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Anonymous

[quote="twooks"]looks like a nice van - bit like Timberland !!

Cool

[/quote]

I have been looking at these vans for ages or rather drooling over them Twooky and they seem to be priced well below UK alternatives. If I had the money, I would be tempted to get an agency. I think I am right in saying that for about 24k UK you get a 2.8td plus all the normal extras.
My favourity is the duo L with the rear lounge.

Anonymous

Think you would have to double that for a Timberland - saw them at G-Mex & I think they started at £45K. Didn't look too closely when I found out they only come in 2 berth.
The only van conversion I have seen that I might have considered if money had been no object was the little Adria Win - fixed double bed, small dinette, but I would have to eat out or barbie a lot as the kitchen was tiny & the bathroom a bit of a squash.
Our Elddis is just under 20 feet long but it feels a lot bigger than that in comparison to the Pop top Autosleeper van conversion we had before. The extra 5 feet length & foot or so in the width make a heck of a difference to the room inside, no more climbing over each other to get to anything, 6 berth instead of 2 (+ 2 in the elevating roof), don't need to use the driver/passenger seats for the beds, shower & toilet on board. And it isn't really that much more difficult to handle. OK height barriers & parking is a problem but well worth it for the extra room.

twooks

[quote:0348885ef7="Caz"]Think you would have to double that for a Timberland - saw them at G-Mex & I think they started at £45K. Didn't look too closely when I found out they only come in 2 berth.
[/quote:0348885ef7]

aarrrggggghhhhhh
to think I looked at their vans just about 3 years ago, when they were doing conversions - adapted to your spec - on 2nd hand base vehicles - cheap n cheerful -
also remember Deepcar selling bottom end of market cheapos in the price range of about £2k - £10k -

Hey Pusser, looks like the way to print your own money!!!

Cool

Anonymous

hi andy, we have a auto-sleeper clubman, small enough to park in a normal parking space and comfortable enough for two,we have only used it for afourtnight at a time and have not come to blow's(well no more than normal)but i dont know how we would get on with a longer period.it's a nice van to drive though even after a couple of hundred mile's i still feel prety good.

Raine

hi, we borrowed a small van years ago, and went travelling up to scotland we did 2000 miles and had one of our boys, (9) and his friend, and i honestly don't now how we managed it, but we did for two weeks, the mind boggles, must have been God (i kid you not) but im glad we gotta 24 footer now, Cool

its surprizing wot you can do when you dont realize it, or what youve done and dont know it, hmm deep deep, i think ive drowned me self,

TonyBuckley

[quote:9c87e46a5d="andyjenk"]My partner Gillian and I are looking into the possibility of a motorhome for a long period on the Continent. I am thinking along the lines of the smallest we can get (for drivability) while still having the space to be practical and not drive each other up the wall!

What are your thoughts on this? Any recommendations? Has anyone got good/bad experiences to relate about the smaller motorhomes?

Thanks

Andy[/quote:9c87e46a5d][/quote]

I thought my 24' MH was a monster when I first got it. The more I drive it, the smaller it seems to become. Took a while to get used to what the turning circle was and reversing is always a pain but with someone looking out the back window and buzzing noisily if anything gets close, we cope a lot better than I thought we would.

As someone else has said, height restrictions are a pain and I wish TomTom wouldn't try and take me down country lanes that I would find difficult in my sporty two seater.

Haven't done anything over more than a week and even that calls for a lot of organisation and knowing where stuff is. I personally would not savour an extended trip in something small.

I went to the NEC couple of months back and there is a range of real tiddly MHs that I couldn't stand up in nor lie down in. What's the point?

When you choose the model you think fits, beg, borrow or steal one (maybe not the last of these Wink

) and try it out for a week. It will shrink around you!

Tony

andyjenk

Gosh! Just got back from an 11-day holiday in Italy (not with a 'van!) and suddenly found all these extra replies! Thanks to everyone. Have to go on holiday again Very Happy

Gillian and I had a look around a few 'vans before we left and we were both struck by the Autosleeper Symbol - decent sized bed and seemed easy to set up - and a nice layout. Wondered if it would be worth while getting one with 4 belted seats, though, for taking Gillian's daughter and husband to the airport, etc. But then, it doesn't happen often and we could always use her daughter's car!

It looks as though we may have to go for something older than the 2000 model we saw. I know the Symbol seems to be the new name for the Symphony - were there other similar models?

Perhaps I should be starting a new thread, but what about age / mileage? Any suggestions as to what to avoid? (Hope that avoids you all recommending the age / mileage of the one you're about to sell Exclamation

)

twooks

there are a lot of models on the AS Symphony / Symbol layout. Some on MWB some on SWB - difference tended to be storage / 'bathroom'
If you are interested in that type I suggest you:
1. make sure you get diesel - turbo - as big as possible
2. check that you can make up bed easily, you're likely to be doing it dog-tired and after fine food and wine on several occasions - so make sure it's not a refugee from the Krypton Factor
3. the van area should also have a 'service history' not just the base vehicle
4. consider how important that 4 seat really is, we regretted not having one in our Mondial - [yet another look alike]

Cool

**LadyJ** · National Rally Co-ord

We had an Autosleeper Symphony Petrol 1.9 and it was great for going away for the weekend and shopping, but for long trip away it was not so good.For a youngster mabey they would find it easy putting bed up after a night out and then having to reverse it in the morning but for older people its a bit of a bind there is absolutley no room to move and if you have to sit in it for any length of time i.e. raining, freezing. it gets most uncomfortable. Storage is limited also but we did manage to pack most things in it only thing couldnt get in was microwave.Toilet was just about adequate if you are not on the large side. We now have a Swift Suntor about 20ft and it is absolutley brilliant we have end lounge L shaped that just pulls out to make double bed, no fiddling about with extra cussions etc just pull and push back down bed ready, overhead cab bed just big enough for 2 so can sleep 4 quite comfy. Toilet is big enough to have a shower in. We can both move at the same time and not fall over each other. It drives the same as the Symphony and so far havent had any trouble parking it anywhere apart from these blooming barrier places and multi storey.
Hope you find what you want as somebody else said hire one first before parting with money it will be money well spent to get it right