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If its your first caravan I would really suggest that you look at second hand and older models, it was advice given to us and it was the best thing we did, it helps you find out if it suits you and what you want from a caravan in terms of layout etc.

It would help people to know your twoing vehicle.

I may be wrong but isn't the Geist a heavy van compared to the Bailey?

As i Geist owner no contest,

I'm a Bailey owner so i'm definetely biased towards them lol.  I liked the 540/6 as soon as i saw it but then i saw the GT60 version which has an alko hitch and microwave included (amongst other things lol) and knew that that was the "one".  I'd never thought about having a microwave in our old 'vans but have really found it handy having it.

As our local dealer didn't have the 540/6 in stock we went and looked around other dealers and at one of them they were offering a starter pack of awning, waste and water carrier's, battery etc so at the next dealer we asked if they offered the same and they would so when it came to ordering from our local dealer we gave him the list that we wanted and he was willing even though he doesn't offer a starter pack.

I've not seen the Geist in person but just had a quick look online and like the bathroom!  It has more storage than the Ranger but the Geist only had 3 burner's where as the Bailey has 4 and a microwave and full oven.  The Ranger has a wooden sliding door which to me is much better than the flimsy folding door.

When i look around a caravan (even tents, tt's and campers lol) i work out where i would store everything and even go through what i would do in a normal day and work out what works best,

i.e wake in the morning to a cup of coffee and watch the world go by, get dressed (where are my clothes stored?) Brush teeth (is there room in bathroom for a toothbrush holder?) Brush hair (somewhere for it to be stored in easy reach?) etc etc

Don't know if that will help you in deciding. 

I would say don't rush into it until you are absolutely sure of what you want and if this is your 1st 'van then i'd agree with Ecocamping to buy something really cheap to begin with (we started off with a 30 year old 'van just to see if we liked it :) then got a newer 20 year old 'van with toilet and hot running water, pure bliss lol).

Good Luck with whatever you do and keep us updated :)

We have a Geist and it is our first van, so nothing to compare it to - however, we looked at various others (including a Bailey) and it always felt a bit better built.

Basically, Geist is a German-made caravan and, generally speaking, they are supposed to be better quality than Bailey etc (cue angry Bailey owners - sorry, just repeating what I gleaned from many months on here when I was researching). But that does make them a bit heavier, so check your car can handle it (and that's another can of worms - do a search under 'Towing' for various arguments/suggestions etc).

If you're happy with the layout of the 2 models and everything else being equal, I would recommend the Geist. However, I believe Geist have stopped making caravans at the moment (they make more motorhomes) - but they are part of the LMC group, which is big in Europe and so you should be OK for spares etc. in the future.

We got our van at a special low price so we got no discount or extras from the dealer, so can't help you with that.

Personally, I'm one of the instant-gratification types, so I wouldn't bother with buying an old van first. You've obviously been camping so you know what camping life is like (which is more important) - a caravan is only a glorified tent.

Quote: Originally posted by nelmo on 06/5/2010

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Basically, Geist is a German-made caravan and, generally speaking, they are supposed to be better quality than Bailey etc (cue angry Bailey owners - sorry, just repeating what I gleaned from many months on here when I was researching). But that does make them a bit heavier, so check your car can handle it (and that's another can of worms - do a search under 'Towing' for various arguments/suggestions etc).

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Ok you asked so here goes

Quote: Originally posted by ashwellgirl on 07/5/2010

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Ok you asked so here goes

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Good of you to go easy on me...

The Ranger was our other choice and we uhhmmmed and aahhhed for ages - it was only because we found a dealer selling unused, 2 year-old Geists for £3k of the list price (which made it the same price as the Ranger), that we went for that...I'm sure we would have been just as happy if we had gone for the Bailey...

Quote: Originally posted by ashwellgirl on 07/5/2010

Quote: Originally posted by nelmo on 06/5/2010Basically, Geist is a German-made caravan and, generally speaking, they are supposed to be better quality than Bailey etc (cue angry Bailey owners - sorry, just repeating what I gleaned from many months on here when I was researching)..

Ok you asked so here goes

Hope you enjoy your new van, i am sure you won't be disappointed.

Quote: Originally posted by grumbleflick on 07/5/2010

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(nelmo you're at pin parasol in august, might see you there!! Last 2 weeks for us)

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Yup last 2 weeks for us as well (assuming I don't murder the kids on the drive down).

How angry are you? I'm not going to be able to hide as we're normally the only Geist on site...

Quote: Originally posted by nelmo on 07/5/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by grumbleflick on 07/5/2010

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(nelmo you're at pin parasol in august, might see you there!! Last 2 weeks for us)

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Yup last 2 weeks for us as well (assuming I don't murder the kids on the drive down).

How angry are you? I'm not going to be able to hide as we're normally the only Geist on site...

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Quote: Originally posted by grumbleflick on 10/5/2010

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. It late and I'm on my way home from watching scouting for girls in concert so

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Whoa, this is getting spooky - I ordered the first 'scouting for girls' CD last week (£3 off play.com )...strangely, it hasn't arrived yet...anyway...

We've booked Eurotunnel (£70 with Tesco vouchers - would have been £30 if I'd booked a week earlier ) and have got the all-important DVDs for the kids to watch on the drive down. Planning to overnight near Le Mans somewhere...