Hi, I know a lot of people are in the process of buying their 1st caravan and may be unsure of getting an older van. With this in mind, I did a little review of our 2004 Bailey. Hopefully this may help those who are searching on a budget (as we were).
https://www.clsdoncaster.com/post/caravan-review-bailey-pageant-champagne
hi we had one for 12 years great van we just looked after it it like every thing if you look after stuff it will look after you and that is the same as your car cheers .tom
Good honest review. We have a 2002 Avondale with the same interior layout, fridge and heater and most of the comments you have made would apply.
Usually it's just the 2 of us travelling and we tend to keep the side dining area for having breakfast before we bother to put the front bed away. There was one time that we tried bringing a friend and her 10-year-old daughter along, with the child sleeping on the top bunk and the adult beneath. She said it felt a bit like being inside a coffin. But it's fine for a small child, or a small-ish adult without the top bunk above.
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
Age should never put anyone off buying an older caravan. Once they are past 5 years old condition is everything, and some of the older vans were better built than some of the newer ones. Our 1992 model is still giving great service. Has everything a modern caravan has too. Our previous caravan was a 1988 model and that had everything too. We had that 4 years and still sold it on, and for a small profit too.
I'd be much more wary about buying a 10 year old caravan, assuming I could afford one, as you have a lot more money to lose if it goes pear-shaped.