Chaswick Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 We want to buy a secondhand motorhome and after visiting several dealers we like the idea of a coachbuilt 4 berth (for the two of us!) with a rear lounge and overcab bed. We can afford £20,000 to £24,000 but we are confused. We've seen a 2 year old Elddis Autoquest 400 which we like, and also an Autotrail Cheyenne, both with rear lounges. Although they are about the same price, the Cheyenne is older with more miles on the clock. This is hardly suprising, as the Cheyenne is around £10,000 more expensive when new. What I don't know is what you are paying extra for with the Cheyenne. On paper the specs are about the same, so what is it that makes a Cheyenne more expensive. Is it better made, better insulation or what? As a point of interest, one slight snag I've noticed with the Cheyenne is that you can't push the passenger cab seat far enough back for a six-footer to get his knees under the Fiat dashboard. Backwards adjustment is limited by the wardrobe behind. Is this is a recognised snag with a rear lounge Cheyenne. Any advice would be much appreciated :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Ord Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 For what it's worth I owned a 2001 Autotrail Cheyenne 635 for four years and 48,000 miles and I was not happy with the quality. At 26, 000 miles the fabric on the seats was worn to the point of needing replacement and there was lots of small cracks and crazing in the rear valance gel coat. To Autotrails's credit they did replace and repair under warranty but they preferred to call it a 'goodwill' gesture and it was not a happy experience at the factory as one got the impression that they were very reluctant to make the offer. While I was there another customer was in complaining of a crack in the gel coat on his overcab on a Scout model. Towards the end of my period of ownership I had cracks apear in the gel coat on the roof which I repaired myself. The overcab section developed a very bad squeek when in motion which again I repaired myself after consulting Chelstons who had a dealership nearby at the time; apparantly it was not unusual. I can only speak as I find but my current 'van is a Rapido 924F and apart from teething troubles which I believe most 'vans go through is performing well to date. Buying used should give you at least a vehicle that's had a thorough shake down. I really like British 'van layouts but my experience of the quality wil ensure that my money goes on imports in future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oorgiz Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Hi Chaswick, you are now a dealers dream, a cash customer at a quiet time of year and no trade in, make the most of it. But please, please, take your time,Take it from some one with a licence to lose money (yes me) I've had 3 vans in 18 months, minor niggles we thought we could live with (when getting a good deal) turned into huge obsticles when the novelty wore off. If you possibly can, hire for a week or two, it will soon let you know what you can really live with, or not. Most of all be prepared to travel to see as many vans as possible and expect a fair dicount for no trade in. Check out the rear of MMM for good pics of many types of vans then scour the trade adds inside for the type you like. Happy hunting but take your time. oorgiz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Hi Chaswick and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of motrohoming. In a nutshell you are paying extra for the Autotrail name but not for any better build quality (in my humble opinion). With your budget you could almost manage a new Elddis/Compass. At the NEC show a couple of months ago we looked at the Compass Avantgarde 120 which is a low profile two berth with a rear U lounge and it was priced at £25,000! There are overcab models available too. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Hi Chaswick- The Elddis Autoquest is also available in dealers own brand with many extras for the same price. We have a Peugeot 2litre Explorer and slighty shorter in length than the 400. We are very pleased with the build quality and performance and although if you went over vans with a magnifying glass you will always find some slight fault I would be happy to recommend the marque. Regards chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaswick Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Many thanks for your replies. It is interesting that no-one has written to defend the much higher price of the Autotrail Cheyenne compared with Elddis Autoquest. Unless I hear to the contrary it seems pretty obvious what we should be going for.....! Chaswick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1ntersun Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi, Its not a case of defending, there are two reasons that I can see for the price difference. 1 Construction. The eldiss is a must more cost effective panel method. The Autotrail uses the more expensive moulded GPR method 2 Extras. has the eldiss got things like blown air heating, spotlights for reading, double leisure batteries, etc Ask the dealer for whats fitted as standard. You can buy a cheaper van and then spend £1000,s bringing up to the spec you want. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1ntersun Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi, Its not a case of defending, there are two reasons that I can see for the price difference. 1 Construction. The eldiss is a must more cost effective panel method. The Autotrail uses the more expensive moulded GPR method 2 Extras. has the eldiss got things like blown air heating, spotlights for reading, double leisure batteries, etc Ask the dealer for whats fitted as standard. You can buy a cheaper van and then spend £1000,s bringing up to the spec you want. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizken Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi Chaswick I have no experience of Auto-trail, being a happy owner of my second Aoutcruise. However, I have had Elddis and found the furniture build to be very lightweight - check the door panels on wardrobe and toilet doors, which are usually hardwood frames with plwood panels glued to the inside, and are prone to warping. regards Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StAubyns Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 And the overcab bed on the Eldis is only suitable for children. We bought german quality for the same sort of money new. Have a look at Lowdhams Eurostyle, made by Deffleths as a dealer special. But which ever you choose, motorhoming is the best thing since sliced bread! regards Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi We took delivery of our Compass Avantguard 115 Suntor from Brownhills Newark this last Saturday which we bought at NEC its our first motorhome it drives really well like a car the new Peugeot 2.2 seems very responsive.We looked st the 120 and it was a hard decision but opted for the 115. We paid £25k including extras 2nd liesure battery, full oven,flyscrene to entry door,heiki roof, blown air heating, and walnut dash. On top of this deal we also received a full years free insurance , delivery was estimated mid January/early February so we were really excited to take delivery earlier especially as we both retired last Friday and its my wifes 60th birthday on Wednesday all we need now is to kit it out and get out onto the open road CANT WAIT. regards kelly :-D :-> :-D :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Well done hope you have many happy motoring years ahead of you . Good luck & safe travels. Reagrds Michele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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