Duetto/Trophy Topaz advice please

Hi,

I've finally decided to get a van based autosleeper rather than a coach built for several reasons.

I'm on a very limited budget approx £15,000 so also need to be realistic. I want shower/toilet facilities so really like the Duetto/Trophy/Topz/Symphony etc

My first choice would be a Topaz or Trophy..with my budget it is possible from what ive researched with an older van but they dont come up very often. I still like the Duetto/Symphony and it would be a much easier bet - same facilities just slightly different layout - BUT and its the big but with these...everyone ive done an MOT history check on - even the ones that look really good...all have corrosion issues and most arent minor. However a lot of these have been sold so people are buying them...?

So i'd just like a bit of advice really..i'd be happy with a Duetto however the VWs seem to have much less rust issues..?

For your budget also consider a Symbol ( successor to the Symphony) which is on the Peugeot Boxer body.  When I was looking for my campervan I considered a Duetto and Symbol but went for the Symbol as I had heard a lot of comments on the Ford body which is/was more prone to rust.  Although I like the VW based vehicles, I believe they are somewhat overpriced because of their near cult status.

But VW go on and on, reliable , surely better to pay a bit more and get reliability than not. if van doesn`t go  you are not going nowhere.


I have a 1998 Topaz with 76,000 on the clock, this is used every day as I use it as my car as well as for trips..Has passed all the Mot`s with no advisories. she is in escellent condition, no rust. I have re-upholstered her, photos on this forum if interested.



Read reviews on Peugeot`s ,   parts are either non excitant or at the very best hard to get, parts discontinued on vans over 10 years 0ld.

Look at what modelman  said yesterday I believe, he had a Peugeot. so has experience of them.  search for Peugeot on this forum.

Plus VW T4`s hold their value so an investment.

Good luck with what ever you go for.

Regards,
Margaret

Hi, I agree completely with daisy mae. The Ford chassis on the Duetto are mostly rust buckets. The Duetto is slightly roomier than the VW T4 based Topaz/Trophy, but their chassis are almost rust proof and the engines go on for ever. The insides of the van conversion Autosleepers are all substantially the same. I have a very late model Trophy, with a rear across positioned bathroom, the same as the later Topaz, except for you don't have to worry about being disturbed whilst on the throne, by the back door being opened !!

..many thanks for your replies...well funnily enough I went to see a lovely 1995 Topaz today and have put a deposit down on her.

Ive done a lot of research about various different models and as you both have said..for me the Topaz wins. The VWs just seem to have far less problems.

I do like the Duetto and Symphony - but with the Ford all of the ones that looked ok had serious rust issues on MOT history. The Peugeot problem I wasnt really aware of until I phoned up to view a very nice Symbol ES I think it was and the dealer actually explained about gearbox problems and lack of parts with anything earlier than a 2007. I'm sure there are many Ford and Peugeot owners out there that love their vans and havent had any problems but for me the Topaz was best bet.

Leaving aside the longevity issues, which are important, the main basic issue is the different maximum widths of the base vehicles. The Boxer is 1.87m wide before trimming, that's roughly 6ft 1.5ins. The Transit is 1.76m or 5ft 9.25ins and the VW Transporter is 1.69m or 5ft 6.5ins.
So from the widest (Boxer) to the narrowest (VW) there's a 7ins difference, which translates to the Peugeot having a bit more than 10% of extra space for every foot of length.

It also means a 6 footer can just about sleep across a Boxer based PVC, but will find it uncomfortable to try the same thing across a VW.

Of course the VW has an advantage when driving in narrow lanes and slotting into parking spaces

Congratulations and have many years of adventures in her / him.

By the way, back door cannot be opened unless the catch is released inside, so no danger of that . also very useful if wanting to carry larger, longer items, recently bought insulating ceiling panels in her, wouldn`t have got them in the car.

I also have a Ford Transit and that is in excellent condition and drives well. depends how they have been looked after.has no rust.one owner when bought her.

Just a point, have always used premium diesel and good oil with oil / filter change every 3000 miles or annually.

Good luck

HI, I've said it before, but its worth repeating. With ALL motorhomes of a certain age, ie 1994/5/6 etc. there is a tendency for unscrupulous sellers, both private and dealers, to cover up or not show the Reg, plate, in adverts.

