A'van Aspire Hardtop Series

Warranty is a dirty word – 8 1/2 months later. Warranty is a dirty word . Cheaper to take it to Alko and pay for it yourself. Glad to see end of Avan Bomaderry. Last trip for warranty work on the suspension was 2 1/2 months and when I go to get it back personal items and camping equipment to the value of $450 missing from van. They deny it , even though they had the keys… Read more

and it was kept in their locked yard. No forced entry, police report filed, but kiss the goods goodbye. They will not even answer emails in regards to missing items.

The long and the short of it is the van has the Alko torsion bar suspension. A good product set up for even weight as bought off the shelf. Trouble is , was put under van of UNEVEN weight distribution. Result is it wears the outside edge of passengers side tyre. Avan deny it.Add up the weights yourself. On the drivers side is , the stove ,rangehood,hot water service, tv, aerial, microwave,fridge and toilet. About 120 kgs. Passengers side, well the diner and the shower. Now when you pack it you would use all the cupboards. Where are they, oh yea , the drivers side. So let’s say we are up to 150 kgs on the drivers side.

The other bit is the dubious tare weight. They say 1540 kgs. I can get close if the jockey wheel is not on the weigh bridge. So somewhere between rego and you taking it away, it gains 100 kgs.

Perfect little modern style caravan – Compact but has everything you need. Light and easy to park. Stylish and comfortable. I love the inner spring mattress and modern accessories. Cool in summer and warm in winter. Show details

great Van after a few teething problems, – Love our hard top 555, had a few teething problems 1. leak in the water system under sink which was a washer seated incorrectly 2. shower rail broke loose 3.one under seat door cam off its hinges because the screws were too small for the hole 4. outside shower knobs were revered (hot was cold and visa versa) 5. they didn't fit the fold out… Read more

table on side of van as was agreed to, which they eventually admitted to and so I got one form them and fitted it myself. 6. wow the instructions for the various systems around the van are pretty grim on detail and clarity but other than that the van has been great though double bed is a bit short my feet reach the end and I am 5'9"

by the by, really want to know, what do you tow your 555 with, I am looking to upgrade as the Mazda CX-9 struggle and the fuel consumption is woeful, what do you recommend? thanks guys

Fantastic van,fantastic team at Adelaide Avan – Huge shout out to the fantastic team at Avan Windsor Gardens , the friendly Tammy and super salesman Craig, but in particular the fabulous Jan, who we were fortunate enough to meet at the recent caravan show in Adelaide.She was warm ,friendly and very knowledgeable . We were after a modified version of the 555 ,and Avan Adelaide accommodated us… Read more

perfectly. We’ve only recently taken possession of our modified rig, and could not be happier. Towing is a breeze,the quality and workmanship is very good . We’re about to put it through it’s paces through the next few months ,and will update this review afterwards.

Pity no one to service it in WA – Eventually sold mine in frustration. Premier Avan service in WA is not worth a mention. Had van out nine times in total for warranty work, fixed last problem myself and sold van. Now have a Kokoda and happy as. Show details

Weight problems – We bought our van in 2017 new. We like the size and facilities for the price. We had a lot of trouble towing it with a Ford Everest but eventually sorted it out. The Tare mass that was stated was 1365 kg this proved to be very inaccurate as when we put it on a weigh bridge (completely empty) it was 1540 kg. As the ATM was 1665 kg this gave us 120… Read more

kg to fill our stuff with. The van was re-certified at 1840 kg ATM. We weighed everything we has put in the van at 265 kg and when you fill up the two 95 L water tanks she now weighs 2020 kg, as this is illegal we can not use our Avan for Free camping. We are disappointed as the sales team knew what we wanted to do. I have worked out that with the removal of one gas tank, the entire rear bumper and one water tank we can travel with some water aboard. Such is life. My advice would be to check you weights before you hand over your cash.

Basic Trailers is your go-to destination for a diverse range of high-quality trailers designed to meet various needs. Whether you're in the market for a car trailer for sale or a specific type of trailer sale, Basic Trailers has got you covered. Our extensive inventory ensures that you will find the perfect trailer to suit your requirements. … Read more

At Basic Trailers, we pride ourselves on offering a wide selection of trailers, including those tailored for different uses. If you are looking for a reliable and durable trailer, our 6x4 trailers are an excellent choice. These compact yet sturdy trailers are perfect for small loads and are easy to maneuver, making them ideal for everyday tasks.

https://www.basictrailers.com.au/

Delivery quality and warranty poor – Following the caravan being given to Geelong Caravans for rectification of the grey water shower problem. Even though we provided what would have been a quick repair. It took a further 6 months as a result of many errors by the engineering staff of Geelong Caravans before the caravan was returned to us. Geelong Caravans made us sign a document… Read more

accepting responsibility for the work carried. We have since been away in the caravan and everything was ok. PLUMBING CONFIGURATION WORKED AS IT WAS EXPECTED TO WHEN PURCHASED. Many thanks to Kat. I only hope all future Avans are supplied to what the customer expected.

