Me and hubby have seen this caravan (yes we love caravanning so much we've decided to upgrade already lol) i love it and would buy it tomorrow but the thing thats putting us off is the end washroom its really niggling me - i would prefer fixed bunks if im honest but without buying a used 6 berth im not sure i'll get my wish.
Does anyone have any experience with this van and how do you manage with the end washroom/side bunks arrangement?
We have a budget of around £5000-£7000 so any alternative (lightweight to tow with a ford focus cmax 2.0 tdci) would be useful also.
The only thing I would say is that the kids are right next to where you are sleeping with that arrangement.
If you hang around til the end of the "season" I should imagine you'll get your fixed bunks.
Also have a look at the adria vans, There bunks are adult sized so no matter how big the kids get they should fit, They are also light weight for your car,
How did you get on with towing BTW the other week?
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Hi, we have the 6 berth Bailey Ranger 550/6 with the end bunks, but there is 5 of us! We did look at some 4 berth caravans with end washrooms with a view to my son on the odd occasion when he wants to sleep in the van crashing on the floor. We came to the conclusion that this wouldn't really be a suitable option. I do like the space an end bathroom gives you, you are not squished into a small washroom with no window. But we actually won't probably use the shower part of our washroom anyway (maybe to wash feet!), but use it more for the toilet & sink, so the extra space for the beds in our opinion was better for us, this means my two daughters bunks are made up all the time (less hassle for me in the evenings), and the side dinette that would be used for my son on the odd occasion can stay usually as a seating area, thus letting me make our bed up at the front earlier in the evening before we go out for instance, still leaving my husband & I a sitting area before we go to bed, after the kids are asleep (ha!ha!)
I do think that it will be down to you in the end, if you want a spacious bathroom/dressing area or if you think the convenience of beds already made is going to be more use.
Good luck with your decision. I know we have made the right one for us, & I am sure you will be able to find a 6 berth one around 2003/2004 in your price bracket.
a 6 berth would be ideal because then we wouldnt have to change the van for a long time (there are 4 of us) have just been looking and my local dealers have loads of nice caravans in my price range but they all have end washrooms! Now, it may be something i have to compromise on but it just niggles me that fixed bunks would suit us more than a large bathroom as we use the site facilities anyway.
Moaning about nothing as per usual!
Thanks for your help
Monica
PS Gazmister in the end hubby got his masculine stubborn head on and wouldnt let me tow the van (dont get me started) didnt mind though - i let him get stressed on the narrow mountain roads and i enjoyed the view!
We have the 510/4, same a the 470/4 but longer at the front. We liked the big washroom as it gave us the privacy we needed with a teenage son and Mother in Law with us. However the bunks are quite short and he soon grew out of them, then he moved into a puptent.
You may find you will use the washroom & shower more when you get a nice big one. We use it all the time and don't use the site facilities at all.
Also, I think the kitchen is bigger in the 4 berth.
Of course, now there's only the two of us we want a fixed bed, saving hard.
hi we have had a 470/4 2006 model from new we think its an excellent van the side bunks are a bit small ,so i took the top bunk out to give my partners 12 year old son more room to sit up and it made the bed a bit wider . the end washroom is excellent it was the big shower that sold it to us we tend to use the shower and toilet most of the time its far easier than trudging over to the facilities block. the front dinette makes up into a good size double bed in about 5 Min's . we tow with a citroen c5 estate which pulls it easily and returns over 30 mpg ,we cant find another van that we would change it for , its just a pity baileys have dropped this model from their range
We have one too. It's a great layout. Our only regret is that we wish we'd gone for the 510/4 which is an identical layout but about a foot longer - just gives you a little bit more room at the front in the main dining area, but we won't change this one now until the children have outgrown the bunks.
We have an 8 year old and a 5 year old and the end bathroom is great. We never use site facilties as it's so simple to get them showered in the van.
You couldn't really stay up late and watch TV with the kids in bed, as this would be too much of a disturbance, so we all tend to go to bed at the same time. You could use an awning of course, to get round this.
