Hi folks, I am thinking of upgrading from a small folding caravan to something more conventional, but small and fairly lightweight. I have seen an Avondale Rialto 2 berth for sale which I like the look of. However as the company does not exist any more I wonder how people manage when needing spares. I had an Avondale Leda Cambrian many years ago which I loved to bits, but my husband (as was then) wanted something more modern and we bought an Elddis, but I have such good memories of this sturdy Leda I'd be confident about buying another Avondale. (Though actually, the Elddis was ok as well!)
Any comments please, anyone?
------------- Life without dogs? I don't think so!
I have a Grampian and we have owned it for about 17 years.
It just fits our needs.
I have been tempted a few times but i just kept coming back to thinking i will be buying something that depreciates again and our van cannot really lose any more money than it already has.
As mentioned above though the heating/water/electrics are made by other companies. Lots of fittings are generic also.
The only unique parts are parts that you wont be able to source for a modern sub 5 year old van anyway.
Unless your vans in current production then unique parts can be a pain to source.
We've owned a 2002 Avondale for almost the last 2 years. At least it says Avondale on the outside. The fridge is made by Electrolux, the heater by Carver, the toilet by Thetford and the chassis and mechanical bits by Alko. The electrical components and water heater are also made by an external manufacturer and inserted into the van. So repairing or replacing any of those is no more a concern on an Avondale than it is on any van of a similar age.
In the event that you do need a new bespoke part, Magnum Motorhomes bought the entire Avondale factory stock after the company went bust in 2008.
Thanks folks. Before dashing off to change the caravan I need to upgrade the car first; going to have a look at one tomorrow, a Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 VVT . 85% of its kerb weight is about 1250kg I think, which should give me a reasonable choice of small 2 berth 'vans I could tow.
------------- Life without dogs? I don't think so!
1250kg with a 1.6 108bhp? 111ft/lbs of torque? Rather you than me.
Makes towing a chore, too many gear changes on the hills.
I went from a 2L 150bhp to a diesel and it tows from thge Midlands to the bottom end of Cornwall with no gear changes on the motorway and only changing gear for the traffic off it. Much more relaxing, you dont need to think is this a 4th gear or 3rd gear hill looming. Cruise set to 60 and it stays there.
Also beware the max towing weight. Some Renaults max tow figure is with a driver only. Every passenger/piece of luggage or packet of wurthers originals may need to be deducted from the max towing weight.
Thanks Grampian but I like to try to keep my carbon footprint as low as possible, and don't see a diesel fitting the bill. I know some of them have a lower CO2 emissions figure but it's also the particulate emissions that are an issue for me. I'll give it some more thought though.
By the way the 1250kg is the most I'd be pulling, I'm hoping I can find a small 2 berth lighter than that, around the 1000.
------------- Life without dogs? I don't think so!
More important than the 85% value, which is a crude recommendation at best, is the manufacturer's towing limit of the vehicle. It's illegal for your actual towed weight to be more than that. For a car with a small petrol engine the towing limit could be a fair bit less than the 1250kg you're looking for, but the towing limit for the same car with a more powerful diesel engine could be well in excess of the kerb weight.
Whether petrol or diesel is best for you depends on your driving habits. There really isn't a 'clean' or 'dirty' solution. In general and simple terms, a big diesel engine is better suited to towing heavy weights because it produces more of its power at lower engine speeds, allowing you to tow in a higher gear more of the time. Do the same thing with a small petrol engine and you're more likely to spend more time in a lower gear with the engine revving its nuts off.
The downsides to diesel are particulate emissions, which are partially (but by no means entirely) filtered through a diesel particulate filter (or DPF). To prevent the filter becoming clogged the engine needs to spend a reasonable amount of time at normal temperature, which it takes 10-15 minutes to reach. It doesn't necessarily need to be driven fast or hard, but will need a regular number of journeys of around half an hour or longer.
Particulates are only really a concern in heavily built up or populated areas. Out in the open country they'll disappear into the atmosphere.
So really, if most of your driving is for short distances in towns, you should be looking at petrol, but for longer journeys out of towns diesel is still the answer.
Your carbon footprint will be bigger with a petrol burning more fuel struggling to tow a caravan compared with a diesel that can easily tow it. What one tends to forget is a petrol uses more fuel per mile than diesel particularly while towing means more pollution not less.
Thanks everyone. What a minefield this emissions business is. The other issue about going for a diesel is whether the government is going to start hiking up the tax on it again, as more and more research is published about how injurious it is to health. SamandRose, thanks for your detailed reply. Many of my journeys are of a minimum of 12 miles, going to my daughter's to look after my grandchildren. I try not to use my car (petrol at the moment) for short journeys anyway. I live 6 miles from the nearest town; if I haven't any weight to carry back I use the bus, and walk down to the village (a mile or so) for local stuff.
I could argue that I am offsetting my carbon footprint with my diet, as I'm a veggie/going on vegan. Lots of research out there now to say the meat industry is causing far more pollution than the whole transport system, so I'm inclined to wonder why I am worrying about my share of pollution from my 10k miles per year in the car!
------------- Life without dogs? I don't think so!
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Topic: ?Upgrade to Avondale
