Adria Matrix Matrix 520 ST (1 Viewer)

[marchie]

After losing the T60 earlier this week, we're now thinking about an Adria 520 Matrix ST 2 berth [the successor to the 590SG]. If anyone has bought, used, seen or has any experience of the Brand and Model, we would love to hear, before we are tempted to 'splash the cash'! An advantage of the Adria is the presence of a Main Agent in Scotland, within an hour's drive, so servicing/warranty claims etc will be much easier to accommodate.

TIA

Steve & Elaine

 

[Minxy]

I have no knowledge of the MH but don't assume that the agent nearer you will do any work on it if you don't buy it from them, unfortunately it's not the same as cars where you can take them to any 'same make' dealer who will happily do the work, many MH places won't touch those sold by others even if they are dealers for the same manufacturer.

 

[IRHP]

Happy with the brand so far. Sorry can't answer anything specific about the model. There is a group on facebook called "Adria Motorhome Owners" you might get answers about the model there.

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[Phill D]

We have an Adria, good build quality and would buy another tomorrow if I had the funds.

 

[marchie]

I have no knowledge of the MH but don't assume that the agent nearer you will do any work on it if you don't buy it from them, unfortunately it's not the same as cars where you can take them to any 'same make' dealer who will happily do the work, many MH places won't touch those sold by others even if they are dealers for the same manufacturer.

Sorry, Minxy, I may have caused confusion! The T60 m/home that we lost earlier this week was with a Dealer in England. The Adria is with the local Dealer in Scotland, so only 36 miles each way for servicing/recalls etc.

Steve & Elaine

 

[marchie]

Update: Not long back from a 2.5 hours viewing of the Adria, doing a mini role play of the daily living activities, to make sure that, on a wet weekend in Forfar, we have enough space and comfort without going stir crazy! I mention Forfar, because we spent just such a wet weekend in Gobby the Gobur Folding Caravan and became very aware of the very limited storage space for our 'breakout' low energy toaster bought from Asda Forfar on the Friday evening. I thought I had juggled the space allowance for the Toaster [fruit loaf snack] with the Remoska [casserole cooking for Dinner], until I smelled the burning plastic.

The Toaster now sports a permanent toothless rictus grin after the Remoska melted a good chunk of the Cold Wall plastic outer. Gap is big enough to get 3 fingers in to touch the toasting surfaces if you need to check whether it's working ...

The 'quick look' of the Adria has now become a wee bit more serious ... At least we avoided the 'Look, it's got x, and y is really lovely' emotional response. The sheer cost and our lack of m/home experience/knowledge meant that the viewing was a very subdued, serious affair. Big decision to make now!

Thanks for all the replies and opinions!

Steve & Elaine

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[rolosroller]

Nice van

 

[marchie]

Nice van

Thank you so much for posting that vlog. The personal view on likes/dislikes was very informative and also showed us a couple of features that we had missed during our inspection, including the socket in the tv cupboard. We won't be using a TV, so a wee 4 socket plug bar and 2 USB charger sockets will be good for phones, leaving 2 sockets for toothbrush chargers. There is also a socket on the passenger side of the m/h, hidden behind the curtain. And, for charging ebikes etc, the garage has a 240v socket, a 10 amp cigarette lighter socket and 2 USB chargers.

There are space & weight compromises, but we have a very tight storage pitch, and with the bike rack fitting within the rear wall indent, there is about 15cm, or more, saving on overhang [bikes won't stay on the rack in storage]. Upholstery is very comfortable and firm and the living space is surprisingly generous. As long as we don't repeat last year's stunt of buying 26 packs of coffee and some 13-16 packs of chocolate biscuits [special Launch Offer], we should be able to manage!

Steve & Elaine

 

[moho2beer]

We’ve not long bought one though haven’t been anywhere in it yet other than the driveway.

It’s a well finished motorhome, ideal for two though does sleep 4. There’s not a lot of storage space, though that’s to be expected in a sub 6m van.

Any questions, don’t hesitate.

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[marchie]

We’ve not long bought one though haven’t been anywhere in it yet other than the driveway.

It’s a well finished motorhome, ideal for two though does sleep 4. There’s not a lot of storage space, though that’s to be expected in a sub 6m van.

