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Dealer Information.  Details of approved and independent dealers are below.  HCI are completely independent of any dealer, approved or otherwise, and this information is not intended to direct any prospective buyer in any particular direction but is provided for information purposes only.

Hymer AG.  The official Hymer Germany web site includes brochures and price lists in English at www.hymer.com

UK & Ireland Hymer Approved Dealers

European Hymer Approved Dealers

There are many approved dealers on the continent and the following two dealers have supplied HCI members for a number of years.  Both have English speaking staff.

Independent Importers

There are a number of dealers able to supply new and used Hymer’s sourced from mainland Europe.  The following three have supplied HCI members and we have received good reports. Be aware of possible warranty problems.

Other Useful Contacts

Many classified ads. for Hymer’s available in Britain can be found in specialist magazines such as MMM,  Which Motorcaravan?,  Practical Motorcaravan etc.

The HCI monthly Newsletter usually contains members’ Hymer sales and the HCI website now includes a Hymer Sales page. 

By Roger Bishop – Last updated 21st May 2017

A plethora of information is available about buying motorhomes in the press and on the web and before making any purchase it is wise to read up on the types and makes available and, more importantly, to talk with owners to obtain the view of the actual users.  Salesmen, as their title suggests, are there to sell whilst genuine owners will give you their view of the make and model they own and have lived in.

The following article is solely related to the purchase of a Hymer and hopefully will provide some assistance to a prospective purchaser.  Hymer Club International is completely independent of any dealer, approved or otherwise, and this article is not intended to direct any prospective buyer in any particular direction but is provided for information only.  It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as a recommendation to any particular dealer(s). The author has purchased a number of Hymer’s both in the UK from independent and approved dealers and from Germany. 

Hymer Models:  As with all motorhome manufactures the models keep changing.  Hymer models are grouped into 3 ranges; Integrated, Semi-Integrated and van conversions. The usual terminology in the UK for the first two is ‘A Class’ and ‘Low Profile’ respectively.

Right or Left Hand Drive:  An early consideration should be whether to buy right or left hand drive.  Apart from some earlier models that were specifically built for the UK market all Hymer’s have their habitation door on the UK offside.  Low profile models have 2 cab doors whilst the A Class has only one and that is on the UK near side.  However, do be aware if you are buying a new A Class you may have to pay extra for the cab door as not all models include them a standard.  If you order a model without a cab door you will only have one point for normal access/egress.  Historically the greatest advantage of buying LHD is that the initial cost can be considerably less than RHD.  Hymer A Class models have wider bodies with a greater area between the driving seat and the vehicle side.  For UK use many find the LHD has an advantage as it is easier to judge the kerb distance from the left hand seat. It is worth bearing in mind that LHD vehicles may not attract such a high resale price in the UK.    

Where to Buy:  The easy answer is where you get the best deal.  Whether buying new or used there are a number of options available in the UK and abroad.  How much you spend depends, to some extent, on how much you are prepared to do yourself and how much risk you are prepared to take.  Whether you have a trade-in is also an important factor. 

The easiest, and for most people the safest option, is an approved Hymer dealer in the UK. Until July 2014 there were no companies who dealt solely in Hymer’s.  However, this has changed with Travelworld at Telford becoming the only exclusive Hymer dealership in the UK and so it is now possible to see the whole range of Hymer’s and to test drive them at one location in this country.  Hymer now build to order and you may have to wait for up to 6 months for a new vehicle if dealers do not have the model in stock.  One of the best places to compare all the models is the huge Dusseldorf Caravan Salon during the last week of August and first week in September.  All the new model ranges will be on show and there are often very good show deals.  Dealers from the UK, Germany and Belgium will be in attendance.   Autumn is a good time of year to buy as there are often good deals to be had as older models are replaced. 

