Where to go? Any ideas please?

[Shell181]

Hi Everyone

 

As some of you may know we are in the process of looking to buy a second hand MH. So far we have been to Brownhills in Newark a few times and Camper UK in Lincoln. We have a short list of the MH's that tick the boxes for us but have yet to see some of them in the flesh so to speak, they seem to match our requirements but until we see them obviously we don't know for sure.

 

We live in Lincoln and would like to combine a day looking at MH's with a night away somewhere. We don't really want to be travelling more than lets say 2 - 3 hrs from Lincoln (not bothered about which direction we go). I wandered if anyone can suggest any MH dealers that might be worth going to see please?

 

 

Thanks

Shell

:-D

[davenewellhome]

Why not visit the Southern (Newbury ) motorhome show in two weeks time, that way you can see plenty of motorhomes from a wide range of dealers all in one place. There is a travelodge or similar at the nearby M4 services if you need accomodation.

 

D.

[dawki]

Hi

Have you considered looking and buying private rather than going to a dealer, I remember when I was looking to buy my motorhome in the surrey area there was a lot coming up in the Lincs area.

[Brock]

Three hours will give you almost all the north and midlands which is a vast area to cover. You could make Spinneys in Cheshire and Hymer UK west of Preston. Pick up your copy of MMM, look at all the dealer adverts and plan a route that way. When we did this, we found it better to visit those closer to home first simply because we had more time coming home to ponder on what we had seen. We also picked a main road to use, for example the A1, the M62 and visited those just off these main routes.

 

Lowdhams have a good reputation, Richard Baldwin is Halifax way, Glenns for the cheaper end of the market choice, Geoff Cox in Derbyshire is an unknown to me but does CIs, Wellsbridge in Cambridgeshire has a big site although I've never been for years, Hayes Leisure on the west of Birmingham - lovely people but site was cramped when I last visited, Heart of England in Northants pick up awards. Don Amott is a spacious site just off the A50 near Derby.

 

My personal experience of several years ago suggests you stay away from Glossop Caravans.

 

Check the websites and possibly ring is there is a van that takes your fancy before you go.

 

One thing to bear in mind is ease of getting to the dealer without your van - for example when it has to kept by the dealer for repairs. I have only used dealers I can visit by public transport as I have no car.

[Keithl]

Hi Shell,

 

Another way to do it is look through the dealer ads then if you see something you like the look of ask the dealer to email you more photos of it. You can then make a better decision if it is worth travelling to see.

 

Keith.

[hallii]

After about 18 months of research, visiting shows, dealers etc., we have just (3 weeks) managed to buy a second hand M/H that fits the bill.

 

We sold our old one privately and purchased privately, whilst you don't get a warranty you do save a considerable amount of cash, into the thousands of pounds in our case.

 

We bought a Hymer 522 Van (of the classifieds on this site as it happens).

 

You have got to be prepared to do some travelling and lots of viewing, take a note book and camera, get a firm price on anything you are interested in and do not sign anything "on the day". Go away and sleep on it.

 

Doing that saved us making a mistake, as after further consideration we decided that it wasn't the M/H for us.

 

Not everyone is comfortable with buying privately, but sometimes you have to weigh things up and trust someone you are comfortable with. Only meet at their home address, do an HP check on the M/H and have an independent habitation check carried out by someone you trust. The AA or RAC will do a mechanical check on the base vehicle.

 

The comment about having a habitation check (or at the very least a full damp check) applies to one bought from a dealer as well. Friends of ours bought one that leaked like a sieve (£27,000 worth as well) and after a lot of argument it was traded in for another one. That leaked as well.

 

They have sold up and given up on motorhomes.

 

We have been told some half truths and pure fabrications by eager sales persons, sorry to say it, and to "tar them all with the same brush" as there are some honest ones out there, but do not believe anything you are told unless you can verify by other means first.

 

If you can get an experienced motor homer to come with you and have another set of eyes and ears it will help.

 

Now, as regards your actual question regarding any suitable dealers I haven't answered that at all, but you might gather that I am not exactly smitten by some dealers!

 

Hallii

[Brian Kirby]

Have you tried "Googling" the makes and models of motorhomes that interest you, selecting what seem the best matches, and then plotting where the dealers are onto a map, to see if you can identify a handy group.  According to Autoroute, every major dealership in England (in fact about 80% of England!) is within 3 hours of Lincoln!

[Shell181]

Hi

 

Thanks to everyone who has replied, for all your advice and tips, thanks to this forum and a couple of others we now have a long list so are going to plan which ones we will visit next week.

 

Of course we are going to get around as many as we can and also we have yet to go to a show as hubby is away a lot so we are a long way off from buying yet but hopefully with our short list we will work out which one meets our exact needs. Can't remember where I read it but apparently first MH buyers only have their first MH for a couple of years before selling and buying a different one because they find that it doesn't meet there requirements and they find a better one that will, hopefully this is what we are trying to avoid by doing lots and lots of research first

 

Brian - wow thats brilliant to know we are in the right place then :-D

 

Shell

 

[Brian Kirby]

Shell181 - 2010-05-09 1:48 PM ........ Can't remember where I read it but apparently first MH buyers only have their first MH for a couple of years before selling and buying a different one because they find that it doesn't meet there requirements and they find a better one that will, hopefully this is what we are trying to avoid by doing lots and lots of research first ......

Not necessarily because they don't do the research, though, but because their ideas, and aspirations, change once they begin motorhoming.  The horizons change as the potential is understood and realised, then the "little grey cells" begin working, one begins thinking differently, and what one originally thought would work best for what one originally though one might do, no longer works for what then knows one is going to do!  Don't be surprised of this happens to you!

[flicka]

Hi Shell

You have a PM

 

 

[Shell181]

Hi Everyone

 

I just wanted to say a big thankyou to you all for the replies and advice you have given. We have a list of all the dealers we would like to visit now, although after looking on their websites I think there is only a couple who have certain ones from our shortlist lol so we will check before we go

 

Shell

:-D

[mondo]

I'll put my twopennorth in too....Richard Baldwins I got my first van from them great service..nothing was too much bother for them even the silly fiddly jobs no pressure from the sales guys..and we traded in there for our second van..and we sold our last van back to em as well!!

 

Lowdhams in Huddersfield good people to deal with.. friendly service well at Huddersfield it was anyway again no pressure...I hope you find THE van why not give the Newbury show a try could be a good weekend out for you!!

 

Michelle you have a PM!!