Hello

Hi all. I have just retired so finally have time to use a van - have wanted one for years.
We don't fly at all, so looking for a well rounded travel solution for our adventures.
We have considered a range of vans but the AS Topaz seems the best combination of size and function for us.
As far as possible I try to maintain my vehicles myself. From this perspective the (ford based) Duetto is more attractive
However the Duetto (and Symbol) seems slightly larger, which could be challenging on our preferred small roads.
Would welcome your experiences....

Hi and welcome to the forum from a sunny morning in our corner of Lincolnshire. We started with a Duetto but during our search for the right choice we looked at a used Topaz at Lincoln show. One of my questions was the length of the beds, I am 6ft tall. The dealer set the beds up and measured the beds and the longest bed was 5’8”.
As much as I like the idea of the rear bathroom and the VW base vehicle the Duetto was a bit more roomy and had beds I was comfortable to sleep in.

Hi Kevin, welcome to the forum.

As the others have said, it's the bed size which can more of an issue.  We went from a 5.5m coach built to a 6.3m conversion and haven't had any problems negotiating small roads so far.

Hello Kevin and welcome 

Thanks for the insights on bed size, I am just under 6' but hadn't considered bed size as an issue, as I've been focused on our slightly limited parking space at home
So many things to consider, but your experiences are helpful in finding my way through these.
I'm also trying to avoid a cambelt engine, but not having much success there. May have to accept that one.
Look forward to rallies with other owners at some point, when we've finally taken the plunge. Cheers all

Hi Kelvin
Welcome to the forum from Bridington.
Boaby