Discount of new Malibu campervan, is it possible?.

[Clewie68]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I'll start with thanking everyone for their replies. I'm looking forward to learning and there's plenty I need to learn.

My first questions are about buying my first campervan. It's taken me a while to decide which van I think is right for me and I like the Malibu 640 LE K.

I went to one dealership two weeks back and learnt a couple of interesting things. The salesperson said it could take up to two years to take delivery. Mainly because everyone wants the 9 speed automatic gearbox. He said I'll pay the price of the van at delivery time not the price when ordering. Which would more than likely subject me to a few price rises.

Is this normal practice buying a new van?.

The second interesting thing the salesperson said, is that Malibu sometimes fix the price of their products at shows. The next one being the at the NEC in October.

Has anyone heard about price fixing?.

I didn't get a definitive response to my question about a possible discount from the salesperson.

Is it feasible to get a discount at the dealership?. Mainly to cancel out any price increases and get my order started.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. Either wait for October for a possible price fix or try to get a discount and place an order soon.

Kind regards,

Mark.

 

[Clewie68]

For Victron kit and solar panels have a word with RogerIvy he can probably supply panels to suit, not everything is shown on his site and a 10% discount for Funsters.

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Thanks Lenny.

I think the way this van price keeps going up and all the other little goodies I spot, I need all the savings and discounts I can get.

 

[starquake]

That's another thing that's concerning me. How much solar can I put on a campervan roof with three skylights.

I'm plumping for the 180hp engine. I think I can get it with the heavy chassis.

I'd point out like others have it may be cheaper to get a pre-reg arriving this year, (or 2nd hand) then pay for upgrades from a dealer, it may even work out cheaper than the price rises that will happen between now and van delivery assuming you don't get a price fix deal at a show (and a 2.5 year wait).

Ref; roof of solar, I'd consider also getting some MC4 connectors (or similar plug in connector like a anderson connector) on a splitter to the roof panels, and just running some (foldable) external panels if at a campsite -> any good solar installer should be able to do that. Sometimes simple works, and by using a array we move 3 times during the day at a campsite you get significantly more solar harvest and I noted this summer we were FAR from the only motorhome/camper doing it. In our van a 100w foldable panel we have nicely found fits above the truma unit (and fills otherwise dead space quite well), but we upgrading to 200w this year.

Ref; engine size have you driven the 2 varients, you may find you are perfectly happy with the smaller engine at motorway speeds? Equally you could consider remapping the lower sized engine for more power potentially. I'm sure some on here have if you search for remaps ...

And ref payload, have you driven the manual (as this would be a way faster delivery)? I know a lot of us on here have autos -> I didn't as wanted the extra payload from the manual box (it's lighter) in our vans -> and to be honest I don't miss the auto despite entirely driving automatics since 2000 ish -> the key thing is you drive a motorhome very differently to a car typically and we at least tend to stick to motorway routings for majority of our drives as it's easier, so in effect theres not much difference between being in 6th gear on cruise. I initially was in the insisit on a auto until I had driven the manual.

 

[starquake]

Thanks Lenny.

I think the way this van price keeps going up and all the other little goodies I spot, I need all the savings and discounts I can get.

Don't forget with a van that expensive you may require (or want) the growler or similar with a good tracker too just to get insured. Some insurers will insist on a thatcham tracker over 50k, and without it you may find the insurance signficantly higher.

 

[CRD]

That's another thing that's concerning me. How much solar can I put on a campervan roof with three skylights.

I'm plumping for the 180hp engine. I think I can get it with the heavy chassis.

I don’t understand why you need the heavy chassis. We went through a long decision process about whether to sell our Malibu or up plate it to 3880kg so that we can add a spare wheel (takes a lot of garage space unless you under sling it) and an awning.

We decided to go for a new bigger van in the end (7.5m coach built with 180/auto/heavy chassis/4500kg) but it was a close decision.

The Malibu is really excellent, but there is no need for a heavy chassis or 180 bhp engine, as there’s not enough space to make use of that extra weight capability.

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[Clewie68]

Definitely need a tracker. Since turning 40,(55 now), I worry about things a lot more. You made some good points in the post before.

I think it's a good idea for the heavy chassis and I like the idea of more horse power for the weight. I'm going to look into the remapping of the 140hp to 180bhp. That would save thousands.

If I could save thousands on that, why don't I order the entire van now?. Struth, the amount of options I have to think about.

I know one thing though,whatever I choose, it'll be wrong. It always is

 

[CRD]

Another quick point. We bought our Malibu from South West Motorhomes. Their post sales service was dreadful and we wouldn’t buy anything from them again.

