Best exhibition show to research new Motorhome or camper?
Discussion
We’ve just got back from yet another disappointing fly away holiday (hotel was plagued with a norovirus outbreak) which triggered both myself and wife to independently conclude we’d like a Motorhome to be self sufficient for a few years of driving holidays in the U.K. and Europe.
My question is where is the best place to start? We’ll use the remainder of 2023 for research and to place an order with the goal of actually purchasing for 2024 (or 2025 if waitlist is that long). Ideally we’d like to attend one or two large exhibitions in the next few months to compare layouts and manufacturers.
We previously had a touring caravan when the children were younger so familiar with that world (and both agreed rather have a Motorhome).
We are pretty flexible on layout as long as it has belted seats for four people and four berths. I *think* we need a garage to stow outdoor chairs/table, sports equipment etc to avoid storing inside the cabin, but otherwise no set requirements (yet). Only interested in new (we’ll be keeping for a long time). Budget will be up to £100k (but would prefer to spend less!)
Thanks
My question is where is the best place to start? We’ll use the remainder of 2023 for research and to place an order with the goal of actually purchasing for 2024 (or 2025 if waitlist is that long). Ideally we’d like to attend one or two large exhibitions in the next few months to compare layouts and manufacturers.
We previously had a touring caravan when the children were younger so familiar with that world (and both agreed rather have a Motorhome).
We are pretty flexible on layout as long as it has belted seats for four people and four berths. I *think* we need a garage to stow outdoor chairs/table, sports equipment etc to avoid storing inside the cabin, but otherwise no set requirements (yet). Only interested in new (we’ll be keeping for a long time). Budget will be up to £100k (but would prefer to spend less!)
Thanks
I'd go to one of the big Motorhome dealers first, such as Brownhills near Newark (but there are others), and have a good mooch about there.
A garage means that the rear bed section is raised from the main body, but it does mean you have more secure storage for bikes, at the loss of possible versatility inside - our Motorhome has a rear lounge area which converts to a double bed.
You can get Fiamm rear lockers that attach to a rear bike rack which could be used for storage of furniture which is easier than the alternative of a roof mounted box.
Many will be capable of towing a small car so you can travel freely when you get to your chosen campsite.
I've not followed prices, but when people couldn't travel due to covid, a lot of motorhomes were bought - those may be appearing on the market very soon,
A garage means that the rear bed section is raised from the main body, but it does mean you have more secure storage for bikes, at the loss of possible versatility inside - our Motorhome has a rear lounge area which converts to a double bed.
You can get Fiamm rear lockers that attach to a rear bike rack which could be used for storage of furniture which is easier than the alternative of a roof mounted box.
Many will be capable of towing a small car so you can travel freely when you get to your chosen campsite.
I've not followed prices, but when people couldn't travel due to covid, a lot of motorhomes were bought - those may be appearing on the market very soon,
The show at the NEC in October is the biggest I think. I've been a few times and there is pretty much every shape and layout you can think of. You are probably right about the garage, we've owned two motorhomes which both had garages and I wouldn't be without one.
My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
When we were looking for a camper a couple of years ago we went to the NEC show which was great, there was almost every design available so you could literally walk between each of the designs and try them out.
This really helped us narrow down what we wanted and then ended up buying.
This really helped us narrow down what we wanted and then ended up buying.
Johnnybee said:
The show at the NEC in October is the biggest I think. I've been a few times and there is pretty much every shape and layout you can think of. You are probably right about the garage, we've owned two motorhomes which both had garages and I wouldn't be without one.
My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
Tell me more about not buying british? (Swift was going to be the first manufacturer I was planning to checkout)My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
October Nec is the one.
There's a summer circuit of outdoor shows but they are stocked by dealers taking vans from their forecourt where as NEC is mainly manufacturers though only new.
24 model year launches in Oct Nec tho confusingly as vans sell out so far in advance dealers will already be taking orders for 24 model year now if 23 model year is sold out.
Or more confusingly say the Adrias I was selling at Feb nec were gping to arrive in 24 model year though they are delayed 23s, its mental!
To look before NEC just git as many dealers as possible , you will see veeeery few new vans on forecourt tho as things are sold out so far ahead yiu only tend to keep a demo of your best selling models and sometimes not even that as there's enough people out there who know what they want to sell out the remaining availability without demos anyway.
