AVAN CRUISELINER CAMPERS??- INQUIRY

matildatraveller · Guru

AVAN CRUISELINER CAMPERS??- INQUIRY

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Hi MT, I had a 'Sportliner' for 3 years. Yes it was smaller but build wise the same. I took it on dirt and corrigated roads, SLOWLY. I would never have taken it "off road". IMO they are not built well enough. That said, you can get a suspension upgrade that allows similar to what I did. That upgrade might help. Without it I don't think it would last long. There are a couple on the forum and they might see your question and reply.

hako · Guru

We have an Avan "Cruiser" which is identical to the "Cruiseliner" but does not have the front boot and have owned this camper for about 5 years. It has the raised suspension which I think basically just raised the ground clearance of the van and has a slightly heavier chassis. We've never taken it off-road but have towed it over many dirt and gravelled roads with no problems.
Personally I consider ours to be built in a similar fashion to "normal" caravans, however in saying that I've inspected many so called offroad vans and have not been able to clearly see what makes them genuinely offroad. Chequer plate on the outside of a van does not make it genuine offroad!
If what you call offroad is travelling over dirt/gravelled roads then no problems, but if it involved crawling over boulders, deep river crossings and over rudimentary bush tracks frequented by hi-lift Patrols and Landcruisers then you would have problems I'd reckon. For those conditions you'd need a dedicated offroad camper trailer which is just that - a camper whereas the Cruiser/liner does have creature comforts.
Ours weighs 1130kg ATM and carries all we need for extended trips with plenty of free camping.

Good Luck.

Desert Dweller · Guru

All Avan campers & caravans have the same internal fittings, cabinetry. We've had an Avan caravan for over 5 years after buying it new. Every time we take it on a decent stretch of unsealed road we open it up to find screws rolling around on the floor, cupboards popped open & draws with their contents strewn all over the floor. If we plan to do a trip with lots of unsealed roads we take our Off-Road camper trailer. The Avan is OK on bitumen & a small amount of unsealed road taken slowly but no more than 10-15kms. Avan interiors are not meant for the rough stuff, ask any owner.

matildatraveller · Guru

Thanks guys for all your comments and feed back. With this in mind I found an AVAN forum that is very helpful in 'Doctor Google' with the words....' taking an AVAN off road.' The worst comments nearly everyone made was their 'so called after sales service (or lack of).....very worrying if considering buying new...still researching....Gwynnie from matildatraveller in Queensland

hako · Guru

Personally if I were buying a van (any van) I would never buy a brand new unit.
Second-hand units, some less than a year old can be bought for many thousands less than the new price and if buying privately you avoid all the hassles of warranty repairs.
Ours was 3 years old when purchased privately for 2/3 of new price - it was 'as new' and as it had already done an around Australia trip we could see what problems had occurred and how they were fixed....in our case a shock absorber mount had snapped due to poor welding and had been professionally repaired plus some of the electricals had been upgraded. That meant our prospective purchase had been run in and hopefully most problems solved.
You should also check the "AVAN club" - heaps of info there.

Good Luck.

elliemike · Guru

I have an Avan Cruiseliner.

Just buying a new one (or secondhand) and taking it on long trips on unsealed roads I would not recommend. Try doing short trips on dirt like 20 ks or so to see how the vehicle handles it. Most Avanners I know handle the trips into National Parks on the dirt OK Just take it easy

There are quite a few Tweaks and Modifications needed before doing those bigger sort of trips with any Avan Folding Camper. Like all campers and caravans (even OFF ROADERS) you will have lots of stuff rattle loose and come adrift. E.g. Fridge come out of its cabinet, Dust ingress, Stone Damage. All this need attention before taking the van onto the Dirt or encountering hundreds of Klms of Corrugations

Our van has been modified to do these sort of trips. Gibb River Road, GCR, Strzelecki, Oodnadatta, Savannah Way (The dirt Bits) and lots more.

We have for instance a Pressure System to keep the dust out. They can be stiffened up to do it.

The Avan Club of Australia is a great organisation.

Contact your nearest Avan Camper Club and ask when they are having a meet up. Go and hire a Cabin in the Campground and spend time talking to the members for advice.

macka17 · Guru

HI.

Just an alternative, but heavier.

IF you want to go Corrugations etc. with least amount of problems
and a lower price than "OFF Roaders.

I've had 3 "SEMI" offroaders. (Roadstar)
NOT for OFF roading really.
But some MFG's do build properly and you get MORE capable vans out of it.

Go on Google. type in Second hand Caravans "Evernew".

Down in Vict there are dozens of them. Smaller models.
I just missed (2 days) a 16ft 1998 Model. Been kept in garage. Used for 4 weeks most yrs,
at a family meet.
Saw it. It WAS new to look at. Bummer.
4700km's on tyres. $12.500. Oven never ever used, nor most of int.
Just used as a mobile bed by a farmer.

There are a lot like that.
and that MFG guarantees. his vans can tow. over ALL gazettted roads in Aust.
One of the better made vans on the market.

You won't get screws falling out of them.

As said.
just an alternative.
and the second hand way IS the best.
I've done both (New\s,hand. In vans and carts.

