Afternoon all ... Today we took the first step in our 12 month plan to research and buy our first motor home. We have looked at the Avida today and wondered if any of you have one and if we could get your opinions re ....Dealer ....Hinterland Motorhomes. Burleigh Heads ( units built in Sydney with up to 7 month wait)? issues you may have had with the manufacture, design? service or warranty problems, etc?
This model has single beds and push out dinette ... Would be interested to know if problems with dust or insect entry in this type of feature, ie more than what can be expected under normal circumstances.
Next step is a hire before buy of similar size RV.
We had hoped to cover a couple of dealers today, but this one too half the day, so good thing we have the 12 month plan. Went also to the GC caravan Show on Sunday ..... unfortunately very few RVs of interest, and not much of anything else there due to last weeks floods at their new site at Mudgeeraba.
Many thanks
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The Maccas ....
2013 Avida Esperance Motorhome - based in northern NSW.
Hi Charlie and Libby, I bought an Avida Esperance secondhand late last year 2011 model. My "shakedown" trip was from Yeppoon to Darwin and back as a solo nomad. The wet season in Darwin caused no problems ...I had the slide out dining area 'out' most of the time with no water or insect problems..as for dust..havent been in dust conditions yet. I find the Iveco very easy to drive. I do have a rear view camera fitted which is great for seeing the traffic coming up behind. I am very happy with my purchase.
Thanks Colleen and shekon ........ your comments much appreciated. I was starting to think nobody had gone down the Avida (Aussie Winnebago) path - there is nothing much that comes up in the GN Search either. I know there are many Jayco MHs out there and am a bit hesitant to consider due to mass production and bad reviews and recalls. I guess if you put that in perspective, "bad news makes news" and judging by the number of Jayco MHs on the road, they are obviously popular with the majority of MH owners
shekon - I have looked at the website you recommended and will make some enquiries with them - Colleen, it sounds like you are more than satisfied with your purchase which is encouraging for us - happy trails!.
I have now expanded the search to include Sunliners and Elldis and will go for a bit of a drive to Watsons Caravans at Coffs Harbour as they have a good range of RVs down there - more than what there is at Lismore/Ballina/Byron Bay areas!
I guess I would be very interested to know what everyone drives out there - that may give us a good idea from all you experienced owners and travellers out there.
Again - many thanks
-- Edited by chaslib on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 10:14:25 AM
-- Edited by chaslib on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 10:15:58 AM
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The Maccas ....
2013 Avida Esperance Motorhome - based in northern NSW.
Don't be put off by bad reviews. You will always hear bad about any vehicle you look at. People are quick to tell you the bad things!
Jayco have an excellent follow up service and we have had no problems getting the little glitches sorted with them!
Hi there we have Avan ovation motorhome and love it, check them all out and find what suits your needs most of all enjoy yourselves whatever you choose -good luck.
We have a 2010 Esperance 2634 SL. My only "complaints" are minor. There are not enough 12v sockets in fact there is only one for the TV antenna. It is relatively easy to add new ones so that I can use a 12V fan Etc when free camping or without 240V. The radio reception is very poor and has very limited range but we use the Bluetooth from phones for music.Finally I am not happy with the way the thermofan is calibrated. The temperature gauge ranges from half way to 3/4 and then the fan cuts in to bring the temp down to 1/2 again. I nearly had a heart attack first time I notice the needle so high but the Iveco mechanics assured me that this is normal for this engine.
We had a Winniebago Esperance 2010 thru to 2019 when we purchased a new Avida from an Avida agent. Our 2010 Esperance was 10 months old when we purchased it and the minor issues were probably resolved except a water leak in the slide out at the front wetting the carpet. Never resolved the problem even after several attempts by repairers.
We purchased the new Esperance and have had numerous problems including a leak in the slide out.The control panel for tank measurments not working,and quite a few other minor faults which we have addressed our selves.
The Iveco platform is great have not had aproblem in the first 20k The 170 hp engine is a little under powered when towing our Suzuki and only on hills and i can live with that.
The servicing we have had on warranty items from 3 different agents has not left me with much to say.