If anyone wants to offer any advice on our current caravan choice please comment! We are looking for our first van for the two of us and a 7 month old baby. After months of looking we have narrowed it down to either:
1) Dealer A is offering a new Bailey Orion 440 with starter pack and wheel lock for £13k (no hitchlook)
2) Dealer B is offering a 2007 Bailey Ranger 470/4 with starter pack, AKS2004 stabiliser and Sold Secure wheel clamp and hitchlock for £8200
We are a bit torn as like the Orion but the ranger is £5k less plus a few people have made some negative comments about the Alu-Tek range and also problems with the Whale Heating not been very warm in the cooler months? Has anyone used a whale heater / got an Orion who can comment?
It really is a toss up between these 2 models for us as we are limited on the towing weight due to our car and OH wants a nice size end bathroom! We need room for our little one plus space in the future if number 2 comes along!
I am swaying towards the Ranger as its a proven design but do really like the Orion.....
Hi we have a 2006 ranger 470/4 which we have had from new and it suits us perfectly we now go away just the two of us and a dog our 14 year old son finds it too boring now and would rather be with his mates at home ( which is creating a few problems ) we won't change our van because we haven't seen another that improves on what we have That said I think the new Orion is an excellent van any minor problems with the new alutech system have been sorted now. The ranger is one of the lightest end washroom 4 berth vans I think I would go for the ranger but then I am biased hope this helps a bit
First of all, I dont have either, but have looked at both! We have size issues too, not because of the car, but the turning space to get a van into the garden. We also like an end bathroom and I got excited when the Orions came out thinking we had cracked it and I could have a fixed bed and an end bathroom. However, we were sorely disappointed with the Orion bathroom and we personally think it is just too small to be practical for us. OH had to stand in the shower tray to have room to bend over the sink (as he would when shaving) and then managed to crack his head on the overhead shelf when straightening up. There was no storage space and barely room to move. I personally think the Ranger has a more practical family bathroom. I also like the extra kitchen space in the side dinette layout.
We have a Charisma which is the same layout as the Ranger and as we like to stay on CLs sometimes, we prefer a bigger bathroom. But each to their own, and Im sure the Orion has many admirers. It just wasnt practical for us.
Funnily enough, we too have a 14 yr old boy, who prefers his own tent - or not to come at all - these days,
Never having either, but have looked at both , I would go for the ranger yes it's older but I think much roomier,I agree with Annie above on the space thing, and this is just my opinion I think if you were to sell your van in say two years for whatever reason, I think the ranger would lose less ££'s, the year ranger you have chosen has been tried and tested, the Orion hasn't as such and I'm always wary of new things out, I like to wait until they have been out for awhile and any niggles ironed out.
But at the end of the day as they say the choice is yours, good luck in whatever you decide :) x
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Ranger i think you will get a good discount no part x etc and now getting late in the season to hang unto a second hand van go and be hard with them you never know
Hi the front double bed is very good especially because there is no front chest to get in the way it's so easy to make up about 5 mins and it's done we put the cushions on right way up with a kingsize bottom sheet over with no matress topper and it's very comfortable with plenty of room
Thanks Phil. We are going back for another look at the Orion today. The OH also likes the idea that this comes with a 3yr warranty and 10yr water ingress warranty where as the ranger only comes with 6 months! I am still 50/50!!
I think the Ranger will have had a six year water ingress warranty when new, and I think the remainder of this can be transferred to you providing the van has been serviced annually. Maybe another Bailey owner could confirm this or not? A six month warranty from the dealer seems very stingy to me on a van of that age, I would expect at least 12 months. Reading your original post, looks like two different dealers involved. If not, I might be tempted to think he was pushing me to the newer van on the warranty issue.
As to making up the front bed, we find it easier to use two duvets. We have a 4/5 tog with a cover on and use this as a bottom sheet, just throw it over the cushions and no crawling about tucking a sheet in needed, then the thicker one on top - very cosy! You can use one any thickness you like of course!
Happy hunting whatever you choose, it's all part of the fun!
