Help buying first Autosleeper!

daisy mae wrote: I would have preferred for someone to tell me the drawbacks as well as the good points of models I was interested in, then a choice can be made with all the information gathered.

Actually someone on this forum was a great help to me when I was in the market to buy one. so very grateful to that person. He had years of experience whereas I hadn`t. 

Good luck to the op whatever he chooses.

Thanks for your input, this is all good stuff for me, I find the prospect of trawling around the country, looking for a Van quite daunting, so the more info I can gather, the better! And I stuill haven't faced that Diesel / Petrol debate...

...for instance, there's a very clean looking Clubman 70 miles from me - 1996, automatic, 55,000 miles petrol - I'm guessing thirstier than a medical student?

Whatever you look out make sure you see all equipment working on gas electric and if a diesel heater fitted on diesel..Also check out for rust which is very expensive to repair,, Good luck with your search,,,BUSBY65.

My van is a Duetto LE on Transit chassis. The 'LE' is the important bit even though it took me a while to figure out the differences. As others have rightly commented, the Transit is prone to the dreaded tin worm. But with the LE Autosleepers had all the panels professionally wax injected from new (i think they used Dinitrol). My van is now 16 years old yet the wheel arches are completely rust free, and that's a well known rust area for Transits! It also came with a few fancy refinements and posh sink unit than the standard Duetto but that's not important.....the wax protection is.

As for automatic, they did a few but not many. You'd be looking for a needle in a haystack on that one! But undecided about Petrol vs Diesel? A diesel will sell easier than petrol and when buying you need to think of re-sale prospects.

Bulletguy wrote:My van is a Duetto LE on Transit chassis. The 'LE' is the important bit even though it took me a while to figure out the differences. As others have rightly commented, the Transit is prone to the dreaded tin worm. But with the LE Autosleepers had all the panels professionally wax injected from new (i think they used Dinitrol). My van is now 16 years old yet the wheel arches are completely rust free, and that's a well known rust area for Transits! It also came with a few fancy refinements and posh sink unit than the standard Duetto but that's not important.....the wax protection is.

As for automatic, they did a few but not many. You'd be looking for a needle in a haystack on that one! But undecided about Petrol vs Diesel? A diesel will sell easier than petrol and when buying you need to think of re-sale prospects.

Interesting point, I'm looking at a couple of vans this weekend, and one of them is a Duetto, so I'll keep an open mind on that for the moment, they cant all be rusty, can they?

Points to look at on Transit are wheel arches front and back,,,Top of cab doors just below the windows,,look for what appears to be clouding around edges of the windscreen as it shows there is rust in the screen surround. Also lift bonnet and check inner wings especially high up in the rear corners,,,,Best of luck..BUSBY65.

busby65 wrote:Points to look at on Transit are wheel arches front and back,,,Top of cab doors just below the windows,,look for what appears to be clouding around edges of the windscreen as it shows there is rust in the screen surround. Also lift bonnet and check inner wings especially high up in the rear corners,,,,Best of luck..BUSBY65.

Written down in my note book, thanks for the info!

jaffa wrote:Interesting point, I'm looking at a couple of vans this weekend, and one of them is a Duetto, so I'll keep an open mind on that for the moment, they cant all be rusty, can they?

No not all.....but here are some tips to look out for.

The Transit weak points for rust were wheel arches, bottom edge of both rear doors, guttering (usually at one of the corners), and the top edge of both front doors where the quarter light window meets the main window.....the metal there has a tendency to split (due to door weight) then rust. If that's ignored and left, the rust will spread but it's nothing a decent body guy can't sort by letting in a new section of metal.

One other area which unfortunately you can't examine unless you have a very understanding and patient seller (!!) is the flitch panel beneath the windscreen. This is hidden by the stupid plastic trim Ford put on to pretty it up. It's simple to remove though which is what i did with mine to give the metal panel a liberal coating of waxoyl. The plastic trim hides a multitude of sins.....crud which gathers to provide a wonderful sponge to soak up the rainwater and remain damp. If that rusts to the point of rotting then you are in for some real fun and games because the windscreen is bonded, and if needing a screen replacement, which is usually the first time an owner has seen that flitch panel, when the screen is taken away, most if not all of the rotten flitch panel comes away with it! That means welding work to get a new section welded in before a screen can be fitted!

