Build quaity on 4 vans chosen

[Jasonm]

Hello all.

I have managed to whittle a long list down to 4 choices, all vans have the same layout whcih is the layout we are after but i would like to know everyone's views on build quality and reputation of the mentioned caravans..

They are...

Sprit Quattro FB

Adria Adora 612DT

Bailey Ranger 620

Bailey Loire S7

 

[BillD.]

We don't have a quattro FB but if it helps we have an Alpine 2 and are very impressed with spec and build quality, especially considiering the sprite is a budget van. With solid looking doors, handles & taps it does not look 'caravanny'

Bill D.

 

[WilliamLX]

Hi, if you look at the Caravan Club website you will find a table ranking the makes of caravans in terms of quality, and customer satisfaction. Of the mainstream UK makes, Bailey comes out on top (the best are German makes). Adria get a fairly good name, but reviews I have read indicate that they are let down by the fine details. The two Bailey vans are basically the same except that the Loire will have higher spec (but this means heavier and harder to tow). Of the 4 I would rank them as follows:

1. Bailey Ranger

2. Bailey Loire (to me the extras are bad value and make the van to heavy)

3. Adria - good value

4. Sprite - Swift group van. Swift vans tend to be amongst the worst for damp problems and in the Caravan Club surveys always lag well behind Bailey.

However on saying all that all these makes produce both good and bad individual vans.

 

[Alan_374342797]

Hi Last time I looked on the Caravan Club website, Coachman was the top quality and most reliable UK produced caravan and has been there for years.

All the reports on this forum reflect this, of your choice the Adria would probably be most reliable and the Bailey would need front and rear ABS panels in a couple of years unless you are very lucky.

But you pay your money and hope for the best with most of them.

Regards

Alan

 

[WilliamLX]

Your correct coachman do beat Baily but are minority vans and not on the original posters list. I do worry about the ABS panels, but it is likely that all the vans listed have these, as it seems to be the way the industry has gone.

 

[MichaelE]

Baileys rely on mass production and try to sell on mass whereas other manufacturers dont as much.

Too many plastic in fills for my liking,but it makes them cheaper too produce etc.

I had a problem with one where the front came away from the chassis ,it was exchanged after a fight ,it then appeared at my local dealer

 

[trucker]

William Said

4. Sprite - Swift group van. Swift vans tend to be amongst the worst for damp problems and in the Caravan Club surveys always lag well behind Bailey

Whats your proof William???? Ive had 3 new swift group vans and although the second hads its faults non of the 3 have had damp problems.

3 out of 3 isnt bad is it??

 

[ValA.]

My money would go on the Adria. I know it's a minority van - but the quality of the interior is head and shoulders better than the competition in my view. We spent a long time deep in cupboards, drawers, underneath surfaces, and so on, in an Adria van at the NEC and couldn't fault it. So unless it was a 'special' built to be faultless for the show, I'd go for Adria. Also the bunks are wider than in the other two - and fit to take a heavier weight, so should last a family longer.

 

[xtrailman]

Unless coachman have started using stainless steel external trim screws, then i would not touch one with a barge pole.

As for bailey i have one, and if that is the best, then god help us.

Swift are ok, but no better than bailey, i've had two. A challenger and corvette.

 

[herb]

were on our second adria would always choose them

never had any faults

 

[Dustydog]

It's always been a toss up between Bailey and Swift for me. We use our own scoring matrix. The Conqueror and Senator were a cat's whisker apart. I would have been equally happy with the Swift although we went for the Bailey.

Not all manufacturers do the same layouts.

ABS panels are used in all mass produced caravans now. I wish Bailey Swift and others would explain why they fail. Is it poor assembly or just poor product?

Price has to be taken into account.

Nothing wrong with Adria but has the Euro value affected teh price?

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Parksy]

I must confess to a slight bias as an owner of a Swift product (Abbey 620) but if we take it that all 4 of the caravans on your list could be of similar build quality and so therefore are potentially susceptible to similar problems one has to look at after sales service and support from the manufacturer of your chosen caravan.

On that score for me Swift wins hands down.

Swift were the first manufacturers to monitor caravan forums such as this one and a look on any of the forums that are nowadays routinely monitored by caravan manufacturers will highlight the commitment shown by Swift toward buyers of their caravans.

Bailey caravans are pretty good and seem lighter than Swifts but if weight is not a consideration then a look around a Swift group caravan will show that it is more solidly built and with a better finish than it's Bailey equivalent.(imho)

The UK caravan industry as a whole has a long way to go before they can boast that their products are universally well built and reliable but by trying to discover problems in real time via caravan websites and acting quickly to rectify these problems Swift and Bailey have taken a step in the right direction and inspire confidence amongst the caravan buying public.

Good Luck with whichever caravan you choose.

 

[Jasonm]

It's always been a toss up between Bailey and Swift for me. We use our own scoring matrix. The Conqueror and Senator were a cat's whisker apart. I would have been equally happy with the Swift although we went for the Bailey.

