glynbo

[glynbo1]

hi just joined as full member,recently visited motorhome dealer in lancs to view his stock.he informed me of the importance of buying from a dealer,ie dealer back up .i have to say every van was awaitng prep most had plenty smeg round window seals, and all smelled like a tramps sock.i am leaning towards buying private prefferably 1 owner with full history.what do the gandalfs of mh suggest,budget around 25 large,4 berth overcab bed,rear lounge.dont want to get my pants pulled down.private or trade.

 

[Mrs Mossy]

Back up is not always the case, we once bought a all singing, electric bed etc. from a dealer in Lanchashire, that had contracted a chip in the fancy skylight roof, and they said it was under the warranty if it became larger, which it did, they denied it and said the warranty wouldn't cover this particular part, if we had know we would not of purchased this motorhome, it proved very expensive

 

[yorkslass]

I can understand you thinking to buy from a dealer, for peace of mind, they don't all stock crap. The plus side of buying privately, is that you should be able to save quite a bit of money. Don't be tempted to spend all of your budget, then if something does go wrong, you have the cash to put it right. The main thing is, don't rush. The right van will turn up.

 

[saxonrosie]

Well he would say that, have a look at lots of private vans for sale you can generally tell which ones have been lovingly cared for, shouldn’t be any smell at all when you open a van up be wary of strong air freshener usually covering up something that’s amiss , and you will get much more van for your money. In our family experience dealers usually try to wriggle out of things maybe I’m being unfair but can only speak as you find. Whatever you buy Enjoy.

 

[yorkieowl]

hi just joined as full member, 4 berth overcab bed,

I would watch Freudian slips like that on this forum, there are plenty of pi** takers lol, unless it ain't a slip and you do want a bed for 4. :lol-053:

We looked privately and ended up buying from dealer, they did a good price, not much more than private and got 12 month warranty, never had to use it, and tbh don't think they would necessarily have honoured it. Had work done with them since, never again. As we were handing over somewhere near the amount you're spending it gave me peace of mind that they had done all the hpi checks etc. It's so easy to miss something when viewing, private you have no come back, but I wouldn't pay well over odds with a dealer even so.

 

[winks]

All sound advice as far as I can see.

We bought or present van from a dealer and did have problems with pre existing water damage which I found, photographed and contacted them and they put it right whilst we were away in Italy without the van. We didn't pay over the odds and got a good allowance for our 19 year old Hymer. You will almost certainly find problems with any van regardless of age so the advice to retain some of your budget is very sound. We are not doggy (or dogging) type people for the benefit of the forum wags, so if any van we looked at smelled of hound or cigarette smoke it never even went on the long list let alone the short one. Whatever you do, don't rush into anything and ask questions by the score on here. For my part the only big lesson I learned was any decent sized van will need a well powered engine. Our Hymer was on the 1.9td and was a coach built with the over cab bed so it suffered with long hills and headwinds. In any event you're probably not looking for a speed machine.

So, do the research, ask the questions and in the end, 'Trust the Force''.

Cheers

H

 

[Pauljenny]

Lancashire?

We've tried dealerships and found those belonging to nationwide groups, Marquis and similar, tend to be impersonal, sales focussed and the staff don't know their products.
If I gave you my personal opinion from experience with Brownhills and Campbell's... I might lay myself open to legal problems..so will say nothing at all about them.

Spinney, near Knutsford are ok, I've heard that Todd's,at Preston have pleased customers.
There is a FOR SALE forum on this website.

At least you would be sure that you were buying a cherished vehicle from a big hearted, honest, pillar of this society.
But enough about me.
Are you sure that you really want a 4 berth? Do you really expect the kids / grandkids to come with you regularly?
If it's just you and a significant other, ( note how non gender specific, this forum is...).... A 2 berth van is often more convenient and flexible.