Any questions, don’t hesitate.

We don't even have a drive! Might have to go exotic and drive the Adria to the Leisure Centre Car Park, overlooking the Firth of Forth, a journey of about 500 metres. Or, we could just walk across the Links to the Firth of Forth beach, and reduce the journey to 100 metres each way!

Serious discussions over the weekend before we take the plunge! Hope to return and pick your brains!

Steve & Elaine

 

[Minxy]

Just been having a shuftie at it here, looks a very nice MH and I love the ingenious step up to the bed!

Highbridge Caravan Centre Ltd.

www.highbridgecaravans.co.uk

 

[TinaLes]

Adria seems to be a good reliable make, I haven't heard of any major problems, or damp issues etc.
Yes there will be compromises in most 6 mtr vans, but having said that they are more easily usable in car parks, and having a garage is a god send.
I reckon we could fit both our folding E bikes with 21" wheels inside that garage, and still have room for collapsible chairs and table. Much safer than having them on a rack outside, especially if they are expensive ones, albeit insured, they are very much sought after, so very nickable.
I wish the demo lady had spent a bit more time in setting up the lower bed, as it didn't look like the table covered in the whole area to support the cushions, maybe there is a pull out bit under the side cushion, there normally is.
The Gas locker is very usable also, 2 refillable gas bottles should fit in there easily. Check if there is a spare wheel available, an essential item in my mind, underslung would save on internal storage, we had to buy ours seperately.

Ask about a Cat 1Alarm & tracker, German vans dont normally come to the UK with those fitted, so you may not get insured if you dont have these with certain companies, maybe get those thrown in as part of the overall deal.
Ask about a 3 year habitation & damp check deal, we managed to get one with our van, plus the 1st and second year engine service all in.

Nice van, The extra packs are worth the money, and can be added to should you need anything else in the future.
Best wishes.
LES

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[marchie]

Ask about a Cat 1Alarm & tracker, German vans dont normally come to the UK with those fitted, so you may not get insured if you dont have these with certain companies, maybe get those thrown in as part of the overall deal.
Ask about a 3 year habitation & damp check deal, we managed to get one with our van, plus the 1st and second year engine service all in.

Nice van, The extra packs are worth the money, and can be added to should you need anything else in the future.
Best wishes.
LES

Thanks, Les, that's very useful.

The m/h is a 2020 model with 8 miles on the clock and the dealer has knocked £2k off the List Price [just found a 2021 model at another Dealer and the price has risen from last year's £60,850 [incl Luxury Packs] to £62,730, so if we miss this one, we'll need to stump up a lot of extra cash!

Cat 1 Alarm will be for us to pay, and we've added it to the Purchase. Dealer has offered 50% discount on Bike Rack & Solar Panel, so the Package overall seems decent.

1 Question, if I may. The Heating System is a Combi 4E, which I understand to operate both Heating and Hot Water, without needing EHU [The Control Panel in the m/h had been removed to be refitted on another m/h pending delivery of a replacement]. So, if we are wild camping or sleeping on Dieppe Docks waiting for the early morning ferry, we should be able to switch to gas and stay warm & have hot water for washing?

Cheers

Steve & Elaine

 

[marchie]

Check if there is a spare wheel available, an essential item in my mind, underslung would save on internal storage, we had to buy ours seperately.

Best wishes.
LES

Sorry, Les, missed replying to the spare tyre point earlier [brain fade]. There is no spare wheel, it's the gunk goo can and hope! Even though it's an Adria rather than a Sun Living model, everything has been pared down to save weight and squeeze as much as possible into a small m/h without making it claustrophobic. It's the 'compromise' word again [about every other sentence!]. The shower 'screen' is another compromise that looks a wee bit flimsy; more of a shower curtain with ideas beyond its station rather than a screen, and a coupl of the pleats are a wee bit 'open' when the pleats are in the closed position.

These are the things we needto chat over at length before we decide on the purchase.

