Dealerships

[Fredatlast2]

After many years camping & caravanning we are about to take the plunge & buy our 1st mh.

While our previous experience of holidaying in a mobile tin box :-) is a good starting point, reading through the posts on this site has been extremely helpful, so a heartfelt thank you to those who have posted answers to others relevant questions.

However I find there is little or no comments about how people have found the service & after sales service from the dealers they've purchased from.

Whether this is from fear of being sued we don't know but we now have a pretty firm idea on what we need in a mh & have found something that ticks pretty much all the boxes, for sale through oaktree motor homes in Nottingham but we know absolutely nothing about them. Has anyone had recent experience of dealing with them? If so we would appreciate your opinion.

Many thanks

[Brock]

The search function on most motorhome forums is usually poor simply because so much is added to the knowledge base and . Your best bet is to do an internet search and follow up any leads through different forums.

 

It also helps if you give an indication of the motorhome you are buying as some dealers specialise in certain models. Such specialisation can affect people's perception. Feedback on forums tend to be negative because people like to moan. Many dealers do not get mentioned and the assumption could be they are decent people to do business with because nobody says otherwise.

 

There is no reason why anyone should fear being sued providing they publish factually accurate information which they can evidence.

[Rayjsj]

One of the Reasons that Dealerships are not often discussed, is that this is a 'Free' website, hosted by a magazine who gets a lot of it's income from Advertising. As such, any potential Bad references to a good 'Customer' can (but not always, if not spotted by the press'police' ) be removed, along with all of the sometimes very useful posts with it, they 'Pull' the whole thread.

 

In answer to your question Fred, never had any dealings with Oaktree of Nottingham.

 

Welcome to the Forum. Ray

[bounty hunter]

Here is a link to some feedback

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/beginner/64277-oaktree-motorhomes-nottingham.html

 

John

 

[johnnerontheroad]

Some more here http://www.motorhome-dealer-reviews.com/newused/oak-tree-motorhomes/

[Mel B]

Hi Fred, welcome to the mad house! :-D

 

I have experienced Oaktree in the sense that we were going to buy from them but personally I wasn't happy with their sales method, although that was a while ago.

 

One thing to check though is the warranty situation on any MH that you buy if you do get one from them as I had heard in the past that they aren't always that 'interested' after you'd bought it, again though things may have changed, but it would be sensible to ask the question.

[Pampam]

Eyup Fred I bought from one of the largest dealers the aftersales service when we had a major issue was appalling so now I have the attitude to expect the worst and I might get a pleasant surprise:the "warranty"on pre owned vehicles also has a lot of tiny print : but the thrill of buying a van is fantastic I loved it hence 4in two years (only because of major issues with second van) what van are you getting ? I bet your excited enjoy and merry christmas pp:)

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Although I've no direct experience of buying from that dealership, I very nearly did, as we did once embark on a fair old trek from where we live to look at a specific van they had advertised, just a pity they omitted to mention in their website sales blurb the fact that the van in question had on inspection quite obviously suffered from extensive water damage in the front part of the habitation area, and it still seemed to be an issue, so a complete and utter waste of a day, and a few bob in diesel.

 

I could also bore you and others to death with the saga I had with a very large dealer in Shropshire as well, but I'll resist.

 

I have so many times heard the comment applied to many dealers " once they've had your money they don't want to know" so tread carefully, and don't take anything at face value. ;-)

[Derek Uzzell]

Fredatlast2

 

A quick GOOGLE-search shows that there are quite a few motorhome dealerships (some large; some small) in the Nottingham area.

 

It would be wise to choose a dealership that's fairly close to where you live. Motorhomes - new or secondhand - will rarely be 100% fault-free on purchase or remain fault-free throughout their warranty-period. If you choose a dealership primarily because it has received positive comments on internet forums but is a long way from your home, you should expect getting even minor problems rectified to be more difficult than if the dealership is nearby.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Derek is correct of course, with a couple of caveats, one if you have any dealerships near you, we have zilch, and assuming you do, have they got the brand / type your looking for, life is far from straight forward with this M/home malarky

 

But he is also correct about the amount of dealerships in that neck of the woods, quite a small independent we were impressed with, and nearly done a deal with them, but sadly I cannot recall their name.

 

Good hunting anyway. ;-)

[Fredatlast2]

Thanks for the helpful info. I am aware that people are more inclined to complain when things go wrong than give compliments when it all goes well so no news was probably good news. I also see the advantage of buying local but having spent time researching things & drawing up a list of requirements, what to do when you can't find anything local that comes close & you find one that ticks pretty much all the boxes but it's a 3 hour drive away? If I'm honest I suppose I was hoping I would get reassurance that I can buy from this outfit confident that they are a good outfit to deal with. Instead it seems that none of 'em are to be trusted :'( So I suppose we go look, have a good long test drive, take plenty of time to poke about inside it & if we can't find anything wrong with it, cross our fingers & buy it!

 

[Zydeco Joe]

We got our MH from the Nottigham area from David Fullers at Lowdham Road, Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire. Had a problem with the door, a Autotrail known problem and they had a part that AT did not..... and changed both starter and leisure battery's with no problem. So we are happy with them and would use again. :-D

[malc d]

Fredatlast2 - 2013-12-24 10:39 PM

 

So I suppose we go look, have a good long test drive, take plenty of time to poke about inside it & if we can't find anything wrong with it, cross our fingers & buy it!

 

 

That's the main thing - take your time.

 

If you visit motorhome shows - such as Peterborough - you will also see a much bigger range of vans - including some that can be bought direct from manufacturers / converters.

 

 

[Den]

We have purchased several MH's. One form Marquis in Tewksbury......... First class service in 2002

American from a dealer ( name withheld to save this being pulled ) not a good experience.

A Hymer ................. Scary!!!!,!, not the MH, but the company we purchased it from.

 

3 LeVoyageurs . From Hayes leisure. Probably the best sales company in the world ( Bill Hayes )

 

After sales first class+++++++ An all round pleasant purchase.

 

What worries me now is down sizing, Hayes do not have the MH we've been looking into.

 

Going to another company and maybe not receiving the same personal service, that you build up over time can be a concern.

I have the highest regard for all at Hayes leisure.

 

 

[Billggski]

You don't mention if you want new or used. If new then it's a dealer, and their reputations can take a knock from one (noisy) customer who didn't get what they wanted.

Don't dismiss a private sale, especially at this time of year. Just double check everything.

As you can see from the posts some folk change their vehicles quite regularly, and some have the balance of a manufacturers'/dealers' warranty, I got two and a half year's warranty as the PO changed their mind after six months.

And don't forget to haggle, new stock is arriving and dealers need the space, and cash.

[candapack]

Den - 2013-12-25 12:58 PM

 

We have purchased several MH's. One form Marquis in Tewksbury......... First class service in 2002

American from a dealer ( name withheld to save this being pulled ) not a good experience.

A Hymer ................. Scary!!!!,!, not the MH, but the company we purchased it from.

 

3 LeVoyageurs . From Hayes leisure. Probably the best sales company in the world ( Bill Hayes )

 

After sales first class+++++++ An all round pleasant purchase.

 

What worries me now is down sizing, Hayes do not have the MH we've been looking into.

 

Going to another company and maybe not receiving the same personal service, that you build up over time can be a concern.

I have the highest regard for all at Hayes leisure.

 

 

I don't know if you are looking at new or used 'vans, but if you really value a particular dealership, is it maybe worth paying a bit extra to get them to source what you are after? If such a thing is possible!!