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caravans

Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003 at 09:40

John

Iam wondering about the extra costs in towing a caravan with my 1994 pajero 2.8L non turbo diesel on a trip around OZ. How much extra fuel is used in towing vans??
In particular how much difference might there be between a smaller van like a 11' 610kg van as opposed to a 15 to 16' van at about 1000kgs?? I would like the extra room in the bigger van but don't like towing bigger vans and thought the fuel consumption would be significantly greater?? Also worried about the power of the pajero in towing the extra weight.

Does anyone have a good or bad word about the Advance caravans " Town and Country" It is a 11' van and used to be made in South Australia I think? It is 1989 in vgc and going for $8000

Thanks
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AnswerID: 21812   Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003 at 10:31

Anthony (Vic) replied:

John, I had similiar concerns to you with towing using a small diesel (we have a '92 Hilux 2.8D twin cab 4WD). So we hired a Goldstream Link offroad camper as a test (10' long & TARE of 890kgs) which towed fine, except a bit slow up the long hills. We are now about to buy a Jayco Dove Outback camper (11.2' long & TARE of 1031kgs) and while again it will be slow up most hills, I'm not in any great hurry to get anywhere when travelling. With the economy, we get about 10lts/100km unloaded and about 13-14lts/100km towing (on road).

I don't know anything about the Advance van - but keep asking - Anthony
Reply 1 of 3
AnswerID: 21816   Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003 at 11:02

Scott replied:

John $8000 for a 1989 van that size is damned expensive even if it is in vgc
that would be more than new price
Look at other places $3000 to $4000 would be around the price of a van of that age even in vgc. Check out the prices in the for sale in the paper.
Never seen or heard of that brand of van
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FollowupID: 14293   Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003 at 22:46

John posted:

Scott, thanks for the reply. $8000 is more than I want to pay but maybe vans in Perth are more expensive generally that the east.? I have looked in the Quoka and Sunday times and and 2nd hand caravan yards.
People are asking around $5000 to $6000 for mid 80's vans and a lot I have looked at are in only fair condition. Recently I looked at a 14' 1984 Viscount pop top for $7000 and it was in excellent condition but I rejected it because of the bad reputation they had with the suspension and chasis.
Thanks anyway I'll go look in the paper again.
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FollowupID: 14358   Submitted: Thursday, Jun 05, 2003 at 16:26

Dozer posted:

Caravans are funny things. Condition dictates price over year model, and beds dictate price over accessories or appearance.
When i was looking for a 16 foot single axle,the old Vicounts in good nick were 7-10k, where as the newer ones were not much more, crappy older ones were still 3k plus.
Andrew
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AnswerID: 21835   Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003 at 14:32

Member - Willem replied:

I spent 5 years on the road towing a 27ft Viscount which varied in weight between 2 tonne and 3.5 tonne. First with a Landcruiser petrol and then with my current Nissan G60. Fuel consumption with the older vehicles could be between 20% and 30% more, when towing. If you are not in a hurry and if you do not get many "into the wind' days then with judicious driving you could do better with your fuel consumption. If you are driving hard, trying to overtake slower vehicles or pushing to get to a certain place in a given time, then you will undoubtedly use a lot more fuel. If you are prepared to 'roll' with your van and use you gears alot more,then you could achieve a good fuel usage.
Do not make the mistake of buying a van that will be too small for your needs. If a van weighs 500kg more than one you have been looking at the difference in fuel usage will be negligible.
Sorry, don't know anything about Advance vans.
Happy travels!

Cheers, Willem
Never a dull moment
Reply 3 of 3