Steve & Elaine

 

[TinaLes]

1 Question, if I may. The Heating System is a Combi 4E, which I understand to operate both Heating and Hot Water, without needing EHU [The Control Panel in the m/h had been removed to be refitted on another m/h pending delivery of a replacement]. So, if we are wild camping or sleeping on Dieppe Docks waiting for the early morning ferry, we should be able to switch to gas and stay warm & have hot water for washing?

Cheers

Steve & Elaine

Yes Steve your Truma Combi will heat both hot water & heating via either 240V mains, or LPG Gas, if its a Combi 4E, which the lady demonstrating in the video did mention. Sometimes German vans are imported with just the Combi 4 without the E, meaning it can only heat water/heating with Gas not electric. I know it sounds mad but some do this to save on cost and it would seem the Europeans aren't fussed about having electric hobs/microwave ovens, or heating on electric.
If your dealer is offering you 2K off the window price., and a new 2021 one is 2K above that, then you are assuming that 4K overall is a good deal, which it is. We noticed early on that 4K off list price, especially at the large shows like The NEC, was the starting bid from most dealers.
Being a Scot myself, I still think there is room for a little more negotiation, as they have already registered the van to clear it off their books.
Push for a 3 year service deal, they may say, yes as it keeps all parties in regular touch with each other.
Good luck, happy travels.
LES

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[IRHP]

Thanks, Les, that's very useful.

The m/h is a 2020 model with 8 miles on the clock and the dealer has knocked £2k off the List Price [just found a 2021 model at another Dealer and the price has risen from last year's £60,850 [incl Luxury Packs] to £62,730, so if we miss this one, we'll need to stump up a lot of extra cash!

Cat 1 Alarm will be for us to pay, and we've added it to the Purchase. Dealer has offered 50% discount on Bike Rack & Solar Panel, so the Package overall seems decent.

1 Question, if I may. The Heating System is a Combi 4E, which I understand to operate both Heating and Hot Water, without needing EHU [The Control Panel in the m/h had been removed to be refitted on another m/h pending delivery of a replacement]. So, if we are wild camping or sleeping on Dieppe Docks waiting for the early morning ferry, we should be able to switch to gas and stay warm & have hot water for washing?

Cheers

Steve & El

There is quite a delay on new Adria models so they may have you over a barrel on price.

 

[moho2beer]

Thanks, Les, that's very useful.

The m/h is a 2020 model with 8 miles on the clock and the dealer has knocked £2k off the List Price [just found a 2021 model at another Dealer and the price has risen from last year's £60,850 [incl Luxury Packs] to £62,730, so if we miss this one, we'll need to stump up a lot of extra cash!

Cat 1 Alarm will be for us to pay, and we've added it to the Purchase. Dealer has offered 50% discount on Bike Rack & Solar Panel, so the Package overall seems decent.

1 Question, if I may. The Heating System is a Combi 4E, which I understand to operate both Heating and Hot Water, without needing EHU [The Control Panel in the m/h had been removed to be refitted on another m/h pending delivery of a replacement]. So, if we are wild camping or sleeping on Dieppe Docks waiting for the early morning ferry, we should be able to switch to gas and stay warm & have hot water for washing?

Cheers

Steve & Elaine

Have you had a look at BC Motorhomes in Ayr? They have an Adria Compact Plus SLS at £52,995 that’s well discounted. May be worth a look? Very similar to the Matrix though with an unusual bit at the back that extends out. Clever idea.

Callum the owner is a very helpful and straight talking guy. We bought our 520 there and I would recommend talking to them.

 

[marchie]

Have you had a look at BC Motorhomes in Ayr? They have an Adria Compact Plus SLS at £52,995 that’s well discounted. May be worth a look? Very similar to the Matrix though with an unusual bit at the back that extends out. Clever idea.

Callum the owner is a very helpful and straight talking guy. We bought our 520 there and I would recommend talking to them.

Thanks, moho. Had a look at the SLS, but worried about the durability of the awning cover over the extension if the wind gets up during the night [add your own punchline ...]. Also, Elaine said,'Imagine being in the [overnight] ferry queue, parked up, the next car arrives behind you, the passenger gets out to stretch their legs, walks between the back of the m/home& the front of the car and gets an earful of extending bed in his/her head! Creates an image in a Tom & Jerry sort of way!

Steve