What questions to ask about Auto sleeper

[Rolyan]

Hi Everyone

We are looking to buy an Auto Sleeper in the near future. Budget is up to £15k. Our previous experience of camper vanning is a month in New Zealand in a van similar to the auto sleeper, and 2 weeks in South America in a wicked camper! The reason we are going for an auto sleeper is it seems to have a good layout, there is a toilet (very important when you're 60+), and not too big to drive. Cooker - we can easily make do with 2 rings and an oven. Shower - don't need it. Doors/Access - we prefer side and rear doors that open to light light and air in.

I wondered if anyone could give some guidelines on what to look out for, and questions to ask the seller, when we view some vans. Are there known issues to beware of? Whats vital to get checked?

Also, I would really appreciate help and advice on:
Petro or diesel (we're a bit worried about all the talk about banning diesel etc.)
High mileage (is 75k on a van okay).
Servicing/warranties etc.
Recommended insurers.
What dont I know that I will wish someone had told me about once I've bought one!!!

I appreciate that this is a lot of info, and it may already be answered elsewhere, so any and all help is appreciated.

 

[fairford rambler]

Yep; they look very nice though. You must be pleased.

At the moment its autosleeper duetto (c1999) v trigano tribute (c2004). I just need some honest feedback/reviews from Trigano owners, because unfortunately I was brought up to believe that FIAT was Fix It Again Tomorrow.

Hi and welcome.
You should join the Auto Sleeper Owners Forum. There is a wealth of information on what you are looking for on that site and also some vehicles for sale!

 

[Jebs]

The main question to ask for me , would be about the maintenance of the vehicle and whether the habitation checks have been carried out to check for damp etc. Check for rust and take a magnet with you to check whether any metal has been fibre glasses over . Perhaps buy a damp meter . Check closely underneath seating for damp/ mound and seals around the windows to see if the are okay or if more 'grunge' has been added . Take up mats etc , check whether new flooring has been put down .Petrol is not as economical as diesel but lots of Cities are introducing more low emissions zones .Have you considered buying an empty van and having it converted the are lots of small converters . Visit some of the Motorhome shows like Peterborough / Lincoln etc and talk to
People who are camping there and pick their brains , like here .Hooe you get what you want .

 

[Rolyan]

Hi and welcome.
You should join the Auto Sleeper Owners Forum. There is a wealth of information on what you are looking for on that site and also some vehicles for sale!

I tried to. But on sign up it wanted full details of the van I own! Which I don’t own yet.

 

[Rolyan]

The main question to ask for me , would be about the maintenance of the vehicle and whether the habitation checks have been carried out to check for damp etc. Check for rust and take a magnet with you to check whether any metal has been fibre glasses over . Perhaps buy a damp meter . Check closely underneath seating for damp/ mound and seals around the windows to see if the are okay or if more 'grunge' has been added . Take up mats etc , check whether new flooring has been put down .Petrol is not as economical as diesel but lots of Cities are introducing more low emissions zones .Have you considered buying an empty van and having it converted the are lots of small converters . Visit some of the Motorhome shows like Peterborough / Lincoln etc and talk to
People who are camping there and pick their brains , like here .Hooe you get what you want .

I did consider having a van adapted but I have no idea of good/recommended converters.

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[Cymbal]

We had an 2002 Symbol - loved it and just switched to newer model. Lot to recommend them, IMHO, but these things don't come cheap. If you see one you like, maybe consider getting an independent habitation check and vehicle inspection? If not,

• Check for rust on sills, cross members, windscreen
• What looks like damp marks can be due to condensation from cooking but check carefully, especially around windscreen
• Check gearbox oil for water - common problem causing long-term issues
• Check every blind, window, roof light, door lock, switch, catch, tap, etc - anything not working you'll have to live with or repair/replace. Either way, that should be figured into your offer/negotiation
• Get a good test drive - look out for how well the vehicle changes gear, particularly second and reverse gears
• Check age of tyres
• Go online and look at past MOTs for failures/advisories - has the work been done/ done well? Has it been a money pit and likely to continue to be?
• Negotiate a cam-belt change if not done recently.

