Having just sold (reluctantly) our motorhome we are now searching for an affordable caravan (in desperate need to get away!!!) Its probably not a good time as all the trade in bargains have probably been snatched up BUT have just veiwed an avondale dart 510L 2002 which looks great and hopefully going to view again to take a much closer look prior to purchase. apart from the usual checking for damp soft floors etc has anyone got any advise about the make/model? Much appreciated before we part with our cash cos this has to last us....cheers
Hiya janjohn, we only started touring in july last year after having statics for what seems like decades, we started with an avondale golden mayfair 475-4. their is only me and my mrs (occasionally our 4 year old niece tags along ) and it was a fantastic van but due to me being disabled we did'nt think it through properly and decided we wanted one with a fixed bed so we p/x it for a brand new Avondale Dart 525-4 and we both love it. sadly Avondale is no more but you can still get a real bargain whether its new or used much loved one, the dealer we got ours from seems to be selling out as fast as they come in so good luck . Bill
------------- Bill n Kay
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when the going gets tough... get someone else to do it.....
I smile besause I have'nt a clue whats going on... appreciate everything in life especially your friends...
Hi, thanks for that. We have a teenage daughter who HAS to bring a friend so the twin dinette layout provides them with their 'end' of the van. i was a little concerned having heard that avondale no longer exist and wondered if we would have trouble with spares etc. But to be honest we have been looking for a couple of months now and think we need to just go for it and cure our itchy feet..
thanks again
Jan
We have a 2001 Dart 556/6, had it 3 years, and not had any problems with it, shame that Avondale are no more, this may put some people off, but I would have no problem buying another Avondale
In April we traided in our Avondale Mayfair 4 berth. We had a big problem with damp around the toilet system that holds the water to flush, we were told that this is a known problem with Avondale, so just check this out.
Hi, we've got an Avondale Rialto 535/5 which has a seam running horizontally along both sides of the van at waist height. I don't know if the Dart has the same but if it has just check along this level as our seam has failed and we've picked up early signs of ingress. We've resealed it with Sikaflex so after a bit of TLC all will be well again. Apart from this we'd have no hesitation in recommending an Avondale as we love ours. Also, just check the front and back panels for cracks. Bailey's seem to be worse for these but sometimes Avondales have them too. It seems to be an increasing problem amongst caravans thesedays.
I wouldn't worry too much about part availability, as the majority of parts are made by third parties and are applicable to other manufacturers as well so should be readily available, just avondale specific body trim etc might be a little harder to come by.
Our 3 year old Dart's floor had delamination around the spare wheel hatch area i was told it was quite a common problem ? Also on ours the sliding door at the back used to derail if opened with more than a gentle push . In the end noticed the top rail didnt go back far enough allowing the back roller to drop off the rail . This was fixed by glueing a cork to the back of the door thus limiting its travel . Other than that it was a good van
hi all, somewhere on ukcs there is a thread with a phone num for Avondale parts, i cant remember who posted it but I'm sure someone will be along to tell us . cheers Bill
------------- Bill n Kay
............................
when the going gets tough... get someone else to do it.....
I smile besause I have'nt a clue whats going on... appreciate everything in life especially your friends...
Hi' I bought an Avondale 510/5 brand new in 2003' it went back to the factory for damp after 1year. The 3rd year it went back again, just before they. Went bust. I sold it in 2007, advised it had more damp by the dealer that part exchanged it for a Bailey Senator. This van also had damp due to sub standard build quality. I repaired my self. Still got the van, it seems Ok. In conclusion, I would stay clear of Avondale & Bailey Caravans. The best van I have had for no damp was a Craftsman, based on a Eddlis. So I would go for a Elddis.
Quote: Originally posted by explore on 13/7/2016
Hi' I bought an Avondale 510/5 brand new in 2003' it went back to the factory for damp after 1year. The 3rd year it went back again, just before they. Went bust. I sold it in 2007, advised it had more damp by the dealer that part exchanged it for a Bailey Senator. This van also had damp due to sub standard build quality. I repaired my self. Still got the van, it seems Ok. In conclusion, I would stay clear of Avondale & Bailey Caravans. The best van I have had for no damp was a Craftsman, based on a Eddlis. So I would go for a Elddis.
Seem to remember a very long thread on here about how bad Elddis were. Don't think there is such a thing as a perfect van due to the stresses and strains of being towed around the terrible road in this country.
Check the Avondale very carefully just like you would any other make. It all depends on how it has been looked after and service history.
Yes I do own an Avondale Mayfair 556/6 and love it and it's few problems.
We bought a 2002 Avondale Dart 515-4 last year (the same size as the 510-5 but with a 4 berth end washroom layout) and love it. The only problem we've had so far is that we found the cushions to be fine to sit on but hard to sleep on - but we solved that by buying a £100 mattress topper.
Magnum Motorhomes of Grimsby bought all of the Avondale spare parts from the administrators in 2009. But the chassis is made by Alko and everything electric is made by third parties so spares shouldn't be too difficult.
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Topic: should i buy an avondale dart 510L?
who HAS to bring a friend so the twin dinette layout provides them with their 'end' of the van. i was a little concerned having heard that avondale no longer exist and wondered if we would have trouble with spares etc. But to be honest we have been looking for a couple of months now and think we need to just go for it and cure our itchy feet..
