Manu Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Hi all...considering the purchase of a Cheyenne 696g on a Merc 2.7 auto box 55 reg.anyone got any info regards does and donts, what to look out for,is garage ok for scooter,and do any of you av any comments about the bed being too high. Finally ,what mpg could i expect from an auto(with a light foot). GREAT FORUM, COOL CHARACTERS. KEEP IT UP. Phil. PS, are all you Autotrail owners happy with your m/hs ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 We are more or less happy with our Fiat 2.3jtd Autotrail Tracker of 2006 vintage. Our perception is that it is not as solid as either Autocruise or Autosleepers of similar era but that is subjective rather than objective. That said it certainly rattles more - or did when we got it - than either of our two previous vans from the other two makers. I would not refuse to buy another Autotrail but I do not have any brand loyalty to them either. It does what it says on the tin and has behaved reliably and problem free in its 17000 miles to date - so far - including a 7300 mile trip around Scandinavia to the Nordkapp and back this year. Having driven a couple of Merc Sprinters - they too do as the name suggests - go well! The right layout and feeling good to drive might be more important than mpg - after all how many miles a year will it be doing? From worst to best for any van that size they don't vary by more than about 5 or so mpg, which on a year's average miles is not a lot when compared to depreciation and loss of interest on capital. If it's what you fancy, the layout works for you, it's in good order and it drives as well as Sprinters usually do - go for it! The only way to find out if the garage takes a scooter is to measure both the garage and the scooter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 We had the 696g on the 2.7 manual. Excellent mh, economy 25ish. The only reason for selling it was the.................BED.. My wife who had to be in the inside thought it more like a coffin!!!!!!!! But the mh i always speak highly of. THE base vehicle soft sprung but nice ride. We now have a island bed, auto 3ltr Not so economical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 A consideration so far as the scooter / garage query goes. Will the back axle loading be adequate for the intended loading? Bear in mind that the front axle load would be reduced. That said, my Sprinter base drives like a dream. Mpg is around 25. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maubern Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Ours is A Scout SE Beautiful love our layout and on a Merc 316 GreatMaureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Have a merc chassis with sprintshift auto box, but a different body. Only 10,000 miles. Does all I expected of it. Fuel economy I ignore. If you want to save money then keep it in the garage. LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Our 2008 Cheyenne 660 is as close to our "perfect van layout" as we could find. Even though it doesn't have a garage, it does have a "shed!" The under the fixed bed storage area is vast. It easily fits a folding bike and all the usual van clutter, including a small twin tub washing machine we use when touring. There is a large storage area under the tail which has a spare wheel, (retro bought), 2 folding chairs, 2 folding stools, a windbreak, 2 clothes airers and my snorkelling gear! The build quality is very good with the lockers and shelving looking and feeling solid. The actual layout of the equipment and fittings is well thought out and nowhere feels cluttered and "squashed in". There are so many lockers inside the van we are constantly looking for new things to buy just to put in one! We have had a few niggles including a blister appear in the GRP panel on the back, a filter in the water pump came loose and a couple of other minor bits but all have been repaired without quibble by Spinney Motors. The total time off the road for these was 5 days. We have done 2500 miles since June and have been very impressed by the ride of the FIAT Ducato. There are the usual rattles and squeaks when a van carrying all that clutter drives along the road but all in all, so far, it is a good buy. It even goes in reverse without a problem! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 We've got a Cheyenne 632SE on an '04 Merc 313 with 12,000 miles on the clock and all is great except for one problem we had. A chance glance underneath 2 weeks and 130 miles after collecting it revealed the power steering rack to be losing fluid. The dealer had MOT'd the vehicle the day before we collected it and I was told by my local Merc agent that this was an MOT failure and had obviously been leaking longer than 2 weeks. After seeking legal advice the supplying dealer ended up paying the Merc garage to fix it but this left the mh off the road for a total of 3 weeks and a very bitter feeling in my mouth. So a word of warning if buying a used Merc is check the steering rack very carefully! Now I've got my moan out of the way the mh itself is exactly what we were looking for, fixed bed, full cooker, bunk over the cab for when the youngest comes with us and loads and loads of storage, even my wife can't fill all the lockers! All in alll an absolutely fantastic mh! And Yes I would buy another Autotrail. Are any of you members of the ATOC and if so is it worth joining? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 We're in it, but we haven't had time to go to a rally yet because we were away in the van! We are thinking of going to one in October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potjoe Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 (lol) (lol) (lol) Yes would go along with joining the ATOC,we have the 840D Tagg with lots of room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zulurita Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Our Cheyenne 660 SE is a 2008 model bought last Nov. The Auto-Trail side of things seem fine, just a few minor problems which are mainly fixed but do have ongoing concerns re our habitation door. The inside plastic part of the door is loose and we are waiting for this to be replaced but will be after our next trip as it won't be here in time. We have twice found that the locking mechanism of this door wouldn't lock!! and spent those two nights (months apart) insecure and unable to lock the habitation door!!! Pretty bad in my opinion that another way of locking the door is not available. I would pay for another lock to be fitted to the inside but due to the plastic part on the inside I do not know of a way to fit one. In the old days it was easy to have another lock fitted. This door has been a problem from day one and whilst my dealer is doing all it can to help I find that this problem is still going on some 10 months after taking delivery. In fact when we collected the mh on the Sat in November and stayed at the dealers until Mon for work to be done, on the Sunday night we couldn''t lock this door!!! This is supposed to be a better design than the previous door but I am not happy as I never know when it is going to go wrong. I just pray it will be ok in France for the next 8 weeks. The Fiat side of things WELL!! Reverse gear is bad and Fiat don't seem to care about us customers!!!! Why have a vehicle that can't reverse properly!!!!what a joke!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Ray Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I don't know whether this will help you or not, but we too have the same van and took delivery last November and yes we have had the same problem as you with the habitation door. We have had it fixed now but we were told that there was a bad batch of these locks. We took it back to Richard Baldwin Motorhomes in Halifax who sold us the van and they had to order a new lock from Italy which took the best part of 2 weeks. They told us that they had ordered 20 new locks in total so unless they have repaired another 19 then maybe they have got some left in stock. Apart from that, the van is great. Jean & ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Have either of you thought of one of the Fiamma Security 31 or 46 locks for your door. We fitted one after reading about your locking problems just as a "just in case". It also adds a bit of visible security to the van when we are out. In fact if as a last resort you are forced to stay somewhere you feel insecure you can lock/unlock it from the inside by opening the door window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Ray Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 We had already fitted an extra security lock on the habition door before the problem arose so we were able to still lock the door. I agree Tomo, it is a good idea to have another lock fitted "just in case" especially when the habition lock is known to have a faulty batch. Jean & Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zulurita Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Jean & Ray, Tomo, thanks. I have had a Fiamma lock fitted to the outside to coverthe habitation door which I use when leaving the motorhome. I haven't used it when in the motorhome as worried about exit in case of a fire. However I guess if it happens again whilst in France, I will have to use it. I do have Heosafe Locks on the cab doors so will have to leave one of those unlocked for the night in that case because trying to fiddle with keys in an emergency is time consuming. Interesting that there was a faulty batch of these locks as my dealer didn't mention this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.