Morning all! Well last night we spotted a bailey pageant Loire series 7 2008 model. Hubby says he'll take me to see it today. My friend has put me off a bit though because she asked around & her friends told her the pageant is only a middle of the road model & baileys were prone to handles coming off etc. We have found an Elddis too & she said these are far better vans? What do you think?
Ok pros & cons. Bailey pros = wider at 7ft 6, nice interior, less than an hr away, 6 months warranty. Cons = only a nov 08 model but similar money to the Elddis which is a 10 model.
Pros for Elddis = newer & comes with awning for 11000.
Cons = 4.5hrs away & we might get there to find it has problems? Ugly interior, reminds me of those old 80's sofa's. So what do you think? Do we put up with an ugly interior & get a new van or do we travel less than an hr away for a nicer all round looking van for about 500 less & no awning but 2 yrs older with 6 months warranty? Thanks for any advise.
Go and look a the Loire, we are on our third Bailey (and the first one a Pageant Bordeaux was damp but dealer took it back and gave us a full refund). To be honest you'll hear horror stories and pros and cons for every make going.
Personally I would walk away unless it has a full service history as even as its a 2008 it could still have up to 2 years water ingress warranty left if its been serviced on time which should give you peace of mind. Pageants were Baileys mid range van but the spec was very good so I wouldnt worry about that at all. I've not heard of handles coming off. If you buy from a dealer, dont presume the van is dry as we learnt the hard way. Insist on seeing the damp test readings they will have done when taking the van in part ex.
What makes your friend say Elddis are better vans?
I see you are in south Glos, are you looking at dealers or privately?
------------- Thistledown Easter
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Domaine du Verdon Castellane and Etoile d'Argens Frejus Aug
What makes your friend say Elddis are better vans?
According to Practical Caravan this month the Elddis provide the more up market caravan. We have an Elddis so we were pleased to read that. Don't know if I believe the article but maybe I should. We were just about to buy a Sancerre when the salesman showed us the Odyssey and, for us anyway, the Elddis was so far head and shoulders ahead of the Bailey we went the extra mile (well couple of thousand) and went for the Odyssey.
Having said all that, the reality is that its always down to personal choice when buying a van. Layout, cost, how much cash you have, etc etc all get thrown into the mix. You live with the compromise.
Let's assume that the Loire actually suits your caravanning needs in terms of layout, cost, features, etc etc. The Elddis does not actually fit your required spec but has a much better finish and quality look. Are you after the look or the use? e.g If you want a fixed double bed and the Elddis has a made up bed it may look great but it doesn't have what you want.
Your reason for not travelling all that way to view the Elddis because it may not be a decent van applies to travelling the short distance to see the Loire so that's no reason not to go and see it.
Compare the two in terms of what you want from a van for how you want to caravan.
6 months warranty? Come on the law gives you that in terms of the law saying that if soemthing has been found to be defective within the first six months the law says it's the dealers fault. They should give at least a 12 month warranty for second hand vans in my view, so be wary of the quality of the van.
Nothing ugly about the interior of the Elddis.
Personally I would go the 4.5 hours and just treat it as a day out. Take in a few caravan dealerships along the way, sandwiches, enjoy the trip. Compare the two and make your mind up. That way there are no what ifs or "wish we had gone to see that Elddis now." You may end up with a "That was a waste of time" lets go for the Bailey. So, actually, it isn't a waste of time. It helps to make the mind up.
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Travelling 4.5 hours would put me off completely. There has got to be other vans much nearer. You also need to check weights etc rather than the look of the van's inside!
Good points folks all taken on board. Phil I have to admit I was a bit suspicious about the short warranty too! Well I've got all confused with the Elddis interiors, it's the 09 model that has the interior I don't like. I actually quite like the interior of the 2010 model. The seller didn't put any internal pics up so didn't know what it looked like until I googled it. I will ask him for more pics. Regarding the layout they are both fixed bed 6 berths. So both are what we're looking for. Hubby is happy to drive up north to see the Elddis so maybe that's what we should do. Regarding the bailey I did notice there was snow on he floor in the pics. I'm not sure when it last snowed in that location but I'm thinking has it been there a while & people have walked away or it could just be down to the fact it's a heavy van or wrong time of yr?
Quote: Originally posted by johnks on 04/3/2012
Travelling 4.5 hours would put me off completely. There has got to be other vans much nearer. You also need to check weights etc rather than the look of the van's inside!
Yes it is a long way isn't it, but it seems a good price. Regarding weights etc that's not a problem we have a large vehicle to tow it
It took us a year to find our van. We were limited by budget and weight. After visiting dealers almost every weekend we knew which layout we wanted.
