Jayco Swan

When we were looking around for a camper four years ago, we noticed that the bench height in the Jayco was significantly lower than some. We went with a Coromal Silhouette Pioneer.

Kingo

G'day hatto

I have a Jayco Swan advertised for sale in the trader section of EO, if it interests you feel free to contact me.

Cheers Joe

Hi Hatto, on the ugly side me mate snapped the wind up cable on his. And that was a mess. Half the interior had to be pulled out and it wasn't cheap to have replaced either.

Hatto

I would'nt buy one, the quality is very poor. Have a look at Goldstream.

It'll cost you a lot more, but worthwhile in the long run.

Regards

Kim

Have owned and used a Swan for over 25 years. A great, verstile, comfortable easy to use and tow van. Would recommend to anyone.

Hi Hatto

We are the VERY PROUD owners of a Outback Swan and we have had a ball in ours. No problems what so ever, and the point I would like to make is, how many Jayco Swans etc, do you see on the road compared to the Coromal Silhouette Pioneer and Goldstreams..........50 to 1 I would say, so what does that tell you.We have had ours since brand new and never had a problem with any of the features on it. We have just had ours to Longreach and all around that area with not a hassle in the world. We have a dust vent in the roof which I think is a must for dirt roads, and believe me we take ours anywhere. Go ahead and buy one I am sure you will not be dissapointed. Comfort wise and room wise they are so good. Yes the benches may be a bit lower, but really are you standing doing dishes 24/7, or preparing meals 24/7. One thing I would recommend getting is their slide out BBQ. We got it and friends didnt, and they are sorry now. Yes Jayco's are cheaper then the others, but the others don't do any more for you than the Jayco's do. They don't rock you to sleep, or do your dishes for you, so where is the value in another 10 grand. You will love your Jayco Swan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karen

Hatto, we purchased a new 08 Swan Outback last year and optioned it with a wind out awning, bag bed end flys, inner spring mattress, 100amp/hr battery and twin 9kg gas bottles. We took it into the Barrington Tops area upon delivery and felt immediately it was a great purchase. Soon after we took it on a 10000km trip through south west and central Qld and back down the coast. Plenty of remote national parks, remote dirt roads and coastal 4WD tracks that were unnavigable with a caravan. After years of camping, the Swan was luxury living but with all the advantages of camping. Sure, the quality is not what one would expect for @ $27000 but that said, nothing major has gone wrong and the few issues fixed straight away and without question under warranty, were little things like screws coming out of fittings. Nothing one couldn't fix yourself out of warranty. As for the bench height, at 6ft2in I have to stoop a bit but it really is a small price to pay for the experience of a value for money camper. We stay for extended periods comfortable free/independent camping. In hindsight, we would have added solar and an additional water tank at purchase, but these can be retro fitted. Wado.

Gday hatto, we had a Jayco Flamingo outback purchased new in 04. They do offer great value for money for a growing family. Just be prepared to do some preventative maintenance. Floor mats (the lino marks easily), A real stone guard for dirt roads, 2 water tanks is a good idea, line the cupboards as the laminates are poor, pack a drill some screws and a pop rivet gun, the tin water tank cover is a bit on the thin side, protect your electric cabling and shocks on the underside. A 12 volt water pump would be a good option. I cant believe they are around $27,000 on road these days. Have they increased 7 grand in 5 years? Have a look around for a 2nd hand model if you can/. They all look about 5 years old after a big trip. Cheers.

how much $ - all depends on what year you want, new or used, what extras etc etc.

as others have said, they are fine and will give years of happy travelling. Due to the large volume of jaycos sold, there will always be stories of problems etc but the problems occur across all brands regardless of price or van type.

when you see one somewhere, stop and ask the owner - they wont mind. most people if they are happy with it will be all to happy to brag about it. most that are unhappy for some reason will also be happy enough to let you know about it. that way you physically get to see the good, bad and ugly.

us, well we really love ours. its fantastic, plenty of room, great layout and never been a problem. we have the grey interior and prefer it over the darker timber finish as it gives the appearance of a much larger van and its never dark inside. sure we would love to progress up to a poptop as our lifestyle and family is changing, but we are finding it hard to let go of it so not too sure where we will end up. (probably end up hanging on to it i guess)

i am not sure why you need to spend so much money on a brand new one when there are enough quality second hand ones available of all sorts of ages. some for sale can be only a few months old to many many years. if you get an older one, give it a real good going over. if you are looking at secondhand (i would be to save $000s) why not do a check on ebay the prices listed, and keep checking them over a period of time and you will guage the average price easily enough. just keep in mind a secondhand one in a dealer is just like a car - its more expensive than one sold privately. good luck with it...

Hi mate,

We had a Jayco Swan Outback 06 model. We didnt have any dramas, it was large inside and we upgraded to a Windsor Rapid for convenience.

The down side is - It is harder to access before you go on a trip to load it etc, esp if it is raining.

Harder to access on the road side (fridge etc)

General Jayco craftsmanship (Not), you do get what you pay for and that is why there are so many Jaycos around compared to others (Goldstream etc), purely because JAyco build down to a price to secure the majority of the market.

The upside is -
They are well priced as a starter van

They are a great layout for a family

We didnt have any dramas but we were aware via friends of what COULD happen in the landof Jayco owner ship.

The awning is harder to put up, just takes a while longer but is a million times stronger than the carefree awnings on caravans which are quicker and easier to erect.

Th awning walls zip in all round which is a 5 minute job and is also very strong and secure.

A reason to buy new woul be that the winching mechanism as mentioned on another reply is protected by a life time warranty FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNER so that may eleviate the stress of incurring that cost.

Look after it well (perhaps a bit more than the other brands require) and you will have alot of fun.
Cheers,

Hooroo WA

I was looking for the about 2 months at either buying a Jayco Swan/Eagle and did as much research as I could including attending camping shows etc..

I found that the Jayco was much cheaper than the other brands (Coromal/Goldstream) and there is the difference.

The Jaycos are cheaper due to the construction, cupboards are stapled, fixings come loose, spome to a few people camping and although the majority were happy all had a problem with something, usually in the build quality.

Have heard that pipes leak, canvas rips, dust is always getting in and they are just not strong enough.

The other brands which are more expensive also have some issues but to a lesser degree.

I purchased a 2005 Golstream Star and am more than happy, the chasis is sold with great suspension, would have bought a Coromal Pioneer but they were just out of reach.

Check out the ads, loads of Jaycos but Goldstreams and Coromals are rare.

The question is were are you taking it, how long are you planning on keeping it and can you afford that extra 5000 for a good one.

There are a lot of lemons out there, be wary of ones that are being on sold quickly.

ajayco owner told me that the most important piece of camping gear he has is a rivet gun.........

The negatives are starting to come out against the Jaycos. Yes they are built to a price, yes you can get better ie Goldstream/Coromal. But you know when you buy a Jayco, you know what you get. As I have said, my OB eagle has been up the Oodnadatta, Meernie Loop, through the tracks in Kakadu/Litchfield, two weeks through the Kimberley's including the GRR, Mitchell Falls, the Bungle Bungles, Cape Leveque and the Pilbara. It held together just fine and was the best value for money we got.

I say if you are leaning that way buy one and spend the saved money on your travels because if you take any camper/van up there on those roads they never come home the same!

Graeme

If you like the Swan then also check out the Flamingo . Same size , same cost , but a different layout which you may consider better . In the Flamingo the cook doesn't have everyone squeezing past to get to and from the seats .

A perfect second hand van should be about $5,000 cheaper than a new one . With the current financial situation you may do even better than that .