Selling a german caravan

[crazyguider]

I don't know if anyone else has come up against this recently?
My 81yr old Dad wants to sell his Fendt Platin, and went to a locla dealer to ask for a price. The dealer told him tha even tho' Dad was a regular customer he was unable to purchase the van from him as his boss wouldn't allow it. No reason was given for this, and it seems very unfair.
Does anyone know why this would be?

Also, my neighbours have been made to remove their 10yr old Hobby from a permanent space in Dorset, also with no specific reason.

Are we suddenly anti-German, or is it something specific?

 

[Damian]

There is nothing unusual about dealers not wanting to buy any European made caravans as opposed to UK built vans.
It is not restricted to individual makes, such as Fendt, or Hobby, it includes Adria etc etc unless the dealer also sells the same make of van.

As for removing vans from places, it is simply the way it is, a site owner, or storage owner has the absolute right to decide what they want on their property.

Unfair,maybe, reality,,,,very much so.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I don't know if anyone else has come up against this recently? My 81yr old Dad wants to sell his Fendt Platin, and went to a locla dealer to ask for a price. The dealer told him tha even tho' Dad was a regular customer he was unable to purchase the van from him as his boss wouldn't allow it. No reason was given for this, and it seems very unfair. Does anyone know why this would be? Also, my neighbours have been made to remove their 10yr old Hobby from a permanent space in Dorset, also with no specific reason. Are we suddenly anti-German, or is it something specific?

Hello Crazyguider,
The dealer is in business to make money. If he can't see a way to make a profit from a deal, then regardles of the make he is unlikey to buy it. No dealer is obliged to make you an offer. As for offering a reason, again he is not obliged to tell you, but you were given a reason - the boss won't allow it. Thats all he needs.
As Damian says site owners have all the power. It is likely though the site will have given your neighbours some rules when they took on the pitch, and it may well have include an age limit on caravans. The ruels may have just been verbal, and they may just have forgotten about it.

 

[Joann]

we were offered a ridiculously low price for our old Dethleffs if we traded it in, so we sold it through preloved or loot cant remember whichone and bought a new van privately as well.

I could have sold my old van 5 times over within an Hour of it going on so dont worry your dads will sell.

 

[mcghee]

A lot of the German 'vans have layouts which put them at odds with general British buyers. Most dealers wont touch them for the simple reason they just can't sell them. One of the dealers near me had a Hobby 540 in 2007 when I went looking at caravans for a friend. That same caravan is still at that dealer's now. The reason is because it has the washroom at the front and a centre lounge/kitchen.

 

[anotherDavid]

I had a Fendt Platin new 2008. I paid about £14000 for it (its hard to say how much exactly as it was £10k +my seven year old Hymer in PX) and after 3 years was offered £7K at one dealer and £10k another. I took that and felt it was avery reasonable price.
If you dare deal with the "travellers" you would have no trouble at all selling it, I even had people stop in the street and ask if it was for sale.
David