Swift, Bailey or Coachman?
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In recent years we have had 4 band new caravans,
Coachman, Elddis, Lunar and now another Coachman.
We've not had any issues with the caravans like water ingress or bad build problems, no major failing equipment.
The lunar did have the back panel replaced under warranty due to it cracking at the top left corner. The currant Coachman is fine other than the brake issue that lots of vans of all makes are suffering with. They have been replaced but depending on the weather they will either make no noise or when dry will squeal like a pig.
Compare this to the Bailey MH we had for 6 years which had lots of issues, leaking step at the habitation door, water ingress into the luton part of the roof, fridge damaged on fitting, cracked shower panel, cracked outside panel between cab and habitation and 3 bouts of dampness in the floor under the rear seating area, both sides were replaced each time under warranty. It was a lovely van and we had a good dealer who sorted each and every issue without a problem but a 180 mile round trip each time takes its toll. When it was coming up to its 6 years warranty time we got rid and went back to a caravan.
The only problem we have now with the Coachman caravan is the payload, our fault we should have paid more attention when buying. When its time to change it we may just go with a Hobby or it will be another Coachman but one with a better payload.
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Over the years we have had caravans, ,many makes, (except several years dabbled in the dark side 2002-2011) apart from an Elddis 2011(never again)we have seen from our first in 1969 (a Robin) up to our present second Bailey no real problems with build only with imported goods , probably the last c/van for us , unless we go for a seasonal pitch?,and i must say the damp/water ingress has with modern materials ,gone away ,but the problem remains as with all makes if you get a "friday van" from anywhere,
ps one thing we have learnt over the years is buy local if possible,do not be taken in buy a dealer giving a "good deal" but many miles from where you live,just in case of any warranty work
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Pay load has not been a problem for us since even the grand children in their late teens, now if wanting to stay with us come in their own cars with pup tents,
so we have plenty of Payload in our go almost anywhere any time support vehicle parked alongside
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Would have liked to have purchased a German caravan after horrendous Bailey and dealer issues. However, there was not a dealer near enough with the van and layout that we wanted. Bought a new Coachman which has been far better thought out and assembled than our previous van. We have had the usual Dometic, BCA and other component failures which are typically fitted across the industry.
The redeeming feature for us is that the supplying dealer has been excellent and replaced equipment where necessary. We now have a caravan that we can use with confidence.
It really is a pity that our UK manufacturers do not appear to provide the same quality and reliability of their foreign competitors.
If you must buy UK, the most critical thing is to have a good supplying dealer that will be just as attentive in after sales service as at the time of purchase.
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If it wasn’t for the weight (for the layout we wanted) and cost of the German vans, we’d have probably opted for one. IMO, one only has to step inside and the difference is obvious. We bought a brand new Challenger last year. Yes, it looks nice, has all the mod cons, but it doesn’t take long before you realise how tacky and flimsy it all is, especially compared to a Knaus I looked at recently.
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Please do not think by making those silly comments about every one who tows a caravan with a car? you really are a bit blinkered if thats what you think
,and as for a "snipe" at motor caravaners ,we have been there with two ,and am well aware of the drawbacks of them ,that for us, far outweighed what some find acceptable in the uk so for us having a vehicle alongside that "supports" our return to towing far better than when having just motor caravans0 -
But then as you say, the weight of some c/vans from "over there" is in the materials used, where as in the uk and now some imported lighter c/vans , the market has always been , it seems , to have the all the latest bells and whistles in the largest possible c/van , ,that can be towed by the smallest tow vehicle,(on our congested roads and houses with minimal parking) , and thats what the uk makers have done, , mostly quite well , ,and with modern materials ,damp is almost non existent , the internal equipment and windows are about 99% imported, and is installed into all,types of LV wherever they are made
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WN - our current van is on a 1350 axle not the 1500 which I think yours is on.
After fitting the mover adding the battery etc we were left with 80kg of a payload, increased by 35kg on the uplift. This to us is a pathetic payload even for a 2 berth van. The VIP's I believe have the better payload as they are on the 1500 axle.
