Any one from Northern Ireland

[phantom]

Hi

Husband and I looking to buy our first motorhome and would be interested in any local advice about sellers etc or any thing we should watch out for.

 

We have about £5-15000 to spend and are looking for a 4 berth short home preferably van style if you know of anything.

 

Really appreciate the help as we don't want to make any silly mistakes.

 

Thanks

[mrs w curry]

yip - have bought our van from motor home ireland close to banbridge - no problems - give them a shout :-D

[machinehead]

I live in Belfast and have owned 6 - all van conversions over the past 20+ years. PM me and I'll give you my phone number.

 

If I can be of any help, you'd be most welcome.

[paulni]

Yes, I bought mine from Motorhome Ireland also. They have a web site although its not always up to date. If you go down to Banbridge you can visit Thompsons of Dromore on the main A2 carriageway also and there is a place on the left hand side towards Newry direction that sells sub £20000 vans. I think this is part of Motorhome Ireland.

I tried Hagans in Ballyclare but have dealt with them in the past for caravans and am not impressed with there customer service.

Hope this helps.

 

Paul

[Guest aido]

 

Donaghey motorhomes in Letterkenny have a good range also and are very good with aftersales service which is very important .

 

Aido

:-D

[machinehead]

Phantom,

You have a PM.

 

I have a friend who worked for MH Ireland. Like all the dealers, they are out to maximise profit and will always try to offer you a poor deal at first.

 

They are a commercial enterprise and have to make a profit so you should expect this. But they always have big margins to play with. You will always see screen prices inflated to make you think your offer on trade-in is a good one.

 

All the dealers after sales service can vary. I have experience of only one and second-hand reports on the others. Probably they are mostly OK because they want your repeat business in a small market. Word carries fast about poor service, especially in a small place like N Ireland.

 

In 25+ years and 6 vans I have only bought one from a dealer. You can buy insurance on major faults if you buy a van privately. This is what the dealer does anyway when you buy from him. If something goes wrong at least you have some cover on the major costs. The minor costs are easily covered by the savings of buying privately, should faults appear.

 

Hope this helps. Remember, all the above is only my opinion. A lot of people prefer to buy from a dealer because they like the reassurance, convenience and ability to trade in the old van.

Frank