Thinking of getting a Symbol 2013 onwards.

We have sold our 1999 Trooper, and due to impending retirement...well October 2016, we are looking to replace it with something with a little more luxury yet not the size of a small African country. We like the size and compact nature of the Symbol.We want  something 2013 onwards, as we quite like on board gas tank, barby point outside, and a few other toys. It will probably be our only vehicle so the size and getting it into normal spaces will be important too..
Now I know the Symbol has been around for ages,does anyone know if its due for replacement ? or is it such a standard that it has become a AS standard.
Can anyone tell me if 2013 has any vices I need to be aware of?
We have been to see several as part of our investigation and are impressed by the build quality and the compact design, not so much by the AS peculiar take on fabrics !! .

Advice around the later Symbol from you Guru's out there will be much appreciated. 

phil1855 wrote:We have sold our 1999 Trooper, and due to impending retirement...well October 2016, we are looking to replace it with something with a little more luxury yet not the size of a small African country. We like the size and compact nature of the Symbol.We want  something 2013 onwards, as we quite like on board gas tank, barby point outside, and a few other toys. It will probably be our only vehicle so the size and getting it into normal spaces will be important too..
Now I know the Symbol has been around for ages,does anyone know if its due for replacement ? or is it such a standard that it has become a AS standard.
Can anyone tell me if 2013 has any vices I need to be aware of?
We have been to see several as part of our investigation and are impressed by the build quality and the compact design, not so much by the AS peculiar take on fabrics !! .

Advice around the later Symbol from you Guru's out there will be much appreciated. 

Is the Symbol based on the SWB rather than the LWB Boxer ? If it is maybe consider one of the vans based on the LWB vehicle ? 

We have the 2013 Kemerton which is on the LWB chassis and its great but I think its only just big enough. Any smaller and we would not have considered it . 

Build quality is very good on our van which is not that different to the Symbol except in length . That said much time and dismantling was taken to rid the van of the seemingly standard squeaks and rattles. Once sorted we now have a virtually silent drive/ride.

I do understand you comments on the fabrics used on the interiors of the later vans. If we were keeping ours it was planned to have it re done in more modern contemporary fabrics . 

When we were in France this year we had a Symbol owner on the pitch next door who was very impressed with the interior and size of our van. They both said without doubt the LWB of one model or another would be firmly on the list when they change,

Drive and MPG on the LWB would be almost exactly the same I think. 

Just my 2ps worth. 

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Thanks fellow Valey, Charliefarlie.

It was the diminutive size of the Symbol that appeals, We like the walk through ability and the sliding door that brings the outside inside.

We have  a little piece of France near to Le Blanc in Indre, with access to the river Creuse. ( Thanks Dutto for your post on buying land in France!!)
The van would fit great on it, a larger one would probably have some manoeuvrability issues.
It offers us some great possibilities, and the potential for using it as our daily run about.

phil1855 wrote:Thanks fellow Valey, Charliefarlie.

It was the diminutive size of the Symbol that appeals, We like the walk through ability and the sliding door that brings the outside inside.

We have  a little piece of France near to Le Blanc in Indre, with access to the river Creuse. ( Thanks Dutto for your post on buying land in France!!)
The van would fit great on it, a larger one would probably have some manoeuvrability issues.
It offers us some great possibilities, and the potential for using it as our daily run about.

Yes I see. For daily use the extra length of the LWB could be a pain when parking in normal length parking spaces. Despite all the claims a Panel Van Conversion isn't quite as easy to get in the spaces designed for cars.

Back on quality.. We ended up deciding a PVC was for us. So off we go looking at the various offerings . The AS vans just about beat all the others hands down on materials used and the general quality. Equipment levels are high. The only vans we looked at that beat AS were the IH Motor homes.  Quite stunning but a wee bit opulent and at a very high price point. You can easily spend 80K on an IH but that is mad for a PVC.. 

Have you looked inside a later Symbol ? With AS being just up the road it should be easy to get a good look. They are very obliging over there and dead hand when we need a few odds and sods ! 