It's a great van for the weight and money. I'd have no hesitation in recommending one.
thankyou for all your input and information. our children are aged 4 and nearly 2 so i know we could use the van for a few years before they outgrow it. i do love bailey vans, they are the only ones that i think look stunning on the outside and the inside (im fully aware many will disagree with that though!) the dealer that has the bailey for sale also has an elddis firestorm which is the same layout exactly as the 470/4 but £500 cheaper......i might have to pop over tomorrow and take a look at them both.
Now i can see the pluses towards an end bathroom whereas before i could only see negatives regarding loss of space etc......
i think the majority of vans now have end bathrooms so i dont think im gonna get away from that.
We bought a 2006 Ranger S5 470/4 new when our daughter was 4 and it served us well for 3 seasons. We bought a Pageant S7 Bretagne (rear bedroom tripple bunk) this January.
The side bunks should last until you oldest is 9 or 10 (unless they have a growth spurt!!!)
Now with 4 years and well over 100 nights sleeping in a caravan this is our view on caravanning with daughter.
I am guessing with your budget you will be looking at 2004/2005 models. You may be able to get a Series 5 model privately.
If you can stretch to it I would look for a 510/4 model as the bunks are slightly longer and you also get a slightly bigger lounge to boot.
We personally don't like the open 6 birth models with bunks along the back wall as you have no where to get changed, even if you are intending on using site facilities mainly. I am aware that will start arguments, but that is our opinion.
We have always found making the rear beds of 5 birth vans (eg Ranger 500/5) cumbersome so that is why we went for a 4 birth when we got our's.
Unfortunately your budget will not stretch to a ranger 540/6 which has the fantastic end bedroom, so for a lightweight van my recommendation would be either the 470/4 or a 510/4.
thankyou for that response zafiral. im going to take a drive out to the dealers later on today and have a good look around the ranger because i do really like it. i didnt think i could get a 6 berth one with my budget.
the one the dealer has in is a 2005 model and im more than happy with that (it also has 2 years warranty on it). im sure in time the end washroom will not be an issue and we will probably upgrade again once the kids are a little bigger.
Oh god now im talking myself into it! Best leave the credit card at home!
Whatever happens be sure that what you buy is right for you. Whatever people have said on here is right for them.
The side dinette is great as an overflow kitchen area, and it combines with the front lounge when you have visitors. It's one big space. The rear dinette gives the kids their own space seperate from the front but I always think they are very claustrophobic with the long narrow corridor up the middle.
When we bought our 510/4 our son was 12 and he used the bunk until he was 15. He's now 6'3". He tended to stay in bed until midday, given a choice, and he seemed more in the way than he would have been in a rear dinette.
The 510/4 has a lot more storage than the 470/4, with the front chest and more front lockers. The fold over table is very useful as well, in fact we rarely use the full size one. The wardrobe in the end washroom is a bit out of the way to be useful and its best not to have it to full when towing. It tends to be a junk store for us.
Whatever happens be sure that what you buy is right for you. Whatever people have said on here is right for them.
The side dinette is great as an overflow kitchen area, and it combines with the front lounge when you have visitors. It's one big space. The rear dinette gives the kids their own space seperate from the front but I always think they are very claustrophobic with the long narrow corridor up the middle.
When we bought our 510/4 our son was 12 and he used the bunk until he was 15. He's now 6'3". He tended to stay in bed until midday, given a choice, and he seemed more in the way than he would have been in a rear dinette.
The 510/4 has a lot more storage than the 470/4, with the front chest and more front lockers. The fold over table is very useful as well, in fact we rarely use the full size one. The wardrobe in the end washroom is a bit out of the way to be useful and its best not to have it to full when towing. It tends to be a junk store for us.
We had a rear washroom then gave it up for a fixed double bed and missed the washroom. Now we have both and are really happy with it. The rear washroom (with or without the fixed double, gives the van a more open feel. A washroom in the middle can cause traffic jams in the middle of the van - we are larger than most though!!! Whatever you buy, caravans are always a bit of a compromise. We worked out what we wanted and then what we were prepared to compromise on.
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Topic: Bailey Ranger 470/4
