Guest Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 What’s the general option and thoughts regarding the new Phoenix+? We’ve ordered the 640 and delivery not until March/ April which is a long wait and a replacement for our Unicorn S4. Having compared the Phoenix to our Unicorn it doesn’t seem much of a downgrade. * Truma heating vs Alde heating not sure which is best? * No solar panel but ok * No tracker or alarm, never renewed this on the Unicorn waste of time * No ATC, yes a missing item and paid extra to have it fitted to Phoenix * No external gas or electric sockets * +80kg lighter and payload upgradable, requested upgrade * No TPM will transfer from Unicorn * No AL-KO jack or jack points, have a spare from older caravan * Bathroom sink more usable in the Phoenix than Unicorn * Smaller fridge in Phoenix but never filled the Unicorn fridge * Front panel joins nicely cover in the Phoenix So based on the above the rest of the caravan is very much the same as the Unicorn. The Phoenix doesn’t have all the unnecessary ‘bells n whistles’ the Unicorn has and maybe none of the axle failures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezzerb Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) Nice caravan if you like it why bother with a Unicorn. Alde v truma now there's one, we like our Truma, now we have Alde it's a bit quieter just a tad slower to heat up maybe but marginal but blown saves serious weight.putthe money in the bank for extra aways!I be noticed the cheaper Baileys creeping up on the upper ranges. Edited September 24, 2020 by Jezzerb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) luckily we already have a phoenix dealer special , we have the smaller fridge , we don't have the AL-KO wheel lock or the tyre TMS, we have the alarm but not the tracker, which I wouldn't have anyway. We have the blown air heating which is really good now. When we bought it it was such a good deal as I think every thing else was the same as the Unicorn but £6000 cheaper. If I was buying the Phoenix plus now I would also buy the solar panel as we keep our van in storage, the alarm as most insurances like them and ATC and the weight plate upgrade. I'm not sure what mattress you have but our's is a foam one, very comfy. I notice that your's doesn't have the electric hob, which I do like to have I see the price is still a huge difference between the two vans. Edited September 24, 2020 by joanie 1 Quote Happy Days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Plodd Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) I would echo everything that Joanie has said (we have identical caravans from the same dealer) My pal bought a Cabrera (identical layout) 12 months before I bought my dealer special Phoenix and he paid £6k more than I did. I have had plenty of opportunity to compare the two models as we often holiday together with my pal and his Cabrera. There are differences but they no way justify the additional cost! As I store the caravan at home the solar panel is a bit of a “not needed” item, but all the other “goodies” I got for virtually nothing made it a deal not to be missed. I got an AL-KO wheel lock with mine!! I would not even consider a caravan without ATC. PM me for details of where Jonnie and I got our caravans from. ( Near Bristol ) Edited September 24, 2020 by Mr Plodd 1 Quote Experience is something you acquire after you have an urgent need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David 38 Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I have Bailey and would not be my choice of maker. Had new brakes but still noisy. Cheaply built. Upholstery distorting. Scared to death I will get axle failure and roof strap leaks. Scared I will not get any warranty work done as dealer closed down. Have enquired of two nearest dealer regarding doing next service got no response. Quote Regards, David Peugeot 308 GT Premium, 1.5 diesel 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Plodd Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 4 minutes ago, David 38 said: I have Bailey and would not be my choice of maker. Had new brakes but still noisy. Cheaply built. Upholstery distorting. Scared to death I will get axle failure and roof strap leaks. Scared I will not get any warranty work done as dealer closed down. Have enquired of two nearest dealer regarding doing next service got no response. Well you bought it in the first place! Define “cheaply built” The brakes are supplied to, not made by, Bailey They are an AL-KO product (and most other caravan makers use the same axles) Axle failures are again down to AL-KO not Bailey Roof strap fault was identified early on and any affected vans sorted under warranty, newer vans have a different fixing system. Dealer closing is nothing to do with Bailey There are plenty of approved mobile techies! 1 Quote Experience is something you acquire after you have an urgent need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David 38 Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 10 minutes ago, Mr Plodd said: Well you bought it in the first place! Define “cheaply built” The brakes are supplied to, not made by, Bailey They are an AL-KO product (and most other caravan makers use the same axles) Axle failures are again down to AL-KO not Bailey Roof strap fault was identified early on and any affected vans sorted under warranty, newer vans have a different fixing system. Dealer closing is nothing to do with Bailey There are plenty of approved mobile techies! Yes was my choice a shame I didn't read about these things prior to purchase. Didn't want new wanted a small upto 3 year old caravan but nothing was to be had, so went for new. Locker doors not central, electric sockets not level, screw covers peeling off, trim on wardrobe shelves missing. Axle well Bailey bought from AL-KO so responsable, I not know if an AL-KO manufacturing fault or if Bailey did not buy a strong enough one. Roof strap mine as the narrow one. As stated I have no dealer to do any future warranty work. Dealer closing agreed probably not due to Bailey, but one as to go to suppling dealer for warranty work, other dealers not happy to do warranty work for not purchased caravans due to Bailey not paying in full and they lose money. Yes NCC approved people can do annual service but not warranty work. Quote Regards, David Peugeot 308 GT Premium, 1.5 diesel 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR1 Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 We have the Phoenix Platinum 640. Superb caravan, well built. Does everything we want. Absolutely no problems with build quality! Better than our Pursuit 430/4 Spent over 400 nights in it over the two years we have had it! 3 Quote 2019 Bailey Platinum (640) Phoenix