Do Editors edit?

[Retread24800]

By mistake I was bought Octobers copy of Practical ********e and because I had just lusted after a Hymer Tramp T 694 (Mary became almost orgasmic) island bed, L shaped Kitchen, separate shower and toilet, no room for rug rats etc. decided to check out the prices in the aforesaid Motorhome magazine, now I know that I had smiled when they nominated two Bentley vans for awards several pages after announcing their liquidation but they had no prices for Hymer at all, thats when they included the T series under Hobby and gave the main dealers as Brownhills B-) Hymer had a double page spread showing the new dealer set up in the same edition.

Thank god for MMM I thought but MMM totally ignore Hymer in their Buyers guide, not so here in France, Le Monde du Campingcar gave me the price and I said no, but perhaps in 5 years when depreciation has taken a bite out of the 58000€ list price.

 

 

[Retread24800]

Sorry that should have been the Hymer T 698CL..............Too many vino collapsos.

[Derek Uzzell]

Not sure what relevance your question "Do Editors edit?" has, but Hymer-related data have not been included in MMM's Buyers' Guide listings since at least February 2012. The Hymer information may have been missing from well before then, but, as I regularly cull material in my back-copies of MMM by removing the pages I've no interest in (which includes old Buyers' Guide pages) and MMM February 2012 is the most recent 'full' issue I currently have, I can't check any further back. I was certainly aware quite a while ago that Hymer data were no longer in the MMM Buyers' Guide.

 

It may be that Wendy Pennycook (who has been responsible for MMM's 'directories' for years) omitted the Hymer information from the Buyers' Guide dataset at some point in the past and has subsequently forgotten to re-enter the data. However, your observation that Hymer data are not in Practical Motorhome magazine either suggests there may be another reason. Perhaps Hymer's UK prices fluctuate according to the GBP/euro exchange-rate - that might explain why firm French pricing details are available but not UK pricing?

 

If you want to know why there's no Hymer-related stuff in MMM's Buyers' Guide, why not ask Wendy Pennycook? Her e-mail address (published each month in the "Get In Touch" section on page 8 of MMM) is wendyp@warnersgroup.co.uk

 

A Hymer Tramp 698CL price of £55,365 is quoted here:

 

http://www.travelworldrv.co.uk/motorhome-sales/hymer/tramp-698-cl/1110

 

A large vehicle if you planned to have it in 3500kg format - payload could be iffy.

[crinklystarfish]

I think the lesson is that it's probably an error to rely on glossy magazines as a guide to life.

[Retread24800]

Derek Uzzell - 2012-09-21 8:59 AMA Hymer Tramp 698CL price of £55,365 is quoted here:http://www.travelworldrv.co.uk/motorhome-sales/hymer/tramp-698-cl/1110

 

I thought Hymers new Marketing chap said that they were trying to introduce pan European pricing?

Even my price exercise here including certain extras ammounted to 58000€ now the exchange rate is circa £1.00=1.25€ so the French price equates to 58,000/1.25=£46,400 so much for pan Europe prices. Vive les imports gris :-)

 

[Daniel the editor]

Well the thread's subject line got my attention!

As to why we have not yet published Hymer details or prices, the answer is none of the above.

It's quite simple, Hymer has not provided full details of models available in the UK since the move away from Brownhills.

As soon as it provides them to us, we will add prices and details to the buyers' guide.

We're not ignoring Hymer as coverage in MMM and Which Motorhome proves, but we have taken the decision not to publish anything in the buyers' guide until the information is forthcoming direct from the manufacturer.

We could publish euro prices, but as we are getting UK-spec models that differ significantly from Hymer's Continental models in 2013, these prices would be very misleading.

Hymer has told us it is taking over all of Hall 10 at the NEC show in October and will have its entire new range there, so if you're interested in a new Hymer that's the place to head for.

In the meantime I am pushing Hymer to give us the full details of the entire UK line up, including sterling prices, as soon as it can. And when we get them, they will go straight into the buyers' guide.

Hope that helps.

[Retread24800]

I would certainly be interested to see what the 'significant' changes in spec will be and if that justifies the additional 20%  mark-up :-) against Europrices but there again we do not have 5 gold stars :-(

[lennyhb]

I think you have just summed it up Roger - 10 grand for 5 gold stars.

The blurb that UK Hymer agent is giving about UK dealers will be working to the same mark up as German dealers - pigs might fly springs to mind.

I'll stick to buying mine in Belgium.

[Derek Uzzell]

There's an article in October 2012's "Which Motorhome" magazine that expands on Paul Kershaw's brief statement here:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/News/Manufacturers/New-Hymer-badging-to-aid-customers-and-dealers/_ch1_nw2331_pg1

 

The WM article states that, in future, UK Hymer dealerships will be quoted prices in sterling by the German factory, rather than in euros as was the previous practice. A short list of 2013 prices is given and (if my memory is correct - I was speed-reading the magazine in W H Smith's) the price of a T-698CL will be £59,565 for the basic model, excluding on-the-road charges.

