Hi,
Currently looking into getting my first motorhome, always been attracted to owning one and now have a few pennies saved up.
The local dealer has a couple of Autosleeper Duettos for sale on their website which look like they fit the bill. They're older models (1995 and 1996) but look in good nick.
The question I have is how suitable for winter use would a Duetto of that vintage be? E.g. is the fresh water tank internal? I can't seem to find any details on that on the web.
I quite fancy being able to go skiing in the north of Scotland a few weekends and there is at least one campsite near avimore that looks like it's open all year round. So any advice on camping out in winter would be helpful.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Robert
I use mine all year round as its my only form of transport,has onboard fresh and waste tanks,carver cascade water heater,hot air gas blown heating,three way fridge,two 85 amp batts,casset loo.if away for just a 4 or 5 nights dont need EHU,but nice if one is available,as can use all 240v instead of gas.
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Quote: Originally posted by pete1946 on 10/2/2009
I use mine all year round as its my only form of transport,has onboard fresh and waste tanks,carver cascade water heater,hot air gas blown heating,three way fridge,two 85 amp batts,casset loo.if away for just a 4 or 5 nights dont need EHU,but nice if one is available,as can use all 240v instead of gas.
Also Welcome to the site.
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Hi Smirky. I have a Duetto from 98. The water and waste tanks are on-board but they are NOT internal, so they would freeze up. When I've used mine in freezing temps I use a separate water container and have the waste tap open flowing straight into a separate waste container. You have to be careful not to let the water tank for the loo freeze up either but that is in a cupboard so has some protection. That age units will have a gas heater but providing you use Propane rather than Butane you won't have a problem. I would highly recommend the Duetto, it's an extremely well built van, being hand built the the furniture quality is so much better than the newer Duetto's produced since Autosleeper were bought, it's all clip in plastic now. And the Transit base vehicle is good and solid, plenty of people know how to fix them and spares are cheap. Couple of tips, check the wheel arches, Transits have double skinned arches and are prone to rust from the inside out, mine are doing that now and all four will need replacing soon, in a way it can be worse on a motorhome as they can sit around for weeks or even months on end and that's when the rust can get to them, all the other usual places too, bottoms of doors etc. If it's coming from a dealer make sure it's had a full service and cambelt change also being a diesel make sure it idles smoothly once warmed up, diesel injectors and pumps are very expensive to replace. The transits of that period came in Turbo and standard versions, most Duetto's are Turbo but a few aren't, not a huge difference between the two but the turbo is that bit quicker. On the motorway at around 65 I'll get 30mpg. Hope that all helps.
Bordercaz, not all Autosleepers have water tanks inside, mine is a Talisman, one of the latest and the tank is slung under the vehicle, and so is the waste????? The wife and i will use it all the year round regardless of weather conditions, as a matter of fact we are off down to London for a couple of weeks this coming friday. Its getting to know your camper and what you can do and not do that is important, i do not wish to boast but i have been doing this since 1974, and i have had a few, big ones, small ones and some in the middle, and i would not enjoy a holiday in any other shape or form. Don't forget a journey of a thousand miles begins with a few footsteps.
Quote: Originally posted by bordercaz on 10/2/2009
All Autosleepers have an on board water tank.
As TonyH has pointed out, there is a difference between an ONBOARD watertank and an INTERNAL one.
An onboard tank simply means a tank which is fitted to the vehicle itself, and that could be anywhere. On most British vans they are normally slung underneath the vehicle.
An internal tank means the tank is situated somewhere in between a double floor, which is usual in Continental vans.
It is not just a matter of the tanks though, remember the pipes leading to and from the tanks are usually in fresh air too.
We had an Autosleeper Legend, which had an onboard tank, but which was not internal, and on a trip to Germany one December, the pipes to/from the fresh and waste water froze, and OH spent ages under the van with a hairdrier trying to defrost same!
After that he put one of those heaters inside the tanks, like you use for brewing beer, that solved the problem to an extent, but it was still the pipes which could/would freeze.
We now have a continental van, where both the tanks and all pipes are in the double floor, which also has heating ducted through it, so no problems any more.
The only thing to do is to use water containers in really cold weather, which you can keep inside, otherwise make sure you have a hairdrier with you
OK, sorry. All the Autosleepers I've ever seen or owned have had onboard water tanks, and I never had a problem with the pipes or anything else freezing up. But I wouldn't say the same for me as there was no gas heater so without EHU I would have frozen up - so to me that seems the first question! .
I have no experience of continental vans so didn't know you could get ones with tanks in a sandwich to keep them warmer.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
Smirky..We had a Duetto(an '03 model)up until 6 month ago and sometimes I wish we had kept it!
Very sturdy and well put together(..although maybe somewhat dated decor wise)and small enough to be used as an "everyday" vehicle.
As already pointed out,when using it during a cold snap,leave the water tanks drained and just take a seperate water container with you(..leave the grey waste tap open,so it can drain into a bucket).
..You could get a bit carried away trying to insulate/heat all your tanks and pipework,along with any associated valves/taps...
Edit:Just a thought,there is no storage for larger items,so if your wanting to use it for skiing trips,you'll need to get an external storage box/rack of some sort,as once you've loaded a few bags/holdalls on board,you are left with very little floor space!
We have had both a Beige Duetto and currently have an 4 year old one. Both have their good points but we did prefer the cabinet work in the Beige version as the kitchen all folded away nice and tidy.
We have a regular clear out and only carry what we need ie folding chairs if the weather looks good, oil filled radiator in the winter. It is easy and we always laugh at the vans we see with their chairs out in the rain because they feel they have to carry them instead of leaving them at home.
We find enough room for everything without needing a back/roof box and even manage to put the bikes inside when needed (too long a story re bike racks )
Hope you get as much fun out of your van as we have, the age/size of the van has no effect on the fun you can have.
as I said earlier, mine has onboard fresh and waste tanks,carver cascade water heater,hot air gas blown heating,three way fridge,two 85 amp batts,casset loo.I have since got a Fiamma 500 back box,from a member on this forum,& fitted it,it takes alot of items that is normaly put in the van,I have also got a scooter carrier and scooter,so we can go off site on it for shopping or to have a look found where we are staying, since getting our van we find it better if you are going to tour an area,than staying on one site,as with a caravan you have the car to tour the area,so rearly I think it dependes on what you want it for,with good clothing we can use the scooter in winter,which we have as we were bikers up to a couple of years ago,so horses for corses rearly.but what ever you choose I hope you enjoy it as we do.
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
If you really do want a winterised van you do have to look at the continentals. German vans are all "winterised" They have to be to survive their winters and they do like to go ski-ing in the winter. Everything is on board so it keeps warm and when you want to lay up, drain downs are easy.
We are going to Aviemore on sunday, to go snowboarding and we stay at the High Range campsite, its just on the edge of the town so you can walk in and is very convienient, its a 9 mile drive up to the ski area itself but its a nice drive, there's also the Glenmore campsite which is 3 miles from the skiing on the side of the lock, but its not as convienient for Aviemore itself, where going with friends so need to be in Aviemore!!
See the reviews below and good luck with what ever you decide on.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Winterised vans
