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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?

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 

Quote: Originally posted by johnks on 04/3/2012

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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!

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Quote: Originally posted by homebird2003 on 04/3/2012

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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.

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Check the front of the Bailey i seem to remember they had problems with cracking around that time.

The Bailey next to us had to have a new front and had never been used at the time.

Quote: Originally posted by Mr Muffin on 04/3/2012

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Check the front of the Bailey i seem to remember they had problems with cracking around that time.

The Bailey next to us had to have a new front and had never been used at the time.

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Look here - seven posts down. Might be some useful tips that you may not have thought of

Phil

Quote: Originally posted by cwdc56768 on 04/3/2012

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Look here - seven posts down. Might be some useful tips that you may not have thought of

Phil

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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.

Good luck and let everyone know how you get on!