Bailey Endeavour B65 or Swift Trekker X?

[aworthy]

Hey, long time lurker and first time poster!

We’re trading in our VW transporter for a bigger 6m camper and we’re torn between the Bailey and Trekker.

They’re both very similar vans. Anybody have an opinion on either of them?

As a secondary question, does the luxury car tax (additional £415 a year for 5 years etc) apply to vans/motorhomes? There’s conflicting information online but I knew some of you will have bought vans recently so will be in a better place to answer!

Thanks

 

[Saucer]

I can’t answer the first question. A lot of people on here have European vans, as far as I can see. Regarding your other question I can assure you, having asked the same question myself and now owning our van, the luxury car tax is not relevant. What is relevant it whether you are over or under 3.5t

 

[aworthy]

I can’t answer the first question. A lot of people on here have European vans, as far as I can see. Regarding your other question I can assure you, having asked the same question myself and now owning our van, the luxury car tax is not relevant. What is relevant it whether you are over or under 3.5t

No relevant as in not payable?

Both vans are 6metre and 3.5t max so drivable on normal licence!

 

[ontheroadagain]

The luxury car tax does not apply to motorhomes or camper vans. Is there any particular reason you have narrowed it down to those two? If you don’t want to exceed 6m there are plenty of other camper vans to consider. For example Adria Twin 600 SPB would be my choice.

 

[aworthy]

The luxury car tax does not apply to motorhomes or camper vans. Is there any particular reason you have narrowed it down to those two? If you don’t want to exceed 6m there are plenty of other camper vans to consider. For example Adria Twin 600 SPB would be my choice.

Oh wow that’s good news, it’s so confusing when you do research because even the gov website says it’s payable!

6m is what we’re going for.

We’ve had a look at a lot of vans (10+) including some motorhome, but we’re drawn to the B65 and Trekker. We like the layouts with the raised bed at the back.

We’re 2adults/toddler/dog. Toddler/mum can sleep in downstairs with dad upstairs! In worse weather (pop top needing to be lowered) we plan to use a memory foam under the downstairs bed and have a ‘den’ for the toddler who’d love that!

I like the heating systems in the vans (diesel or electric if on hookup) and the toilet door system in the Bailey is great for extra room!

They also both have an isofix seat.

I’d seen the Adria you mention online but couldn’t find any online to go and look at!

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[Guigsy]

Dreamer family van? 6m. Sleep you all without needing a pop-up. And the beds don't need making up and don't have cushion gaps.

 

[Bobby-gg]

The only thing I'd be wary of is the Ford Transit base, I don't know if the engine in it is a "wet" belt engine.

There's also the recent horror stories of Transit injectors failing.

Make sure that you do your research first

 

[aworthy]

Dreamer family van? 6m. Sleep you all without needing a pop-up. And the beds don't need making up and don't have cushion gaps.

Lovely van but do difficult to find in uk

 

[aworthy]

The only thing I'd be wary of is the Ford Transit base, I don't know if the engine in it is a "wet" belt engine.

There's also the recent horror stories of Transit injectors failing.

Make sure that you do your research first

Not as much of an issue anymor as the servicing schedules have changed!

 

[Bobby-gg]

Not as much of an issue anymor as the servicing schedules have changed!

As long as you are aware

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[Jenka]

After a terrible experience with Bailey my advice would be make sure you get a reliable dealer.good luck,I ive never had a swift . it's German every time for me.

 

[Simon Select]

Hey, long time lurker and first time poster!

We’re trading in our VW transporter for a bigger 6m camper and we’re torn between the Bailey and Trekker.

They’re both very similar vans. Anybody have an opinion on either of them?

As a secondary question, does the luxury car tax (additional £415 a year for 5 years etc) apply to vans/motorhomes? There’s conflicting information online but I knew some of you will have bought vans recently so will be in a better place to answer!

Thanks

It won't be affected by the luxury vehicle tax, they tried briefly a few years ago but it worked out at like £2500 a year!
I really like the Bailey Endeavour. The Swift looks pretty but the Bailey pips it in build quality.

 

[meanders]

It won't be affected by the luxury vehicle tax, they tried briefly a few years ago but it worked out at like £2500 a year!
I really like the Bailey Endeavour. The Swift looks pretty but the Bailey pips it in build quality.

Simon's opinion is worth listening too.

