BUYING A MOTORHOME IN GERMANY

Bill Connell (Passed on by Cindy Webb)

September 2007

Cindy writes: The following information was kindly supplied by a friend of a friend (fellow motorhomers all). Bill Connell lives in Tralee, Eire and is an ex-lecturer - a linguist in languages ancient and modern.

The web address which is used by all dealers and private sales is www.mobile.de. When you open it up, you pick your language on the right hand side and then go back to the left hand side and hit search. Motorhomes should come up. 'Wohnmobile' is German for 'Motorhome' and 'Kaufen' is 'For Sale'. You can put in a region (get the postcodes from an atlas or you can also get them on this website). That narrows down the area you would be willing to travel to.

You can specify make, model and year, and also your price range, as the number of vans that come up otherwise is vast. I believe there are about ten dealers in Munich in the Bodensee-Strasse. We did not go in there as we were interested in a Hymer about 20 km out. We went from there to Pfarrkirchen, about another 100 km, and as we liked the Laika we went for it.

The problem with a private sale is that, if you do not like what you see, then you have to back-track to a dealer. You pay about 15% extra through a dealer but, if it is an older van, they must give you a guarantee with it and that may be worth the extra. They are legally bound to point out any defects. All vans in Germany must have an MOT after two years and then each year. Gas and emissions must also be checked. If the motorhome is given a manufacturer's check for dampness etc each year, then there is a certificate for that.

Although roads are great in Germany, the traffic has gone wild since I was there last. A journey that should take an hour is now taking two. Routes between major cities like Munich and Stuttgart are very busy, with road works all over the place as they add new lanes to cope with the traffic. I believe Lufthansa are offering low-cost flights into Munich. None of the cheap airlines seem to go there. Ryanair.com flies to Frankfurt-Hahn or Baden-Baden or Düsseldorf but none of these is near Munich. We hired from Hertz, as they had a deal with Ryanair: 250 euros for 5 days in an A-class Mercedes - a small car about the size of a VW Polo but very economical and comfortable. You can get a Polo or similar cheaper. You can also get cars at a good price from http://www.holidayautos.com or www.autosabroad.com.

I believe there is also a concentration of dealers around Mulheim which would be near Frankfurt-Hahn or Düsseldorf for a Ryanair flight.

I would advise anyone to keep clear of Belgium and Holland. They have a luxury tax on motorhomes. Keep well away from Urbano in Belgium. I went there once and found them a waste of time. They advertise in MMM all the time but I found that all the vans which were for sale you would not buy - and any you would were marked 'Sold'!!!

The Knaus I bought three years ago was from www.mimobile.de. He is mostly into Euromobiles at big prices but is a reliable dealer. Lots of his sales are ex-hire jobs so can be a little worn at the edges.

When you buy in Germany you have to go to the car registration office. You must buy insurance for 2 weeks (123 euros) plus new number plates at about 25 euros, made in the same office. You then go to another office where they transfer ownership. You take a number and wait and wait and wait. Some people grow old waiting and give up, so this helps a little!

It's a good idea to take a number before going to the first office for number plates and insurance (and you have to go back there once all the red tape is done). You pay about 50 euros for the transfer, then about 200 euros lighter you are on your way. I kept my insurance from the old motorhome, so I was doubly insured, but you must also take the 2 weeks' German insurance.

When you get home you have to import the vehicle. In the UK this is simple enough, I believe. In Ireland if the motorhome is not over 3 tonnes metric it would cost big bucks to import. They used to bring you to a weighbridge but now they get the registration document from Germany (the Grey Card ) and as well as an unladen weight you must also have 3.5 tonnes gross weight or a payload of 500 kg. Some people in Ireland have been caught out with this, as it is a new regulation.

I hope this is enough to keep you going for the moment.

Bill & Kay Connell, Tralee, Co. Kerry