You get what you paid for – We own a Avan Aspire 572 Adventure Pack paid $60,000 for it. So like my title says you get what you paid for, some great, some not so great. Owned the van over 3 years now and it is my wife's and myself full-time home. Ok about our van, it's a 2021(covid model) that we purchased second hand and it was in fantastic condition. We are happy with the… Read more

van the way it tows it sits on the road well. But there has been a few quality issues, the fitting under the sink leaked a bit but fixed by applying a bit of thread tape no more leaks, the cafe lounge is very uncomfortable but to be fair owners of other brand vans have complained about their lounges as well and some of the carpentry work inside the van is not great in fact it's disappointing. Ok another annoying problem the bottom aluminium frame in the shower where the sliding curtain runner goes it is only held in with cheap plastic clips and one broke while we are travelling and couldn't close the shower curtain. Very lucky for us we found a aluminium and screen place that had some different style plastic clips and seem to work so far. Also the floor is a bit spongy in some places apparently Avan doesn't use enough floor bracing under the van because they are trying to keep the weight of the van lighter. Also been a covid built van there has been some other issues with cheap materials that has been a let down which I am fixing at this time at a cost to myself. If you are looking at buying a Avan I would recommend a pre covid built van I personally believe they are a better built van. Btw I thought $60,000 was a lot of money for a caravan but apparently not, looks like if you want a superior van be prepared to pay over a $100,000 plus for one and still no guarantee you are getting a van without problems.

Bathroom Not thought out – Exhaust fan should be placed ubove shower in case its left open when it rains also a light should be placed ubove mirror so you can see whilst shaving or doing hair Show details

Hi, we have a 555 and have only used it a few times but have found it to be really nice – I am know expert in towing a van but find this a good van to tow and set up. I would not hesitate to recommend this van .Buy one now.

2018 499 bunk Amazing van for size – Amazing value for money, easy to tow light weight. It offers so much for the $$ the van looks very nice with large windows, new 2018 decals look nice. Avan Nowra & Penrith, Anthony a really genuine sales guy. Mark & Di @ Penrith very helpful. We love our Avan Aspire 499 bunk.

Nead more practical engineering for electrical! – Haven't been in bad weather. Had an electrical fuse blow, and to replace it was extremely difficult because fuse holder WAS located under the front part of the bed! Have since relocated fuse holder out from under bed to out side face of forward bed frame. Fill tube on Thetford head not friendly to operate. Thetford head water pump 10 amp fuse in… Read more

cassette compartment hard to get at to replace. Bed difficult to make up, but very comfortable.

Flooring plywood had wood void in traffic area between bed and hand basin causing 12" diameter 1/4" deep "bird bath" in floor surface which flexed when trod on. Fix was to glue patch of yellow tong to under side of floor and add steel bracing attached to framing.

Insulation for weather and sound is excellent as is window covering for light "lock out" for sleeping in.

Towing, breaking, etc., easily managed with 2012 d40 Navara 4x4 king cab

Great van Great Service – My van has just done almost 10000klm around SA and NT. Back in NSW and cannot fault the van. Going back to Avan for service and could not wish for better service from the dealer or for a better van ,great to tow and very comfy.

An excellent caravan in every respect – The caravan was purchased after a trip to the Caravan & Camping Sale in July 2017 so we had opportunity to compare a wide range of manufacturers. The delivered product met all our expectations. Small touches like the cut out on the side of each wardrobe to access the extra USB points we asked for were an excellent modification. Er asked for,… Read more

and would recommend, a completely removable table for our L-shaped lounge. We love the en-suite.

There is plenty of storage available and the tunnel boot is very accessible.

My wife is the driver, I'm blind, and she has no trouble towing the van.

We had a Purpleline remote mover added after purchase which makes moving the van a breeze.

