Motorhome dealers advice.

Bigbaz

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Yesterday I visited a large caravan and Motorhome dealership here in Scotland, looking for a replacement for the now ageing “boxie”. Having looked at a number of vans I sat down with one of the salesmen and asked about laden and unladen weights.
The salesman told me the three I was interested in were all under 3,500 and could be driven on my b1 licence. I asked about the unladen weight and again he reassured me they would all be ok for me to drive “because if they are under 3,500 then you can load them with as much as you wished” I pointed out that this was different to my interpretation of the DVLAs guidance/legislation. He then spoke to his manager who confirmed the salesmen’s statement as being correct??? Imagine somebody buying their first van with guidance like that. None of the vans I looked out were the perfect match for me but I would now be concerned about buying there because what else have they got wrong???
 
Lol! I always find it amusing when the cheery smile vanishes when you start talking about axle weights and payloads and they realise you are not a starry eyed newbie.

Try getting one to allow you to take a van to a weighbridge as a condition of sale. They don't want to know.
 
I worked in the m/ trade and can tell you with hand on heart that many salesmen are the lowest of the low with no regard for people, Dick Turpin would have been a saint.
I remember in our canteen they would not sit at the same table as other members or talk to them, thought they wear above others.
 
It's not just the sales people, the manufacturers don't seem to care either, many choosing the wrong model in the first place.
Guess punters wanting more stuff all the time don't help.
 
I worked with a pompous so and so when I was younger. He was so up himself I told him that he would be better suited to selling used cars. He does very well for himself and still selling used cars. It has to be a hard life, lying for a living.
 
Whats required is consistency of payload.
One manufacturer does not include this or that whilst another does.
The shiny brochure states a 600KG payload, but not including a full tank of water, full fuel tank,
gas cylinder, without consistency these figures are almost meaningless.
Thats one of the things I liked about my van, they quoted 650KG payload,
and it included all of these things, others don't.
 
You should have gone to Southdowns in Portsmouth. When I enquired about the actual weight of a Carthago they got the scales out and weighed it and rang me back. They have a portable weighing system. So you get the exact weight within a few kilos of the actual vehicle. It's not rocket science. Giving people incorrect information is dangerous. Trouble is no one ever does anything about these people and next time you go in they have moved on. As above it would be nice if they had a standard. Best one would be weight as it is in the showroom without water or fuel. You can then work it out for yourself.
 
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Never seen anyone stopped here to be weighed so far, many vans i see seem to have an elephant inside by the look of how low the back end is. 😂 😂 😂
 
You should have gone to Southdowns in Portsmouth. When I enquired about the actual weight of a Carthago they got the scales out and weighed it and rang me back. They have a portable weighing system. So you get the exact weight within a few kilos. It's not rocket science
When I was looking they were very good at pointing out MIRO weights, weigh margins (load) and the option to plate heavier if needed (no cost for some iir), very knowledgeable and no hard sell too.
 
Never seen anyone stopped here to be weighed so far, many vans i see seem to have an elephant inside by the look of how low the back end is. 😂 😂 😂
Now they are building smart motorways they wont have to stop you. Glad i prefer A roads and a leisurely journey.
 
You should have gone to Southdowns in Portsmouth. When I enquired about the actual weight of a Carthago they got the scales out and weighed it and rang me back. They have a portable weighing system. So you get the exact weight within a few kilos of the actual vehicle. It's not rocket science. Giving people incorrect information is dangerous. Trouble is no one ever does anything about these people and next time you go in they have moved on. As above it would be nice if they had a standard. Best one would be weight as it is in the showroom without water or fuel. You can then work it out for yourself.

That sounds like a helpful dealer. Sadly not my experience of the ones I have contacted in the past. Will bear them in mind for the future. You would think every dealer would have Mh scales or if not would be willing to get a van weighed if you agreed a price on condition of a trip to a weighbridge. They dont want to know. Trouble is there are only two or three vans on my tick list and right now there are none bar one model for sale in the country. Luckily, one of them (A Bailey Approach 760 se) I happened to find a member on OAL who had one and had done all the maths for the scooter rack on the back in great detail including going to a weighbridge so I can pretty much assume one of them would be ok.
 

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