Eldis Sunseeker 100

[alanw]

Am planning to purchase a first Motorhome and have now got in mind an Eldis Sunseeker 100 or Avangarde 100 - both of which seem to be from the same stable and almost identical. Eldis is perhaps my current favourite.

 

If anyone has experience of such a Motorhome - do you have any positives to say - or perhaps I am interested more in the negatives - to decide whether they would apply to our requirements.

 

We need 3 Passenger Seats plus Driver - as although mainly just the two of us - we will want at times to have daughter and husband with us and want them to travle safely.

 

Any comments, positive or negative will be appreciated

[davenewellhome]

Hi Alan and welcome to the forum. The Elddis Sunseeker is a good little motorhome produced by one of the longer established manufacturers in the UK at the budget end of the market. To carry three adult passengers plus driver will require four belted seats, does it have two belted seats in the rear? Also you need to carefully consider the payload, four adults at the "normal" average of 75 KGs each will need 300KGs of spare weight capacity plus any belongings, water, food, clothes etc you may need to take with you. For four adults to use the motorhome I'd suggest you need a good half Tonne capacity. Ask what the van weighs empty and check what its MTPLM is by looking at the VIN plate on the bonnet slam panel. A lot of smaller Elddis models are built on the 3200 MTPLM chassis which will limit the available payload. If you're buying from a dealer don't just take their word for the weights, insist on a weighbridge check to confirm before you close the deal 'cos salesmen sometimes make mistakes with weights.

 

D.

[Hopesy]

Hi Alanw and welcome, we have a 115 which we've had for about 18 months now and bought new. We are more than pleased with it. It's obviously built to a budget but apart from one door hinge screw coming loose we've had no problems (I've given it the kiss of death now 8-) ). There are a couple of other things to consider apart from dave's excellent observations on weight and belted seats. the water tanks are small so if your style of camping is going to involve substantial periods of wildcamping this may be a problem. Some vans will have a dealers special like "Firestorm" or Sunseeker" will have extras for the same money.

ours is a two berth and we've found the storage to be excellent but just miss an outside locker for messy stuff like walking boots (we use a plastic box instead). The reversing problem hasn't manifested in self in our Peugeot but i would ensure a good test drive reverse up the dreaded hill. We get about 32 mpg and don't hang about on motorways. The bed is a great size I'm 6' 2" and 17 st but we both get a bit of back ache as it's firm but some on here are recommending a piece of foam so we're going to try that. Fridge may be on the small side for 4 adults but it's standard and i think you'll have to pay quite a bit more for a van with a bigger one. The cooker is good perhaps an elecric plate would have been good for when your on hook up but then i'm nit-picking. The loo is small but adequate and we've never used the shower.

At our first habitation check they found a small patch of damp by the nearside wheel arch, don't know if this is a general thing or just ours but it was sorted under warranty. The blown air and gas heating is good and the water heating is good. We use all year round and been cosy.

Recently we visited a dealers openday and had a good look around and while there were some vans we liked we came away still very much satisfied with ours.

Hope this helps. :-D

[ROON]

Hi I have an Eldiss Autocirrus 200..... not quite the same but also Peugot. I am really pleased with it when you look at the prices of other vehicles I feel it well worth the money. I have had a few niggling problems which I feel the manufacturers for a little bit of extra effort could have put right..... extremely small screws in the lift-up seating to make into bed if needed ... hence they keep falling out and I have now superglued them in. Impossible to get the ceiling light surrounds off to change the bulb, and I had problem with the ladders to the overhead bed ... but now have had the ladders lengthened and this solved that. All problems have been minor and solveable and as Hopesey says, storage boxes are really handy. I have a washbag which I leave in the shower unit just for mucky boots.

 

Dave, how do people know how much weight they have put in their van please? I just load up and go... never given it a thought until now. :$

[dwaviation]

4 Adults in a 100....!!! You are all going to be VERY good friends by the end of your hols... In fact I think you might all be arrested if this gets out 8-) Seriously, you need a much bigger van.

 

We have a 115 and it's very good for two but can be a little crowded. Nice van though.

[dwaviation]

We too had a spot of damp on the nearside wheel arch. We gave it 24 hours under a heater and then took it to Greece for 6 weeks... Problem solved B-)

[mel wood]

We test drove a new 115 and it rattled significantly. My wife said "If this is what they are like I don't want one".

 

Check that the spare wheel cradle is accessible and the spare wheel can be removed.

[Guest Tracker]

To be fair all new vans rattle because when they leave the factory nothing is stowed and all the bits and bobs clatter around in their various lockers.

 

All used vans rattle too and it takes a bit of experience and ingenuity to get them to an acceptable level.

 

Try riding in the back whilst someone else drives over a normal roughish UK 'B' road as that will enable you to trace and locate many of the offending noises.

 

Curing them is then a bit easier. That said no van will ever be completely rattle free unless on table top smooth roads but you do learn to live with the residual noise that comes from going over manhole covers, cats eyes etc.

[GJH]

We bought our Elddis Autoquest 100 (first reg March 2004) in June 2006 and have been very happy with it. I would echo Dave's post and the comment about 4 adults.

 

We find that it is ideal for 2 adults - just spent the weekend in it at Newark Show using all our own facilities - but not big enough for 4.

 

Graham

[Rainbow-Chasers]

Elddis are classed as a budget converter - but they always come up best year after year against their competitors! The build quality isn't german, but is far superior to many of the budget converters by a country mile! You can get parts fairly quick too, being british built.

 

We have a couple we use for hire, and they do stand the test! I would recommend them, nice neat and tidy vans without the huge price tag. They are one of the better designed too in terms of general space. They do have silly things break, usually the check strap on the loo door- but every m/h has that problem! Check that the fly door operates freely and is not twisted, as this can mean a dodgy hinge, but again they are only a tenner!

[ROON]

Alan, you could always buy a cheap driveaway awning for your friends to sleep in so you have your privacy through the night and yet the convenience of dining room and emergency toilet. Most Caravan club sites have lovely shower rooms and toilets that you can use so that shouldn't be a problem. Let us know how you go on won't you.

 

Joy