BTW, I wish I could be smug about this. These are all the things I should have done. Hindsight is wonderful but I never seem to learn from it...

 

[fairford rambler]

I tried to. But on sign up it wanted full details of the van I own! Which I don’t own yet.

Hi. No it's not the Auto Sleepers Owners Club as they do ask for van ownership make. It's the forum
that I said. You do not have to give a van make just leave it blank on the form - it's also a free forum. I am on this forum and as stated there is a wealth of knowledge on it. Cheers, Pete.

 

[Rolyan]

We had an 2002 Symbol - loved it and just switched to newer model. Lot to recommend them, IMHO, but these things don't come cheap. If you see one you like, maybe consider getting an independent habitation check and vehicle inspection? If not,

• Check for rust on sills, cross members, windscreen
• What looks like damp marks can be due to condensation from cooking but check carefully, especially around windscreen
• Check gearbox oil for water - common problem causing long-term issues
• Check every blind, window, roof light, door lock, switch, catch, tap, etc - anything not working you'll have to live with or repair/replace. Either way, that should be figured into your offer/negotiation
• Get a good test drive - look out for how well the vehicle changes gear, particularly second and reverse gears
• Check age of tyres
• Go online and look at past MOTs for failures/advisories - has the work been done/ done well? Has it been a money pit and likely to continue to be?
• Negotiate a cam-belt change if not done recently.

BTW, I wish I could be smug about this. These are all the things I should have done. Hindsight is wonderful but I never seem to learn from it...

Who does, certainly not me!!!

Excellent comments those, I’ll use them when we manage to go see one. Many thanks for your input.

 

[Rolyan]

Hi. No it's not the Auto Sleepers Owners Club as they do ask for van ownership make. It's the forum
that I said. You do not have to give a van make just leave it blank on the form - it's also a free forum. I am on this forum and as stated there is a wealth of knowledge on it. Cheers, Pete.

I’ll have another look, as it would be a useful resource. Many thanks.

Hi. No it's not the Auto Sleepers Owners Club as they do ask for van ownership make. It's the forum
that I said. You do not have to give a van make just leave it blank on the form - it's also a free forum. I am on this forum and as stated there is a wealth of knowledge on it. Cheers, Pete.

Well I must be dafter than I thought. When we try to register it’s insisting on all details filled in. But I can’t see how to just use the forum. So I accept it’s me, but what am I doing wrong?

 

[fairford rambler]

I’ll have another look, as it would be a useful resource. Many thanks.

Well I must be dafter than I thought. When we try to register it’s insisting on all details filled in. But I can’t see how to just use the forum. So I accept it’s me, but what am I doing wrong?

Hi again. Yes you are right the registration form does now say that you must register a van model. It's a long time since I registered on the forum. If I where you I would just enter a model, for instance say a Duetto or whatever you fancy on the form and then give a year when a Duetto or whatever you fancy was in production. Example, Duetto, 1999. You should be okay then and you don't need to put in a reg number on the form. See how you get on but it should be okay.

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[Rolyan]

Hi again. Yes you are right the registration form does now say that you must register a van model. It's a long time since I registered on the forum. If I where you I would just enter a model, for instance say a Duetto or whatever you fancy on the form and then give a year when a Duetto or whatever you fancy was in production. Example, Duetto, 1999. You should be okay then and you don't need to put in a reg number on the form. See how you get on but it should be okay.

Just waiting for the confirmation email!

 

[Rolyan]

Since we’ve a good idea of what we’re looking for, is it worth posting a ‘wanted’ in the classifieds on here? I’m not sure how active that part of the forum is.

 

[Rolyan]

Just another quick question if anyone is reading this. A few of the vans we come across are automatic. I'm put off slightly, because I think that they will be more expensive to fix if/when it goes wrong. Is that an unnecessary worry?

