I had a Mate who upgraded from his Avida to a bigger Birdsville with a slide out. I bought the Conquest for $110k from a couple who only owned it for nine months but had to sell for health reasons. I offered my Mate the same as the dealer, Clintons, offered him as a trade in. $130k. I thought it was a good deal. So did he.
Im 63 tall so I just fit in the driving position in a comfortable position. Seats are comfortable and swivel. Bed is great and comfortable.
Engine is the 2.3 Fiat turbo diesel. Service recommended every 45 thousand kilometres but I do oils and filter annually. Engine is great, no issues. Get 11l/100k. Im happy with that.
Fit and finish is very good. It looks more modern than the Jayco did so I think Ill get better resale.
Only issue Ive had is with a bed lifter. The manufacturer sent me replacement parts FOC from the States.
Any European car specialist can service the Fiat. Fiat have built millions of those motors.
Anything that could go wrong with the back end could be fixed by me or any caravan specialist.
Storage in the Jayco was slightly better. I put a shelf in the side boot which helped a lot.
The Jayco table drop is better than the Avida. I changed that over as well.
The sealant between the cabin roof and the motorhome let go which gave it a bad rattle.
Everyone knocks the older Avidas which suffered from water leaks. Those days are long gone. Construction is laminated foam shell.
If I can help in any way, just ask.
We had an Avida Leura, brand new in 2017, it was a great motorhome, we travelled to many places around Victoria. South Australia and from Melbourne to Port Douglas. Our issues with it were, mainly because I'm 6 foot tall, was bumping my head on the bed when it was raised and getting past each other to get to the toilet at night, also the wife needed a stool to climb into the bed, she's 5'7. We sold it after 3 years and upgraded to a Jayco Conquest 25.3 and towed a Suzuki Jimny, for us the Conquest and car were the ideal option.
