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I am thinking about buying a new caravan at the NEC show in October.

Can anyone give me any advice.  I have a couple of caravan makes and models in mind, 2-3 that I would be happy with any one of them.

Can anyone give any advice on how to get a good deal, are they likely to be reduced prices at the show at all, are they likely to be able to throw in extras for free.

I would like a van with things like a Battery, Carpets, Spare Wheel and motor mover transfer. Possibly external BBQ and plug sockets also.

I have a caravan currenty and will probably try to sell it soon privately.

Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that good deals are sometimes available at the shows. You will be in he fortunate position of not having a trade in so you may get some of the extras as well. Might be worth looking at dealer specials as they are usually basic caravans with quite a few useful extras. Just one thing to consider. If you buy from a dealer a long way from where you live you could have a lot of travelling if things go wrong.

David

I prefer to find out what price my choice of whatever I'm buying is going to be from my local dealer. I then go to the show & see what offers are there to compare with the dealers prices. I've done this when replacing a lorry & ended up sticking with my nearest dealer for my chosen make because I expect support from him if I get a problem.

I've not done this with caravans, we have a super dealer 5 minutes walk from here so I'm not likely to buy a van from a distant dealer who may save me a bob or two but may not deliver the level of service I get from my local dealer. I personaly don't believe the shows give anything away. The majority of staff I've spoke to there didn't seem interested, one chap was truthful & told me he couldn't answer my questions because he was from an agency.

I'd give your local dealers a call or visit before buying at the show, tell them what you intend comparing their prices with what's offered at the NEC & they'll know they have to come up with the goods to get your order. It's in their interests to sharpen the pencil & give you their best price. I hope you enjoy the process.

BB

Thank you both for your comments. I am a little worried about the distance from the potential supplier.  I am leaning towards the Adria Altea as my number 1 choice but cannot find any dealer in the North West that are doing them from this year. The nearest dealer seems to be about 2 hours drive away which is far from Ideal.

I am also looking at the Lunar Zenith and Xplore caravans and can source either of these withing about 50 miles 1 hours drive from where I live.

Does anyone know if I purchased a caravan from a dealer far away could I take it to a local dealer for servicing and warrenty work.  I know that Campbells currently do Adrias so what are the changes of them picking up the servicing and warrenty work if I got one from another dealer.

only buy from a dealer near to where you live.

we went to the nec last october and bought a new van. i had to order from a dealer about 20 miles away . (still a bit far for us )

but this was the most important point for me . take care.

 most stands are very good and will help you find a someone near to were you live.

i had a good idea what i wanted make model but wanted to make sure and have a good look. i also took a camera and took pictures of the vans i liked just in case i didnt order on the day.