from Chipping Sodbury caravans, towed by our 2017 my Discovery Sport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Mr Plodd said: I would echo everything that Joanie has said (we have identical caravans from the same dealer) My pal bought a Cabrera (identical layout) 12 months before I bought my dealer special Phoenix and he paid £6k more than I did. I have had plenty of opportunity to compare the two models as we often holiday together with my pal and his Cabrera. There are differences but they no way justify the additional cost! As I store the caravan at home the solar panel is a bit of a “not needed” item, but all the other “goodies” I got for virtually nothing made it a deal not to be missed. I got an AL-KO wheel lock with mine!! I would not even consider a caravan without ATC. PM me for details of where Jonnie and I got our caravans from. ( Near Bristol ) Interesting the Phoenix special you purchased, it would be good to know the dealer you purchased from, but I have to say Bristol is a long way to travel. Our current Unicorn was purchased from a dealer in Dorset (Lady something...) and its difficult to arrange warranty work with holidays and has only got worse with the Covid backlog. I’m assuming that due to the reduced production capabilities Bailey may limit or not produce dealer specials, this combined with a local dealer, 5 miles from home, we’ve decided to purchase the Phoenix + 640 instead of waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyandy Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 March/April seems a long time to wait for a caravan only revealed a week ago! Did the dealer say why so long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost in the wilderness Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 1 hour ago, handyandy said: March/April seems a long time to wait for a caravan only revealed a week ago! We were discussing this only a couple of days ago. It appears that all manufacturers are the same, in so far that if you order a new van today, delivery is quoted as March. What I would love to know, who is getting the stuff made this week or next, and why can’t we purchase it now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Plodd Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Ordered mine in October at the NEC show 2018 and was quoted an April 2019 delivery! Collected it early March in the end. I currently use “Lady something” for servicing etc as they are much closer to home than the supplying dealer at Chipping Sodbury Caravans. Didn’t buy from Lady B’s but they are happy to do servicing and warranty work on non supplied Bailey’s 1 Quote Experience is something you acquire after you have an urgent need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezzerb Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 As Plod says we were very pleased with our Pegasus. Build quality was fine although the sealant application was v generous we felt that meant it wouldn't leak and it didn't. In 3 years it was great, with only third party supplier faults needing quickly sorte warranty claims ie leaking toilet cassette and a dechroming ie bubbling surface tap, instantly replaced, we loved it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 9 hours ago, Speedcam said: Interesting the Phoenix special you purchased, it would be good to know the dealer you purchased from, but I have to say Bristol is a long way to travel. Our current Unicorn was purchased from a dealer in Dorset (Lady something...) and its difficult to arrange warranty work with holidays and has only got worse with the Covid backlog. I’m assuming that due to the reduced production capabilities Bailey may limit or not produce dealer specials, this combined with a local dealer, 5 miles from home, we’ve decided to purchase the Phoenix + 640 instead of waiting. I think that you are right in that Bailey are not making the dealer specials this year. The Phoenix we have was made in 2019 & 2020 Quote Happy Days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Plodd Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 On speaking to the supplying dealer when I picked mine up they said they had sold seventy of “their” special edition Phoenix at the show! So it looks like a lot others saw them as a bargain buy! Really really pleased with ours. Only thing to be aware of is that they are pretty nose heavy when empty, possibly to compensate for the main underbed storage being right at the back and ensure good towing characteristics when loaded. The MTPLM upgrade is worth doing provided it doesn’t cause driving licence issues. Without the upgrade my rig was just eight Kg under the 3500 threshold. 1 Quote Experience is something you acquire after you have an urgent need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 it doesn't surprise me that so many were sold, a couple of weeks ago on site there were 3 phoenix dealer specials all in the same row, one of the other owners pointed it out to me, we had a chat about how lovely our vans were 1 Quote Happy Days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 A few questions to those owners of the current 640: * Where is the spare wheel located, is it under the caravan or under the rear bed? If under bed is there much storage if there’s also the table? * Bedroom TV, there’s sockets on the wall but the shelf appears rather small. Is the shelf big enough for a 20” TV or is there an option to have a wall mount fitted. * Front window, is there a panel in the corners where wires/cables have or could be run? * 12v battery is this located in the floor behind axle? * Gas locker is it big enough for one or two gas cylinders? Just thinking about things we did on our Unicorn, ran an extra aerial cable from the locker down the window corner trunking to near the draws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Plodd Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 (edited) Spare wheel is under the bed as is the table, lots of storage space 20” tv will (just) fit There are clip on panels on the corners BUT there are also cupboards so it might be a fiddle to remove them. Leisure battery under the floor just in front of the axle, access via a hatch in the floor (battery height is critical) Gas locker takes 2 x standard 7kg cylinders with ease There is a 230v and a 12v socket plus a tv feed point on the worktop over the top of the fridge and that’s a much better place for the TV than the front chest so it can be viewed from the settee’s Any further questions PM me for my phone number. Edited September 25, 2020 by Mr Plodd 1 Quote Experience is something you acquire after you have an urgent need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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