I thought I'd found the perfect van when we saw a Bailey Ranger and we persuaded the dealer to add on a used motor mover and throw in an old awning, but we walked away. Fortunately for us because we then found the Elddis which is a much better quality van. same age as the Bailey but the seats were thicker & comfier, there is a pull out work top above the fridge, another drop down flap at the end of the worktop,duckboard in the shower, all windows have blinds,blown air heating - none of which the Bailey had.
I don't know the models you're considering and they're probably both very decent vans as your budget is double the amount we had to spend.
I would advise taking your time, with that kind of money you will have so much choice.
Quote: Originally posted by homebird2003 on 04/3/2012
It took us a year to find our van. We were limited by budget and weight. After visiting dealers almost every weekend we knew which layout we wanted.
I thought I'd found the perfect van when we saw a Bailey Ranger and we persuaded the dealer to add on a used motor mover and throw in an old awning, but we walked away. Fortunately for us because we then found the Elddis which is a much better quality van. same age as the Bailey but the seats were thicker & comfier, there is a pull out work top above the fridge, another drop down flap at the end of the worktop,duckboard in the shower, all windows have blinds,blown air heating - none of which the Bailey had.
I don't know the models you're considering and they're probably both very decent vans as your budget is double the amount we had to spend.
I would advise taking your time, with that kind of money you will have so much choice.
Hmm not a lot of fixed beds With enough room for my travel cot though. We viewed an Elddis 2 yrs old the other wk & it would just about fit between those day beds. The only other ones that would work would be the pageant Loire but on a series 7 model or a sprite Quattro. Hubby really isn't keen on the sprite after reading reviews. The Elddis we are interested in is a 626.
Look here - seven posts down. Might be some useful tips that you may not have thought of
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Quote: Originally posted by cwdc56768 on 04/3/2012
Look here - seven posts down. Might be some useful tips that you may not have thought of
Phil
Great advice Phil I will compile a list of questions for the seller from this. If he's sheepish about answering them then I know to look elsewhere. I'll ask him also to email me pics of his CRIS documents & services before hubby sets off. He's pretty much got his heart set on it. We'll hold fire though until the bailey dealer gets back to us.
As has been said above you will hear good and bad about all makes of van. The best advice I can give if you look at the bailey is:
1) take a damp meter or get the dealer to use one with you present. Check around all the common places, i.e where there is an external seal such as the front / rear roof, panel join awning rail and all external lockers (from inside). Yes they might give you 6 months warranty but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem with it....it may have been sat in the forecourt for months over winter
2) Check it has a full service history with a bailer approved workshop and that these have been done within the time limits. If so you can transfer the remaining 2 yrs ingress warranty over from bailey for £25. If there is no history I would probaby walk away but that is a personal choice from experience
3) Check the front middle window for any signs of marking. There was a problem with these on lots of makes around 07/08 where on some batches the gap between the double glazing was too small and they rubbed when been towed in to wind. Hold a white piece of paper up inside and then get somone to look outside. It may have been replaced already.....if you look in one corner there will be a number printed such as 07/08 and this refers to the month and year of manufacturer. Anything from 2010 will be the newer vrsion and will be a sign that this has been replaced already under warranty.
4) Check the front and rear panels, especially near the top where the curves are. Again there was a common issue around this year of small cracks appearing due to the way they were fixed. Some may look very small so get the steps and get up close for a good look.......any sign of this and ask for a new panel to be fitted by bailey as they will do this if pushed by the dealer as it was a known fault.
5) Check the tyres for ANY sign of cracking around the outside wall's. You should probably look to replace these next year anyway (5 yrs, etc) but if there is even a few small cracks then I would ask for the dealer to replace them.....also check the spare!
Other than this just go for the layout that suits you but I would certainly push the dealer for a longer warranty. We have just got 4 yrs with our new 2008 provence for £199 which includes ingress and all the internal appliances, and the dealer offers 12 months free as standard anyway.
PS: I just noticed you are in South Glous so also consider looking at Swindon / Oxford caravans. They are the same company and hold a good range of new / used stock and all come with a minimum of 12 months warranty.
Ahh thank you dazzer, of course I'll let you all know how I get on & thanks for all the info. Think I'm going to get brain overload today from all the advice
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Topic: Looking at a van today, need advice plz
we're still waiting for the dealer to ring us back to say whether the other couple are buying it or not.
& thanks for all the info. Think I'm going to get brain overload today from all the advice 
