Swift, Bailey or Coachman?
88 replies
JVB66 replied on 12/02/2020 11:30
Posted on 11/02/2020 15:07 by calico6Thanks, that's all helpful information. If I could find a two berth German built caravan with a cooker I would jump at it, but I don't think there is one. (?)
replied on 12/02/2020 14:53
young thomas replied on 12/02/2020 14:59
Posted on 12/02/2020 11:30 by JVB66They still have "Friday vans?" but as the uk market for them is small compared to the thousands of Uk made LVs then in follows there will be less complaints
Posted on 12/02/2020 14:59
the UK car market was small a few years ago for Audi, BMW, Skoda, Mercedes etc, but quality sells and the top ten selling vehicles in the UK looks a lot different now.
similarly, while Bailey/Swift etc sell plenty of caravans (and MHs) the MH market is also changing with German and French vans selling in really good numbers, even at the lower end of the market where 'budget' brands (from Knaus, Hymer, Carthago, Adria etc) have been introduced for this very reason...
as you move up market, the picture is far more tilted towards German vans...
young thomas replied on 12/02/2020 15:22
Posted on 12/02/2020 09:36 by cyberyachtThe Carthago is my dream motorhome except for what I consider inadequate kitchen provision. This seems a common feature of continental LVs. Do the continentals always eat out or barbecue?
Posted on 12/02/2020 15:22
CY, like the majority of continental vans, both our Carthagos had no electric hot plate, merely a paltry three gas rings....
as i said, a Tec Tower is a popular option with the oven/grill above the fridge/freezer..but, although it worked well, its not ideal for smaller cooks...
one thing thats great in all areas of Continental vans is storage and their kitchens, while possibly lacking large slabs of worktop, generally have huge storage areas, normally large drawers....we had 6 in both our vans...so easy to access supplies and kit.
having such space to spare, losing a drawer to a dealer fitted oven/grill wasnt much of a sacrifice...
so, i dont think its really that much of an issue, except if a hot plate is a must have...i dont miss it at all as i find gas quicker and more controllable...
often, worktop space is 'larger' in a UK van as there is only a half sized fridge underneath, whereas with larger volume tall fridge/freezers that worktop is lost...
it's swings and roundabouts but (again) the larger storage of our F/F is important to us and we can manage easily with the smallish prep space, but even that is easily supplemented by using the handy lounge table.
no, we dont eat out every night, nor cook outside on our winter trip, but we do eat out (lunch or dinner) at least every second/third day.
however, on our late summer French trips, we cook outside (or eat out) almost every day....with an electric unit...and as these two breaks account for six months of our year, and for our touring in the UK it's summertime, we dont miss a 'UK gourmet kitchen'.
JVB66 replied on 12/02/2020 15:34
Posted on 12/02/2020 14:53 byNot saying they are all perfect (although mine have been) I dont know how many faulty vans are imported and am wondering how you do.
Do you have some statistics?
Posted on 12/02/2020 15:34
Why would i have statistics? i know of one Hymer that according to the German owners was very bad, and not long ago on here was a couple of posts regretting buying German vans ,but then its all subjective as are those who complain about most things,
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JVB66 replied on 12/02/2020 15:41
Posted on 12/02/2020 14:59 by young thomasthe UK car market was small a few years ago for Audi, BMW, Skoda, Mercedes etc, but quality sells and the top ten selling vehicles in the UK looks a lot different now.
similarly, while Bailey/Swift etc sell plenty of caravans (and MHs) the MH market is also changing with German and French vans selling in really good numbers, even at the lower end of the market where 'budget' brands (from Knaus, Hymer, Carthago, Adria etc) have been introduced for this very reason...
as you move up market, the picture is far more tilted towards German vans...
Posted on 12/02/2020 15:41
But then is there a british car maker now, they as most ,all belong to multi nationals , and as you say move up market ,but then there is not any british made that try to compete in that catergary as its the continental market is far more active than here for those type of vehicles
replied on 12/02/2020 15:44
replied on 12/02/2020 16:09
Posted on 12/02/2020 15:34 by JVB66Why would i have statistics? i know of one Hymer that according to the German owners was very bad, and not long ago on here was a couple of posts regretting buying German vans ,but then its all subjective as are those who complain about most things,
JVB66 replied on 12/02/2020 16:13
Dave Nicholson replied on 12/02/2020 16:51
Posted on 12/02/2020 16:51
I go with Another David. Having had numerous new UK built ‘vans over the years and endured so many serious faults we opted for a new Fendt for our last acquisition and 10 years later we’ve had no problems with the build. The proprietary fitting are starting to fail eg plastic parts of the Thetford loo, the 12 volt power supply etc but the ‘van its self is still in excellent condition. We based our decision on the number of Fendt caravans we see on the more upmarket sites in Europe. Unfortunately the smaller Fendt models are not often for sale in the UK but they’re worth looking for.
calico6