# Bel Air Advice Please



## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

Hi everyone. My husband & I are considering our first Motorhome. We like the look of the Bel Air 730 or 750. Any advice on what we should look out for when viewing these models would be very much appreciated.


We are considering 4 seasons use both home & away. Any advice on fuel consumption, reliability, servicing costs or any other general advice would be appreciated.


Thank you.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Going back into the depths of my memory, there was a problem with leaks around the windscreen and great difficulty in finding replacement screens.
This was a Swift van and was quite a looker for some.You might get more information on those on the Swift forum.
I feel sure one at least of our members has one of those.

cabby

However as this is your first motorhome, if you have not even been Caravanning, then may I suggest that you hire a van first to see what layout does really work for you both.It could well save you a lot of money and will help get the best van for your needs.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I see there are 3 for sale on e.bay.>>

cabby


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

Thank you for replying. We have had experience of towing caravan holidays but not Motorhome holidays. These seem to be really hard to come by. It's a bit of a worry as to why?


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Can we ask how you came to choose this particular van.Did you research it and compare the layout etc with other vans, are you basing what you want on your caravan.

cabby


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

I liked the look of the Bel Air but after reading up on them on the internet decided against one,bit leaky plus not suitable for our requirements.


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

Similar layout but jeez, look at the price http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/...akemodel/make/auto-trail/model/grand-frontier


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## stewartwebr (May 27, 2005)

Hello, I owned one of the first Swift Bel Aire 730's which was a great motorhome. It is true they had some issues with the windscreens popping out and subsequently resealing them. However, that was on the earlier models which where the Trans Continental which was the first Bel Aire replaced by the 750 and a year later the smaller 730 was launched with the windscreen issue resolved. I could never understand when Swift launched the 730 why they never redesigned the 750 as well and moved away from what I viewed as dated gold taps and colour co-ordinated ovens and sinks (green) The fabric remained the same in all models but in my opinion the 750 looked dated with the 730 having a much more modern look with chrome fittings and very up to date. They still look a very smart van, they were way ahead of their time.


The only issue we had was the delimitation of the habitation door which was replaced under warranty. You will notice this on most of them, a number are still for sale where the door had been replaced but the decal on the door is missing. This was due to Swift having difficulty obtaining the decals. I struggled for 2 years to get the correct decals. They eventually had them made for me, but got the colours mixed up and supplied grey instead of blue (grey was on the 750) I eventually sold it before Swift changed it. So if you come across a 730 with blue decals on one side and grey on the other it was mine. I recently noticed it on ebay, complete with the Sat Nav I fitted back in 2001 which was state of the art and cost me a fortune!


We loved the van and the layout was great with the pull down bed, 4 seat belted seats and the luxury rear shower room. Everything in it was top of the range at the time as this was Swifts' flagship model.


If I can offer any other assistance drop me a PM. I still have the original sales brochure for it!


Stewart


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

Thank you everyone for your replies. Stewart you reply was very helpful & informative. On researching many different vans, it seems apparent that many of them have issues of their own. We hope to be viewing a 750 model within the next couple of weeks. We seem to like the layout of the van & think we would be comfortable in that model.

It is a big step & we are just worried about getting it right & buying from a good dealer. If we can think of anymore questions we would love to pm you Stewart.

Just wondered if anyone has had any issues with the Fiat mechanics at all?

Thank you everyone.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Can we ask what your second choice was.

cabby


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## stewartwebr (May 27, 2005)

We had no mechanical issues with the van. I guess you would need to do some research on the Fiat Ducatto 2.8JTD engine. I understand there were issues with regard to the fifth gear with this model, but did not effect them all. I did notice, the same as other owners, that the 5th gear ratio was rather high which meant you need to change down to fourth gear on any kind of hill. However, the engine was more than powerful enough for the vehicle. I have followed all posts associated with this model and cannot recall any major issues other than the windscreen which was resolved by the time the later 750's were made (2001) and the delamination of the habitation door. One huge bonus for me was the GRP sides, how I wish they were still available. Most vans are now stepping back to aluminium which you just need to look at to dent. GRP can take a lot more knocks.


If you are thinking about going ahead I have seen a number of very low mileage ones for sale. Just remember this and don't jump in thinking nothing else will be available. Wait until the right one comes along. Ideally, full mechanical service history, full habitation checks annually with the damp test reports and ensure PRIOR to purchase you have it independently damp tested, this is critical in my opinion. However, this model should be less susceptible to leaks as it has the lid type roof which sits on top coming quite far down the sides of the van which is significantly better to the older design of caravan type seams. But again get it checked, water ingress is very very expensive to put right and many people have been caught this way.


Good luck and I am sure you wont be disappointed with your choice.


Stewart


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

Thank you Stewart for your reply. I have read about the 5th gear issues but I was not aware of the year of the vehicles that it affected. We are looking at a motorhome this weekend, our budget is limited & the model we are looking at is a 1999 year model. We have asked the company selling the motorhome to put the habitation check on it but, we will also have our own reports done prior to going ahead with any purchase.

We will need to find out how efficient the blown air heating system is as it will be used all year round. In answer to Cabbys question, we do not at the moment have a second choice although, we quite like the Hymer A Class models.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

As you are talking about an A class motorhome, you should take into account the cost and availability of the windscreen on any model, plus the insurance windscreen cover as some of those screens are extremely expensive and not covered fully by the policy, so be careful.
Can we know what you are looking at, in case there are problems that you may not know about, or even the dealer.

cabby.


