Well I've finally seen what so many have been crowing about in this months Practical Caravan. Now I may be unpopular, but while everyone is fawning around the manufacturer and Baileys new 'ground breaking' van - is it me or is this just Bailey finally making a van that just catches up with the rest of everyone else?
It's hard to see but it looks like the new van is white - I may be wrong as the pics don't quite show it properly - so now Baileys will look the same, out is that 'budget van' cream which I so despise and in comes a nice standard white. Now I have no issue with vans which look the same - I had a foreigner if people remember, but i always thought that cream was horrible. I digress...
Practical Caravan (PC) have always kissed Baileys large bum in my opinion. So often winning their 'competitions' when put against some seriously well built vans - often citing the £1000 difference in price as the overall factor.
In their review with front page headlines - here are the groundbreaking new features..
Replaced beige (yuck - they loved cream) switchgear with 'contemporary' black and silver - how many of us have had that new feature? I had black switchgear on my 03 Cristall and now in my Elddis, I now Swift and Adria have also had this modern feature.
Button free handbrake
2.29m width
Centre jockey wheel
Italian style teak finish - hardly the first manufacturer to go for darker wood, look at Swift, Geist, Elddis, Adria for starters..
Self supporting bed bases
The only two new features (and I may be wrong and Im sure I will be corrected, is hidden locker catches - i think they mean push and click lockers and LED lighting strips underneath the lockers.
Now before I get too slated, Im making a point here - whilst Bailey have represented value for money vans in the past, their new price range (Single axle under £13k and twins under £14,500) is almost on a par with the rest of the industry - the big fuss about a manufturer changing a range to give customers a van that is in line with the rest and enables people to have a van that looks like it was built this year annoys me.
I think Bailey will likely, particularly now the prices have crept up of late, get into trouble. They are now in a new market, surrounded by other vans which have established looks and reputation. Similar I think to when Skoda tried to rebrand when VW took a big stake in them.
Again I applaud them for making their vans more modern looking, but the big hype for what is in effect a company getting up to speed with the rest leaves a funny taste in my mouth at least.
oh so a whole site full of white bailey vans whats wrong of vans of different colours,last time I looked in a bailey at the Nec it was very badly put together .if you want value for money the Sprite range looked better finished.
I agree some of the "materials" may be cheaper compaired to some other makes we viewed.
However, some materials are chosen for weight reasons and are a compromise.
Please understand that i would appreciate any advice you can give as i do intend to buy one.
The Bailey Senator 6 Wyoming had the perfect layout for our needs, and offered all the gadgets (DVD/TV etc) and extras (Tracker/Alko electronic stability etc etc) we could ever want.
If there is an alternative with the same exact layout, the same specification for around the same price i would like to know about it.
We spent the entire day at the NEC show, and trawled every make on show.
We stuck to viewing vans that had similar layout, but none could match the Wyoming for features.
Some vans had better quality fittings, but were heavier and all didn't have the little extras offered by the Wyoming. (wet locker/BBQ point/240v outside for example)
If the show vans looked "badly built", then god help the normal vans.
I'm well aware we all have different wants and needs, so what suits me my not suit somebody else.
But none of the above counts for anything if they are badly built, so fire away...
Ps
I've just had a look at the Swift site, and i have looked at the Conqueror at the NEC...loved the Silver coloured twin Axles
the finish of the woodwork where they had not put veneer edging strips on and screw heads left protruding they just looked as if the vans had been thrown together to get them to the show on time ,I was not impressed with them.
having had a look at at lot of the new vans and IMO build quality isnt all that great and some of the moquette seems weird like almost pure white. is it just me or are manufacturers putting too much money into stuff that really isnt needed like massive fridges and microwaves and less into basic build. and fiberglass for the sides, what si all that about it isnt anywhere as tough as ally.
best built of all the vans I have seen has to be the eribas, monocoque construction with ally panels tig welded to ally z section, wont leak and will last 20 odd years. then again the main manufacturers dont want their vasn to last 20 years :-)
i really like the new series 7 bailey bretagne,the triple bunk is great but others may not want that layout,rang up about one today and the dealer had a brand new one in stock which hasnt been used as a demo,which means i can have in a matter of days!!! pics are in caravan magazine and some pics at caravanworld.com the 7'6 wide body does it for me so the van doesnt seem as cramped.teak wood matches the standard upholstery so all round a good van for the money.good idea to ask the dealer for a tv ariel socket adding in the triple bunk end bedroom so in the day the kids can watch tv at one end while the parents can watch tv in peace in the lounge!!
We stuck to viewing vans that had similar layout, but none could match the Wyoming for features.
Some vans had better quality fittings, but were heavier and all didn't have the little extras offered by the Wyoming. (wet locker/BBQ point/240v outside for example)
If the show vans looked "badly built", then god help the normal vans.
I'm well aware we all have different wants and needs, so what suits me my not suit somebody else.
Fula - I know what you are getting at. But beware of the 'extras' that make a van more attractive. As has been discussed before, these extras are a clever tool to encourage you to buy a budget van. You can always fit these bits after purchase or when buying. I had an external 240v fitted to my new van when I bought it. about £120 i think.
Some of the bits, like awning warmers and external BBQ points you may never use. These parts are pennies off the shelf - an external BBQ is about £40 and an awning warmer kit about £45.
What is being said here is the build quality. an extra grand for lets say a Swift or Ace is money well spent when cupboards dont fall apart or fittings come away from the walls. Now I am purely saying this by the baileys I 'know' which pals have got. They jsut dont seem finished, the Ranger whilst cheap, looks very cheap inside.
Cant put my finger on why.. i just does.
Good luck with your caravan purchase - its great fun. Just dont be swayed by extra bits.
Quote: Originally posted by Supatramp on 25/5/2008
Sean,
Hope you feel better now you've got all that off your chest!
And after a load of questionable comments, what are you talking about regarding Skoda/VW. Surely you're not a badge snob as well??
Supa! No not a snob - what I meant was, when VW took over skoda (well a chunk of them) Skodas had a reputation for cheap and nasty, it took time for the public to trust they had gone up a gear (oooh.. poor joke) - I think bailey are now trying to do the same..
As for getting off my chest, well yeah sort of - but just wanted to see what debate ensued and if anyone agreed with me that Bailey havent exactly reinvented the wheel.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: `NEW` Series 7 Pageant series - oh please
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