Hello, not purchased yet

Hi

I am Lee, from the garden of England, thats Kent. In terms of vehicle Its for just me, an slightly introverted solo traveller!

For 2-3yrs I been wanting a decent van/motorhome and ive been awaiting an insurance claim to go through the courts (long story), and ive had my eye on either the Warwick or Symbol new models. I currently have a little weekend van i converted, but no washroom or kitchen its just a temp fix until I get my AS.

However sadly the legal experts were way off their estimates for case outcome! ? Grrr
So the dream of a "new" van-conversion is sunk now sadly (dont want to use credit etc). However I should have a 15k-20k budget and am now hoping to get an older AS model, hoping that at 20yr old etc they are still reliable etc?

Like the look of the older Symbols around about the 2000 era, but open to options and ideas, i will post elsewhere on buying ideas for me.

But having dreamed of a new AS for years now, i am still keen on only buying an auto-sleeper unit, probably a van conversion model, but havent ruled out a coach built totally.

Lee

Welcome to the forum.
You should be able to pick up an AS van for £15-20k be it a panel van conversion or coachbuilt.  I personally would look at either Executives, Talisman or Clubman vans.   There are loads of year 2000 vans around just do a count on here then multiply by ??? to get a truer figure.
Enjoy your search

  From what I have read on here recently about brand new AS units, I would think you are better off buying an older one, just look out for the old tin worm.

Best of luck with you search.
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Richard

Hi, Lee, and welcome. In the last few months we've gone through the whole "we want to upsize a bit but need to refine what we're looking for,' thing. One of the questions we asked ourselves in moving from our old AS Trooper is, "Do we still want a van, ie with sliding door, or will a monocoque/coachbuilt style - with a narrow, caravan-style door - work for us?" We looked at the monocoque Talisman/Clubman etc options and really like them, but ended up realising that, for us, having the large sliding door is a big plus, as it's great to be able to sit in comfort inside but have that open-air feel. We bought a Symbol at the end of last year from another forum member and are thrilled with it. It's got the extra space and facilities we were looking for but is still reasonably compact and has that door - and we've used it a lot! The other thing I would mention is to be picky about the age if you go for a Peugeot Boxer-based van, like the Symbol or Talisman. From Parkers: "In 2002, all engines became HDi common rail versions – a 2.0-litre with 86hp, a 2.2-litre with 104hp and a 2.8-litre with 127hp." These are the engines that are recommended, rather than the non-HDi earlier ones. Ours is a 2003 2.2 and hubby says he much prefers driving this one to our old 1993 2.4 5-cylinder VW.  Hope this all helps and 'scuse the change in font..... 

roli wrote:Welcome to the forum.
You should be able to pick up an AS van for £15-20k be it a panel van conversion or coachbuilt.  I personally would look at either Executives, Talisman or Clubman vans.   There are loads of year 2000 vans around just do a count on here then multiply by ??? to get a truer figure.
Enjoy your search

Great tip on the Executive / Clubman thanks, I hadn't looked at those, but looked very possible too!

aqv1957 wrote:Hi, Lee, and welcome. In the last few months we've gone through the whole "we want to upsize a bit but need to refine what we're looking for,' thing. One of the questions we asked ourselves in moving from our old AS Trooper is, "Do we still want a van, ie with sliding door, or will a monocoque/coachbuilt style - with a narrow, caravan-style door - work for us?" We looked at the monocoque Talisman/Clubman etc options and really like them, but ended up realising that, for us, having the large sliding door is a big plus, as it's great to be able to sit in comfort inside but have that open-air feel. We bought a Symbol at the end of last year from another forum member and are thrilled with it. It's got the extra space and facilities we were looking for but is still reasonably compact and has that door - and we've used it a lot! The other thing I would mention is to be picky about the age if you go for a Peugeot Boxer-based van, like the Symbol or Talisman. From Parkers: "In 2002, all engines became HDi common rail versions – a 2.0-litre with 86hp, a 2.2-litre with 104hp and a 2.8-litre with 127hp." These are the engines that are recommended, rather than the non-HDi earlier ones. Ours is a 2003 2.2 and hubby says he much prefers driving this one to our old 1993 2.4 5-cylinder VW.  Hope this all helps and 'scuse the change in font..... 

Great advice thanks, I do prefer a van with sliding door, and lower profile roof etc. But having now looked at the Executive and Clubman's, I could possibly live with the more motorhome look.
Looking at them all though, makes me even more keen on Autosleeper, as even these units at over 20yrs old all seem in great order and well regarded.

LeccyLee wrote:

aqv1957 wrote:Hi, Lee, and welcome. In the last few months we've gone through the whole "we want to upsize a bit but need to refine what we're looking for,' thing. One of the questions we asked ourselves in moving from our old AS Trooper is, "Do we still want a van, ie with sliding door, or will a monocoque/coachbuilt style - with a narrow, caravan-style door - work for us?" We looked at the monocoque Talisman/Clubman etc options and really like them, but ended up realising that, for us, having the large sliding door is a big plus, as it's great to be able to sit in comfort inside but have that open-air feel. We bought a Symbol at the end of last year from another forum member and are thrilled with it. It's got the extra space and facilities we were looking for but is still reasonably compact and has that door - and we've used it a lot! The other thing I would mention is to be picky about the age if you go for a Peugeot Boxer-based van, like the Symbol or Talisman. From Parkers: "In 2002, all engines became HDi common rail versions – a 2.0-litre with 86hp, a 2.2-litre with 104hp and a 2.8-litre with 127hp." These are the engines that are recommended, rather than the non-HDi earlier ones. Ours is a 2003 2.2 and hubby says he much prefers driving this one to our old 1993 2.4 5-cylinder VW.  Hope this all helps and 'scuse the change in font..... 

Great advice thanks, I do prefer a van with sliding door, and lower profile roof etc. But having now looked at the Executive and Clubman's, I could possibly live with the more motorhome look.
Looking at them all though, makes me even more keen on Autosleeper, as even these units at over 20yrs old all seem in great order and well regarded.

Yes, Autosleeper for us, every time. When we were thinking about swapping from our ancient T2 Viking conversion, we got advice from a van-converter fella and, though he converted vans for a living, he advised us to go with Autosleeper. The build quality is excellent and there are the little touches that make a difference. We still wouldn't rule out a monocoque/coachbuilt one day but loving the Symbol for our current usage (perfect for days out and camping by beaches in Orkney :-) All the best with your search.