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 Topic: Advice needed please. Conway jayco laser
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24/6/2012 at 8:48am
Location: cheshire
Outfit: Abbey Alliance 1998
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Joined: 22/8/2005 Gold Member 
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I have the Conway Tardis, which is very similar, if you look on the Conway owners site:
http://www.conwayowners.org.uk/units.htm
You can download the brochure for any of the models so you know exactly what it was like when new.
Mine is an 1986 model, so starting to need a little TLC, but I love it so much that, to me, it's worth it. I am not certain I could manage a 'soft top' FC because I am on my own. I love the slide out beds, nothing to lift, it's up and done in minutes and I'm not in agony when I've finished (back problems!)
I could eulogise about it for hours, just like most FC owners with their unit. These (both pennine and conway from what I can make out) were very well built when brand new, so old does not necessarily mean 'past it'. Condition is everything - see it up and check everywhere. I watched a load on ebay and preloved and on here so that I knew what was the right price - as you say it needs some careful thought and a bit of research, but if you could see my daughter and I grinning like idiots at each other inside ours every time we open it up (it occurs to me we may just be insane) it was a few hours staring at the laptop!
Hope you find the right thing for you! 
-------------
August - Carsington Water CC Site. Don't know where else yet - only picking up the caravan on Friday!
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04/7/2012 at 12:40am
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Some history.
In the very early 80's the dollar/pound exchange rate was very favourable - so much so, that some American camper imports took place.
Rod Binley (based at Billing Aquadrome) brought in the 'Starcraft'range, someone (no idea who) imported some Canadian 'Bon-Air' campers, and Conway leisure decided to import some models from the Jayco range.
The first Jayco's were pure American models - including the 2" hitch and the Bendix hydraulic braking system.
The first Starcraft's were similar. Bonair also had a hydraulic hitch - but it was even more weird and wonderful than the Bendix version.
In 1981 (second year of import) Starcraft and Conway just imported the tailer boxes, and put them on a UK chassis using B&B running gear.
Bonair continued to use their weird 2" hitch and hydraulic brake system.
After (I think) 2002
it was no longer economical to import these units - particularly when the conversion costs were added.
Thus, the original American units were no longer brought in to the UK.
Conway, however, had signed a contract with Jayco. Although they stopped importing the Jayco models ('Jayfinch', 'Jaythrush' and so on) they started to build their own (inferior) version, using the Jayco winding system (known as the 'Goshen' lift system - named after the town in Indiana where Jayco's were made)
Because they were under contract to Jayco, Conway had to include the Jayco name on their product - hence, Conway 'Jayco' Laser & Conway 'Jayco' Tardis (the bigger verson)
After another couple of years, Conway were no longer bound by any such contractual obligations, and continued producing the same campers, but dropped the 'Jayco' name - they simply became 'Conway Laser' & 'Conway Tardis'
Then the 'Laser' was dropped, and the 'Tardis' was remodeled as the 'Cardinal' (so named because the first Cardinal models used red canvas from Cabanon. This canvas proved to have a non-fast dye, and packing up wet meant that just about everything in contact with the canvas was also dyed Cardinal red ;)
As a point of interest, the Goshen lift system (as used by Conway) proved to be very durable. The main problem being, when it does go wrong it's a pig to fix.
Jayco bought out Starcraft (based almost next door to them in Goshen, Indiana) and introduced their lift system into that range - which, according to someone I knew at the factory, was better than the original Starcraft system.
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