PM sent. Also, have you considered approaching Red Lion to see if they could upgrade any of the three Feelings they have in stock to meet your requirements.

Colin

The purchase requirements are similar to the purchase I made of a factory order with Lowdhams in 2016 for a 2017 van.
They are nearly identical to the requirements Campirama of Belgium imposed upon my factory order of 2006 for a 2007 van.

Colin

The historically poor sales of Feelings in the UK is undoubtedly true, but the reasons why tell an interesting story.
You cannot deny the Feeling lacks the stunning looks of a Touring, the 442 in particular looks stretched, but then the 425 looks correct. Then again the Touring looks poorly proportioned in some models, the Familia is squashed whilst some Trolls [depending on door location] look stretched.
Feelings have never been promoted in the UK by Hymer which must be a good reason why sales have not taken off. In 2021 I believe only one van was being sold by a UK dealer, in 2022 we see three vans. How you can sell vans when you do not promote them or even show them to buyers is beyond me.
Hymer are selling Tourings at a good profit. If you compare a Feeling to a Troll on a direct specification comparison the Feeling is around £5K cheaper, so why would Hymer promote them. Indeed it is rumoured they will withdraw them from the UK.
If you step inside a Feeling, the first thing apart from the extra width that becomes obvious is the build quality. It is streets ahead of a new Touring. New Tourings have dipped to an embarrassing level compared to models of old. The quality of cabinetwork as reported by more than a few owners is very poor, electrics are problematic and damp has been a issue for some. Compared to other brands these reports are not so common, but for a premium product at a premium price it is not good. After owning 4 Tourings it is a reason why I am considering a Feeling for my next van.
The 3 Feelings at Red Lion are a mixed bag. The 425 with "rooms in the roof" was not a wise buy in. It is an extremely niche market and if you look at the NL dealers and Markplaats website uou will see these vans do not sell easily. The 442 is the same layout as a Troll 542. This is an odd model and owners who have gone on to trade vans back in report the model not being the most desirable. The 470 on sale is in theory a good van, but why a standard weight axle, why the steel wheels, why the expensive wind out awning. The specification of these vans is wrong for your average buyer. Red Lion did not order in the wrong vans but they did get the wrong specifications..

Colin

I bought my Feeling 425 last June. Hymer/Eriba do not sell many Feelings in the UK as they do not push the model and not all dealerships will sell them.
I sourced mine from Wandahome in Yorkshire, but I believe they are ceasing trading in the Eriba marque. Red Lion Caravans in Southport, Adventure Leisure Vehicles in Tebay and Lowdhams in Nottingham will all supply a Feeling. The total yearly sale of Feelings is I'm guessing just about into double figures.
The 515 was only recently released in the UK and I doubt you will find one second hand.
If a dealer has what you want on the forecourt then you can get a very good price as demand is low due to the public not knowing about them. If you have to order one then you will probably pay full price and I'm guessing have to wait 6/8 months for your factory built to order van.
What I will say is it will be worth the wait. I moved to a Feeling after 4 Tourings and it is far better put together than the Tourings we see being produced today.

Colin

We spent all of June and part of July 2022 in NL, visiting 10 or 12 dealerships. Some could provide us with a van for export, but it is no longer easy or a cheap option. You have to pay NL vat then at the port of entry pay UK vat and an import tax. When home, with hopefully the correct paperwork you then claim back NL vat. We decided it was to complicated and financially not worth it as vans in the UK are now comparable in cost to NL.
If you were doing a private sale on a used van that was several years old I guess you could get around it as when arriving in the UK with a van that was obviously not new it would not be pulled over.
The 425 we have is the same layout as your Troll 530. If you want a 515 for extra sleeping spaces then how about a 425 with the bed in the roof. Red Lion have two in stock Going for bed in the roof model gives you the desirable Truma Combi water/space heater and you get rid of the traditional Truma gas fire. If it is a Combi E then it's a real bonus as it has the electric element in that cannot be added as a retro fit.
I think if Red Lion were offering the deal they have on the cheaper 425 they have now this time last year I think I'd have bought it.

Colin

Unfortunately the loo is the same size. In fact some would say it was smaller as the door does not fall off and give you added leg room.

Colin