 

[Clewie68]

That one is marked sold. I enquired about it last October but it was already sold. I ordered one that is scheduled for construction in June this year but I had to accept the Fiat specification that had already been ordered, luckily except for colour it was exactly what I wanted. The Malibu specification was open to any changes I wanted so I changed the model to 640LE K and specified only the options I wanted. Basically S W Motorhomes had taken a flyer on specifying the Fiat part of the order knowing that they could change the Malibu bits to suit a customer.

That is part of the Malibu ordering process. Since the EU introduced rules laying down minimum payloads they have been much more careful about not letting customers specify options that make the van too heavy. Their brochure now includes a figure for the maximum weight of options that can be ordered, for the 640LE K this is 203kg. My order confirmation also includes a figure showing how many kg I have spare for additional equipment.

Wow, I bet you're counting the hours to June. Great choice. I've got the weight of my optional extras up to 182kg.

Edwards motorhomes told me, some dealerships, including them might not be allowed to ask for a new build. There is such a back log.

I think one of the main things I'm aware of is, I need to be 100% happy with my choice and if that means waiting two years plus, that's what I'll have to do. Which will be frustrating.

 

[GMLS]

The dealer supported by the manufacturer fixed the price of my Rapido at the end of 2021 and the vehicle was eventually delivered end 2023 so a avoided multiple price increases. There should be far more certainty on their input costs than there was back then so worth pushing for at the very least, cap any increase.I have purchased 2 vehicles from Southdowns (Burstners) and found them excellent to deal with.

 

[Clewie68]

Another quick point. We bought our Malibu from South West Motorhomes. Their post sales service was dreadful and we wouldn’t buy anything from them again.

I quite like Edwards motorhomes. I went there about three weeks back. One salesperson was spot on the other, the one that knew Malibu, disappeared. I did learn something interesting things there and they let me look at there 600 DBK. Their Google reviews are good. I've looked at other dealerships Google reviews too. As like you say, after sales service is important.

Edwards is also the closest to me. Which is also very nice.

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[Clewie68]

The dealer supported by the manufacturer fixed the price of my Rapido at the end of 2021 and the vehicle was eventually delivered end 2023 so a avoided multiple price increases. There should be far more certainty on their input costs than there was back then so worth pushing for at the very least, cap any increase.I have purchased 2 vehicles from Southdowns (Burstners) and found them excellent to deal with.

I accidentally compiled my dream build on the 2023 price list. I thought something was wrong, then found the 2024 price list and made all the adjustments. For one price rise it was worrying.

How many potential price rises within six months or two years?. One thing I know, they won't be appreciated.

Southdowns sounds interesting. My second favourite on my little list .Could become THE favourite.

Thank you for the good advice.

 

[CRD]

You seem very fixated on the heavy chassis and I’m struggling to think why. Even if it’s possible to spec a 6.4m Malibu with a heavy chassis, you’ll be needlessly carting it around everywhere, reducing fuel economy for no reason. Same applies to the 180 bhp engine.

Just do a paper up plating exercise which should easily meet the requirements of all your additional items and enjoy the good performance (and fuel economy) from the 140 engine and excellent 9 speed auto.

We are averaging 31mpg and that’s improving. Maybe fuel economy isn’t important to you, but it is for us, particularly on a 3,000 mile trip.

We’ve owned our Malibu 640 for nearly three years, spent 8 weeks touring France and Spain, six weeks touring Scotland plus countless shorter trips and never have we felt that it was under powered, even though we were occasionally slightly overweight.

 

[Lenny HB]

I think it's a good idea for the heavy chassis and I like the idea of more horse power for the weight. I'm going to look into the remapping of the 140hp to 180bhp. That would save thousands.

And void your warranty, have you seen the price of engines and gearboxes these days.
A friend recently had a 9 speed box replaced along with torque converter and gearbox ecu, parts alone £13k.

 

[Barchetta47]

Are you fixed on RHD? You may find things are better over the water, our experience based on extensive travelling in the EU is that there are new vehicles on all the forecourts. I’d say that particularly applies to PVCs. Just a thought.

 

[Clewie68]

Are you fixed on RHD? You may find things are better over the water, our experience based on extensive travelling in the EU is that there are new vehicles on all the forecourts. I’d say that particularly applies to PVCs. Just a thought.

Definitely right hand drive

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[Simon Select]

Why would you expect discount? It’s getting harder for dealers at the moment with the cost of living. I had a bloke today that offered £15,000 off Lenny HB’s famous Hymer and I said politely off you go. He wanted a cambelt, tyres, warranty etc etc I said I can’t do the deal, wasn’t prepared to do it. Why should I make a loss and honour everything he wants. I have never gone into Sainsburys and got to the till and asked for 20% of the bill.

