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]

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
I was asking CRD

Sorry about answering a question not intended for me. Also I hope your health is getting better and life is good for you and your family.

Interesting point about the advantages of the 3.5t. I'll be happy if I can get all the options I want, a good Victron set up and a spare wheel on a 3,500kg Malibu 600DBK. It'll be tight.

 

[CRD]

I'm not considering selling it at any point in the future.

That’s what we thought three years ago. Requirements change in the light of experience.

A quick example. We want to do more winter touring and want to spend three or four weeks skiing in the Alps. That hadn't occurred to us until recently, and even though the Malibu has pretty good insulation, we have been quite cold in it occasionally when it gets towards zero at night, as occurred in London just after Christmas.

Also the Truma boiler is under one of the beds and you can hear it at night. It also makes that bed too warm, whereas the rest of the van, particularly towards the front, can be quite chilly. When using diesel, it is even more noisy, but that’s only noticeable at night.

Consequently, we try not to put the heating on at night as it disturbs my wife’s sleep, but sometimes the van is too cold without heating.

A coach built with a double floor, wet heating as well as winterised tanks will meet these new requirements. The boiler is also in the lounge area, well away from the bed.

We had no idea about all this when we bought our Malibu, and hadn’t even thought about the position of the boiler, but that is now pretty much first on our list when we look at vans. This all comes from experience.

I am VERY glad that we kept our Malibu within attractive resale parameters. We achieved a high part exchange value, even in this difficult market.

 

[Lenny HB]

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

I haven't got a Malibu van. Yet

Ask me in two years time

Light chassis at 3500kg it will be 1850kg on the front and 2000kg on the rear.. With uprated front springs the front goes up to 1960kg.

 

[Pausim]

Light chassis at 3500kg it will be 1850kg on the front and 2000kg on the rear.. With uprated front springs the front goes up to 1960kg.

Thanks. Same as my Carthago which is on an Alko chassis, I was unsure what the standard Fiat chassis rating would be. Means there is a little leeway on the axle weights but I will still have to be super careful on the overall 3500kg. It also means that if I do make an occassional unintended mistake I am likely to be guilty of overloading (a technical offence) but probably not making the vehicle dangerous (a crime).

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[Orion]

Light chassis at 3500kg it will be 1850kg on the front and 2000kg on the rear.. With uprated front springs the front goes up to 1960kg.

Thanks. Same as my Carthago which is on an Alko chassis, I was unsure what the standard Fiat chassis rating would be. Means there is a little leeway on the axle weights but I will still have to be super careful on the overall 3500kg.

As an aside, depending on which O/E items from Fiat the light chassis with 9 speed automatic comes with - HD front suspension as per Lenny HB above, plus 300mm ventilated discs all round, HD alloys with suitable tyres - it’s possible to go to 4250kg with 2400kg on the rear axle just by adding decent rear air bags.

 

[Pausim]

As an aside, depending on which O/E items from Fiat the light chassis with 9 speed automatic comes with - HD front suspension as per Lenny HB above, plus 300mm ventilated discs all round, HD alloys with suitable tyres - it’s possible to go to 4250kg with 2400kg on the rear axle just by adding decent rear air bags.

Unfortunately for me the limiting factor is doing DVLA stress tests to keep my C1. Having survived one I am trying to avoid doing it again.

 

[CaptainPaul]

I've got a wee Malibu van (the flying mandarin )
It's 180bhp on a 6 speed manual f35 Ducato chassis goes like a rocket tackles steep hills in 6th gear like your still in 3rd, plus will tow anything with ease, its got air suspension, a 200 solar panel and a 110 lithium leisure battery never run low on battery ever and been off grid many times sometimes well over a week, cab & hab aircon as standard, bought it at 6 months old and saved a good few quid on the then new prices but recently went to visit Carthago in Germany where they had a few on display all LHD of course & that new 9 speed auto box but I'm very pleased with the torque and performance etc of the 180 manual, over all its a great wee van, top notch build quality and totally reliable
(Here she is on a trip to The Sahara)

 

[CaptainPaul]

There's a pic of my 200w solar panel as you can see there's not a lot more room up there for much more although they may do a bigger watt panel in the same dimensions but that's way over my head lol uncle Lenny Lenny HB Is the man who knows these things...

 

[Clewie68]

She's a little beauty. Glad you said about how good the 180hp is. I think I'll go for that option too. Interesting about your solar panel. Thank you for the photographs. I searched Google for some photographs of a Malibu campervan roof. I didn't find anything. I was thinking of trying to get at least 350w up there. My theory being, two 175w panels either side of the washroom skylight. It seems feasible looking at the photo.

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[CaptainPaul]

She's a little beauty. Glad you said about how good the 180hp is. I think I'll go for that option too. Interesting about your solar panel. Thank you for the photographs. I searched Google for some photographs of a Malibu campervan roof. I didn't find anything. I was thinking of trying to get at least 350w up there. My theory being, two 175w panels either side of the washroom skylight. It seems feasible looking at the photo.

It could well be..... my man just got me the one big one at 200w and as I said with the battery only being 110 the solar panel seems to keep it topped up all the time, we only use the leisure battery to charge phones and play music etc so it's never really hammered although I have watched the occasional bit of telly on the leisure battery but again no real issues but 350w up there would be immense! Hope you get it sorted and good luck with the van, they're a cracking wee van
(here's a couple of pics from Carthago factory showroom)

 

[Clewie68]

We‘re part exchanging our Malibu 640GT with 9 speed auto and Truma 6DE (diesel and electric) in the next few weeks. It’s got lots of goodies such as solar/Victron, Growler and non starter and has done only 15k miles. Bought new in May 2021 and it’s in very good condition.