Finding a really good one takes time but your budget is a realistic one. Be prepared to travel distances. Before i bought mine i'd been to see quite a few, often travelling 200+ miles away. The one i eventually bought, i'd been to view one at Folkestone (250 miles away) which from the photographs seemed an absolute 'definite', so much so i booked a single train ticket. But it turned out not to be as good as it looked on the photographs! So i returned home the following day feeling pretty miffed, but that evening i was back trawling the internet and found one which 'looked right' and after speaking to the owner on the phone, sounded even better. That was just south of Reading so this time i drove down....only 170 miles away so a mere jaunt! But the minute i saw it i knew..this is the one! I played my enthusiasm down though and tried not to appear too over keen as i wanted to negotiate but close the deal quickly.

Some owners really look after their vans and you should have a look through this thread here to see what i mean; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] That's a 1995 Duetto and the owners were looking around for a good bodywork guy. I recommended a chap local to me who i know from experience is top notch. They took their van to him and you can see the work done and the end result.

My first van was an Autosleeper Talbot Express Harmony 1989 (older version of Symbol) not an ounce of rust on it , sold it 2 years ago to upgrade. When you look around, take a magnet with you and you can tell whats been filled, as earlier said around the bonnet and wheel arches. Good luck.

yammy wrote:When you look around, take a magnet with you

If you do that, please stick a piece of thin, soft fabric over the surface of the magnet. If you don't do that the magnet picks up bits of rusty crud which then scratch the paintwork as you put it on and take it off. It's also good etiquette to tell the seller that you will be using a magnet, just so that they know what you're going to be doing...

Another good thing to check on the Peugeot Boxer Symbol is the gear change.They are notorious for crunching in 3rd and 4th,and you will soon need a new box,not cheap.So make sure to test drive.I am talking from experience.

Ouch, that sounds like another thing to watch out for, I'm gonna have a book of this stuff soon:smile!:. My determination has not waned though! Thanks

Hi Jaffa,

Don't know if you are still looking for a suitable camper but have you thought of a VW T4 Trophy?

We bought ours in April 1997 and have had almost 20 years of great fun, in fact we have just returned from our very last trip away as we have decided that our motor caravaning days have come to an end.

The Trophy is a little longer than the Topaz and has a special w.c. / w.b. / shower cubicle and wardrobe on the back.

The bed is easier to make than the Topaz and can in fact be made up as a double or 2no singles with a narrow corridor between. In fact the shower cubicle would make an ideal bed for your dog!

We had Autosleepers install a large Storage cupboard over the front driving seats which provides plenty of storage for three week holidays in France & Uk as well as its original use as a "weekender".

A Fiamma bike rack at the rear can also be used for transporting a framed stand alone awning with sitting area and inner bedroom for when we have been away with friends or children.

If you want details please let me know.

Good luck in your search & enjoy!


Norman

Further to my post earlier today I have just found the original Autosleepers brochure - if you would like me to forward them to you please e-mail - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

N

I'd like to thank everybody who offered nuggets of advice, it really has been brilliant to help me focus on what I needed and, more importantly, wanted. We bought a 2002 Nuevo yesterday, after looking at quite a large range of 2 berth vans. My wife's thoughts were pivotal in this decision, and after looking in a few vans, she fell for the Nuevo. I loved it from the outset, it seems like the perfect layout (end kitchen) with the option of single or double, and the stowage space is generous for its size. The dealer is supplying a new habitation certificate, new MOT and full service, plus a years warranty. We are happy campers!
Cheers everyone!!
John

Well done John.

I don't think you will regret it for a moment. For a small van (which has many advantages) I don't think there is a better habitation layout. If there is, we have never found it!!! 

Two 4.5 tog king size duvets will fit easily into the overcab locker, and these give you all the options you will need. 4.5 tog is warm enough most of the time, and a king size is big enough to lie on one half and throw the other half over yourself on the single beds. (If on hookup you can always run the heating on low overnight.)

If it's freezing cold you can make up the double bed and use both duvets at once, so there's never much of a problem whatever the temperature.

It works for us!