Importing v. buying here

ruthiebabe

Thought our experience of price comparisons might be might be of interest to anyone thinking of importing a new van.

I’ve spent all weekend looking into this and read lots of postings about the money saved and the practicalities.

It’s clear to see that in some cases it is possible to make a big saving, more so on some makes than others, and perhaps especially Hymer. This relates to all sorts of things, doesn’t it, such as availability, continental pricing, the euro, the pricing policy of the equivalent UK dealer, and so on. Therefore I realise that my experience may not equate to a different set of circumstances.

We are buying a new German A-Class (Carthago) delivery time is next May/June as it will be on the new Iveco166 with automatic transmission.

I obtained a (very attractive) quote from Urbano in Ostend and calculated all my extra costs and English VAT. I also approached other continental dealers to compare. I could exactly match the spec to that supplied by the UK dealer. The only differences would be the reg plates, road fund etc. and the headlamps, speedo and socket. Identical in every other way spec for spec.

After negotiations with the UK dealer I ended up with a difference of £2600 more to buy here.

So you can have fun thinking what you would have done if you were me. I’ll tell you what I opted to do and why. I’d be interested in your comments. Don’t worry if you disagree, I’m happy with my decision!

I opted to buy here (shame as it might have been fun!)

Why?

1. The exchange rate is good at the moment so I figured I could wipe out much of that if it deteriorates between now and then. I could buy some now if I was a risk taker but I can’t get them all anyway until I’ve sold my current van.
2. I have done my homework on the import costs and whilst they are fairly low they have to come off that as does going to get it.
3. There’s the time and hassle to bear in mind however easy it is.
4. I would need to return to Belgium for all warranty work and servicing for the first 3 years as the only UK dealer (the one I would be walking away from) is known not to co-operate in this situation.
5. There’s a convenience and piece of mind factor of having the aftersales with dealt with here even though they are 2 ½ hours away.
6. I retain a PX option should I be unable to sell my van privately. Unlikely given 5+ months and a good margin but nonetheless it’s a safety net.
7. Last but not least a UK supplied van holds a higher resale value, how important this is will depend how long I keep it, but again, it’s a consideration

So, food for thought? Any comments or experiences of your own?

I

ScotJimland

Hi ruthiebabe

You have certainly done your research and homework well.
I would do as you, what cost to do put on hassle and peace of mind !
We bought our RV from a UK dealer rather than import from the US. for many of the reasons you listed.
Wishing you well, welcome to the best and friendliest forum on the net Very Happy

Grizzly

An interesting case ruthiebabe; I think I would have done the same given the ( relatively) small price difference. I can always go and camp out on the door of the local dealer if I'm not satisfied and can speak to him in English which is not so abroad.

There is one other plus point for buying in UK. It has been mentioned before that MHs sold by UK dealers have to have upholstery that conforms to the strict UK fire regulations. Imported MHs do not. I believe that UK dealers replace the original upholstery before they sell in UK on a voluntary basis.

Enjoy your new MH !

G

kands · Account Deactivated

Hi ruthiebabe
Considering all you have said I would agree that the small saving (relatively) is not a significant inducement. The only point that saddens me is the fact that the dealer you are using was partly the influencing factor due to their negative approach. One would think that as a representative of the manufacturer he would be obliged to honour any european warranty and it is sad to see that they still get away with this attitude.
Maybe you would care to name and shame this dealer, or possibly wait until after you have taken delivery.

Welcome to the site, another good decision on your part if I may say so.

Keith

ruthiebabe

Hi Kands and to the others who have replied

I agree that the situation regarding warranty work on imports is a shame, but they are by far from the only dealers that take this attitude as you know. I should also point out that we have bought from this dealer before, our current van was new from them, and we have generally received good (I won't say perfect-has anyone?!) service from them. Certainly better than some tales that we see frequently no names but you get the gist. In addition, to be fair to them, they have always dealt quite fairly and transparently with the negotiations. No, they are not perfect, but I have a degree of respect for them by and large, although I am very capable of being assertive and applying pressure as and when when nescessary!

Mollythedog

I've just bought a new Knaus from Vanomobil in Belgium. I saved around £7,500 even when adding travel costs, hotel bills, European insurance etc. Are you sure you can't get a better deal than that on your Hymer? Another reason for buying from Belgium is they speak excellent English and are just 3 hours drive away.

Regards

Kevin

ruthiebabe

Thanks Kevin, wll as I said The difference came down to £2600 atfer calculating the VAT this end but before adding on travel, registration costs etc. It's not a hymer, had it been I know it might have been worth it. It was a pre-ordered Carthago Chic which won't be built until the Spring, so it's different to needing to shift models already in stock. In addition to which the British dealer was pretty fair about meeting the price up to a point which at the end of the day proved acceptable to us both. I learnt a lot though.

ralph-dot

This is all well and good if you have plenty of money and can buy new, but if money is tight, second hand far cheaper over there and if its 6 months old there is not tax to pay on importing.

Ralph

gaspode · Moderator

Hi ruthiebabe

Pleased to hear you have got the best deal for you but your experience isn't really representative of deals in general. Most people would want to buy either a current new model or a used M/H and, having done both I can absolutely assure you that the savings to be made in Germany (why Belgium?) are very much greater than you intimate. If you buy wisely you should be able to save around 30% on the price of a new M/H and not far off that on a used one. On our last purchase we were discussing the price differential with the German dealer He was quite angry at the UK market because the dealers are renown for giving poor after sales service for the continental manufacturers yet he contended that he needed to sell ten M/Hs to make the same gross profit that a UK dealer could make on a single sale, simply because the market is much more competitive in Germany.

andyangyh

>There is one other plus point for buying in UK. It has been mentioned before >that MHs sold by UK dealers have to have upholstery that conforms to the >strict UK fire regulations. Imported MHs do not. I believe that UK dealers >replace the original upholstery before they sell in UK on a voluntary basis.

Not in the case of Hymers (sounds like a Brownhills salesman exercising the poetic license that I have encountered from them in the past). If you look at the upholstery options from Hymer UK and Hymer Germany they are exacty the same. Can't b