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Has anyone got any tips on buying a new van from the International Caravan and Motorhome Show 2007 at the NEC.  I am taking the plunge and ordering a new van and wonered if anyone has any tips on what bargains / lead time I can expect.

Really excited

Jan

Do you know exactly which 'van you want?  We knew what layout we wanted, and were pretty sure on the actual 'van, when we went to a big show to buy ours (actually at Earls Court, but NEC would be the same!).  But to be sure, we spent a few very enjoyable hours wandering round the various manufacturers' stands checking out their models, armed with a pile of 'tick lists' we had made - we listed our 'must have', 'would be nice', and 'waste of space' features and created a check-list which we filled in for each 'van we looked at.  We then retreated for a coffee and looked over the lists to narrow our search down to just 2 or 3 'vans to go and look at again.  After all that, we ended up with the 'van we thought was going to be our favourite, but when you're spending that much money, you can't be too careful!

Show deals tend to be 'extras packs' thrown in for little or no extra cost (like alloy wheels, wheel locks, better TV/radio aeriels, alarm systems, etc), dealer specials and other 'freebies' like TVs.  Swot up on the 'usual' price of the models you like so that you can see what you are getting at the show.

Word of warning - the stands are actually run by various dealers, so try to get one that is a reasonable travelling distance from home - remember that any warranty work is done at your supplying dealer.  Think carefully about whether the extra £300 off, or free flat-screen TV, is worth the treck to Dorset (or wherever) if your 'van needs a warranty repair!

Have fun playing with the salesmen!!!

Get it in writing if you are offered a good deal

My friend was offered a great deal at GMEX because it was obvious that the salesman wanted to outbid a rival on the same stand

I was there and heard the offer but 2 days later when the dealer was visited at his premises he  wouldn't keep to the figures and wanted £1000+ more

Janjamie,

It's worth noting that should a problem develop with a Bailey caravan, you don't have to take it back to the supplying dealer. I don't know about other manufacturers policies.

Regarding lead times, we ordered a Bailey Pageant Bretagne a few weeks ago which will be built in week 48. I suspect that most caravans ordered at the show would be built in the new year.

Martin.

Bargains are to be had at the shows, Read a recent thread by me regarding my trip to the lawns.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=8&TopicID=124142&SearchPagePosition=1&search=the+lawns&searchMode=allwords&searchIn=Topic&forum=8&searchSort=dateDESC&ReturnPage=Search

  Rgds

Bessie

Hi Jan

(Hopefully 'Bessie' will edit the post above, to get rid of the very long link which is streeetching the thread out wide!!!)

It is standard practice for the manufacturers to invite reps from dealerships up and down the country to all man the stand together.  Check that you are talking to reps from dealers in your own geography.  Because of this, the price list that they all work off is pretty 'fixed' so to get a good deal you should work hard on trade-in pricing and optional extras that you might want - such as a motor mover for example.

The geography can be very important, because although in theory you can get your van serviced elsewhere, in practice almost all dealerships prioritise customers who have bought from them and it can be nigh impossible to obtain service and warranty work if you haven't bought from them.

If you can get more than one dealership in your area to quote you for the same van, get them to write down their quotes on paper - then you can show them to the opposition to play them off against eachother a little

Present yourself well and possibly take along some photos of any van you have to trade-in - especially if you can demonstrate that it is in above average condition.  We bought a van last year and the dealer later said he was confident our van would be in a well looked after state from our own appearance!

I have heard of dealers who have later ducked out of the trade-in price agreed at a show, once they have actually inspected the trade-in van (often on the day that the new one is due to be collected) - so be very wary of this.

Hi Jane,

Make sure you go around the dealers getting different price trade-in values for your van, we ordered ours at the show in Feb. Were offered 4 different prices abvout trading in for the same van! One dealer offered us £250, one offered us £850, one offered £1000 and the fourth offered £2000, (Guess which one we chose?)

We also got loads of free extras on top, upgraded fabric, Gas point, Outside electric point, Extra light in gas locker and Microwave all thrown in for free. Do research before you go, then when you see one you like, go back at different times throughout the day to make sure its the right one for you.Don't let them pressure you into something your unsure of and tell the other dealers what you have been offered, We live in the midlands, ordered van from Blackpool and we can still take it anywhere for servicing/warranty work!  

Good luck!

I agree with what John says - get it in writing. When we bought our van - we negotiated on waste and water barrel, battery.
"Yes - we can supply that " doesn't mean "We'll throw that in for free".  It means he has an accessory shop that'll give you 10% off if you're lucky.  If we hadn't been waiting for 3 months for delivery and getting more excited all the time - we would have walked.
As I'm not in the business of cutting my nose off to spite my face I took his 10% and used it.  Added over £150 to the price of the van and left a sour taste on the deal.
Never went back again though - used a more local dealer for the servicing.

So i did try and edit but as it was over 12 hours old i couldnt, 

Just have to live with widescreen sorry