I just wondered what people thought of automatic as an option, to help me sort my priorities etc.

 

[joka250]

Just another quick question if anyone is reading this. A few of the vans we come across are automatic. I'm put off slightly, because I think that they will be more expensive to fix if/when it goes wrong. Is that an unnecessary worry?

I just wondered what people thought of automatic as an option, to help me sort my priorities etc.

I predict you will get a range of answers from best thing going to don't go near. I suggest a decent test drive to get a feel for it. I have a Fiat with Comfortmatic and 150 b h p engine. I love it but I have been driving autos since the late 60s. Fuel consumtion is better with auto i believe, maintenance and repairs should be very similar for the most part. Parts are much the same on both, main difference is in the electronics and I'm not aware of any common issues here. Now wait for the opposing opinions. Auto is a Marmite subject.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Since we’ve a good idea of what we’re looking for, is it worth posting a ‘wanted’ in the classifieds on here? I’m not sure how active that part of the forum is.

Yes this section of the forum is quite active & it certainly wouldn't do any harm to advertise as wanted there.

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[Rolyan]

I predict you will get a range of answers from best thing going to don't go near. I suggest a decent test drive to get a feel for it. I have a Fiat with Comfortmatic and 150 b h p engine. I love it but I have been driving autos since the late 60s. Fuel consumtion is better with auto i believe, maintenance and repairs should be very similar for the most part. Parts are much the same on both, main difference is in the electronics and I'm not aware of any common issues here. Now wait for the opposing opinions. Auto is a Marmite subject.

I did suspect it would split opinion. Hopefully there won’t be any known ‘problem facts’. The strength of MHF is that there are so many experienced users. But it can be a double edged sword!

 

[Rolyan]

W

Yes this section of the forum is quite active & it certainly wouldn't do any harm to advertise as wanted there.

Wilko.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Just another quick question if anyone is reading this. A few of the vans we come across are automatic. I'm put off slightly, because I think that they will be more expensive to fix if/when it goes wrong. Is that an unnecessary worry?

I just wondered what people thought of automatic as an option, to help me sort my priorities etc.

Older Autosleeper vans with an automatic gearbox are available. I think it was an option on older Ford Transit base vehicles until Ford binned that gearbox. It was also available for the VW T4 (4 speed Auto option with 2.5 TDi engines) and T5 base vehicles (Tiptronic on older ones). Mercs can have a robotised manual gearbox (Sprintshift) or proper autobox. Autos were not available on the Peugeot Boxer base vehicle. AS now offer the option of a Fiat instead of Peugeot if you want the Comfortmatic gearbox.

Most auto boxes are reliable if looked after IMO. Problems are probably due to ATF changes not being carried out. There is a fallacy that the torque converter autoboxes are sealed for life requiring no maintenance. Possibly because the dealer workshops don't have the expertise to do it correctly. The vehicle manufacturer may not include ATF changes on the service schedule, so you need to take it to a gearbox specialist to have an ATF change done. The avoidable consequence of not having ATF changes is that a specialist rebuild or exchange factory recon gearbox may be necessary after 80k -120k miles. If you want to buy a high mileage one make sure the autobox is working correctly when hot and that needs a long test drive.

 

[Rolyan]

Older Autosleeper vans with an automatic gearbox are available. I think it was an option on older Ford Transit base vehicles until Ford binned that gearbox. It was also available for the VW T4 (4 speed Auto option with 2.5 TDi engines) and T5 base vehicles (Tiptronic on older ones). Mercs can have a robotised manual gearbox (Sprintshift) or proper autobox. Autos were not available on the Peugeot Boxer base vehicle. AS now offer the option of a Fiat instead of Peugeot if you want the Comfortmatic gearbox.