Went and had a look at Marquise at Tewkesbury this afternoon, they have a new one there, stunning and the cloth was good too, but at 50K what would you expect.
I float by AS and press my nose against the fence just about every week, though never ventured inside. Probably wait until the February show to sit in a new one.
A 2013 model would probably be in the right price range next year when we are looking to buy.
Cheers.

There was a period around 2013 when for some reason the fridge had a drawer underneath raising the height ( and that of the worktop on it) to an unworkable height and ruining the continuous length of the worktop. Thankfully it seems to have been dropped.

Paulmold wrote:There was a period around 2013 when for some reason the fridge had a drawer underneath raising the height ( and that of the worktop on it) to an unworkable height and ruining the continuous length of the worktop. Thankfully it seems to have been dropped.

Looking at the AS 2016 brochure the fridge still seems to be set high.

We choose the 2011 model which gave us a flat floor right through together with a continuous length of worktop. The Symbol is based on the MWB van and at 5.413m long was the perfect length for us to park at home whilst still fitting into car parks provided no height barriers and often overhanging the rear where possible. Upsizing from a rising roof camper the Symbol is positively palatial .

Regards .. Jeff

Cheers Jeff,
   My feelings precisely, If you can have fun in a Trooper then a Symbol should be a breeze!

We have a 2014 Symbol, having owned a couple of VW Californias. As Jeff has said it feels palatial after a campervan. Ours has the raised fridge and we don't have a problem with it being at a different height to the sink. There is also the slide out worktop in the fridge housing and the pop-up alongside the cooker, so plenty of worktop space. The cupboard under the fridge is also handily located for toilet fluids and other cleaning equipment. I keep a hand car wash brush and shampoo in there as well, all easily accessible when stood outside the rear doors or emptying the toilet.
We chose the Symbol for the ease of parking especially in car parks where it will just fit in most car spaces. It also has a smaller turning circle than the LWB versions which can be handy in tight spots.

Regards
Hubert

Hubert,
   Thanks a million, your thoughts on the Symbol are similar to mine, we didn't get to swing many cats in the Trooper, and I guess we won't in the symbol but I am sure it will feel like a palace

We currently have a 2004 Duetto and have considered changing it for something very similar but newer....eg a Symbol. The high fridge top  which seemed to provide the only really solid worktop space for cutting and chopping etc ruled it out for us. Bring only 5 feet tall, I could not reach comfortably. At the PBor Show, AS told me it had to be so high to accommodate the vans wheel arch.

I thought they had dropped the high fridge as I looked at a late model that didn't have it but looking on the website it shows it still there..

We have upgraded from a Volkswagen T5 conversion. We managed to purchase a Symbol new in June 2015. The main factors in our decision was.
Size of vehicle - It fits on our drive, Manoeuvrabilty, 150BHP engine, drives like a car,the on board bathroom facilities, alround quality and equipment.
We  normally use a Khyam Drive away awning when touring for extra space etc. The Dealership (Motor-Plus Motorhomes Derby) fitted a Westfalia Detachable tow bar and we purchased a Westfalia bike rack and box which fits onto the bike back when touring and not carrying bikes. The box gives us extra carrying space and keeps the inside of the Symbol clear. The Autosleeper product keeps amazing with its practicality and quality of all the useful equipment fitted. Finally we purchased a small Caravan step for use to exit or gain access through the rear doors when the double bed is made up. So as not to disturb one another etc.

Hi

Just been on our first trip in our 2012 Dorset (the Marquiss Symbol) and this was our choice because it didn't have the raised up fridge (came in 2013) and it also had a flat floor throughout again a step up to cab came in 2013.
Have moved down from a 5.6mt Tribute but inside is quite a bit smaller as the pre 2007 van didn't have the big lump on the front bumper so I quess we have lost about 40cm internal size, not much of a problem will soon get use to it, it is very comfortable and so easy to drive and park as it fits nicely into a single parking space, (was done once in the tribby as it overhung into two spaces)
One niggle for me is the lack of storage in the bathroom there is nowhere to put toilet bags for example and wondered what others who have this van do with their toilet bags.


David