Look at used too, get the size and layout sorted then work on what manufacturer, base vehicle you prefer.
Personally I'd consider a toe in the water with a used van to see what you really like before ordering new and buy right and yiu won't lose a lot, cheaper than renting.
There's a summer circuit of outdoor shows but they are stocked by dealers taking vans from their forecourt where as NEC is mainly manufacturers though only new.
24 model year launches in Oct Nec tho confusingly as vans sell out so far in advance dealers will already be taking orders for 24 model year now if 23 model year is sold out.
Or more confusingly say the Adrias I was selling at Feb nec were gping to arrive in 24 model year though they are delayed 23s, its mental!
To look before NEC just git as many dealers as possible , you will see veeeery few new vans on forecourt tho as things are sold out so far ahead yiu only tend to keep a demo of your best selling models and sometimes not even that as there's enough people out there who know what they want to sell out the remaining availability without demos anyway.
Look at used too, get the size and layout sorted then work on what manufacturer, base vehicle you prefer.
Personally I'd consider a toe in the water with a used van to see what you really like before ordering new and buy right and yiu won't lose a lot, cheaper than renting.
chappj said:
Tell me more about not buying british? (Swift was going to be the first manufacturer I was planning to checkout)
Build quality compared to the mainland european brands. I'm sure there are many happy owners but unfortunately the British brands do seem to have more than their fair share of shoddy faults. My neighbour in our storage compound has a recent Swift that he has owned from new and has had numerous faults, the last time I saw him he was having a moan about fixing screws pulling out of thin hardboard as there is nothing behind it to screw into.
If you are on Facebook join a few owners groups to get an idea of any problems, obviously people moan more about faults rather than say how great their motorhome is.
When you have finally decided which model to buy, before jumping in, go on their forums and see if people have any specific issues such as damp ingress. (Very important)
We have an Elddis CV Van conversion, based on a Fiat Ducato. which has been 100% trouble free, but you may want something bigger.
Look at the Adria range, they seem to have a very good reputation.
We have an Elddis CV Van conversion, based on a Fiat Ducato. which has been 100% trouble free, but you may want something bigger.
Look at the Adria range, they seem to have a very good reputation.
Plenty of big shows around the country...
https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/shows/news/warne...
You can just go for a day too, you don't need to be camping there.
https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/shows/news/warne...
You can just go for a day too, you don't need to be camping there.
Wacky Racer said:
When you have finally decided which model to buy, before jumping in, go on their forums and see if people have any specific issues such as damp ingress. (Very important)
We have an Elddis CV Van conversion, based on a Fiat Ducato. which has been 100% trouble free, but you may want something bigger.
Look at the Adria range, they seem to have a very good reputation.
Those Adria A classes look awesome! We’re going to need a bigger budget! :-)We have an Elddis CV Van conversion, based on a Fiat Ducato. which has been 100% trouble free, but you may want something bigger.
Look at the Adria range, they seem to have a very good reputation.
nagsheadwarrior said:
October Nec is the one.
There's a summer circuit of outdoor shows but they are stocked by dealers taking vans from their forecourt where as NEC is mainly manufacturers though only new.
24 model year launches in Oct Nec tho confusingly as vans sell out so far in advance dealers will already be taking orders for 24 model year now if 23 model year is sold out.
Or more confusingly say the Adrias I was selling at Feb nec were gping to arrive in 24 model year though they are delayed 23s, its mental!
To look before NEC just git as many dealers as possible , you will see veeeery few new vans on forecourt tho as things are sold out so far ahead yiu only tend to keep a demo of your best selling models and sometimes not even that as there's enough people out there who know what they want to sell out the remaining availability without demos anyway.
Look at used too, get the size and layout sorted then work on what manufacturer, base vehicle you prefer.
Personally I'd consider a toe in the water with a used van to see what you really like before ordering new and buy right and yiu won't lose a lot, cheaper than renting.
This sounds like good advice. We’ll do a few dealer visits to get an idea of base vehicle / layout preference with a view to placing an order at or after the NEC. There's a summer circuit of outdoor shows but they are stocked by dealers taking vans from their forecourt where as NEC is mainly manufacturers though only new.
24 model year launches in Oct Nec tho confusingly as vans sell out so far in advance dealers will already be taking orders for 24 model year now if 23 model year is sold out.
