Autotrail or Auto-Sleeper, what would you buy?

[Markey717]

Hi I have a auto-sleeper 2018Burford with a Mercedes cab with auto,Iam looking at a Autotrail tracker auto 2019.what does forum think on what is the better make etc.i hope you can help me make my mind up.
Regards Mark.

 

[boxtraveller]

From a purely personal viewpoint and never having owned an Autosleeper but have owned an Autotrail.
Autotrail failed catastrophically its third damp check, was repaired but still failed damp check so zero confidence quality of build and quality of repair.
As I say a purely personal point of view but many others have tales of woe re: Autotrails.

 

[Kingham]

I’m biased the other way, never having owned an AT and only having had minor issues in three years of AS ownership, I’d confidently go back to the marque.

 

[tandc]

Hi I am my second new autotrail tracker eks and have only had a few small problems and have never had any damp problems .

 

[KUSKUS]

If your used to a Mercedes auto you might find the Fiat comfortmatic a little challenging , I am not saying its bad but its not in the same league as the Mercedes.
I have owned both.

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[romany]

personally having bought a brand new Auto Trail last year and having nothing but trouble time and time again their customer service is non existent their build quality is non existent which ended with legal action threat from my self and finally having a full refund. I would rather have corona virus than go anywhere near an auto trail the only company that has their own customer dissatisfaction forum

 

[TCG]

Oh Dear.... what a question, lets wait for the anti British manufacturer mob... tin hats on

 

[TCG]

personally having bought a brand new Auto Trail last year and having nothing but trouble time and time again their customer service is non existent their build quality is non existent which ended with legal action threat from my self and finally having a full refund. I would rather have corona virus than go anywhere near an auto trail the only company that has their own customer dissatisfaction forum

Really!!!

 

[Jenka]

The AT certainly seem to sell well ,? Can't be any worse than Elddis!

 

[Pausim]

If your used to a Mercedes auto you might find the Fiat comfortmatic a little challenging , I am not saying its bad but its not in the same league as the Mercedes.
I have owned both.

I have moved from a Mercedes Auto to a Fiat Comformatic without any issues. Took a couple of hours driving to adjust to the differences but not regretting the change. I find the Fiat/Alko chassis better than the Mercedes, less prone to wandering and more comfortable.

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[KUSKUS]

I agree with you on the Fiat Alko chassis much better handling , Mercedes to soft a ride.

 

[romany]

Really!!!

I can tell you even having the legal team I had behind me dealing with these Bs was so distressing and soul destroying really what I'm writing here is very mild to what i'd like to say

 

[TCG]

I can tell you even having the legal team I had behind me dealing with these Bs was so distressing and soul destroying really what I'm writing here is very mild to what i'd like to say

I really feel for you, we had the same with a swift caravan... but my comment was based around your statement that you would rather have coronavirus. i'm sure the unfortunate people who have died of the virus would rather have a leaky autotrail and their life.

 

[TinaLes]

As highlighted on here under the payload thread, is how unfit for purpose some of the AT payloads are, there should as we all know, a law about full disclosure, so that especially"new first time buyers" are not duped into buying a 4/6 birth that is not fit for purpose.
AT are not alone in this by any means, many of the 3500KG vans have insufficient payloads to make them usable for a couple, let alone a family, check out Jims list and findings.
LES

 

[Neckender]

I wouldn’t touch Auto Sleeper with a barge pole after the fiasco I went through with our brand new Broadway 2014 it spent most of the three years we owned it back at the factory with numerous faults.
The final straw was at 2-1/2 years old the offside rear was riddled with 45% damp, we had it repaired under warranty and got rid of the thing good riddance to it, it got that bad that when we opened the curtains in a morning we hated it with a vengance.

John.

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[Jenka]

I can tell you even having the legal team I had behind me dealing with these Bs was so distressing and soul destroying really what I'm writing here is very mild to what i'd like to say

So why not say it ?

 

[TheBig1]

Having bought and sold vans of all ages and marques over the years, I would say never buy an autotrail newer than about 2005 or an autosleeper. Just awful build quality with woefully inadequate customer services when not if they need major repairs. Autotrail in particular usually need more work to rectify than makes them profitable

 

[thebriars]

Why just Autotrail or Autosleeper?