 

[Clewie68]

And void your warranty, have you seen the price of engines and gearboxes these days.
A friend recently had a 9 speed box replaced along with torque converter and gearbox ecu, parts alone £13k.

Great point. That's why I want the correct spec from Fiat/Malibu. He did make an interesting point about aftermarket engine tune.

Think I'll shelve the engine chipping.

 

[Simon Select]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I'll start with thanking everyone for their replies. I'm looking forward to learning and there's plenty I need to learn.

My first questions are about buying my first campervan. It's taken me a while to decide which van I think is right for me and I like the Malibu 640 LE K.

I went to one dealership two weeks back and learnt a couple of interesting things. The salesperson said it could take up to two years to take delivery. Mainly because everyone wants the 9 speed automatic gearbox. He said I'll pay the price of the van at delivery time not the price when ordering. Which would more than likely subject me to a few price rises.

Is this normal practice buying a new van?.

The second interesting thing the salesperson said, is that Malibu sometimes fix the price of their products at shows. The next one being the at the NEC in October.

Has anyone heard about price fixing?.

I didn't get a definitive response to my question about a possible discount from the salesperson.

Is it feasible to get a discount at the dealership?. Mainly to cancel out any price increases and get my order started.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. Either wait for October for a possible price fix or try to get a discount and place an order soon.

Kind regards,

Mark.

If you got discount would you expect a warranty and full dealer back up? Seems unreasonable as the good will element or support would still be expected.

 

[Clewie68]

Why would you expect discount? It’s getting harder for dealers at the moment with the cost of living. I had a bloke today that offered £15,000 off Lenny HB’s famous Hymer and I said politely off you go. He wanted a cambelt, tyres, warranty etc etc I said I can’t do the deal, wasn’t prepared to do it. Why should I make a loss and honour everything he wants. I have never gone into Sainsburys and got to the till and asked for 20% of the bill.

That's why I'm here asking for people's opinions and what they have done to see if it's an appropriate question to ask sales. Exactly where have I said I expect a discount in my thread.

Have you ever considered spending £93,000 at Sainsburys till?.

 

[Simon Select]

That's why I'm here asking for people's opinions and what they have done to see if it's an appropriate question to ask sales. Exactly where have I said I expect a discount in my thread.

Have you ever considered spending £93,000 at Sainsburys till?.

What price do you put on backup? Are you bothered about remedial problems? If there is no money in your van will you be upset if they can’t or won’t fix it?

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[CRD]

You also have to think that at some point you will want to sell your Malibu. The spec and driving licence requirements at that point will be very important and will definitely determine its resale value.

A van with a paper up plate can be down plated again, assuming that it can achieve the necessary weight limits to be down plated to 3,500 kg. A 3,500 kg PVC has a far bigger resale market and will retain its value far more.

Don't forget that this is a 6.4m PVC with a limited garage space. If you need a bigger weight capacity then associate it with a bigger load capacity too, to make a balanced vehicle.

A 6.4m PVC which forces drivers to have a C1 licence will not be very desirable to a wider market IMO and will suffer far higher depreciation.

This is why we decided to go for a bigger coach built. Its got a huge garage and storage capacity that is matched by its 4,500 plate.

 

[Clewie68]

You seem very fixated on the heavy chassis and I’m struggling to think why. Even if it’s possible to spec a 6.4m Malibu with a heavy chassis, you’ll be needlessly carting it around everywhere, reducing fuel economy for no reason. Same applies to the 180 bhp engine.

Just do a paper up plating exercise which should easily meet the requirements of all your additional items and enjoy the good performance (and fuel economy) from the 140 engine and excellent 9 speed auto.

We are averaging 31mpg and that’s improving. Maybe fuel economy isn’t important to you, but it is for us, particularly on a 3,000 mile trip.

We’ve owned our Malibu 640 for nearly three years, spent 8 weeks touring France and Spain, six weeks touring Scotland plus countless shorter trips and never have we felt that it was under powered, even though we were occasionally slightly overweight.

I firstly looked at the 600 DBK, and like you say about weight, the DBK would be the more economic van. This is important to me.

But, when configuring the van with their options, I'm very close to the van limit. When considering an aftermarket Victron Energy system and new alloy spare wheel, it's possible I'll be over 3,500kg. The DBK can't be configured with the heavy chassis. The LE K, is basically a slightly larger DBK which can be up plated.

