Jasonoliver Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Hi I am new to this forum, in the process of making a purchase of our first motorhome. So many choices going to the show at the nec this month.Thinking of a Swift bolero 724fb 2013, any advise please! We want a fixed rear bed and four seat belts , also can you get better deals at the shows ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 We had a Swift 680 FB 2008 model nice layout at the shows try and get two or more dealers in the frame and haggle and haggle get whatever extra's you can ( solar panel / 2nd leisure battery / bike rack / alarm even free insurance ) without a trade in you are in a good bargaining position. Just take your time , but it may take all day once a dealer has you on his pitch he will try and hang on to you so you do not have time to speak to other dealers . You may need to go back a second time to do a good deal . Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest machra Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Hi Jason. I have never owned a Swift so cant answer your first question but we have bought 3x new vans while visiting shows. Last one was at the NEC in Oct. The best advice I think I can give you is view as many vans as you can (the main advantage of visiting a show), be prepared to haggle for extras, and certainly dont rush into a deal just because it is a 'show special', leave the show and sleep on it. We visited the Oct NEC on the Tuesday and fell in love with the Burstner Ixeo 585. We left the show that evening with a part exchange price, a brochure and a price list for 'extras'. Still undecided we went back to the show on the Sat and came away that day with a better part ex price plus a 'deal' on extras. In the end the deal was done over the phone late on Sunday when I had worn down the salesman to such an extent that he offered the deal I wanted, with the extras I wanted at a price I was prepared to pay; and that is key, it was the deal I was happy with. So again I'll say haggle, barter, and walk away if you are not happy with what they are offering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Have owned two new Swifts, both great vans with very good resale value. Never bought from a show though, cannot see you will get a better deal by doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Personally have always got a better deal after a show. As when they are away from the shows holiday atmosphere and faced once again with stark financial reality, in my experience I have always got a better deal then offered at show..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamw Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 JudgeMental - 2013-02-09 11:17 AM Personally have always got a better deal after a show. As when they are away from the shows holiday atmosphere and faced once again with stark financial reality, in my experience I have always got a better deal then offered at show..... I think a lot depends on which shows and the state of the industry as a whole. Generally new models are released in September of thereabouts and none have been ordered so manufacturers production schedules are pretty empty. Manufacturers are there to fill these production schedules for the next few months. If the economy is healthy they'll most likely do it if not they may have to try a little harder. It suggest that in our current economic state you may pick up some good deals when these new models are released. My experience has been that the October show generally gives better discounts. All this however, is turned on its head if a manufacturer has had a good year, he doesn't need to try too hard come February or October. However if come February the manufacturer's production schedules are pretty empty you may pick up a bargain. No hard and fast rule is my experience as its all driven by market forces. But do take note of other posters on this thread who advise you to haggle like hell and walk away if you are not getting what you want. A few days later the picture can change because the production schedules may not be getting filled. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 If buying at a show, check where the dealer you are buying from is based. Several folk have got the van they want, at the price they want, but from a dealer at the opposite end of the country. The warranty will encourage you to believe that you can take the van back to any of their franchised dealers for problems to be sorted out. The reality, in many cases, is that only the dealer you bought from is prepared to do this, with others refusing, prevaricating, or simply not progressing matters. Ultimately, that can mean making several long and expensive trips to get the matter resolved. Something perhaps to check with your nearest dealership, before you buy elsewhere at a better price. Of course, if your nearest dealer also offers the best price, you have achieved motorhome nirvana! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Sound advice Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonoliver Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 Thanks for all for the advice we have also been looking at the auto trail fb half dinette as we have to small children, we live in kent any advice on a auto trail dealer and swift are nearest dealer is tcmotorhomes for swift and think John cross motorhomes for auto trail ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Johns Cross also do Swift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Buy a better quality German van, preferably in Belgium, save a bundle, and just pop into dealer annually for service at start of summer or other trips...... We live in south London and this worked resonably well with Euromobil we had. It was easier to get to Belgium dealer (1.5 hrs from tunnel) then to visit UK distributer up north....plus saved about 14K in the process for identical LHD van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Jasonoliver - 2013-02-10 7:45 AMThanks for all for the advice