We've had the Abbey Spectrum for just about a year now. I have no complaints about the build at all. There were a few hinges and handles that needed tightening - that was the only fault in the build. The alarm didnt work properly, had a faulty PIR but this was sorted out by Sargent alarms themselves. All in all we're delighted with the van. There have been a few on our storage site who have had problems though: doors falling off in transit (Swift Conqueror 2007); ' Bloomed' windows (Abbey Spectrum 2005) and a van (Sterling 2006) being delivered with no Heiki roof light being fitted - just a hole - although I did hear there were suspicious marks on the roof so was it stolen..?
What I have found is, and it may not be specific to Swift, that the Customer Services and dealer after support ranges between lukewarm and tepid - they seem to back each other up at the punter's expense.
I am on Swift Group product number 3, they have all been perfect, as was the Bailey before that.
Hymer, Hobby etc MAY be better built, I have read other opinions that say different, but for me I want a van that looks nice too - have yet to find a non UK van that meets that criteria!
He who pays chooses!
------------- 2020 Volvo XC60 B5 R Design Geartronic / 2018 Swift Elegance 580
I own a caravan which is part of the Swift range, it's an Ace Supreme Globestar(twin axle) and I can honestly say that I have never had a single thing go wrong with it, nothing loose or rattling, nothing fallen off, all round it's an excellent quality caravan and I wouldn't think twice about buying another one. Lets face it, when we are all on sites throughout the year we ALL wander round looking at the various makes of van and we all have our likes and dislikes, it all comes down to personal choice, style, colour, etc. I am fairly new to caravanning and as I always say to my wife, "to me, looking round the sites at all the different types of van must be like you walking into a jewellers", we all have different tastes.
Good luck in your search and I'm sure you will choose one you "like".
Thanks so far for all the good advises and personal views. It's great to see all your opinions. Ofcourse there are differences in brands and makes (thanks God) and I have to make a choice at a certain moment but this year no hurries (not retired yet) So love to read more on th forum site to fill in some gaps in knowledge and, not unimportant, just for fun.
So keep on writing about our hobby: caravans.
Cheers,
------------- The Dutch Traveller driving in a classic Jag to tow an Elddis van
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: quality of Swift Group Caravans