Buying Abroad:  Many HCI members have bought their Hymer’s abroad and generally costs have been lower than the UK.  However, this can vary enormously and is dependent upon the exchange rate at the time.  If you have a vehicle to part exchange the continental dealers will only accept LHD. The importation documentation and requirements has changed recently  and it is ESSENTIAL that you ensure you have up-to-date information on these requirements before attempting to purchase abroad. Do not be put off by the importation paperwork.  This is relatively simple.  One thing you have to bear in mind is that in Germany you will have to pay the German equivalent of VAT. This is payable on the total purchase price i.e. including extras.  As soon as you import the vehicle you have to pay the UK VAT and obtain a HMC&E receipt.  You then send this to your supplier and they refund the tax you paid.  European dealers often have good deals on ex-demonstrator or ex Hymer Rent vehicles with very low mileage and fitted extras at considerably less than the normal ‘on the road’ price.  If buying abroad, you must also consider that any warranty claim or back up service may involve expensive travel back to the place of purchase.  This route gives the security of buying from an official dealer but the costs of returning to the dealer for servicing etc. (vital to keep the warranty valid) should be included in your costing exercise.  Warranty work on the base vehicle, usually Mercedes-Benz or Fiat, is not a problem within the UK. 

Buying in the UK:  There are now a number of Hymer approved dealerships in the UK with factory trained servicing and sales staff and details of approved dealers who import, sell, service and carry out warranty work on Hymer’s (see the ‘Dealers’ tab for more info).  Of the dealers only Travelworld deals exclusively with Hymer selling both Hymer’s and Carado’s, a new brand built by Hymer in a new factory in Saxony, Germany.  (Note: Only the Hymer brand built at Bad Waldsee qualifies owners for membership of Hymer Club International).   The approved dealers usually supply RHD models although it is possible to order LHD too.  In addition to the approved dealers there are a few independent importers, sometimes known as ‘grey’ or ‘parallel’ importers.  These dealers are able to source new and used vehicles and these are predominantly LHD.  It is worth considering that, in the event of purchasing a new Hymer from them and having a warranty claim, they have no direct access to the Hymer factory service department and therefore claims may not be straightforward.  These suppliers cannot provide the warranty checks required for the Hymer 6 year Warranty against water ingress.   Some of the suppliers of used Hymer’s claim to have quick access to spares and this might be a relevant factor for those wishing to purchase second hand.  A large number of HCI members have purchased both new and used vehicles, RHD and LHD, from these independent dealers and they have a good reputation. 

Note: This list is not exhaustive, please check the requirements for the countries you intend travelling in.

2 useful websites for European route and toll planning:

• Autoroutes (France and Spain)
• ViaMichelin (European cover)

Austria

System in use: Vignette for vehicles up to 3.5t and Go-Box for vehicles over 3.5t to use motorways and expressways.

Both options can be organised at the border  and vignettes can be purchased on the approach to the border.

Further information: asfinag.at

Croatia

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

Further information: hac.hr

Czech Republic

System in use: Vignette for vehicles up to 3.5t and Premid box for vehicles over 3.5t to use the motorways.

Vignettes can be purchased at the border, tolls must be paid by an electronic device placed in the vehicle.

Further information: premid.cz

France

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

The Crit’Air vignette is a new emissions sticker scheme which has been introduced for all vehicles registered in France. It will also be compulsory for vehicles registered abroad from 1st April 2017.

Vignettes can be bought from the Certificat Air website.

Further information: autoroutes.fr or www.emovis-tag.co.uk

Hungary

System in use: For vehicles up to 7.5t you will need to purchase a vignette.

Vignettes can be bought from large petrol stations on the motorways, online from virpay.hu (available in English) and further points of sale can be found at motorway.hu

Italy

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

Further information: autostrade.it

Poland

System in use: Pay as you go tolls on some motorways  for vehicles up to 3.5t and viaTOLL box for vehicles over 3.5t to use the motorways.

Further information: www.viatoll.pl/en

 Portugal

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

Some toll roads are electronic payment only. Please see ctt.pt for details on how to pay.

Further information: visitportugal.com or tollcard.pt or ctt.pt or www.emovis-tag.co.uk

Republic of Ireland

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

Further information: etoll.ie

The M50 toll around Dublin is automatic payment only.

Further information: eflow.ie

Slovenia

System in use: Vignette for vehicles under 3.5t and toll box for vehicles over 3.5t to use motorways

Vignettes can be purchased from petrol stations in Slovenia and neighbouring countries.

Further information and details on point of sale: dars.si

Switzerland

System in use: Vehicles up to 3.5t need a vignette Over 3.5t you will need to pay a daily road tax.

Vignettes can be purchased on the border or from the Swiss Tourist board myswitzerland.com. The daily road tax can only be organised at the border.

Further information: ezv.admin.ch

Spain

System in use: Pay as you go tolls to use the motorways.

Further information: autopistas.com or www.emovis-tag.co.uk

Note: The information below is a guide only.