Desert Dweller · Guru

matildatraveller wrote:
Thanks guys for all your comments and feed back. With this in mind I found an AVAN forum that is very helpful in 'Doctor Google' with the words....' taking an AVAN off road.' The worst comments nearly everyone made was their 'so called after sales service (or lack of).....very worrying if considering buying new...still researching....Gwynnie from matildatraveller in Queensland

Your answer is looking you straight in the face, can it be any simper? Unsealed roads for an Avan are a no no!

newhorizons · Senior Member

I also have the equivalent of a cruiseliner without the boot. As many have stated above, they aren't built for off-road travel. Im on a half-lap of Australia now and have had my share of misfortune. Although i rarely go on unsealed roads, never more than 10kms, the vibrations of the nullabor trip and suction of trucks etc has caused many of the hinges on the "bubble-windows" to break. The large window at the back flew off not far from Ceduna and getting it fixed and replaced is proving to be difficult and also expensive. Also, i've had drawers come out and have to tape the microwave and fill it with bubblewrap so it doesnt fly open. Although I love my avan, really its built for an easy life and even then you have to keep checking things constantly to see that they're secure. I think the fact that the avan is so light is the reason why stuff seems to fly around inside it and it seems to bounce with every bump.
Good luck with finding a van that suits your needs!

matildatraveller · Guru

Hello all,

Thank you for all your experience and knowledge and responses.

Due to the overwhelming negative responses everyone has passed onto me regarding the AVAN it is DEFINITELY NOT a consideration off road option for me. Since I plan to go off road touring I am now leaning back towards either a small Jayco (Flite or Finch) or a customised light weight slide on for my ute. As I am a female solo traveler subject to the environment the canvas camper trailers (which would be ideal) are not an option for me. (1) Many are "armstrong models" (need muscles) and (2) does not offer much personal safety and protection for a lone traveller. My vehicle is a 2.8lt Toyota Hilux 4x4 utility with over axle leaf shocks together with ENCORE BIG BORE 4X4 shock absorbers. My rear over axle weight capacity is 1570 kg

With a small budget of between $15,000- $20,000 does anyone have any suggestion that maybe the best option I should be looking at please? (I am researching all the regular (e-bay, caravanandcamping.com, RV traders, Gumtree and campertrailer.com sites but don't have a good plan) Gwynnie at matildatraveller

elliemike · Guru

matildatraveller wrote:
Hello all,
Thank you for all your experience and knowledge and responses.
Due to the overwhelming negative responses everyone has passed onto me regarding the AVAN it is DEFINITELY NOT a consideration off road option for me. Since I plan to go off road touring I am now leaning back towards either a small Jayco (Flite or Finch) or a customised light weight slide on for my ute. As I am a female solo traveler subject to the environment the canvas camper trailers (which would be ideal) are not an option for me. (1) Many are "armstrong models" (need muscles) and (2) does not offer much personal safety and protection for a lone traveller. My vehicle is a 2.8lt Toyota Hilux 4x4 utility with over axle leaf shocks together with ENCORE BIG BORE 4X4 shock absorbers. My rear over axle weight capacity is 1570 kg
With a small budget of between $15,000- $20,000 does anyone have any suggestion that maybe the best option I should be looking at please? (I am researching all the regular (e-bay, caravanandcamping.com, RV traders, Gumtree and campertrailer.com sites but don't have a good plan) Gwynnie at matildatraveller

Have you at this time any ideas or plans of the roads/areas you would like to travel. What some consider OFF ROAD is normal travelling for others.

Not all dirt roads are Horrendous, Rutted, Corrugated trials of driving on them. Lots are well maintained roads that possibly will be closed when wet (this is for Protecting the road surface) Consider how much actual Dirt Road driving your rig will be doing. Like owning a 4x4 (I am in a 4x4 club) 98% of my time is driving in 2 wheel drive on bitumen.

Going into remote areas without the skills to handle minor maintenance and failures needs to be considered.

Choose a good setup that meets Most of your needs and expectations.

I have noted in my travels a Brand new Kimberley Camper with a broken suspension, Large new off road you beut caravan with fridge fallen out of its cabinet, sky domes ripped off in slip stream. They all have their little problems. Some more than others.

-- Edited by elliemike on Wednesday 17th of May 2017 10:11:20 AM

matildatraveller · Guru

Thanks Mike for all your thoughts, muchly appreciated,

I'm country breed and have been living in the bush most of my life. However in saying this my level of actual 4X4 driving experience has been limited to the farm and mostly by my husband. Now with my circumstances sadly changed I am keen to tour country regions in all states of the outback, (I detest city driving) My next step begins with some 4X4 training courses next week. My vehicle and I will be put through some rather intense demonstrations of 'off road' driving. After this I will begin to get serious about finding an 'outback rig' and will take all comments and suggestions as a learning curve to begin the next stage. Keep it coming in guys & girls......Thank you... Gwynnie from matildatraveller

Bryan · Guru

I have a full on off road van from Goldstream RV but that doesn't mean I would even consider taking it on some of the tracks I've been on.

The reason I went for an off roader was because it is tougher than an on road model and I know it will not let me down on the roads like the Gibb River Road, again provided I drive sensibly, but when it comes to extreme stuff, I leave it parked safely in a CP and camp in my 4x4.

That being said, I am seriously considering converting a Toyota Troop Carrier into a small expedition type vehicle which I know will tackle any situation I'm brave enough to try. No more towing and more sleeping in the 4by.