Or more confusingly say the Adrias I was selling at Feb nec were gping to arrive in 24 model year though they are delayed 23s, its mental!
To look before NEC just git as many dealers as possible , you will see veeeery few new vans on forecourt tho as things are sold out so far ahead yiu only tend to keep a demo of your best selling models and sometimes not even that as there's enough people out there who know what they want to sell out the remaining availability without demos anyway.
Look at used too, get the size and layout sorted then work on what manufacturer, base vehicle you prefer.
Personally I'd consider a toe in the water with a used van to see what you really like before ordering new and buy right and yiu won't lose a lot, cheaper than renting.
oblio said:
OP - whatever you decide upon make sure to check it's available payload if you are planning to travel 4 up with all associated paraphernalia being taken as well. It is surprising that the payload on some MH's is quite small even when they have seatbelts and room for 4 people.
I’ve seen this popping up on various forums from my initial searches so clearly something to pay attention to. Thanks for the heads up.
chappj said:
This sounds like good advice. We’ll do a few dealer visits to get an idea of base vehicle / layout preference with a view to placing an order at or after the NEC.
If ordering at the show try and do it through a local dealer as most dealers won't want to do warranty work on a van they haven't soldIf yiu are ready to order at the show you might get a slightly better deal too as that place is hell so we are always desperate to sell something lol
chappj said:
Johnnybee said:
The show at the NEC in October is the biggest I think. I've been a few times and there is pretty much every shape and layout you can think of. You are probably right about the garage, we've owned two motorhomes which both had garages and I wouldn't be without one.
My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
Tell me more about not buying british? (Swift was going to be the first manufacturer I was planning to checkout)My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
When we were looking to replace our campervan with a new/newer motorhome we trudged round numerous dealers (avoid Marquis at all costs 😳) and were disappointed at the shockingly bad build quality of a lot of the UK models (particularly Swift, Bessacarr and Bailey). Flimsy cupboards with cheap hinges and catches, adhesive smears, cheap looking upholstery and blinds and gaps around ‘fitted units’.
We eventually bought German (Burstner), and while it wasn’t perfect it’ was well screwed together and any niggles were minor and quickly rectified under warranty. We also considered Dethleffs and Adria which were also impressive. We’d like to have bought British, but the shoddy quality put us right off, and although you pay a premium for European vans it’s worth it in our experience.
We’ve since sold the Burstner as it was too large for our needs, and we’re looking to get an Adria camper van next year.
Good luck in your search
Escort3500 said:
chappj said:
Johnnybee said:
The show at the NEC in October is the biggest I think. I've been a few times and there is pretty much every shape and layout you can think of. You are probably right about the garage, we've owned two motorhomes which both had garages and I wouldn't be without one.
My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
Tell me more about not buying british? (Swift was going to be the first manufacturer I was planning to checkout)My two pieces of advice are don't buy British and avoid the Transit based motorhomes as they suffer from injector problems.
When we were looking to replace our campervan with a new/newer motorhome we trudged round numerous dealers (avoid Marquis at all costs ??) and were disappointed at the shockingly bad build quality of a lot of the UK models (particularly Swift, Bessacarr and Bailey). Flimsy cupboards with cheap hinges and catches, adhesive smears, cheap looking upholstery and blinds and gaps around ‘fitted units’.
We eventually bought German (Burstner), and while it wasn’t perfect it’ was well screwed together and any niggles were minor and quickly rectified under warranty. We also considered Dethleffs and Adria which were also impressive. We’d like to have bought British, but the shoddy quality put us right off, and although you pay a premium for European vans it’s worth it in our experience.
We’ve since sold the Burstner as it was too large for our needs, and we’re looking to get an Adria camper van next year.
Good luck in your search
We sold a couple for April 24 collection back in Feb nec show
I'm based in Germany so cannot help on the UK shows front, it does seem that the NEC is the big one. Apart from Covid cancellations, I have been going to the CMT show in Stuttgart for several years and was there in January. It is supposedly the biggest show in Europe, it certainly is big. I'm a VW Cali camper so was mostly looking for equipment and gadgets but obviously had a nose around the rest of the show. Based on what I've seen Hymer are expensive but the quality is very high. Adria seems to be similar quality but are cheaper, presumably because you're not paying the "German premium" tax, I believe they are Slovenian. In your position I'd definitely look at Adria.
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