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Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 6th, 2018, 5:53 pm
by Andy
Hi, does anyone have any experience of travelling to the continent to buy a secondhand demountable? We are wanting to buy but there is very little availability in the UK.

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 6th, 2018, 7:08 pm
by zildjian
Hi Andy
take a look at the sales thread for an idea on German/French pricing (if you haven't already)

members here have bought abroad for just your reason.

Some very good points straight off;



have the air suspension fitted and ready
,

If paying by cash, make sure you shop around for a decent rate, HSBC vs Thomson's travel was a difference of around £500.

Take a 13 pin adapter, or make sure you're electrics are ready for the unit you are collecting.

Don't forget headlamp converters for driving on the continent.

Have insurance on standby ready to go,

Make a holiday out of it, I didn't have the time and it was far more stressful because of that.

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 6th, 2018, 9:40 pm
by Andy
Thanks for the reply, and yes, I've seen the pricing and also the availability, which is, as you know, much wider than in the UK. I'm interested in people who have actually been across and bought a demountable, pitfalls, best places to go where there is choice, it's a bit of a gamble to go and see one unit but if there are reasonably big dealers people have been to then it's less of a risk...

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 7th, 2018, 11:17 pm
by horacebat
Hi

Have a look at the write up that we did ....

Image

importing

Happy to answer any questions.

PB.

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 8th, 2018, 1:23 pm
by Andy
Thanks for the write-up - really useful information. We are looking at taking a truck over and just buying the demountable so hopefully avoiding some of the paperwork...

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 9th, 2018, 11:43 am
by derestrictor
People fetching nicer caravans used from abroad have been known to just put their numberplate on back and been 'returning from a holiday' before now,
Who is to say after all?

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: March 29th, 2018, 4:01 pm
by cthodgson
Hi Andy,

I ended up buying mine in Austria. After what felt like weeks of searching I found a private seller. We communicated a lot, through phone calls and emails and I felt they were being honest with their description. My biggest fear was that I would head all that way and it would be stinking of cigarettes or pets.

It all worked out well for us, and we got a good value Skarosser, but it was a stressful trip.
My advise would be to:
- have the air suspension fitted and ready, driving back on the autobahn with that constant porpoising motion is not an experience I'd like to live through again.
- If paying by cash, make sure you shop around for a decent rate, HSBC vs Thomson's travel was a difference of around £500.
- Take a 13 pin adapter, or make sure you're electrics are ready for the unit you are collecting. I took a tailgate board, totally unaware an adapter would have done the job far better.
- Don't forget headlamp converters for driving on the continent.
- Have insurance on standby ready to go, a crash on the way back would wipe out the joy of chase, and a huge wad of cash.
- Make a holiday out of it, I didn't have the time and it was far more stressful because of that.

Not much use, but maybe

Image

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: April 1st, 2018, 8:57 pm
by Andy
Thanks for the advice, it was really useful and was helping us. We have however managed to find a 2012 Apollo here in the UK so the next trip we'll be making to the continent will be with a camper already aboard. :D

Re: Buying on the Continent

Posted: April 3rd, 2018, 1:17 pm
by derestrictor
Lucky find here on your doorstep then :)


put a picture on of your new toy when you collect it