I've have an Eldiss and then a Swift built van, The latter was fine once it had been back to the factory for two weeks to finish the build properly! We now have German built Euramobil (also only 6m long), which did not come without a few issues that the dealer struggled with. I was on the continent anyway so ran it into the factory where they sorted out a dozen or more issues, some of which I had not noticed and since then I think the only issue has been a curtain rail coming adrift at one end. The initial issues were poor PDI by the UK dealer apparently although they disagreed. We've never had a Bailey but know well two people who have bought almost identical caravans. One of those has had no problems, the other traded it in after well over a year's nightmare with leaks! Personally I think it's 40% manufacturer build quality, 30% dealer ability and 30% pure luck. Those may vary slightly, but it's clear from many on here over the last 18 years that, sorry to say, there are no guarantees whatever you buy.

 

[Simon Select]

It could also be worth having a look at Aura, they are a new brand in the UK and we were impressed with them!

 

[yellowfish]

The luxury car tax does not apply to motorhomes or camper vans. Is there any particular reason you have narrowed it down to those two? If you don’t want to exceed 6m there are plenty of other camper vans to consider. For example Adria Twin 600 SPB would be my choice.

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[TheMachMan]

I would see if there are any Facebook owners groups where you could ask? Both brands are ok, but worth looking at some continental rear fixed beds using 6m Fiat Ducato. Has they have a longer pedigree and are slightly bigger inside. Swift would you the edge IMHO as they have been building van conversions for longer.

 

[Beaumont 1]

Hey, long time lurker and first time poster!

We’re trading in our VW transporter for a bigger 6m camper and we’re torn between the Bailey and Trekker.

They’re both very similar vans. Anybody have an opinion on either of them?

As a secondary question, does the luxury car tax (additional £415 a year for 5 years etc) apply to vans/motorhomes? There’s conflicting information online but I knew some of you will have bought vans recently so will be in a better place to answer!

Thanks

Hi, Took delivery of our Bailey Endeavour B65 3 weeks ago. We looked at both the Trekker and the B65. What impressed us with the Bailey was the light and airy interior. The Trekker seemed quite dark by comparison. The tambour door on the washroom is genius giving more room to both areas. We are 2 adults plus a big dog. We don't actually need the pop top but the layout we wanted (B65) only comes with it.

Have been away for 2 (3 night) trips so far and been really happy. It is very quiet and easy to drive. The Trekker would be the same as both on the excellent Transit engine. Had an issue with an engine 'update'. AA came round to sort and said the new Ford Transits they run are fine as long as serviced on time !

The Bailey seems very well finished and so far we are very happy and loving it. Road tax is normal and not subject to luxury car tax (yet ! ). For a 5.98 length camper it seems really spacious.

Hope this helps.

 

[interbear]

Oh wow that’s good news, it’s so confusing when you do research because even the gov website says it’s payable!

6m is what we’re going for.

We’ve had a look at a lot of vans (10+) including some motorhome, but we’re drawn to the B65 and Trekker. We like the layouts with the raised bed at the back.

We’re 2adults/toddler/dog. Toddler/mum can sleep in downstairs with dad upstairs! In worse weather (pop top needing to be lowered) we plan to use a memory foam under the downstairs bed and have a ‘den’ for the toddler who’d love that!

I like the heating systems in the vans (diesel or electric if on hookup) and the toilet door system in the Bailey is great for extra room!

They also both have an isofix seat.

I’d seen the Adria you mention online but couldn’t find any online to go and look at!

We had the smaller Trekker S for a year or so. The 6m Trekker is the same layout just an extra 50cm longer. The layout is decent, beds are very comfortable (the pop top is huge and very good quality), the washroom is excellent. We had some early build quality niggles but they were sorted well by our dealer and Swift, so no after-sales service complaints from us. Based on the research we did, I think both Bailey and Swift vans are prone to this. We also looked at the Endeavour and liked it but thought the Trekker had better storage (you can get a lot under the bed and it has masses of cupboard space), is a great package of capabilities for the price and we preferred the look. The Ford Transit 170bhp engine is also superb to drive. This applies to both of course.

Two other points to note:

The boiler on the Trekker for heating / hot water uses gas / electric, not diesel. It works very well but when on gas it can run the 6kg propane down pretty quickly. We used it mostly on electric via hookup at campsites.

If you opt for the Trekker, I’d recommend going for a 25 model year as it comes with a much better Ford infotainment system. The 24 model year came with an awful Xzent infotainment system, the DAB never worked properly and the user interface was very slow. Thankfully it supported Apple CarPlay so we defaulted to that every time, it was fine. I know that 25 model year owners are much happier with their infotainment.

We’d still pick the Trekker over the Bailey if we were making that choice now. We are in the process of changing our van but only because we want a completely different layout. Live and learn!