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Quote: Originally posted by 664DaveS on 20/10/2021

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Find a dealer then do a deal, not sure if you would incur import duty since brexit, probably.

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Quote: Originally posted by billy on 21/10/2021

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Do you want to buy new ? If you look on mobile.de there is plenty of choice but north Belgium is nearer & dealers generally speak English. Look on the caravan makers websites to find their main dealers in Belgium.

I bought a French built Caravelair from https://www.decuypermotorhomes.be/en about 50miles from Calais. They are Fendt & Hobby main dealers as well.

I bought mine last yr before things changed so little different then from buying in UK but now you would need to check the .gov website. I guess it would involve buying the caravan including the local Vat. Bringing it to UK. Doing the customs paperwork which would include paying UK Vat then claiming the Belguim Vat back. If you want to buy secondhand I think after a certain age then no Vat to pay but you would have to check. The .gov website does include some info about personal import of caravan.

As for warranty. Probably you would have to take it back to main dealer where you bought it ? I have never needed any warranty work on mine. Decuyper told me any Caravelair dealer on continent will do warranty work but they are only 50 miles from Calais so I would take it to them at the start of my annual French trip if necessary.

Routine servicing can be done by any UK caravan workshop or mobile service operative.

How I bought mine last yr was day trip in Feb to do a factory order to get exactly the spec I wanted. Paid a 200€ deposit by credit card. It was supposed to arrive in April but Covid delayed it to July. When it was delivered to dealer I paid by bank transfer. Then we loaded all the caravan gear into car it was full to roof. Drove Dov/Cal to dealer. Collected caravan & towed it to a campsite 3 miles away. Moved all the gear in & spent 3 nights at the site.

Then we moved off to France & stopped in France & Spain until November. Took it to France again this year. No probs. Happy enough with it. This is the last caravan we will ever buy. We will keep it until we are too old to caravan any more. 20yrs with luck.

Post last edited on 21/10/2021 04:49:50

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Quote: Originally posted by billy on 21/10/2021

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Difficult to compare like with like but imo a German make like Fendt a model of similar size & spec to say a Bailey or Swift will be better value. Main thing is that foreign makes generally are better put together & don’t develop the faults that tend to occur in UK built vans. A Dutch caravanner I met in France had a Fendt he had owned from new 20yrs still in good nick with no leaks.

Another advantage with foreign make if you do a factory order you can spec caravan exactly as you want so you don’t get bits you don’t need. I wanted a very basic spec van no shower or water heater steel wheels nothing to go wrong. My fixed bed 6mtre long Caravelair cost £12k new.

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Quote: Originally posted by billy on 21/10/2021

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You need to do some research. Decide exactly what you want before you visit dealer. I had my eye on caravan I eventually bought for several years. I should have bought it in 2015 when €was at 70p to £. When I got it last year € was 90p to £ but hey ho you can’t take it with you. Exchange rate is now more favourable 85p to £.

Search online for manufacturer websites Fendt Hobby LMC Dethleffs Burstner Hymer/Eriba Tabbert Knaus Weinberg & look at models layouts weights & specs. Plenty of new caravan models are on YouTube so search on there as well.

You then have to work out how to do it. Decuyper is in Poperinge which is Dutch speaking Belguim with English widely spoken only 5miles over French border & only an hours drive from Calais. They were main dealers of Caravelair which is what I wanted. Emailed them in English & went from there.

This of course began just pre Covid. Went over on a £25 day trip in Feb last yr & placed the order. Very friendly & helpful people. Salesman Ben holding a conversation with 3 people in French English & Dutch at same time. Obviously then things started to go south but good communication maintained. Eventually in July caravan was built on a Friday transported 500miles from factory to dealer on Monday & we were using it on Thursday.

There are still Covid related travel problems now. Mostly cost related. Ferry crossings have rocketed in price & there are still no cheap day trips available. Also worth pointing out some German makes are available in UK new & used. Search eBay & Autotrader caravans & you will find. Having said that buying abroad is still perfectly doable you just need a plan & know beforehand what you want to buy. If I did want a high spec large caravan I would buy a Fendt. They really are lovely caravans.

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Quote: Originally posted by Bexster1980 on 21/10/2021

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Wow amazing,I didn’t know you could choose your spec.I definitely knew they are better built than British.I’d be so upset to only get a handful of good years out of anything so expensive.

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