Not all manufacturers do the same layouts.

ABS panels are used in all mass produced caravans now. I wish Bailey Swift and others would explain why they fail. Is it poor assembly or just poor product?

Price has to be taken into account.

Nothing wrong with Adria but has the Euro value affected teh price?

Cheers

Dustydog

Thanks for the replies everyone ( and the debate.. ) For me its a case of budget ( don't really want to spend 15k plus on my second van ) and layout, i really have grown on the layout of a fixed rear bed ( no making the bed up everytime i get up just so i can sit down )and bathroom and the convertable table to bunks is ideal for the little one. I think i am swaying more towards the Baliey Ranger, one thing i did like about the Adria and it may just be a visual thing but you do seem to have more romm even on the other models, like i say it may just be an ilklusion but thats the way it seemd to me..

 

[Jasonm]

Thanks for the replies everyone ( and the debate.. ) For me its a case of budget ( don't really want to spend 15k plus on my second van ) and layout, i really have grown on the layout of a fixed rear bed ( no making the bed up everytime i get up just so i can sit down )and bathroom and the convertable table to bunks is ideal for the little one. I think i am swaying more towards the Baliey Ranger, one thing i did like about the Adria and it may just be a visual thing but you do seem to have more romm even on the other models, like i say it may just be an ilklusion but thats the way it seemd to me..

 

[xtrailman]

Jason

I have no intention of spending

 

[Zafiral]

The Adria is 4" wider than a Ranger and has smaller high level cupboards so gains markedly on visual space.

The Adora does not even have carpets std!!! When we looked at Alteas and Adoras over New Year we found the front beds very stiff to pull out and the rails would fall off the track (granted you have a FB so not a daily issue for you) and while the Adrias felt bigger they just looked spartan and cold compared to the two either a Ranger GT60 or a Pageant S7.

 

[herb]

The Adria is 4" wider than a Ranger and has smaller high level cupboards so gains markedly on visual space.

The Adora does not even have carpets std!!! When we looked at Alteas and Adoras over New Year we found the front beds very stiff to pull out and the rails would fall off the track (granted you have a FB so not a daily issue for you) and while the Adrias felt bigger they just looked spartan and cold compared to the two either a Ranger GT60 or a Pageant S7.

why the big deal over carpets when the kids are running in and out all the while its easy just to run a cloth over the floor and not get the hoover out get no stains when kids spill things etc plus panels dont crack on a adria

 

[herb]

why the big deal over carpets with kids in and out all day floor easier to clean no stains if anything gets spilt plus panels on adria do not crack

 

[cara89]

We really notice the extra width when inside our Adria. It is more of an advantage than we thought it would be.

 

[Zafiral]

Richard - I agree in summer that carpets are not that important, but when touring in winter and early spring they really lift the ambiance and must add some warmth.

While you are having a go at Bailey, parhaps you should look at the way Adria treated Fleetwood and who says they won't do the same to the UK arm of Adria in the near future....

 

[Lutz]

Adria caravans are imported and sold in the UK by an independent company, Broad Lane Leisure, so they do not have the same degree of influence and control as they did over Fleetwood, which was owned by them.

 

[ValA.]

If carpet is an issue then you can buy a remnant of carpet, of a size to fit a caravan, very cheaply indeed (or even get one free - I've just given one away on Freecycle). You can easily make a pattern up and have the carpet cut to size, perhaps in a couple of easily removed pieces. You can then have the edges 'whipped' (oversewn) to prevent fraying. This has the advantage of being removeable, and you can leave it at home in the summer, or lay it down and try to keep the mud off it in the winter.

We found the extra width in the Adria made such a difference - room for two to pass without stepping on toes, and the layout for the cupboards just seemed more sensible. The one we looked at had a cupboard just inside the door, accessible for things needed outside, without having to go all the way into the van.

I don't know whether they are more, or less, prone to problems than the other models on your list - there aren't so many around so you don't read postings about 'B....y cracked panels' or 'S....t damp ingress'. Have you had a really good look around all the models? If so a visit to have a look at them all, inside cupboards, under beds, around windows, seals, door catches, and so on, might help you to decide.

 

[Zafiral]

Val

We did look at the two 6 birth 09 Adria Alteas over the new year and we came away disappointed with things like the way the front bed was a real chalange to pull out, there is no separate oven & grill.

The larger size of the bunks was a plus on the Adrias, but we felt the Baileys, while more expensive, suited our needs more.

Perhaps we would have cheaper caravanning if we bought a more basic van and tweaked it, but sorry that is not for us.

 

[Sam_374394490]

We pick up our Adria 542DT tomorrow and I cannot tell you how excited I am. It is also my little boys 7th birthday, and he has been to school telling everyone Mum and Dad has bought him a caravan for his birthday .... bless!!

The carpets for our caravan were