It has the 140 engine, but we’ve never felt the need for a 180.

Send me a PM if you are interested and I’ll tell you which Carthago dealer it’s going to soon.

Thank you for the kind offer. At this moment I'm in no real rush as I'm still trying to find answers about whether the smaller 600 DBK will suit my needs. I also need more information about which chassis is best for me, from a dealer.

I'm also waiting for something to happen this year which might give me more money. I don't think I'll place an order before autumn. Which I'm not happy about because I could be looking at two and a half years before I sit in my own van. But it has to be my own specifications on the van.

This is my second day posting here and my first thread. I can honestly say, I'm over the moon with how people have engaged and helped me with information.

I was trying to watch snooker last night but was engrossed in all the different posts. Much more interesting. Thank you CRD and everyone else.

 

[Clewie68]

It could well be..... my man just got me the one big one at 200w and as I said with the battery only being 110 the solar panel seems to keep it topped up all the time, we only use the leisure battery to charge phones and play music etc so it's never really hammered although I have watched the occasional bit of telly on the leisure battery but again no real issues but 350w up there would be immense! Hope you get it sorted and good luck with the van, they're a cracking wee van
(here's a couple of pics from Carthago factory showroom) View attachment 867750View attachment 867753View attachment 867754View attachment 867755

What kind of seats did you plump for?. Is there things you don't like about the van?.

 

[CaptainPaul]

What kind of seats did you plump for?. Is there things you don't like about the van?.

My van came with like a grey brown leather and tweed with burgundy stripe it's kind of hard to explain I've taken a pic here although the vans a mess, been on the road since 1st week January lol, and a cherry wood interior which is also nice
As regards things we don't like about the van.... I can honestly say there is nothing we or I don't like about this wee van and I've owned vans at £150k plus and had vans at £20k and this is by far the best van we've ever had, and my next van in a couple of years time will be another Carthago Malibu, I've already spoken to the guy I buy from to try to source one closer to the time

 

[Clewie68]

I'm thinking I'd love the van, at the price I've specced it to, I'd have to love it. I looked at a 600DBK a few weeks back and was impressed with the build.

Originally I was interested in a Hymer Grand Canyon. Then I watched a YouTube video and found out the Hymer has plastic hinges on the cabinets. My decision was instant. There's no way I'm paying that much money for a van with plastic hinges.

How do you find the moveable toilet. That was one of my only concerns. The other being a small garage. I would of liked to make an electric bike more secure in a garage. I'd just make sure it was locked more than once to a Thule frame on the back door. Then lock it inside when I went out, if ever I felt the need. Problem solved.

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[Orion]

I would have liked to make an electric bike more secure in a garage. I'd just make sure it was locked more than once to a Thule frame on the back door. Then lock it inside when I went out, if ever I felt the need. Problem solved.

Consider a Vanbitz alarm with the rear ‘accessory loop’ that wraps around bikes, trailers etc.

 

[Clewie68]

Consider a Vanbitz alarm with the rear ‘accessory loop’ that wraps around bikes, trailers etc.

Wow, never heard of those. Thank you for the advice. I'll look into it.

 

[CaptainPaul]

I'm thinking I'd love the van, at the price I've specced it to, I'd have to love it. I looked at a 600DBK a few weeks back and was impressed with the build.

Originally I was interested in a Hymer Grand Canyon. Then I watched a YouTube video and found out the Hymer has plastic hinges on the cabinets. My decision was instant. There's no way I'm paying that much money for a van with plastic hinges.

How do you find the moveable toilet. That was one of my only concerns. The other being a small garage. I would of liked to make an electric bike more secure in a garage. I'd just make sure it was locked more than once to a Thule frame on the back door. Then lock it inside when I went out, if ever I felt the need. Problem solved.

Seen a few of those Hymer Grand Canyons over here in Morocco, still a nice van too though and Hymer are a quality company too... as regards the garage I thought it was quite good size wise and as regards your bike the split beds lift up inside and the rear panel folds to give you full head height throughout the entire van easy enough room for a push bike or 2....
This pic isn't my van but mine does the exact same, it basically allows the full rear of the van height and width

 

[Clewie68]

Seen a few of those Hymer Grand Canyons over here in Morocco, still a nice van too though and Hymer are a quality company too... as regards the garage I thought it was quite good size wise and as regards your bike the split beds lift up inside and the rear panel folds to give you full head height throughout the entire van easy enough room for a push bike or 2....
This pic isn't my van but mine does the exact same, it basically allows the full rear of the van height and width View attachment 867817

Seen a few of those Hymer Grand Canyons over here in Morocco, still a nice van too though and Hymer are a quality company too... as regards the garage I thought it was quite good size wise and as regards your bike the split beds lift up inside and the rear panel folds to give you full head height throughout the entire van easy enough room for a push bike or 2....
This pic isn't my van but mine does the exact same, it basically allows the full rear of the van height and width View attachment 867817

My original idea was a Vanworx maxtraxx 4x4. I stumbled across the company last October at the NEC. Lovely van, very well made. I went to the website and found the price. Way out of my price range. I have this mad idea of Norway in the winter and thought four wheel drive would be a good idea. Seems like that would be a very costly option and decided against it. If you see someone digging himself out of a snowdrift in Norway a couple of years from now. Its probably me