I know the die hards will hate me for saying this...
but I just bought a new trigano pop up roof from ets jacquiline in Normandy..and saved £3000!
plus...I had £600 of free accessories... the kind uk dealer was willing to throw in a £6 hitch cover...
The disadvantages are...it will cost me £60 to register the caravan with CRIS before I can get insurance, and that the warranty is French...which means I have to cross the channel to get any repairs done.
Sorry...I made a mistake...I actually saved just under £4000 because I forgot about the delivery charge.
It's full UK spec.
Lights are exactly the same...yes I have to go to France to collect it..and when the euro was at it's strongest, I still would save £3000
The Carravanair models are obscenely cheap at the moment...and going to the Jacqueline dealers in Verson near Caen is a bit like going to the NEC caravan show...it's huge!
If you think in terms of 'resale value' & 'uk spec' then buying abroad is not really for you, if you trade in your caravan every 3yrs you are happy to throw tenners into the fire so why should you want to save money by buying abroad?
You buy abroad to save money on a caravan you will probably be keeping for many yrs because generally build quality is better than UK built 'vans, ie you are buying a keeper, all that matters is initial outlay & not resale value.
why would it affect resale value? a UK spec caravan is just that, mine is an import, but still full UK spec, door is on the "correct" side ect, still worth more than the UK built coachman I had previously even though they are the same build year.
It depends on personal circumstances. It's much easier to buy a caravan 5miles from where you live. How familiar are you with driving abroad & communicating with people who's language you don't speak? They might be fluent in English but they still have you at their advantage.
No probs for me, I have been driving in Europe for 40yrs, first in a truck & latterly on holiday but not so easy for those with little or no experience. How good are you with the internet? At a touch of a few buttons I could find caravans for sale both privately & at dealers anywhere in Europe. Judging from posts on here though, some folk have problems just using google so not so easy for them.
And then it's about getting what you want at a price you are prepared to pay. UK built caravans suit UK users, ie large bathrooms with large seating areas for sitting inside in UK bad weather, thats why they sell better in the UK & the foreign makes have failed to make serious inroads into the UK market.
It depends what you want from your caravanning. Many yr round UK 'vanners want a house on wheels with tv/large bathroom/hot water/oven so they want a large high spec caravan that they trade in every 3yrs. Much easier to do this at your local Bailey or Swift dealer & if you can afford to do that you don't need to save money anyway.
What the UK market does not supply is small, more basic fixed bed caravans. You can buy a caravan like this abroad new for £8-10K. If these caravans are imported by dealers for sale in the UK it will only be in a small way & sporadically so prices will be at a premium compared with same caravans at dealers abroad who are selling in larger volumes.
As for large top end caravans, when comparing UK makes with foreign makes one must be careful to compare like with like, which is often difficult. I would say that if one buys a large top end German caravan, it is through choice rather than any desire to save money, ie one wants a better caravan, not a cheaper caravan per se.
For those of us who simply want to save money then cheapest way is just to buy a cheap fixer upper off ebay not faff about buying abroad. My requirement is for basic small fixed bed 'van to use in southern France in summer & a £300 1980s 'van with interior modified by myself has worked for me for last 5yrs & far cheaper than buying a new small fixed bed Adria or Sterckeman abroad.
If one looks at secondhand prices from foreign dealers for 'vans a few yrs old, prices are not that cheap. Plenty of 'bargains' on German ebay but it's a long way to go to find caravan is not what one hoped for, so horses for courses, really.
I think the market is changing towards a more European way of thinking.
I bought a Silver 380 pop up caravan because I want the benefits of a full height when using, but low height to save a fortune on the toll roads in France, increase my fuel economy, and not have to change the car to something above a family hatchback.
and the British dealer wanted £16,000 --- my French dealer (15 minutes from the ferry port in Caen) supplied the identical model for £12,300 with a free stabilised and Fiamma sun canopy.
All taxes were paid, which went to the French Government rather than to George Osbourne who seems to be encouraging rip-off Britain.
The only extra to pay, is £60 if I want to register it with CRIS when I collect it next April.
You bought a style of caravan that is popular in France due to under 2mtres ride height allowing class1 autoroute toll. The caravan is a tiny niche market in the UK, a pop top is not necessary here & due to cold climate most UK new buyers do not want a small caravan, they want something they can sit in. Obviously goods sold in small quantities will cost more than the same goods sold in large quantities.
The market for small caravans in Europe is larger because many caravanners tow south in the summer so caravan just needs to be bedroom & kitchen, not sitting room.
This is why the UK caravan market is different from the rest of Europe & will remain so while we do not have a southern European climate.
Look at Scandinavian built caravans, Kabe etc. They are different again because they are built for much colder conditions, they are not sold in the UK, presumably because UK buyers would not be prepared to pay the high price & caravans are not really suitable for the UK market anyway, they have small windows & are heavy for their size.
If anybody wants a caravan designed for use in another market then they will usually get that caravan for a better price by buying in that market. Nothing to do with 'ripoff Britain'.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: importing a caravan...it`s easy!
