Which Used High Top?

We're (a trifle wistfully) planning to upgrade our 1986 VW Autohomes Komet to a £15k max price Symbol /Symphony / Duetto / Trident or similar, though my dear wife would prefer a toilet compartment to a porta potti! Want diesel for economy (although will do under 5000 miles a year) , but so many engine sizes and varieties to choose from. For example does a 1.9TD have enough power (hopefully more than the Komet 1.9 petrol waterboxer) or go for 2.4 / 2.5? Pre 2000 non turbo diesels to be avoided or not? Anyone has thoughts. experience, recommendations, economy figures etc please let me know - or if you know of a suitable Autosleeper privately for sale. Am also putting this in technical forum section as unsure which is most relevant!

We have 2.4D 1998 Trident. We looked at the 1.9 and although I never drove one, we were told they were underpowered. The 2.4D just chugs along nicely - it never seems to be in a hurry but has plenty of power.

With some careful driving we got 39.9 MPG from her on a run - this was chugging along at 50-55 and being careful with braking / accelerating.
I think more typically we get about 30.

I believe the later 2.5 engines are very diffeent - lots of electronic wizardry - but more power. The 2.4 is a very basic diesel - I like to do a bit of spannering and that suits me well!

We were a bit nervous about the porta-potti - but in honesty it's fine. We navigate by public loos / stay at camp sites with loos / and use the porta potti for nights and emergancies!

HTH
Steve

Thanks for that - me also a spanner man so good feedback!

Oh! for a 2.5...........heaven! - and for that cash you should be able to get a built in throne too! Which incidentally is the only thing in my van that ever frosts up in the winter, even with tiptop RV antifreeze in the tank.

Neighbours of ours had the autosleepers trophy, it was a 2.4 diesel but he'd had a turbo & intercooler fitted. Very, very, nice van, just a fraction smaller compared to our duetto.

Duetto's (being based on a ford transit as I'm sure your aware) are cheap as chips to get spares for & everyone has bits for 'em.

caravan club classified seem to be the place to find quailty used campers.

Hi,
If you're not in a rush my Symbol will be up for sale early next year, PETROL, 2001 with under 20.000 miles, good condition, Strikeback alarm, towbar, wind out awning etc. looking for £15000, pm me if you are interested, I'm in Burton upon Trent
Chris Vesey

We really like our VW Topaz. 2.5tdi with intercooler. Powerfull on the hills and well up to main road traffic speeds. It also returns around 45 mpg on a run. Ours is based on the long wheelbase VW T4 which was replaced in 2003/4 and it still has a lot of use left in it. Later models on the T5 have similar equipment levels but can be expensive.
Inside it has everything we need for two. Toilet/shower, blown air heater, gas/mains water heater plus the usual fridge cooker and grill.
We have upgraded the radio to a bluetooth unit which allows hands free phone plus linking to other gadgets such as ipod for music.
It also has a status aerial with digital TV/DVD and games console.
The van is warm enough to use in the winter and we have a silverscreen external windscreen cover which does a great job in all weathers.
Storage can be a problem as with most van conversions but you soon get used to not carrying unnecessary kit. We do sometimes tow a camping trailer with a locking hard top if we plan to use the awning with table, chairs etc. but for most trips we don't bother.
Our last van was similar to the trooper (not an autosleeper) and we really disliked the porta potty in the cupboard.
It should be possible to find a Topaz within your budget if you avoid over-priced dealers.

I ran a VW T4 TDI as a roadside repair vehicle for a few years. Superb van, very car like to drive and smaller than the other van bases. We looked at all options and nearly bought the Topaz. Be aware the bed size is limited due to the size of the van. The best we could manage from a Topaz was 5ft 8inches, I am 6ft so wouldnt work. We havnt slept in our Duetto but so far I will say it is a Transit/Tourano base vehicle so you have to rember that. It drives like a van but feels solid and realiable. Be aware that all vehicles rust but some are not as bad as others. We were lucky with ours for its age(1996), and I know a very good welder. Look long and hard, it may be life changing choice.

Hi,
One of the reasons we bought the Symbol was that it was wider than a comparable transit and we could sleep across the van and leave lots of infill cushions at home,
Regards,
Chris V

Don't worry too much about the extra horsepower from a 2.2 over the 1.9. It is there and it is noticable, but you can still 'pedal along' at a reasonable lick with a mere 1.9.

Our previous van was a Hymer coachbuilt, on a Ducato with the 1.9 HDI engine. Cruised happily at 70 mph even with the aerodynamics of a barn, and could be made to accelerate well enough to keep up with the traffic flow. I did sometimes feel I was throwing out my mechanical empathy, but in the hands of white van man they would be thrashed every moment of the day and still do over 100,000 miles, so just 'drive it like you stole it' and you'll find it will cope with anything.

The larger engines main benefits are the ability to 'storm hills' where the 1.9 can get a little breathless, but that is really the only time there is a problem.

I have a 1997 Symphony built on the Peugeot Boxer chassis with a 2.5 Turbo Diesel engine. Full shower/ flush toilet compartment. Very pleased with it so far- paid just over £9,000. private sale, but they seem to be going for £ 11-15 K atm. A few about so worth a look.

Hi, we have exactly the same vehicle/age as Minniesmum, including the 2.5 Turbo Diesel engine, and would completely agree with all that was said.

The engine has plenty of power, and most hills can be taken in 3rd or even 4th gear, without problems. It is however a simple/unrefined engine. No electronics, and generally quite noisey when asked to work hard. We seem to get about 30mpg no matter what we do or where we go.
The AS Symphony seemed to be the shortest vehicle that still had the full bathroom facility, and that meant a lot to us during the selection/buying process, and has since proved it's worth. We paid £14K two years ago, buying from a dealer, and that seemed to be about the going rate at the time. Don't know what it is now.

Hope this helps

Jeff

chrisvesey wrote:Hi,
One of the reasons we bought the Symbol was that it was wider than a comparable transit and we could sleep across the van and leave lots of infill cushions at home,
Regards,
Chris V

ditto on the Symphony- I sleep across the van comfortably. The vehicle is wider than the Transit based ones.

Have you considered a Talent? Same size as a Trident with similar facilities but it also has a proper Thetford electric flush toilet.
We have had one for about 6 years and for our purposes has suited us better than the Trident (which we used for several years prior to the Talent). The toilet is wonderful (no more frantic searching for public loos - just pull into a lay-by) and we prefer the beds (two 6ft 6ins singles).
Our 1996 model has the 2 litre petrol engine which is fine for byways and hills but requires patience on the motorway. Some later Talents were produced with larger diesels, but I believe Auto-Sleeper did not produce them for very long so there are not very many of them about.

As it happens we have just upgraded to a newer Symbol so the Talent is for sale. I would be happy to e-mail pics if you are interested.