I've not heard anything about how things are in regard to buying a van in the EU, now that the UK are no longer members. Previously it was all one market and goods/property passed as if all in the same country. Now presumably a caravan is an import and there are border formalities/tariffs etc to negotiate.

When I last checked a month or two ago there werent any import duties on caravans ...

We lived in France and bought an Eriba there, the only thing we had to do when returning to UK was send in a notice of "cessation" when we brought it to the UK other wise the vin is registered to the French number plate and could be classed as stolen by the men in blue if used with a UK registration plate in France etc, you should also be given a copy of the cessation from the seller

I have heard reports that availability of both new and used vans is just as bad on the Continent as it is here because so many are opting for caravanning instead of flying to their holiday. Brings a new meaning to the now defunct motorhome model name the 'Eriba Jet'.

The Caravan Year, even for Continental made vans runs for 12 months from the beginning of September, so any van produced from Septrmber is a 2022 model but if delivered before the end of December will be counted as a 2021 van. Confusing n'est pas? Dealers will charge you 2022MY prices but when it's time to sell/px they'll say it's a 2021.

The order book for any particular year normally closes late Spring/early Summer to allow the orders for the MY (Model Year) to be completed. Production tends to shut down in August when the line is given a deep clean, machinery installed and renovated etc and preparations made for any model changes for the new year.

So, when a dealer says anything ordered won't be 'til 2022 you do need to know if they mean 2022MY or 2022 calendar year. In the next few weeks they will be given rough delivery estimates for their stock orders, which they will hope to populate with actual names customers that have ordered already or will order over the year. Any that are not allocated to customers either become dealer stock or are traded with other dealers before delivery.

I don't know if these points are still an issue when buying from abroad, however the UK spec have the fire retardant stickers on the seats usually inside the covers. UK dealers can be prosecuted for selling second hand caravans without the labels, I remember Jandi telling me many years ago as the trading standards office was close to their workshop. Also some dealers will not service or honour warranties for non UK spec vans.

Throughout the UK caravan industry there are dealerships that will not service or repair a van unless they sold it. It isn't a given that a dealer will be happy to handle a 'foreign' van, like car dealerships do and it's always wise to check locally before buying from a distance.

The warranty is another thing entirely in that it is basically Hymer agreeing to pay a dealer for repairs. Under UK law the selling dealer is the only dealership that has liability for the product, so there is no compunction on any other dealer to get involved.

We have just ordered a new 530 with Leisure First.
Delivery is Jan/Feb and will be a 2022 model