Most auto boxes are reliable if looked after IMO. Problems are probably due to ATF changes not being carried out. There is a fallacy that the torque converter autoboxes are sealed for life requiring no maintenance. Possibly because the dealer workshops don't have the expertise to do it correctly. The vehicle manufacturer may not include ATF changes on the service schedule, so you need to take it to a gearbox specialist to have an ATF change done. The avoidable consequence of not having ATF changes is that a specialist rebuild or exchange factory recon gearbox may be necessary after 80k -120k miles. If you want to buy a high mileage one make sure the autobox is working correctly when hot and that needs a long test drive.

Many thanks for that, very useful info.

 

[fairford rambler]

Hi Rolyan. Glad to see you got on the ASOF. Common sense really - If you are looking at a van around the 2000 ilk then I would strongly recommend that you opt for a manual gearbox. The modern day auto's are very good and fuel efficient, and this has been mentioned, but I would suggest that a nearly 18 year old auto box could be an expensive problem waiting to happen - also think fuel and what if. Of course so could an 18 year old manual box, but nowhere near the cost to replace. You will also find yourself using a lot more fuel with an older auto box compared to a manual box and with diesel now starting to rocket again ( £1.26 a litre round here ) that is also a major consideration. Five miles per gallon saving on a tank adds up to a lot of miles over a season touring. My brother in law has the same model PVC as me with an auto box and I have the manual version. I get a 35 mpg he only manages 29-30 he is constantly having to use kick down whenever he gets onto a steep incline and this is where the fuel goes.

Anyway we all have our own preferences, and it will be your choice, but I would say a 18 year old auto has done a lot of work in that time. If you still have a good left arm and a good right and left leg /foot stick to the manual. Oh yes and before anyone thinks it - I did think about LHD Keep us all posted on what you buy in the end, there are some great bargains around and after all you want it to be a pleasure to own not a pain.

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[Rolyan]

Hi Rolyan. Glad to see you got on the ASOF. Common sense really - If you are looking at a van around the 2000 ilk then I would strongly recommend that you opt for a manual gearbox. The modern day auto's are very good and fuel efficient, and this has been mentioned, but I would suggest that a nearly 18 year old auto box could be an expensive problem waiting to happen - also think fuel and what if. Of course so could an 18 year old manual box, but nowhere near the cost to replace. You will also find yourself using a lot more fuel with an older auto box compared to a manual box and with diesel now starting to rocket again ( £1.26 a litre round here ) that is also a major consideration. Five miles per gallon saving on a tank adds up to a lot of miles over a season touring. My brother in law has the same model PVC as me with an auto box and I have the manual version. I get a 35 mpg he only manages 29-30 he is constantly having to use kick down whenever he gets onto a steep incline and this is where the fuel goes.

Anyway we all have our own preferences, and it will be your choice, but I would say a 18 year old auto has done a lot of work in that time. If you still have a good left arm and a good right and left leg /foot stick to the manual. Oh yes and before anyone thinks it - I did think about LHD Keep us all posted on what you buy in the end, there are some great bargains around and after all you want it to be a pleasure to own not a pain.

Hi - I think your feelings about the auto reflect my own. I’m just aware that we may be getting an ill used 18 year old van; as you say they can both go wrong but autos are more expensive to replace/repair.

I’ll definitely keep people informed, the help on here has been really useful.

 

[busby]

Well I’ve paid the subs, so that’s sorted.

One quick question while I find my way around. I know that £15k is not a huge budget (although it’s a chunk for us) and you said that it will mean we get an old(er) van. The autosleepers at that money seem to be around 1999. I assume that you can get a half decent and reliable van at that age/money. Or is it a case of “spend loads or get rubbish”.

I g

Hi RiverbankAnnie

We looked at the Topaz, but we prefer the layout where the back door opens (Duetto/Symbol). We definitely DO want a toilet (it’s an age thing) and we definitely don’t need the shower. We had a camper in NZ touring both islands, and emptied the water tank on the first night showering!!! That was the first and last time we showered in the van.

