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[Seth]

my personal oppinion is stay away from baileys they have quite a few damp issues and cracked back panels and i always find them basic,the materials they use are chep and flimsy..elddis not that long ago had an issue with build quality and it was only if the dealer could be bothered did they reach the customer ok,but in the last 2 to 3 years i think they have pulled their act together and the vans leave the factory a lot better so if yer go down the elddis route you want a newish one and baileys you want an older one,theres some big old lunars out there called deltas which if theyre dry are a good big light van..and i would stay away from foreign vans as there hard to move on,dealers dont like adrias,dethleffs and so on if you see a nice big van thats cheap and too good to be true(it is)its somat nobody wants and you would struggle to sell it on or its nicked or damp as chuff,inj the trade swifts have the nick name soggy swift..if you ever see owt yer fancy let me know and il look the price up and if any issues

Got to agree with your comments Herc ......

We had a 'soggy Swift' a few years back, and our latest Bailey, a 2005 Ranger (which was 2 years old when we bought it), had damp repaired last year. I was livid, as we'd parted with an 'as new' 1998 Ranger 440/4 to have this one.
 
Whoever bought the '98 'van certainly got a bargain - grrrrrrr!
 
A caravan-dealing aquaintance reckons that we ought to be looking at a Coachman next.
He's full of praise for 'em, and says that there's no pre-delivery work to do when they arrive from the factory.
A tad pricey when compared with other 'premium brands', but you get what you pay for, I suppose ......
 
 

[sexydaz]

my personal oppinion is stay away from baileys they have quite a few damp issues and cracked back panels and i always find them basic,the materials they use are chep and flimsy..elddis not that long ago had an issue with build quality and it was only if the dealer could be bothered did they reach the customer ok,but in the last 2 to 3 years i think they have pulled their act together and the vans leave the factory a lot better so if yer go down the elddis route you want a newish one and baileys you want an older one,theres some big old lunars out there called deltas which if theyre dry are a good big light van..and i would stay away from foreign vans as there hard to move on,dealers dont like adrias,dethleffs and so on if you see a nice big van thats cheap and too good to be true(it is)its somat nobody wants and you would struggle to sell it on or its nicked or damp as chuff,inj the trade swifts have the nick name soggy swift..if you ever see owt yer fancy let me know and il look the price up and if any issues

Got to agree with your comments Herc ......

We had a 'soggy Swift' a few years back, and our latest Bailey, a 2005 Ranger (which was 2 years old when we bought it), had damp repaired last year. I was livid, as we'd parted with an 'as new' 1998 Ranger 440/4 to have this one.
 
Whoever bought the '98 'van certainly got a bargain - grrrrrrr!
 
A caravan-dealing aquaintance reckons that we ought to be looking at a Coachman next.
He's full of praise for 'em, and says that there's no pre-delivery work to do when they arrive from the factory.
A tad pricey when compared with other 'premium brands', but you get what you pay for, I suppose ......
 
 

you can nearly roll a coachman off the delivery wagon and just clean it,thats how good they come and although a tad pricey you do get what you pay for..the materials are better than many caravans as in more wood and thicker but that comes with the price to pay of a heavier van but id rather have a well built sturdy van and a good record of staying dry

[TheBoy]

how do you think i managed to save 30k in less than 3 years? 

By living at home


Fair play, though, your tightness (in a nice sense) has allowed you to save a decent deposit

[tunnie]

how do you think i managed to save 30k in less than 3 years? 

By living at home


Fair play, though, your tightness (in a nice sense) has allowed you to save a decent deposit

10% looks like its going to be good enough, i was waiting till end of year to have 15% but it made sod all difference to the rates 

[MikeDundee]

I have seen some lovely looking caravans down here which I am going to see into when I get home.
The ones that have taken my eye are
a Bailey Senator Wyoming and an Elddis Crusader Sandstorm.
Do any of you caravaners know anything about them?
The Bailey I have seen the owner used to tow it with an Omega Estate no problem he says... It does look a big i thought although would need to check the weights out.


