Peugeot Symphony AutoSleeper

Hi guys, I'm a newbie to this forum and to motorhomes. I'm looking to buy a 1997 Peugeot Boxer Symphony Autosleeper and I'm looking for any advice you can give on this particular model. It's around £13,000, a 2.4 litre diesel with 80,0000 on the clock and in pretty good condition for it's age. Does this sound like a reasonable buy and is there anything I need to know about this model at this age, such as will it be very noisy in the cab when driving or stay well away from this model because .... One thing I've think I've noticed is that people don't seem to flinch at buying a 16 year old motorhome as much as they would a car of this age. Is that true?
Looking forward to reading your replies.
Cheers, Martyn.

Our 14 years old A/S Legend gives us pleasure every time we step inside it.  The quality of the finish stands the test of time.  We have had other makes...our first van was, in fact built the same year as our current van, and we had a brand new one in between...but the attention to detail by Auto-Sleeper, and the quality of materials in this older van are very much admired by everyone who has seen it 

Price seems a little on the high side for the mileage. Is it a private sale or a dealer?  Diesels are more desirable though and much rarer. You need to do the usual checks for corrosion, on the Boxer the only usual places to check are the sills and the front cross-member. I part-exd my 97 petrol Symphony just a year ago with 63k miles and got £8500 having paid £15k five years previous for it, so that's something to think about. A quick look on Ebay and Autotrader shows no diesels for sale and petrol ones advertised at £11995. At this time of year I would negotiate hard and try to get it for around the same price as a petrol one, or better still, less.

Thanks Paul and Jac.  I am expecting to negotiate the price down quite a bit for a cash sale and no part-ex. 

I had the chance of a 1999 petrol one in good condition and only about 43,000 on the clock, but after reading that you could only expect 15 to 18 mpg, I was put off by it. So now I've basically decided on a diesel with up to 35mpg, but I was wondering about the cab noise when driving an older vehicle like this.  

I've also got the chance of a 2003 Symbol HDi 2.1 litre diesel at just under £19,000 (subject to negotiation) with 43,000 on the clock, but I prefer the cooker and sink arrangement on the Symphony.  A more modern vehicle with newer engine might be a better buy.  Decisions, decisions!

If it's your only vehicle then that figure of 15 to 18 may apply around town but I always got 23mpg from my petrol Symphony and I think the 35 is a bit optimistic, I would think more like 30/32. I don't recall there being a different cooker/sink arrangement on the Symbol other than the Symbol having 3 cooker rings instead of 2.

hi,
as far as I know you could get a 1.9 or a 2.5 diesel, the former is gutless and the latter is a good plodder, make sure you test drive and consider that they are much heavier when full of water, food, booze and people,
chris

Hi My vast experience is that the very good ones get snapped up quickly.
Milage is not a big consideration,but condition  is.
The petrol one is 2l  and 110 bhp  much better than non turbo diesel.
Rust is the thing to look for ,don't go by pictures ,you have to look and poke in the other places.Mine drives like a car, the noise is minimal.
Prices are different from  dealer who only buy at bottom sell at top. However they have the best ones for sale in my experience.
My fuel is 27 average.
Oh look for full service history and sheaves of receipts,not just makers books etc

Regards

Mike

I get an average of 26/27 mpg too. 1994 2l petrol Talbot Symphony. I wonder sometimes if the extra you pay for diesel is worth the extra 4 or 5 miles to the gallon, especially when you can pay so much more for a diesel van in the first place.

Nora

Hi I had a 2001 1.9 turbo diesel for three years, and yes you had to work the gearbox a bit but still manage the gorge du tarn a couple of times a great van.

Things to check on the symphony are the gear box for notchy changing and crunching and check if the scuttle mod has been done see previous threads
 
(if applicable to the 2.4), and check out the clutch travel for signs of clutch wear.
 
Check all the vacuum plastic panels on the inside as they degrade and they are not manufactured any more but there are a few at AS, also look  for signs of the

plastic windows crazing and splitting which can only be seen  in certain lights, the front cross member also can rust but is cheap to buy and fit if you are mechanically minded.

Sills etc have already been mentioned, then make sure everything fitted works!!!!!

A great van in which we had some fantastic holidays on the continent & in the UK and fits in a public car parking space.