[Retread24800]

So this is a bit of a bargain then?

Hymer T 698 CL New

 

Hymer seem to have shot themselves down again, vivre les gris.

 

[lennyhb]

Sorry to disappoint that's not a bargain it's a 2012 model

 

Just checked on Hymer's website T698 CL German price is 56,250€ approx £45,000.

They normally fit the comfort & electrical pack to UK ones so lets say total £48,000 that is still 11 grand cheaper in Germany. That's without allowing for the 10% discount you will get in Germany or Belgium so more like 16 grand cheaper.

Also delivery charge in Europe is 500€ compared to £1500 in UK over another grand saved.

 

I rest my case :D :D :D

[JamesFrance]

Retread24800 - 2012-09-21 8:10 PMSo this is a bit of a bargain then?

Hymer T 698 CL New

 

Hymer seem to have shot themselves down again, vivre les gris.

When I clicked on your link I was warned off the site adoos.fr by Web of Trust WOT. It has been reported as a phishing and scam site by some French members.

[Derek Uzzell]

I assume that, living in France, Retread24800's interest in UK Hymer prices is just down to curiosity, as it's difficult to see why anyone would choose to buy a RHD UK-spec motorhome and then try to get it registered outside the UK in a 'LHD' country.

 

I vaguely recall that, at one time, it was practicable to obtain RHD Hymer motorhomes with full UK-specification from a particular German dealership. Also, the German dealer from whom I purchased my current motorhome in 2005 told me that he could order a RHD UK-spec Hobby (though he admitted that he had never actually done this). Is this still possible?

 

While it's not difficult to compare UK in-sterling prices for RHD motorhomes with Continental in-euro prices for LHD equivalents, and to highlight that (when sterling is strong) one can spend significantly less on the latter, if one can't buy RHD motorhomes abroad and don't want LHD, such savings become academic.

 

Plainly, if one can buy the same RHD motorhome in the UK and abroad, and the price of the latter is much lower than the price of the former, it makes good sense to buy abroad. But (ignoring RVs) LHD motorhomes have a lower secondhand value in the UK and are generally harder to sell. I'm not overly convinced either that quoting discounted Continental asking-prices with full UK asking-prices produces a valid comparison. UK motorhome buyers will normally do a 'deal' that either involves a discount on the new motorhome or a 'trade in'. If one can buy a RHD Hymer (Hobby, whatever...) abroad and make a substantial saving, then good luck: if the saving involves buying in LHD format the rationale of buying on the Continent needs questioning.

 

When the late Mel Eastburn used to compile a guide to buying motorhomes abroad, he used to list the positive reasons for doing so and the negatives. While there were plenty of positives, there were also plenty of negatives.

 

 

 

 

[Retread24800]

My interest is purely academic, the cost price of LHD against RHD in the factory is negligible, the build is exactly the same, just a different cab. (We are talking about Van bases on low profiles) the UK requires the upholstery to be fire retardant we are told, not a significant cost, the electrical circuits are exactly the same but instead of fitting Continental sockets, 13A UK sockets are fitted in their place the Gas system is unaltered, but you do have to add extra 5 star decals:-) An oven to suit UK preferences would cost say 450€ according to Hymers French price list so where is the justification for a £10,000 loading on base price

 

NB the price being shown on the link is very close to the advertised price incl TVA in 'Le Monde du Camping Car' 54990€ for a 2012 model however the 2013 price maybe as high as 62000€ or £49600 to the 50th anniversary fittings levels.

[lennyhb]

Current extra cost for RHD Hymer in Germany or Belgium is 1500€, RHD Hymer's brought in mainland Europe come with UK 13 Amp sockets, Fiat & Hymer manuals in English.

The question of fire retardant upholstery is debatable went into this in depth back in 2002 when I brought a caravan in Germany, conclusion was it's the same foam with a label sewn on for the UK market.

[Derek Uzzell]

To the best of my knowledge there is no UK legal requirement for a motorhome imported to the UK to have living-area fire-retardant furnishing materials. Fire-retardant furnishing materials may be seen as a 'must have' by UK motorcaravanners, and Hymer may choose to meet that demand for Hymer motorhomes destined for the UK market, but that's another matter.

 

I believe thare is a legal requirement for imported caravans retailed in the UK to have fire-retardant furnishing materials. However, this requirement does not apply to caravans that are imported by private individuals (as lennyhb did), nor to caravans imported by 'agents' acting on behalf of private individuals.

 

When I was considering buying a Hobby motorhome in 2005, it was evident that the furnishing materials used in LHD Hobbies being marketed in Germany were identical to those used in RHD Hobbies being marketed in the UK. The furnishing materials used in Hobby caravans were also optionally available for Hobby motorhomes. It's possible, I guess, that the furnishing materials used in motorhomes/caravans destined for the UK market are treated to make them fire-retardant but, if that's not the case, it would be tempting to assume that the same fire-retardant materials are used for all such motorhomes/caravans, irrespective of their target marketplace, and that (as lennyhb says) a compliance label is added when the leisure-vehicle is destined for the UK.