I’m guessing all Petrol engines will be underpowered, but the diesel does worry us. We don’t want to spend £15k only to find we can’t use it.

I would think with the MILLIONS of diesel powered cars vans and trucks on the roads in the UK any government contemplating banning diesel vehicles would be unelectable in the future,,,so i would not be worried,,,BUSBY,,

 

[busby]

I know this is all subjective, but did you find the singles ok to sleep on. It’s one of the few things we can’t fully check before buying!!!

We use the singles in our 2002 Symbol and they are very comfortable,,,BUSBY,

 

[busby]

It can be a big factor with cars in snow , but due to loading of campers RWD can be a plus as rear axle is more loaded than front
whereas with cars esp if traveling solo front axle will be more loaded than rear , another thing with campers is tyre widths for load are generally smaller than cars.

Re security , with your intended purchase its far more likely to be a theft from , rather than taking of vehicle , and if they want in , its a few seconds with any vehicle , the only factor is amount of damage caused getting in . I have a landrover 110 CSW which arent the most secure vehicles, I havent added extra locks , but as soon as you open a door
about the loudest alarm you can imagine (hearing damage level) goes off to stop them hanging around .

Should think 80% of motorhomes are FWD,,,they all manage,,,,BUSBY,,,

 

[Rolyan]

Cheers Busby, thank you for your help.

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[fairford rambler]

Hi - I think your feelings about the auto reflect my own. I’m just aware that we may be getting an ill used 18 year old van; as you say they can both go wrong but autos are more expensive to replace/repair.

I’ll definitely keep people informed, the help on here has been really useful.

Hi Rolyan. I came across this while browsing and thought it would interest you. The van looks very well looked after and it's the very low mileage ( for a 20 year old ) that makes it interesting for the price they are asking for it. You would have some change from your 15k. With your change you could even add some more goodies if you wished. Year does not matter that much as the specs were the same anyway. Cheers, Pete.

https://www.caravansforsale.co.uk/motorhome/auto-sleeper-duetto-1998-used-motorhomes-for-sale/707132

 

[Green Man]

Hi Rolyan, as a relative newcomer to motorhoming I can relate to your uncertainty about a lot of the issues raised here. The fact is though you’ve got to trust your own judgement and go for it.
Your buget is quite modest (as was mine) so you’re going to find your choices are limited. If you can go up another £5k or £10k you’ll find many more vehicles that meet your needs. But if you can’t don’t worry. Your van is out there somewhere.
You’re asking a lot of good questions here but the learning curve gets much steeper once you’ve got your van.
In my case I knew roughly which make and model I thought would fit me. After more than a year searching online I just put the details in a Google search and one popped up - 4 miles from my home! Lucky or what
Anyway, good luck and remember this is supposed to be “fun”

 

[Rolyan]

Hi Rolyan, as a relative newcomer to motorhoming I can relate to your uncertainty about a lot of the issues raised here. The fact is though you’ve got to trust your own judgement and go for it.
Your buget is quite modest (as was mine) so you’re going to find your choices are limited. If you can go up another £5k or £10k you’ll find many more vehicles that meet your needs. But if you can’t don’t worry. Your van is out there somewhere.
You’re asking a lot of good questions here but the learning curve gets much steeper once you’ve got your van.
In my case I knew roughly which make and model I thought would fit me. After more than a year searching online I just put the details in a Google search and one popped up - 4 miles from my home! Lucky or what
Anyway, good luck and remember this is supposed to be “fun”

Hi - interestingly, we have just upped our budget! So a few more options are available. We still want a PVC due to the size, and you’re right, it’s meant to be fun!

 

[james.mcbride19@btin]

hi everyone I have got a Ford talisman auto sleeper
started to lose speed when driving it can anyone help

 

[Jo662]

hi everyone I have got a Ford talisman auto sleeper
started to lose speed when driving it can anyone help

Hi James, I would start a new thread mate, as this is nearly 5 years old, you may get more replies

BTW