I am going to be buying our first Caravan, a Sprite Major 6 2013 Probably March time. Was wondering if I attend the Caravan Show in Glasgow February, is there much saving to be made from local dealers as opposed to just going to their showrooms? Any tips greatly appreciated!
A collegue of mine bought his caravan from a show and he got loads of extras thrown in.
When he went to a showroom to make a enquiry he did not get offered any of the extras that he got from the show. So I think it does pay dividends sometimes.
One of the extras he got FOC was a mover which would have cost him a few hundred pounds.
Sometimes it pays to be cheeky and play sellers against each other. You may get a few extras yourself.
------------- Degsy Rowlands is my love, my life and a lunatic!!!!!!!! Louise x
You read the stories from people who buy at shows from dealers who are 100 of miles from where they live
Which then poses problems about servicing or warranty work
Quote: Originally posted by LyraTours on 02/11/2012
I am going to be buying our first Caravan, a Sprite Major 6 2013 Probably March time. Was wondering if I attend the Caravan Show in Glasgow February, is there much saving to be made from local dealers as opposed to just going to their showrooms? Any tips greatly appreciated!
Why not visit a few dealers first and see what is on offer (Highly recommend Duncans of Waterloo in North Lanarkshire, they stock Sprites), then go to the show and see what is on offer.
Unlike other shows most of the dealers at the SECC are from the central belt so they shouldn't be too far away from you in Glasgow.
------------- 2020 Volvo XC60 B5 R Design Geartronic / 2018 Swift Elegance 580
We have just bought our new van from the NEC caravan show and we are happy with our deal .i do think that you have to consider where the dealer you are buying from is located . We did look at a few vans ,a eldiss was one of them but the dealer was 200 miles away .so when we saw what we liked at the bailey stand We Asked the salesman we were talking too if there was a dealer there closer to our location and it wasn't a problem and he found us one .We got a motor mover ,water and waste barrels and a very good deal part ex for our present van. Looking forward to picking up our new bailey Pegasus Verona .excited x
I think this would be the next nearest Sprite dealer from Glasgow after Duncans, and I know that they have a stand at the show. We bought a new Lunar from them last year, all in all, pretty good service
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Thank you for all your replies, I had been reading up about the problems of buying from afar, I think your points cement that fact. I have been out to Knowepark who had a 2012 ex demo, nearly bought it. Then called Duncans who quoted for a 2013 although not available till March'ish, with mover etc it was working out 800 dearer for exact deal but newer van. Still have to call Halleys, Duncans have a display coming in November, might stay away till after the show in case I get tempted then regret it at the show.
Hi Lyra , I bought form the nec this year , and got a great deal on a Elddis Avante . But one of the conditions of sale was I made sure all service and warranty work ( if needed) was to be done by a mobile caravan engineer who has looked after my caravan in the past. The sales rep put it in the sale agreement and also confirmed by email to myself and the engineer. Just a thought before you buy.
We got a great deal from our local dealer at the show! We got a set of figures from a dealer up north and got our dealer to beat it! We got £2k more for ours as a trade in than we were offered six months ago, result!
Better to buy from your local Swift agent because if you buy from a dealership far from home the local dealership is under no obligation to take on warranty work.
We bought a sprite major 6 from caravan show at nec in 2011. Had a very good deal and much better than offered in showrooms. The dealership i bought it from was quite a trek from home address, but local sprite dealership is only 2 miles away so all service/warranty stuff is done by them. Go for it. You wont regret it.
Well we were definately told that warranty work had to be done by the dealer you bought from, which is fine if you are prepared to travel hundreds of miles, not!
Quote: Originally posted by phil75 on 04/11/2012We bought a sprite major 6 from caravan show at nec in 2011. Had a very good deal and much better than offered in showrooms. The dealership i bought it from was quite a trek from home address, but local sprite dealership is only 2 miles away so all service/warranty stuff is done by them. Go for it. You wont regret it.
Perhaps , but there's no guarantee that a local dealership will carry out any warranty work if you did not buy from them .
There not under any obligation to do so and Swift will always tell you that your supplying dealer is your first port of call in the event of any warranty work.
Its all very well to save £££ss but the savings soon disappear if you have to make several long distance trips for remedial work
I wouldn't . I did this and wish I hadn't . Just have a good look at what you like . Then call your local dealer or ask for part ex prices before you decide.
Most dealers can get any van you want.
I would talk to your local dealer prior to the show to see what he is offering but don't sign anything. When you are at the show, shop around to see what you can get there and phone your dealer from the show, tell him your best offer and see if he can come close. It may be worth a few hundred pounds to be using your local dealer rather than travelling the length of the country to collect it never mind if you need to make a warranty claim.
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: Buying at Caravan Show?
