Wind Up VS Caravan Fuel Consumption?

[Sickgm]

Hey Guys,

Just after your thoughts, we are in the market for a wind up like a coromal silhouette or a Goldstream or a caravan.
Just wondering what the difference in fuel consumption would be ? Is it a big difference?

Say the wind up is 1000k - 1300k and the van being 17ft pop top weighing 2000 - 2300k. 

It just seems that everybody i have spoken to who buys a wind up always ends up in a full caravan? Should we just
skip the wind up and go into a van ?

[WaituiRob]

Hi Sickgm,
Are you talking about tare weight of a pop top caravan ? We`ve just purchased a 17ft 6" Jayco Freedom pop top and the tare weight is 1183 kgs with 300 kgs payload. We looked at wind ups but decided on the pop top for a bit more comfort in our old age As much as we loved our campertrailer it`s nice not having to climb over a body and down a ladder 

Don`t know about the fuel consumption difference as we`ve only done a couple of short trips, will have a better idea after a month long trip in Oct.

Cheers, Robyn.

[griz066]

Hey Guys,

Just after your thoughts, we are in the market for a wind up like a coromal silhouette or a Goldstream or a caravan.
Just wondering what the difference in fuel consumption would be ? Is it a big difference?

Say the wind up is 1000k - 1300k and the van being 17ft pop top weighing 2000 - 2300k. 

It just seems that everybody i have spoken to who buys a wind up always ends up in a full caravan? Should we just
skip the wind up and go into a van ?

That is exactly what we have just done, traded the camper on a finch and the finch on a freedom all in a short space of time. I would in hindsight just go for the van as we are not hard core off roaders... http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=12950.msg367806#msg367806

[mattz]

To be honest......I wouldn't base my purchase on fuel economy figures.
Have a look at the pros and cons of them both and decide which one will suit your needs more.
Most people only go away a couple of times a year traveling a couple of hundred kms each time. So an extra $50 or so dollars in the tank each way isn't going to make a big difference in the whole scheme of things

But to give you an idea we were getting high teens when we would sit over 100km/hr and it would drop back down to around the 15l/100 when we dropped back to 80-90 kms and hour.
That's towing a full height van weighing over 2T
I usually get around 12-13l/100 when not towing.

I'm not a big one for fuel economy.......when the gauge reads empty I fill her up.

Good luck making your choice.......a van is a lot easier to set up 

[Cozzie]

Yep and here is another, just traded our Jayco Swan OB in on a Jayco Starcraft OB and loving it.

[prodigyrf]

The missus and I faced the same question about 6 months ago after getting the bug again at the cara and camping show and we'd owned a Jayco Dove around 25 yrs ago when the kids were nippers. Me an 02 Commode work ute on gas and her 5 yr old fuel miser, Mitsi Colt, CVT auto shopping trolley. With around 5 yrs to go teaching she still needed a reasonable commuter and I still need the ute but what sort of Toorak tractor would she be comfortable with? What sort of fuel consumption commuting and what sort of outlay to join the usual over powered tractor brigade?

Result of the homework? Sold the Mitsi for $8500 after buying a schmick 2009, 2Litre Suzuki SX4 AWD with auto and cruise control and the works with a mere 35k on the clock from a lady prof going OS. $15,500 plus $650 for the Hayman Reece towbar and then a nice 2003 Dove with Fiamma awning, annexe and extras for $12750. Add my personal touches and whims and fancies and we've still got a total package under $30k. One that gets us anywhere we like in comfort and handles the gravel with the Suzy going solo for those day trips out to the remote sites just like lake Eyre last school hols and the Gawler Ranges these ones. The missus has LSL next year and NW of WA it will be.

So how'd we go doing 2214km from Adelaide to the Gawler Ranges and as far as Lake Gairdner for 9 days? Did all the 4WD tracks around the GR Nat Park and didn't see any of those shiny Toorak Tractors out there. Like the mate with an 09 Platinum Pajero, turbo diesel, 35K on the clock he paid $75k for and wants $45k for now to upgrade and can't get it. He has a big boat he needs to tow occasionally and like us he has the readies for toys. Back to that mighty mouse SX4 I'm more impressed with each trip.

It tows that 1200kg of loaded Dove just fine at 100km/hr on cruise control up the bitumen and with its SWB and small overhangs doesn't need the larger clearance of the LWB Toorak Tractors who are afraid to scratch them anyway so that's why they're in the cara park at Wudinna while we only hit it once in 9 days.  2214km total, some solo and $1.30 to $1.59 a litre for 91 unleaded for a total of $390 or 12.2L/100km (8.2km/L) average, at an average cost of $1.443c/L which meant 17.6c/km.

In 8 yrs time with around 200k on the clock what will the residual value of the Suzy and the Dove be? Who cares but we'll have gone places and done things with that outfit that most won't. And the missus is happy scooting around town in the Suzy for another $15/week in juice compared to the Mitsi. And to get the spaciousness of a Jayco Dove what size van and tug will you need and just who drives the tug around town? You work it out but I'd be the last to deny anyone their 'free' choice. Petrol was $2.30 a litre up at William Creek by the way and I was happy to pay for 20L of their finest 91 ULP at the time.

[D4D]

Buy the configuration that suits you rather than buying on fuel economy. If you were living 24x7 on the road you may worry about fuel economy. 1-2L/100klm of fuel extra on your holiday you're not really going to notice.

BTW if you're looking to buy a Goldstream let me know

[prodigyrf]

What D4D said and also I'd heavily qualify my choice by saying we live in Adelaide and so our choice might also apply if you lived in Perth say. Now if I were Sydney based and humping over those Blue Mountains all the time to get away, then that's when my V6 Commode comes into its own but alas no 4WD. It's when you have to consider a 6cyl 4WD that the overall costs begin to skyrocket. Not just the trips away but burning up an expensive bit of very specialised equipment around town.

[ddr]

Comparing dads car (2006 4.2 Patrol) towing his Jayco Hawk Vs my car (2006 4.2 Patrol) towing a 16' Trakmaster, the fuel difference is approx ~10lt per fill (150-160lt to fill)

[Sickgm]

Thanks for all the replies.... After much debate we ended up with a pop top van. Coromal Corvair 517 Pioneer. Very happy indeed! Was out recently at a caravan park watching a large group of people pack up wet! And I tell you I am glad I went the way I did.

[mattz]

That's the best part......you don't have to plan your pack up around the weather or morning frost.

[WaituiRob]

Congratulations on your new pop top, hope you have lots of enjoyable holidays. I agree about setting and packing up, it`s a real breeze now after packing up in the rain, although we only had to do that once in two and a half years.

Despite my good intentions of keeping track of the fuel consumption on our month long trip to Southern Nsw and Vic in october I didn`t bother doing it. Obviously the GQ used more with the pop top than with the camper but it helps having gas. . Buy converting my fly buys points to a fuel docket 1,000 points = 10 cents litre off + plus the current 8 cents off it really makes a difference.
 Filled up in Taree this week, 20 litres of petrol and 90 litres of gas at 69.9, discount of $19.80 and I used to think fly buys weren`t worthwhile. For anyone travelling north it`s worth going into Taree Shell especially for gas, same day it was 84.9 at the Caltex service centre on the hwy.

Cheers, Robyn.