Good luck

Pat

£13000 is a bit steep, as Paulmold says, i reckon a fair price would be about £9000 private or £10000 from a dealer.
Mine is a 1997 symphony 2.5D with 66000 miles,gives very good mpg and pulls well.( 2.5 has a 12 valve head and is a bit more efficient).
Pick a good one and you'll have a great time with it,
Be carefull though, i looked at dozens before I got mine.

Dave

Hi 10,000 from a dealer? Maybe a corner one,not a recognised franchise one. i don't think so. Maybe prices have dropped this year.
As to the 2.5 d ,I tried one ,it was gutless compared to the 2l petrol. I had a 1.9 turbo diesel that was OK and 27/28 mpg.

Horses for courses as they say.

regards

Mike

Many thanks for all your replies. Looks like,opinions are split over the engine type though. Will have to give it a lot of thought.
Cheers, Martyn.

Well, after three weeks of waiting for it, we finally took delivery of our 1997 AutoSleeper Symphony 2.5 TDI yesterday. Prior to delivery there had been engine problems resulting in a new camshaft, cam belt, gear/pulley assembly etc followed by water pressure testing after the work had been done. The firm I bought it from has been very good in getting everything sorted, but I am so glad it all happened before I had taken delivery in spite of being covered by the 12 month warranty. I spent today familiarising myself with the controls and have tested most things. I'm still a bit confused about what runs off gas, mains and 12volts, so I've had everything on at once - this is OK I hope.

Now I need to get some tips on winterisation and keeping things like the water tank and toilet fresh and clean with the various chemicals needed. I'd appreciate any recommendations for which chemicals to buy for each job and if there are compatible supplies (rather than Thetford), where to buy them from. Finally I'd like to know if the built in Status UFO style aerial will be any good for digital TV, and a decent TV to buy for under £150, such as Cello 20".

I've started a blog to document our adventures with Bessy (I belive it's traditional to name your van) and I'll post some photos here soon. The blog address is: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and I love to see some of your comments there when we finally begin travelling.

I'll leave the chemical question to others, there are a lot of different views on this subject but there are lots of compatible products.

As for your flying saucer aerial - there is no such thing as a digital aerial, the saucer is fine in good reception areas (they were rubbish during the digital changeover but fine now) as will any other type be. Try it first. You will get good reception on some sites, poor on others and absolutely nothing on others. This still happens with directional aerials. Cello have good reviews, so do Avtex which cost twice as much. If you want one that runs off 12v you will be limited in choice but if you only want to run a tv when on hook-up, then any tv will do. I've just bought a second-hand Alba because it is mains and 12v whereas the second-hand Matsui one we have is mains only. Both give excellent picture but I've just discovered  that the Alba does not have any means of fastening to a swing/wall bracket like the Matsui so I'm going to sell it on again. It's a 16" if you're interested - £30 delivered to Manchester area.
I'm sure you'll get lots of help with your other queries.

Hi Geek  teacher 
Great you have got your bessy had a look at your blog ,did you know you can overnight there and wake to a stunning view ,the parking attendant told us last time we visited just for the price of a parking ticket that and if you are still there in the morning he would charge us for the next day which is still a bargain  
Caz and Paul

Thanks for your replies guys. Paul, thanks for the offer but I too am looking to mount the TV on a swinging wall bracket. I might also be considering a TV with FreeSat built in for those out of the way places. Caz and Paul, I'm really looking forward to my first trip to Penmon, but it's had to be delayed by a few weeks as mentioned above. What happens if you arrive there after dark, which is likely at this time of year. Presumably the parking bloke at the Priory won't be there, so does he charge you double in the morning, if you're still there? Do you know any other good places to wildcamp on Anglesey like this? I'm currently thinking South Stack lower car park, Cemlyn Bay west side of the lagoon and Newborough Forest small car park just off the main road. Any other suggestions, or maybe in another part of the forum. Cheers, Martyn.

Hi  
You can stay on the seafront on the way to the priory two big stops one each side of the road they get filled up quickly in the summer theirs a chap staying all year.There is a pull in along the meni stait by Halen Mon friends stay regularly not sure about cemlyn stop because of wylfa new buildings and terns nesting in the spring.
Paul and Caz

Hi Geekteacher, 
I have been on your blog and left a comment.
Most things have been covered by other members so enjoy the van.

Regards, Mike