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

cabby said:


> As you are talking about an A class motorhome, you should take into account the cost and availability of the windscreen on any model, plus the insurance windscreen cover as some of those screens are extremely expensive and not covered fully by the policy, so be careful.
> Can we know what you are looking at, in case there are problems that you may not know about, or even the dealer.
> 
> cabby.


 Thank you, some useful tips there. We are looking at a Swift Bel Air 750 the dealer is STJ Motors, Reading. Any info about this dealer would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again.


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

From what I can glean from the web, STJ of Woking went bust but seem to have come back as STJ Motors Reading, both run by Steve James. This old thread is interesting http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/50...-motorhome-misery-our-pride-joy-disaster.html and this one http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/49-tech-mech-chat/68111-after-sales-service.html

Suggest you Google "STJ Motors Motorhome Facts" and "STJ Motors Motorhome Fun". Personally, I'd be a bit (very) wary but it's hard to see the wood for the trees when your heart seems to be set on the Bel Air.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

My advice - for what it's worth..................

If you REALLY want an aging "A" class van with good levels of insulation (against hot as well as cold weather) then the worst choice would be a UK made van.
Personally I'd also avoid an "A" class until I had some experience in using a motorhome, they look good but have their drawbacks as well as their advantages.

A much better choice of "A" class would be a continental (preferably German) van. The build quality and standard of insulation are likely to be much higher as they're made for tough cold weather use. UK makers do not traditionally make "A" class vans whereas many continental makers specialise in them. Why not look for a vintage Hymer, especially the old "S" class models, they seem to live forever and with the old Mercedes power units are likely to outlast anything else of that vintage.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

With all due respect to your integrity, I would put your cheque book back in your pocket and look elsewhere.

There is a large membership on this forum and we have been active for over 10 years now and have amassed a huge amount of information and knowledge.
I doubt if you can find in all this, any positive comments about the dealer you have mentioned. But you must draw your own conclusions about this.

The recommendation that you look at Hymer or other continental motorhomes could well be a good suggestion.We are here to help or advise you as much as we can.
So could you say what layout you like and we could steer you towards a range you may prefer.

good luck 
cabby

Have just looked at the vehicles photos, I did notice that in piccy no.7 the front panel does not line up neatly as the nearside.

Much as I do understand the desire to have something different,(been there lost me £20k) if you find that this is not one you want you will have difficulty in re selling yourselves.


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## tugboat (Sep 14, 2013)

What a pleasure to read such helpful and kindly advice from all the contributors. I do hope the OP takes it all on board and avoids a costly mistake. Hopefully they will become a subscriber, as I see they have used up their free posts. Good luck, Arewethereyet.


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

Would be nice to glean if the OP lives in the Reading area or was looking to travel to view the Bel Air in Reading and if their budget could be stretched slightly over £20k.

Webbs MHs in Reading have a Pilote Galaxy, sort of the same layout as the Bel Air minus one sofa http://www.webbsmotorcaravans.co.uk/pilote-galaxy-74/

There's also a few more dealers along the M4 corridor that might be worth a look. Having lived in the Reading area, it's a good location with many dealers in say a 50 mile radius.


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

We have used up our 5 posts but have decided to subscribe due to all the helpful advice given to us so far. This is just a test post to see if a problem with our log in has been resolved by Admin.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

So glad to have you onboard as it were.best money you will ever spend.
Have you made any further moves on finding something you like.


cabby


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## arewethereyet (Nov 1, 2015)

Hi everyone,

Hope this posts ok as we are having problems logging in & gaining access to all areas of the site.


In replying to Deefordog we live in the Shropshire area & so travelling to Reading would be approx. a 2 hour journey for us (that's ok). Thank you Cabby for your welcoming words. I am sure we will make full use of the site once we can get proper access.


We have today, been to a dealer called Hayes in the West Midlands where we saw a very nice low mileage Pilote Galaxy. We had a test drive & were quite impressed with it. Went away to think about it, then rang the dealer before close of business to be told it had just been sold. So, the search goes on.


Following advice from some other posters, we have decided to discount the Bel Air. Thank you Cabby, we have taken your advice & kept our cheque book in our pocket.


We prefer the look of the A Class type motorhome as they suit our style better. We are not so keen on the van conversions as our business involves us driving vans everyday & we think we would like a change from that style.


Thank you again everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We look forward to chatting & making use of all your experiences.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Not knowing your language skills,I can still suggest that you look over the channel and see what is for sale there as the exchange rate is very much in our favour at the moment.More for your bucks as it is said.
Quite a few members have done this and have found that there are a couple of dealers who even do the whole paperwork for you.They treat you as a customer as well.

As said there is a wealth of info and assistance on here.just ask.


cabby


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

The Pilote would certainly have been a better buy than a Swift.

Have you considered looking in Germany?
We bought our first M/H there and have bought there since, it's a much bigger market than the UK with much lower prices, you get a lot more for your money and it's not really that difficult to import one. Read the importing section on this forum for more info.

Just as a taster take a look at this one:
http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen-i...eFeatures=EXPORT&categories=Integrated&noec=1

I think it would represent a much better proposition than you could ever hope to buy in the UK.
Take a look around the mobile.de site, there are always some outstanding buys on there.

Flying over there for a few days to look at vans can be quite a pleasant experience and a bit of an adventure too, you may well enjoy it.


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