ASPIRE499 with Bunks and double bed – The finish and quality was as good as any others. The van is reliable and only problem was loose wire on water guage which Avan fixed without any hassles.This van is the most comfortable I have owned and I did own an earlier Avan plus a couple of Jaycos which were good but not as good as this one. Towing is hassle free and follows me a dream.  Show details

Great van, terrible service – Great to tow & so far meets all our expectations. Poor service from Avan where they did not fit the Thule awning which was a selling point then lied about it. Make sure you have every minute detail when dealing with the sales people as there were other customers who had similar complaints. Apart from that very happy with The van.  Show details

After 3 years finding it a great van – Nice van, easy to tow. Has rear double bed could do with a little bigger but very comfy if have the inner spring and not the foam. Kitchen consisting of gas cook top, microwave oven, deep bowl sink, 12v range hood with light and 3 way fridge. Rear combination shower/toilet with separate vanity not a problem very compact. It has reverse cycle air-con. Would recommend.

Loving the ensuite – We have only had the van for about 4 weeks, but travelled from Adelaide to Townsville including a fair amount of central QLD. The only problem we have experienced is the water gauge doesn't always want to work. We are only keeping the tanks half full to keep the weight down and we don't need 180 litres as we don't free camp all the time. We are… Read more

very happy with the quality and appearance of the van. We put a adapter on the table to swing it at different angles to give us more room sitting at it. Tows beautiful.

Love our van – We have found our van to be great to tow. Only issue we have is the table is hard to get in behind and the seat are very uncomfortable, but hey you are not supposed to be sitting behind them for hours so no big deal. We did find that our dealer supplied us with the grey water hose and didn't mention that we needed a connector. However we were… Read more

asked to read all the supplied material and it does say to buy a connector of the correct size. We have not had our first month service so I guess we will find out what the service is like then. But so far it has been good.

Great van – Recently purchased second hand and full of bulldust but good bones and a good price that allows minor repairs without over capitalising. Excellent spacious van with low weight, tows well and love the windows that can be secured open unlike many other lightweights that have click clack windows that can readily be opened fom outside that is no good for free camping. Would like the tunnel boot fully closed off from interior.

Bad Workmanship – Ordered new Aspire 402 in June 2016 delivered LATE November 2016. Full of faults as listed below. 1/ parking brake not adjusted at all 2/ drivers side rear clearance light faulty on pickup, needed replacement 3/ ac remote cable hanging 150 mm below chassis 4/ large drawer under cook top rocks laterally 20-30 mm as it is opened 5/ grooves cut… Read more

into fascia under said drawer to allow for drawer slides

6/ 30 % of screws used in internal fit out were either loose or had stripped screw holes

7/ bed lifting handle had screws protruding through plywood, risking torn hands

8/ corner cover piece to inside top of door jamb does not fit properly, bar code showing

9/ gaps around window architrave trim, fixing brackets over-tightened crushing wall lining

10/ table is WAY out of level in any position

11/ door striker or locking plate on door jamb had sharp corners and edges

12/ battery supplied was already 6 mths old ,your warranty is only 6 mths from van pick up,

even cheap battery shops give 12 mths

13/ wires to "utilux" terminals on battery, both positive and negative, had loose wires not correctly crimped

14/ cable holes through front boot metal "firewall", to front right and left side clearance lights, does not have

flexible cover insulation to wires, holes have rough edges risking "shorting" of wiring resulting in fire

15/ water supply brass hose fitting loose, not tightened up

16/ sharp screws through metal "firewall" protrude into kitchen under bench storage area

We offer the following suggestions for improvements---

a/ second LPG bottle should also be filled prior to van pick up

b/ install 12 volt cig, socket for TV etc

c/ relocate external light from behind door, many campers cook outside their vans,

d/ relocate coax box to underside of microwave shelf to give clear work space

e/ relocate all floor mounted items, ac duct, water pipes, power points, battery etc

to provide more usable floor storage,

f/ relocate front storage items to higher level , providing better storage of gear

g/ corner shelves to the right of the entry are basically useless, these need a low fixed "gate"

to prevent items from falling out during travel

h/ replace fixed jockey wheel with swing type

June 15th 2017 Update: Follow up to my email to AVAN on April 10 2016

Assuming you have read my Email of the above date regarding workmanship 402 Aspire,

I thought I would inform you fellow van owners of AVANS reply,

WRONG !! NO reply from the dealer NOR from AVAN head office!!

This is of no surprise to me as the dealer basically has an apparent "could not care" attitude.

However, we pursue the issue and who knows maybe the Gods will smile on us ..Ha Ha

Phantom

Great little van – To find a little van with double bunks a double bed and shower and toilet was a big challenge with out going to a 20 ft or bigger van. This little van has it all, we just love it. Great to tow good clearance every thing we need for our weekends away. Like another person said they are not a $70 k van so don't expect a penthouse on wheels, but we… Read more

love it and have had no problems.Hard to find a van with all this brand new for under $40 k with a 5 yr front to back warranty.

