Changing Motorhome advice

It would be helpful to know where  you were and how far you are willing to travel? I have just checked out the White Arches Motorhome website and they seem to have a good selection including Bailey and two of the other brands you mention. They are in Northamptonshire on the A45.

David

Why not look for a continental van, we have Dethleffs Esprit, rear singles over large garage and drop down double at the front?  Lots of other makes of course plus build quality will be far superior to the makes you are looking at....

we are in Norfolk which does not help as we have to travel an hour and half just to get out!

But don't mind travelling for something suitable, the problem is if repairs etc. need doing.

Will check White Arches and Dethleffs. Continental makes seem to have very small kitchen areas.

Thanks T

Comments from Elddis, Swift and Auto-Trail owners as to quality please.

T

I've had an Elddis caravan and a Swift MH over the years. Do I qualify?

You'd be better off checking a dedicated MH forum for such specific information.  

I had a Marquis Majestic 125(Accordo lookalike). Had a damp kitchen floor replaced at 3 years. Otherwise it was OK. They are obviously built to a price rather than a standard but good for the money. Most of the main brands have quality control issues at some point. It is a bit of a lottery as to whether you get a duff one.

The main extra you get with British vans is the indoor swimming pool

As CY says they are built to a price so its a choice of quantity over quality with the continental vans winning hands down on quality though they do have some issues at times.  Common across all vans in general are the oven/fridge/toilet etc. as these are mostly either Thetford or Dometic.

We have an Autotrail PVC. More than happy with it so far, one year into ownership. Like all vans you get your niggles but most things can be fixed quite easily.

Vast improvement on the coachbuilt Bailey we had that had water ingress 3 times on the floor, a fixed under warranty but put us off it.

Our first Bailey was of similar vintage to TG's and we also had a few issues with damp but these were sorted by our dealer and certainly didn't lead to any down time in using the motorhome. It also didn't put us off buying another Bailey because the layout was just what we wanted. We did seriously consider a V-Line but in the end decided we wanted more room. It just proves that you have to look carefully at all the models you are interested, Normally I would suggest going to the NEC where you can seen every model that you might be interested but unfortunately you will have to wait until next February! 

David

I have a Swift Bolero 724Fb which I have had for five years. Prior to that I had two continental vans, though admittedly French rather than German. The only issue I had with the Swift is that it had a translucent roof; this was a production issue when they used some kind of new roof material and was short lived when they came to find so many people complaining about its translucence. I was unlucky. Swift resolved this free of charge. Touching wood that I am not tempting fate, I have had no build quality issues whatsoever. This contrasts sharply with the two previous vans.

It is my long held belief that this notion of much better build quality in Europe, and especially in Germany, is a myth. For the most part you get what you pay for and you win some you lose some and it is something of a lottery. Build quality of cars has improved markedly in the last 20 years and British cars are now as well built as German. In general motorhomes and caravans still have built quality issues, but I refute the idea that this is confined to British vans.

Having had two continental vans, I made it a rule that my next van would be British with the door on the "right" left side and better kitchen equipment than in continental vans. I also find continental vans to be more utilitarian - lacking cosiness and warmth. This is the European way. Since I got my Swift, I have made cakes and biscuits and had full roasts in my van. This was more or less impossible in my previous vans. They did have a tiny oven but it was next to useless. Many continental vans have no oven at all and hobs more often than not have fewer rings.

Of the British makes I narrowed it down to Swift or Auto trail having looked at Bailey and Elddis closely as well. There was no doubt the finish on the Swifts and Autotrails was superior, but they were also more expensive. I plumped for the Swift only on the basis it had Alde heating which the Autotrail did not (same layout). In honesty I felt the Auto trail had a slightly higher quality feel.

Don't be put off buying the British van of your choice, if you can find one.