We had an Elddis 2 berth previously, same size as the Coachman they payload was huge back then, far more sensible but then the manufacturers were not trying to squeeze caravans to be towed by little puddle jumpers like they are telling us we can nowadays.
We have 2 big tow cars both of them more than capable of towing a much heavier van so the next one will have the payload that we want.
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Couldn't agree more Freddy, we love the Hobbies but I'm not sure that the lounge layout of the vans we've seen would work for us. We have not seen all the models as there is only one dealer within 100 miles of us that do them. However the ones we saw at the last show all had a U shaped lounge which we are not that keen on. We much prefer the 2 long setting benches opposite each other.
Something we will have to think about when its time to change the van, the other thing to think about will be do we go for a fixed bed again or stay with a smaller 2 berth that we make up at night time. We've all different types over the years and the current 2 berth works very well for touring as its small enough for even small pitches, yet its big enough inside to offer comfort and space.
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and with modern materials ,damp is almost non existent ,
sorry JV but cannot agree with that statement, we had a Bailey MH for 6 years, 3 times it had damp floors all down to the construction and the very poor way they seal them.
We were not alone, there are I believe well in excess of 100 MH's that have suffered 'serious' damp issues with the new Bailey Alutec construction. Even now the 'new' MH's are still suffering the same problems, the main reason we got shut of the MH was because of damp and their inability to fix it properly
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"Damp?" or water ingress? ,our alutec c/vans have both been water tight ,but then as said the main problems is down to who does the work, ,when alutec were C/vans were first made there was a problem with water getting into the the front lockers ,it was found to be the front imported grab handles were not as water tight as the maker said,
it is always the same with any make of LV the ones with faults will always be mentioned ,,but the very many more that do not have problems just keep going ,and how many Bailey motor caravans are out there, as with their caravans they seem to outnumber other makes on the many sites we use,
And someone will jump in and say those from overseas do not have similar problems?, but they do. its just the volumes in the uk are far less than uk made LVs
i get slapped down if i mention the horror story i was told about a Hymer M/C
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Nothing to do with parts failure all down to the wheel arches and floor not being sealed properly to the side walls. The early vans suffered with it a lot, 9 years on and they still have the same problem in the new vans according to the Bailey FB group.
A company as big as Bailey should have solved this problem as soon as it became a problem, not just keep mending them until owners get fed up with the van.
Just shows you that even the new Alutec vans are not damp problem free as they claimed.
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“i get slapped down if i mention the horror story i was told about a Hymer M/C”
I don’t think you get slapped because you mention it. It is the tedious repetition that becomes irritating. Actually it your stunning double standards that amaze me. I do not for one minute deny that any make can have problems or lemons. To be honest I think our previous Hymer had it share of faults. But you hear one story of disatified owners and trot it out as representative of the marque. But if anyone dares to criticise your beloved Baileys then they are immediately jumped on by you as moaners and not worthy of owning such a fine LV. Double standards or what.
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I mention it ,as those with rose tinted glasses about anything from "over there", and as there are so few over here,as also dealers, in comparison with what the majority the UK buyers have, it just seems one has to "remind" some , that every model from where ever it is made has its "friday vans!!"but then its all comparisons,,and as with all it seems if one has not had the problems?that some seem to have?,it is only right to say so, as with all things in this country , any one with only minor problems will complain , where as those that are satisfied will normally say nothing,
and so far our "beloved Bailey" caravans we have owened and still have ,seem to be as good as those from "over there" but much lighter, better equipped , and cheaper 0 -
"Wheels fall off all caravans …"
Really? We've had a Bluebird, an Ace, an Abbey, a Shire, a Lunar, a Bessacarr, an Elddis and a Coachman over a period of some 40 years and not lost a single wheel.
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We have also had many makes of c/vans since 1969 , and only had one wheel come off , that was on the Elddiss about 8yrs ago ,not had any problems before, or since,
ps some friends of ours had nearside wheel come off their coachman i think about 4yrs ago?
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All of which demonstrates it's a pretty rare occurrence rather than "Wheels fall off all caravans". 👍🏻
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