This is to stop you being able to check the MOT History and detect corrosion that has been miraculously treated in a few days. If.over the 'phone, they won't give you the Reg. walk away.

leonardo1776 wrote:HI, I've said it before, but its worth repeating. With ALL motorhomes of a certain age, ie 1994/5/6 etc. there is a tendency for unscrupulous sellers, both private and dealers, to cover up or not show the Reg, plate, in adverts.

This is to stop you being able to check the MOT History and detect corrosion that has been miraculously treated in a few days. If.over the 'phone, they won't give you the Reg. walk away.

Ive been to see it done a full MOT history check..all paperwork... original manuals and even originl AS plates/cups etc..


certainly wont be walking away from this

paulsutt wrote:

leonardo1776 wrote:HI, I've said it before, but its worth repeating. With ALL motorhomes of a certain age, ie 1994/5/6 etc. there is a tendency for unscrupulous sellers, both private and dealers, to cover up or not show the Reg, plate, in adverts.

This is to stop you being able to check the MOT History and detect corrosion that has been miraculously treated in a few days. If.over the 'phone, they won't give you the Reg. walk away.

Ive been to see it done a full MOT history check..all paperwork... original manuals and even originl AS plates/cups etc..


certainly wont be walking away from this

Good on you; you're the kind of customer that sellers hate and dread

Hi Folks I am going to look at a Ford Duetto Autosleeper Transit 100, 2496cc,  1996  on Thursday, price £7000. 68,000 mile
I'm wondering is this a good deal and better choice than the Peugeot boxer autosleeper Harmony or Symphony at 85,000 mile. Do you know has the 2.5 banana engine got turbo? Thanks

Benny wrote:Hi Folks I am going to look at a Ford Duetto Autosleeper Transit 100, 2496cc,  1996  on Thursday, price £7000. 68,000 mile
I'm wondering is this a good deal and better choice than the Peugeot boxer autosleeper Harmony or Symphony at 85,000 mile. Do you know has the 2.5 banana engine got turbo? Thanks

On vehicles of that age it's all about condition. I certainly can't say if it's good deal without seeing it and I doubt if anyone else would be prepared to say so.

Benny wrote:Hi Folks I am going to look at a Ford Duetto Autosleeper Transit 100, 2496cc,  1996  on Thursday, price £7000. 68,000 mile
I'm wondering is this a good deal and better choice than the Peugeot boxer autosleeper Harmony or Symphony at 85,000 mile. Do you know has the 2.5 banana engine got turbo? Thanks

the banana is a very good engine but no turbo

Does the Harmony have power steering,? the very first van I test drove was a harmony and I soon found out it had not got power steering. which I needed, so decided against it.

Good luck,
Margaret

The Mk.5 Transit 2.5l engine got a turbo quite late in the 90's, but I'm not sure exactly when, and with A/S you have to be a bit careful because at times they may have had a vehicle sitting in storage for perhaps a year before the conversion was complete and the vehicle registered.

1996 is also just at the point where Ford started to improve the rustproofing on the Mk.5 - it was never that great but it did get a fair bit better in the last few years of production. Before going to see it, it would be well worth doing some research on the common rust spots, because some are not very easy to see!

Roopert wrote:The Mk.5 Transit 2.5l engine got a turbo quite late in the 90's, but I'm not sure exactly when, and with A/S you have to be a bit careful because at times they may have had a vehicle sitting in storage for perhaps a year before the conversion was complete and the vehicle registered.

1996 is also just at the point where Ford started to improve the rustproofing on the Mk.5 - it was never that great but it did get a fair bit better in the last few years of production. Before going to see it, it would be well worth doing some research on the common rust spots, because some are not very easy to see!

I think that still applies today. Our Duo was made early 2015, but didn't get on forecourt till Jan 2016.
---------
Richard

The later Mk 7 Transit base was much better with rust proofing and with the 140 bhp engine was no slouch.The Duetto produced by Autosleeper, until the last batch for Marquis, was a nice smart unit and held its value well. IMHO the last few fwd units were not up to the interior trim/finish of their forebares.
frederic

We had a 1999 Duetto with the banana 2.5 litre non-turbo engine. I was no ball of fire on the road, but we went to the North Cape of Norway and over all the 9000 ft passes in the French Alps in it without any problems.

As Paul Mold said, it's all about condition, look especially at front wheel arches for sign of rust. The engine is very robust (given regular oil changes) and we did 80,000 miles in ours and according to the GOV.UK website it is still on the road with over 92,000 on the clock.

I had vans on contract hire that had over 400000 yes 4 times round the clock so yes the engine is not a problem but the rust is