IMHO the 470/4 is the better deal also it is slightly bigger plus you will then have 3 grand in your pocket for extras and a nice holiday.
You should be able to get a 1 year warranty on the 470/4 also but if not negotiate one.
We had the choice of buying a new caravan or a older one that was bigger and more comfortable and chose the latter.
Yes it is 2 seperate dealers so no issue with them pushing the newer van. The Ranger dealer has said they only offer 6 months warranty but we could add another 2 years on this for £390 (this is an external warranty I believe so not dealer specific). By the time this is added in the price difference would only be £4.5k so the OH is swaying towards the Orion for peace of mind on the water ingress, etc.
The other factor with the Orion we liked is we could use the two front beds as childrens singles (they are 5 ft long) which would mean if we had another baby we wouldn't have to worry about putting a very young child on the top bunk.
As others have said I guess there is never a perfect van so something will have to give!!
With 4.5 K you can purchase a top of the range Isabella awning plus satellite gear for good reception and have 2 holidays a year.
However from the above post it seems that you are going to purchase the Orion. Don't forget that on the third service the caravan needs to have the bolts holding it together tightened and this is an extra cost over and above the service cost.
One last thing is that on one range of the new Bailey, the nearside wheel has been coming off for no reason. You can Google this as it is a known fault with that model of Bailey.
Good luck with your choice and may be it one where you use your heads instead of your hearts! LOL!
Quote: Originally posted by dazzer252 on 31/7/2011
Hi, I think (but may be wrong) that the wheel issue was only on the Bailey Unicorn?
I didn't mention the model as I could not remember the name. I used to like the older Baileys and still do, but would not touch a new one now with a barge pole. Each to their own.
Quote: Originally posted by Anniemacxx on 31/7/2011
I think the Ranger will have had a six year water ingress warranty when new, and I think the remainder of this can be transferred to you providing the van has been serviced annually. Maybe another Bailey owner could confirm this or not? A six month warranty from the dealer seems very stingy to me on a van of that age, I would expect at least 12 months. Reading your original post, looks like two different dealers involved. If not, I might be tempted to think he was pushing me to the newer van on the warranty issue.
As to making up the front bed, we find it easier to use two duvets. We have a 4/5 tog with a cover on and use this as a bottom sheet, just throw it over the cushions and no crawling about tucking a sheet in needed, then the thicker one on top - very cosy! You can use one any thickness you like of course!
Happy hunting whatever you choose, it's all part of the fun!
Thanks for the point about the water ingress warranty. I have checked with the dealer and the ranger was registered in Sep 07 so in theory should have till Sep 13 left. Unfortunatly the previous owner didn't get the service booked stamped so they are going to try and find out where it was serviced and if possible get the book re-stamped to cover the dates it was done...... the only other down side is the next service is due in a few weeks so we would need to push them to include this as well if we went for the ranger!
Just a quick reply to thank you all for your comments. After a lot of thought and several viewings we today paid the deposit on the 2007 Bailey Ranger!
Overall we felt it was the best value with less risk of loosing money due to depreciation and it had far more storage than the Orion (a key factor with babies!). As others have said it also left us some free money for a few extras and some cash for all the future holidays!
After a lot of haggling we got a full starter pack (water containers, number plate, EHU, leisure battery, step, pipes, loo chemicals, etc), Alko 3002 triple pack and a brand new Star Camp Daytona awning with carpet, storm straps and quick lock pads plus quick snap aluminimum poles and also a sold secure wheel clamp. It will also get a full service and a 6 month warranty (which includes damp). Overall we paid £8500 which we were happy with and think we probably saved about £700 when you added everything up!
We aren't collecting it till the end of the month but are already planning our first trips in September and October!!
We just need to get all the bits to put in it now! Its a bit like buying your first house again when you come to all the little bits you want to get
Thanks again for your comments above. Although we still like the Orion we think the Ranger was better value and is a proven model..........if all goes well we can always part exchange it in years to come for a Orion
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Topic: Ranger V Orion (& Whale heating?)
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