 

If you do buy one, just remember never to bring it to an OOF meet, as bread on the roof will only attract the seagulls and wake you up early

[Lazydocker]

There's nothing wron with caravans... Ours suits us down to the ground. It's around 20 years old, plenty big enough and only cost £200... Insurance is something like £60/year and no storage charges as it's on the drive... Which is also handy if we have lots of people visit We've slept in it for New Year a couple of years back and were plenty warm enough

As for towing weights... AFAIK you can tow up to the MATW for the Omega, which may or may not be more than 100% but the Caravan Club recommend 85% (as said above, for inexperienced towers) and no more than 100%. If you are aware of what's going on around you it's no problem

Go for it Daz... If it's what you want to do

Ours has paid for itself over and over again so we've got nothing to lose now

[Seth]

my personal oppinion is stay away from baileys they have quite a few damp issues and cracked back panels and i always find them basic,the materials they use are chep and flimsy..elddis not that long ago had an issue with build quality and it was only if the dealer could be bothered did they reach the customer ok,but in the last 2 to 3 years i think they have pulled their act together and the vans leave the factory a lot better so if yer go down the elddis route you want a newish one and baileys you want an older one,theres some big old lunars out there called deltas which if theyre dry are a good big light van..and i would stay away from foreign vans as there hard to move on,dealers dont like adrias,dethleffs and so on if you see a nice big van thats cheap and too good to be true(it is)its somat nobody wants and you would struggle to sell it on or its nicked or damp as chuff,inj the trade swifts have the nick name soggy swift..if you ever see owt yer fancy let me know and il look the price up and if any issues

Got to agree with your comments Herc ......

We had a 'soggy Swift' a few years back, and our latest Bailey, a 2005 Ranger (which was 2 years old when we bought it), had damp repaired last year. I was livid, as we'd parted with an 'as new' 1998 Ranger 440/4 to have this one.
 
Whoever bought the '98 'van certainly got a bargain - grrrrrrr!
 
A caravan-dealing aquaintance reckons that we ought to be looking at a Coachman next.
He's full of praise for 'em, and says that there's no pre-delivery work to do when they arrive from the factory.
A tad pricey when compared with other 'premium brands', but you get what you pay for, I suppose ......
 
 

you can nearly roll a coachman off the delivery wagon and just clean it,thats how good they come and although a tad pricey you do get what you pay for..the materials are better than many caravans as in more wood and thicker but that comes with the price to pay of a heavier van but id rather have a well built sturdy van and a good record of staying dry

Great minds think alike Herc!

[Martin_1962]

We have a 2003 Bailey Discovery

Build quality is OK but not great

Some small cracks in the front panel - advice required

[Vamps]

No one will get stuck behind me infact I have overtaken more cars than you can imagine towing a caravan.
Kev I also have a tent which I will also be bringing to the Lakes which takes all the room of an estate and more.... But you still can't get betond the fact that a caravan has more luxuries than any tent.
Just to add to that, I will also be keeping my tent plus hopefylly be leaving my future caravan at a site I eventually find that we want to return too. X x x  x

But £13k is a lot of years in a hotel room, which has even more luxuries, and doesn't get in the way of traffic

I agree that it is a lot of money, but, if I can find a site that i like, we or at least the kids and Mrs Loo-knee will go the whole of the school holidays to it.
Seems worth it to me anyway 

Then go for a Static, find a site within an hour of home making it easy for you to go at weekends and during the holidays you can commute to work
Darth, I know you travel all over, was talking in general

[VXL V6]

We have a 2003 Bailey Discovery

Build quality is OK but not great

Some small cracks in the front panel - advice required

Get a very fine drill bit and drill each end of the crack then run a bit of sealant in the hole.

[CaptainZok]

We have a 2003 Bailey Discovery

Build quality is OK but not great

Some small cracks in the front panel - advice required

Gallon of unleaded and a box of matches.

[Seth]

We have a 2003 Bailey Discovery

Build quality is OK but not great

Some small cracks in the front panel - advice required

Gallon of unleaded and a box of matches.

[Andy B]

I have seen some lovely looking caravans down here which I am going to see into when I get home.
The ones that have taken my eye are
a Bailey Senator Wyoming and an Elddis Crusader Sandstorm.
Do any of you caravaners know anything about them?
The Bailey I have seen the owner used to tow it with an Omega Estate no problem he says... It does look a big i thought although would need to check the weights out.


 

If you do buy one, just remember never to bring it to an OOF meet, as bread on the roof will only attract the seagulls and wake you up early

Unless you're caught in the act! 

[VXL V6]

Don't worry, the Pink Crocs will frighten them off.

[Cliffo B]

Hello Darth, that Abbey's a super van specially if it's got GRP sidewalls a lot more durable than ally.Also see you have an MV6 I've got a rear suspension mod that I think you'd love way ahead of Monroes for an MV6. I had it on my MV6,and kept it in case I get an MV6, but now not likely, now growing older and like my auto too much. Just PM me if you decide and I'll fill you in as best I can