Hi Kingspeed,
No I did not go for the 524 in the end, for various reasons both personal and financial. At the time we had family illness which was a major concern, thankfully now over. Also although I cannot put my finger on anything particular, there was something about the dealer that gave me an uneasy feeling. Don’t ask me what it was, I couldn’t give you the answer, but I didn’t have full confidence in him. I walked away from the deal.
I have since ordered a Bailey, which arrives September time hopefully.
Although not local to me, this dealer has a reputation second to none, and I am more than confident I am in good hands and will be dealt with fairly and honestly. Time will tell if I have made the right decision in my choice of motorhomes. 😉

What is your experience of the 524, are you happy with it ?
It is still a model I like.
Click to expand...
Did you buy the bailey from Simon Howards Motorhomes ? We bought from them and we are too based in Yorkshire, No regrets👍👍
 
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Hi Westy66,

Yes. 👍👍
My one regret is they have not had the good sense to relocate to God’s home County ! 😉
But hey, Taunton is not the other side of the world and distance will be worth it for good service and peace of mind. 🙂
The Bailey is having a few extra ‘toys’ fitted at my request, but it will not be long before I become a member of the depleted bank account Motorhomers brigade. 😉
Perhaps a little more worrying for fellow funsters could be the thoughts of me being set free on the highway ! 😂😂😂
 
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The only saving grace to their location is that it’s not far to get a growler and non starter fitted, just to make sure it’s always where you leave it😉. We had it put on before we picked it up👍👍
 
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Greetings peeps welcome from West Kent

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Hi Vipar, thanks for dropping in.
Kent another beautiful part of the UK, such a pity we have to go over that bridge or through the tunnel to get there ! 😉
 
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Yeah, understanding Southern lingo makes hard going.
Need to return to Gods Own County where we ‘ spek reet proper’
😂😂😂
 
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Hi, my experience of the Bessacarr 524. Where do I begin, umm.
When I first commented on the fact I had one I said I have had a couple of trips back to the Swift factory for remedial work. The thing is I am still not clear of corrective work , and will comment fully when I am.
The motorhome is now two years old, and has had it's first base vehicle service. As we must all be aware, after years of debate, Fiat based vehicles only require a service every two years.
However if you have a motorhome with a 10 year habitation guarantee you must have the hab check done every year. So it was carried out a month ago, and sadly it was found that the electrically operated sky view roof has a very poor operation (ultra slow).
The worst thing was the next day after the hab check I found the Alde wet heat system had discharged all the heater fluid onto the drive.
After the engineer, who is an appointed repair workshop, returned to check out the problem he contacted Alde sending them a report and pictures.
Alde's response was not the best I had wished for.
The best thing I can say about it is that the outcome will be posted for all to see. Regards to your liking the 524 I couldn't agree more. They have a super level of equipment, and I am delighted to say I have the Comfortmatic auto shift, and love it. ( I think we may now have opened another can of worms )
The extra I have that transformed the vehicle is VB full air suspension.
I see you said you had an illness in the family, and sadly so do we. I hope to continue to be able to use the motorhome. Time will tell.
I wish you all the luck with your new motorhome, and will just say do not keep it as a shrine just use it.
Stay safe.
 
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