we have also been looking at the auto trail fb half dinette as we have to small children, we live in kent any advice on a auto trail dealer and swift are nearest dealer is tcmotorhomes for swift and think John cross motorhomes for auto trail ?Also look for your nearest Marquis Dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Hi I have bought at shows 3 times and always been pleased with the deal BUT you need to haggle Remember Tthe dealers often have financial support from the manufacturers specifically for the show. It's good to walk away with phone numbers and not commit until you have slept on it - I have done two of my deals on the phone after I left BUT before the show ended. Have a list of the extras you want, the dealer will often be prepared to throw in extras rather than give a cash discount. A key phrase is "how can you help me buy this" try this on several dealers and find out who really needs your business Finally, have a walk away price, ie if they can't match your WAP then do what it says. I love haggling, it's good fun but my wife gets annoyed when I try it in the big stores! It works sometimes! Good haggling Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collin Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Hi. I have a swirt bolero. And it is cheep in build And on going problems whith damp floor and door. Whith the rest of the van. The swift will nor the problem and. will not sort for you? but will expet you to two pay for.And are robing b?er. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 collin - 2013-02-17 9:53 PM Hi. I have a swirt bolero. And it is cheep in build And on going problems whith damp floor and door. Whith the rest of the van. The swift will nor the problem and. will not sort for you? but will expet you to two pay for.And are robing b?er. Sorry to hear this Colin, and a shame you realised to late! But it not an unusual story with overpriced UK manufactured vans (pause here for belly clenching laughter).You get story's like this all the time, .I have seen 70K examples that I would not look at twice.... Buy quality, buy German, and you are in with half a chance..Better still forget about a CB and buy a tin box (PVC) if you want peace of mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Personally, I've never bought a new van of any make and neither would I as I prefer to let someone else sort out the initial problems! I would not buy any Swift - sure, lots of happy bunnies - but quite a few unhappy bunnies too - rather too many at times maybe? My own perceptions on British made coachbuilts is that some are very good, some are average and some are poor, and the list price is often an indicator of material and build quality. As far as I can see, buying a foreign made van does not necessarily mean that you will have no problems as some of them are also built down to a price! My perception of German products is that they are expensive and thought to be better than they are in reality - especially their cars - just look at the VW and BMW reliability and service surveys! Getting a dealer close to home is just as important in my view and as things are my perceptions are that Auto Trail seem to offer the best mix of quality and dealer and factory support. Auto Sleepers used to be number one for quality and support but anecdotes on here and other forums suggest that they have not been so good of late, although their tie up with the Marquis group might be worth looking up for a good all round deal? Marquis dealers generally have a good name for service and a good spread of branches any one of which will help you (usually!) as once on their computer your details will be available in every branch (so you can't play one branch against another quite so easily!). But that's just my own view and others will no doubt disagree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I do have a Swift and the model in the OP is on my shopping list. I have looked at various models (A classes and coachbuilts) recently from many European players (Rapido, Adria. Pilote, Hymer) as well as Swift and Autotrail from the home camp. We are happy with our Bolero, it's pretty well put together, layout is good for us (French bed, twin sofas) but I wanted to check the market out. I was really disapointed with Pilote despite MMMs gushings in their Awards feature. We tried the actual Overall Winner but just could not see what the fuss was about. Yes, it had a Brit style cooker, and ......that was about it for us. The cupboards were secured with really naff catches that were either very stiff or flimsy. 'Wood' trim was dreadful. We were offered a great deal on an Adria Sonic but at 40cm longer seemed less roomy other than the huge garage. Now I was impressed with the Hymers we looked at (Exsis-i and Tramp CL). Cupboards and drawers operated smoothly and all seemed well screwed together. Biggest problem, the £7k-£10k worth of 'extras' to bring the spec up to what most Brits would deem std requirement. Storage inside Continental vans can also be an issue. In order to house the fresh water tank and huge gas locker, dinette storage is sparse to say the least. Even double floored vans did not result in the huge uncluttered areas we have beneath our sofas. Having had two Boleros (firstly a non-fixed bed and this fixed bed version for the past 3 yrs) would have another without hesitation. Few issues and those we have had were resolved quickly, courteously and without cost by our wonderful local dealer. A good local customer focussed dealer is worth his weight in gold, which ever brand you go for. I will be looking further this week at the NEC and may bag another Swift.........................but may not ;-) .....and I do know what a real quality auto is like - I have driven Audis for the last 15 years and am amazed everyday at the build quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 ... it would be pretty boring if we were all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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