 

[Jenka]

Having bought and sold vans of all ages and marques over the years, I would say never buy an autotrail newer than about 2005 or an autosleeper. Just awful build quality with woefully inadequate customer services when not if they need major repairs. Autotrail in particular usually need more work to rectify than makes them profitable

So why are they so popular there's at least 10 on the site I'm on in Spain

 

[TheBig1]

So why are they so popular there's at least 10 on the site I'm on in Spain

never underestimate the power of marketing, they look lovely, just badly built and no back up

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[Stretto Boy]

We have owned an AutoSleepers FB for three years and it is lovely. Although we are about to trade it in for a Carthago that is only because we want an A class. If AS made an A class we would be very interested in having one. The only things that have gone wrong with our van are items made by Truma and Thetford, so you can’t blame AS for that.

When we bought our van we were also interested in an AT and a Bailey with the same layout. We bought the AS because - in our opinion - it had the best build quality of the three.

 

[TinaLes]

We have owned an AutoSleepers FB for three years and it is lovely. Although we are about to trade it in for a Carthago that is only because we want an A class. If AS made an A class we would be very interested in having one. The only things that have gone wrong with our van are items made by Truma and Thetford, so you can’t blame AS for that.

When we bought our van we were also interested in an AT and a Bailey with the same layout. We bought the AS because - in our opinion - it had the best build quality of the three.

I may be biased, but comparing a Carthago with any British van is like comparing chalk & cheese.
The main difference apart from price's is that Carthago do not employ workers on peace work, and they are not scared to offer option packs as extras.
Any German vehicle has option packs, this helps the basic RRP look comparable with other continental brands.
British vans come with a lot of these options as standard, so as to make us think you get more for your money, but at the end of the day its all about knock em out in vast numbers to the home, mainly ex caravaner market (like us), for the biggest profits, which as we know, are not re-invested for bad market conditions, so many lay offs in lean times.

I dont have say "enjoy your van" as I know you will, and for a very long time I hope.
LES

 

[Pausim]

We have owned an AutoSleepers FB for three years and it is lovely. Although we are about to trade it in for a Carthago that is only because we want an A class. If AS made an A class we would be very interested in having one. The only things that have gone wrong with our van are items made by Truma and Thetford, so you can’t blame AS for that.

When we bought our van we were also interested in an AT and a Bailey with the same layout. We bought the AS because - in our opinion - it had the best build quality of the three.

I have had an AS in the past, I now have a Carthago. I think you will be very pleased with the quality of your new motorhome.

 

[Jenka]

I have had an AS in the past, I now have a Carthago. I think you will be very pleased with the quality of your new motorhome.

Just to be fair carthago have a reputation for taking their time on warranty claims so not all sunshine !

 

[romany]

I really feel for you, we had the same with a swift caravan... but my comment was based around your statement that you would rather have coronavirus. i'm sure the unfortunate people who have died of the virus would rather have a leaky autotrail and their life.

Please allow for the anger the very mention of auto trail raises otherwise point taken I'm afraid

So why not say it ?

has the same effect probably worse that case went all the way to court before they paid out they and their solicitors thought it was funny and a lesson to anyone else who tried to take them on, That was before they received another court summons for compensation they weren't laughing at the end of that

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[Beltie]

A well known Carthago dealer said to me, "great vans pity about the company". I have had similar comments from other 'professionals'. Their reputation for customer service is appalling.

 

[Pausim]

A well known Carthago dealer said to me, "great vans pity about the company". I have had similar comments from other 'professionals'. Their reputation for customer service is appalling.

Just as well it is so rarely needed. I have not experienced any problems yet.

 

[Lanerboy]

I have a friend who had an auto sleeper and my brother had a brand new autotrail after hearing both their horror stories regards water leaks, poor customer service, really poor build quality etc etc i would never ever buy either of these brands

 

[Googlebot]

I think it depends if you are lucky. We had 2 new Bailey caravans, both were a bit below par but were fixed eventually.

They either leak or they don’t, alas that’s what matters.

Having now had a Hymer, I would never buy British again.

 

[CazPaul]

Having bought and sold vans of all ages and marques over the years, I would say never buy an autotrail newer than about 2005 or an autosleeper. Just awful build quality with woefully inadequate customer services when not if they need major repairs. Autotrail in particular usually need more work to rectify than makes them profitable

Yes , some of the old Autotrails were decent vans, up to 2005 ish.

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