coachman pastiche or Bailey pageant Loire

[John-s]

Hi newbie to the forum , advice and help needed , have currently got a swift rapid 430/4 1998 but dampness has got a grip the bunk beds no longer attached to wall .
Looking to upgrade have limited budget upto 3000 , have seen ads for Bailey pageant veloire 2005 with motor mover , or coachman pastiche 2003 .
Any recommendations between the 2 , have limited knowledge of caravans as only started last year , will mainly be just me the missus 8 year old daughter and cocker spaniel

 

[otherclive]

Hi newbie to the forum , advice and help needed , have currently got a swift rapid 430/4 1998 but dampness has got a grip the bunk beds no longer attached to wall .
Looking to upgrade have limited budget upto 3000 , have seen ads for Bailey pageant veloire 2005 with motor mover , or coachman pastiche 2003 .
Any recommendations between the 2 , have limited knowledge of caravans as only started last year , will mainly be just me the missus 8 year old daughter and cocker spaniel

We had a similar Bailey Series 5 2005 Bordeaux and it gave us 9 years of good service. Some early S5 caravans were affected by cracks on the top edges of front and rear panels. These were due to poor assembly processes. Ours had its panels replaced in years 2 and 3. However most vans with cracks were spotted during early years service checks and replaced under warranty. We never had damp ingress as the checks spotted the problem early. So this would be one area to investigate. But other than that it was a fine caravan that took us on many holidays here and abroad.

 

[Raywood]

Coachman caravans are generally regarded as the best built British caravans, but these two are both well over 10 years old and by then faults in both would or should have shown up and been dealt with.
I would look at both and see which appeals to you best as provided they are in good condition that should be the deciding factor.
Whatever you go for do make sure you either get a damp test done or there is a recent one, and if you are buying privately get the owners to demonstrate everything works and be sure the owner has proof of ownership and details of all work done on it. You can get bargains at the at that level but be cautious and do not hand over a penny until you are fully satisfied with the caravan and the paperwork. There are plenty of decent caravans out there so if anything does not seem right walk away rather than take a risk.