The 180hp engine?. The only way I'm ever going to get any idea whether it's a sensible option is to get a dealer to let me drive a fully loaded 140hp engine and 180hp engine back to back. I'm thinking that's highly unlikely.

Fantastic point about the fuel statistics of your van. 31mpg. That's impressive. I'll have to ask a salesperson about the 180 hp engine economy. I'd say the fuel economy is of great importance as diesel just keeps going up. Yet at the same time, so is electricy. Hence a self sufficient Victron system.

 

[Clewie68]

What price do you put on backup? Are you bothered about remedial problems? If there is no money in your van will you be upset if they can’t or won’t fix it?

Simon, to be honest. You going off piste. I'm trying to find questions I want, not answering hypothetical questions from you.

Back up as in servicing?. That's important. When I'm considering spending that much, just once. The one right van, everything it needs to be in perfect condition is massively important.

I drive class 1 and take driving seriously. I hope I've answered your question.

 

[Barchetta47]

Why would you expect discount? It’s getting harder for dealers at the moment with the cost of living. I had a bloke today that offered £15,000 off Lenny HB’s famous Hymer and I said politely off you go. He wanted a cambelt, tyres, warranty etc etc I said I can’t do the deal, wasn’t prepared to do it. Why should I make a loss and honour everything he wants. I have never gone into Sainsburys and got to the till and asked for 20% of the bill.

I think the problem going forward is that people can see what motor homes cost new and are reluctant when buying used to pay a premium over the original purchase price. To quote LennyHB

reckon I could get one for under £65k, with the pound dropping would be a few K more now, but still good value.

I know this has little relevance in the marketplace of today and that you need to run a successful business, I’m not suggesting otherwise, but in the circumstances customers need to also ensure they get good value.

 

[Clewie68]

You also have to think that at some point you will want to sell your Malibu. The spec and driving licence requirements at that point will be very important and will definitely determine its resale value.

A van with a paper up plate can be down plated again, assuming that it can achieve the necessary weight limits to be down plated to 3,500 kg. A 3,500 kg PVC has a far bigger resale market and will retain its value far more.

Don't forget that this is a 6.4m PVC with a limited garage space. If you need a bigger weight capacity then associate it with a bigger load capacity too, to make a balanced vehicle.

A 6.4m PVC which forces drivers to have a C1 licence will not be very desirable to a wider market IMO and will suffer far higher depreciation.

This is why we decided to go for a bigger coach built. Its got a huge garage and storage capacity that is matched by its 4,500 plate.

I'm not considering selling it at any point in the future. I think that would a tragedy not choosing the right van in the first place. Hence all my questions, which some might find a little silly.

All I have to do is worry about my licence and it's more than enough being CAT C+E. I do have to renew my cpc in October

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[Pausim]

Just do a paper up plating exercise which should easily meet the requirements of all your additional items

What are the axle weights on your 3500kg Malibu Van please?

 

[Clewie68]

I think the problem going forward is that people can see what motor homes cost new and are reluctant when buying used to pay a premium over the original purchase price. To quote LennyHB


I know this has little relevance in the marketplace of today and that you need to run a successful business, I’m not suggesting otherwise, but in the circumstances customers need to also ensure they get good value.

Well said, thank you.

 

[Lenny HB]

I think the problem going forward is that people can see what motor homes cost new and are reluctant when buying used to pay a premium over the original purchase price. To quote LennyHB


I know this has little relevance in the marketplace of today and that you need to run a successful business, I’m not suggesting otherwise, but in the circumstances customers need to also ensure they get good value.

That quote of mine was from 2016 and was about buying abroad not in the UK.

Totally different market today, any decent van is list without discount. You will only get discount on stuff they can't sell. Most of the quality manufacturers are still on year plus deliveries.

 

[Clewie68]

What are the axle weights on your 3500kg Malibu Van please?

At the start of this thread, I wrote, I'm looking to buy my first campervan.

I haven't got a Malibu van. Yet

Ask me in two years time

 

[Pausim]

Keeping a C1 licence is easy if you are in good health, a year ago I had no reason to think it would be a problem. Now following a heart attack I have only been given 2 years at my renewal and will then have to do another stress test, which I intend to avoid. It also meant that I couldn’t drive my 3850kg motorhome for 3 months. Keeping below 3500kg can be advantageous.

At the start of this thread, I wrote, I'm looking to buy my first campervan.

I haven't got a Malibu van. Yet

Ask me in two years time

I was asking CRD

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[CRD]

What are the axle weights on your 3500kg Malibu Van please?

I’m sorry, but I haven’t got access to the vehicle at the moment, so I don’t know. I can’t find them on any paperwork (which is mostly in German )