Which manufacturer?
Looking to purchase twin axle, 5 or 6 berth with bunk beds. Not sure which manufacturer to go for , options seem to be Adria, Swift, Eldis or Bailey within our price range. Would welcome any thoughts on build quality, reliability and water ingress> Thanks in advance.
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Bailey caravans are the make most seen on sites ,we are on our second some friends of ours are on their third and neither of us have so far had any of the water ingress "problems"that some say are common?
All makes, even other countries built can have "niggles"so the choice is your really
One bit of advice I wiil give, is do not go for a good "deal"from a dealer a long distance from home, as if you do need warranty work it is usually that dealer who you will have take it back to,
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surely for 'build quality, reliability and (presumably, lack of) water ingress' there's only one choice?
the continental layout and interior 'design' might be a bit 'foreign' but that wasn't in your wish list
ps, see the Bailey leaking thread just below this one....
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The choice as always is whether you get a good UN in all makes, but the more there are on the road the more it is not likely ,but then when one of the few foreign owners points out to us what a load of rubbish their German built vehicle is it is heresy
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yes, you do like to keep telling us all about this one dodgy continental van....
btw, is heresy still a capital offense
i thought Adria finished top of a recent magazine satisfaction survey? and not for the first time....
knowing the difference in an Adria MH and 'leading uk brands' I'd go for the Adria every time, so why not make the same recommendation for a caravan built by the same company?
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As you will have noted their are those who have not had the, as some think ingress problems with some caravans then there are the other camp who hear there are problems? The only advise that any one can really give is try to get a c/van with the layout that really is as near your requirements as possible most will admit nothing will be a perfect fit,
Just ensure that it has at least (if new)a six year water ingress warranty that can be extended as can the fittings warranty,and if a used model the remainder of the manufacturer warranty is put into your name
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Well I may be accused of heresy as well, but having just bought a Knaus Starclass 695, my experience is that in three months of ownership we have had more problems with it than in four years with our last Bailey. Nothing particularly serious, but annoying nevertheless, bearing in mind what it cost. Yes, the quality in terms of the fit-out inside is far superior as compared with our last van but that doesn't mean that it has been devoid of problems. The worst one was the fact that having got it back home, I discovered that the battery box was distorted to the extent that the locker door could only be opened by prising it open with a screwdriver.
The other thing that is proving to be more of a pain than I anticipated was the fact that we bought from a dealer 200 miles away and other dealers for this particular brand, although willing to assist with warranty work, are few and far between. Consequently, I have ended up sorting some of the problems out myself and paying for assistance where necessary.
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We are just about to wave our Bailey Unicorn Valencia Mk1 goodbye. We are replacing it with a Coachman 575. The Bailey was and is a great van with no issues. We replaced gas rams and user parts but then every van needs those. After 8 years of a 10yr water ingress warranty we had ingress. Bailey met the bill as it had been serviced every year by an approved workshop. It is now bone dry again. I have absolutely no complaints about Bailey and if the Coachman is as good - I’ll be one happy bunny, If it’s not, I’ll go back to Bailey!
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I wouldnt trust bailey at the moment a lot seem to have problem with axle going through floor our friend bought a new bailey and it has started leaning to on side turns out suspension has dropped gone through floor
Bushes in suspension bailey blaming alko and Alko blaming bailey putting to much weight on one side
These bushes will need replacing yearly and to do this the suspension has to be removed from body shell
Some people saying costing them around £2000
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I think, if the dealer had done the PDI properly, many of the problems we have experienced, would have been picked up, but that doesn't excuse them being there in the first place. That's why I'm annoyed at having to take the van back for the dealer to rectify problems they should have spotted.
Problem is - despite reading reviews etc, you only find out, first hand, how good the dealer is when you've made the purchase - and once you've parted with your cash, you're already on the back foot.
Perhaps picking the right dealer is more important than picking the right van - but as I've said, that's an absolute minefield.
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I think you have it right and is probably the one main reason for dissatisfaction with any make of LV ,some dealers it seems skimp on PDI (although paid by manufacturers to do it) then will get paid again for "warranty"work which should have been picked up before delivery to their customer,
But then your experience could also be that we do not hear of "problems with other than as some say uk made LVs as we are a nation of "moaners"compared to others and the vast majority of LAs in the UK are UK biult
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I bought s new Fendt 15 years ago, still have it and it's just been serviced. Never had any damp issues. On that basis if I were to replace it my choice would be the same again. Unfortunately no one appears to be importing the single axle models any more and I really don't want the hassle of doing it myself especially with current situation.
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When buying secondhand, there is the hope that most of the teething problems have been sorted. My last van bought new from a British manufacturer was appalling. However, after numerous visits to the dealer, it was probably in a reliable state when we sold it to a dealer. In my view, buying a new British van is something of a lottery. I would tend to find a good local dealer and develop a good relationship such that even if they don't have what you want now, they will inform you of when something of interest is due to arrive. Take someone who actually knows something about caravans to view any prospective caravan and don't be afraid to take or borrow a damp meter and check it for peace of mind. Do bear in mind that you are in a great position to bargain with no caravan to part exchange. Having said all of the above, condition as opposed to make is everything, so take your time and happy hunting!
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Have to say that I would not touch another Bailey. We and our friends bought identical 2016 model Bailey Unicorn Vigos and within the first year they both suffered broken axles. Bailey repaired both but while ours was at the factory the interior had to be stripped out because of water ingress. Now have a Coachman VIP which is ok so far after 18 months. I spoke to a dealer who had dropped Bailey and taken on Adria. He said he was fed up with the amount of warranty work he experienced with Baileys.
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