Bad workmanship – Brought it second hand from a dealer who said it was fully serviced!!!! Not enough or poor quality wheel bearing grease had to replace all bearing due to overheating, Grey water floods shower recess. Low internal water pressure unless you use the pump as well. water leaking from under sink, clip hadn't been tightened. Support leg on awning won't… Read more

hold up have to use a wooden dowel. .Flyscreen and shade cords broken on front window. Lucky i'm a retired fitter and have fixed it myself, didn't have much pleasure from the dealers. So just be warned the if you buy one second hand this is what you can expect...

Disappointing quality control and after sales service – Picked up new Aspire 555 in Aug 2016. 1st night had a bad water leak under sink, next day returned to dealer where leak was fixed but in process of doing repairs to water pump under bed, the bed strut seized and when bed was returned to flat, the fixture anchoring the strut to the bed broke away from timber frame. Water inlet cover on external… Read more

van wall will not close, table too close to seat - I'm skinny and have to hold my breath to get behind the table, upholstery pattern on seat back not aligned horizontally and door trim is too short leaving a gap.

Have been trying to get the dealer to mail me a new strut but after four weeks of phone calls, no success.

So in summary love the design, the value and the towing ability. Don't like quality control and dealer after sales service.

best van on the market by far – we picked up our aspire 555 this year and have been travelling for 2 months now. we love our 555 and cant really fault it in any. we purchused the van at the big show in feb and found the team a pleasure to deal with we have had a few minor issues (teathing problems) and avans respose has been great. we could not beleive how much is in the van not… Read more

only for its size buy its weight as well. if you want a light weight but high quality van you cant go passed the avan range and i would highly recomand the team at avan. dont take my word for it get down to a show or even a dealer and check it out

Perfect for us – Bought out 499 in 2013. Not the perfect layout for us but what its got, its weight and especially the price was perfect for us. She tows well and havent had any problems. We love it.

Very happy with aspire 499. Great after sale service by AW RV World – Bought an aspire 499, very happy with it. Nice and light and tows like a dream but most of all it was affordable. We use it to visit family who live in Vic and Wa and just sit it on their front lawn. Also use it for a few weekend trips here and there. We bought it through aw rv world and have nothing but positive things to say about them. We will… Read more

be looking to getting a new van hopefully soon with an island bed and separate shower toilet, I like the avan frances.

Ohhhh not again – After waiting 6 months for our Aspire 402 hardtop we have had a continual stream of faults wheel tubs rubbed through on our first trip TV antenna wasn't connected, we eventually had to get a digital one so we could get vertical signals, flyscreen were very tight resulting in buttons snapping off and were replaced, cupboard doors wouldn't close,… Read more

all the cupboards came away from the walls, the aircon stopped working, both taps were faulty, there was a hole in the floor under the bed, the beds collapsed had to be refitted, the microwave cupboard came away from the wall. We had to replace all the screws in the cupboard doors and draws, window hinges had to be replaced, front boot leaks had to replace the gas struts, the rubber strip on the back had to be reglued, the flywire/blind on the top hatch has torn, we had to replace flywire door also had to put a hook on it so it would stay open, the cords have come loose on the front flyscreen/blind we just have to keep getting it fixed our dealer rv world at wodonga has been very good! But it's costing us a fortune!! Don't buy an Avan...

Unroadworthy? - lack of dealer action – Quality is hit and miss. Cupboards that refuse to close, windows that won't stay open, table pulled from wall when lent on to close window; and a shower that refuses to drain properly. In April, found out now caravan is technically unroadworthy; off road adventure pack has on road wheel tubs - wheels have worn out both insides of tubs and rubbing… Read more

on top of tubs. Tyres are as specified on the caravan VIN . Rubbing temporarily fixed by dealer, but its now been 3 months waiting for new tubs to arrive and be retrofitted; also whilst driving on bitumen after temporary fix, front window shades fell off. I suspect the temporary fix is by installing spacers which are illegal in SA. Calls to dealer have same excuse, parts ordered and will be on next deliver,y will ring back and confirm. No one has called back as yet. New excuse now I expect is that dealer is tied up getting ready for next caravan show. There's more to list but not enough space!

Few issues with Avan 499 Aspire – Had exactly the same issue when i picked up my Aspire back in 2013.They only had half the camp room ended up being nearly 4 months by the time i received the the missing parts.