This listing is for the A'Van Aspire Hardtop 400/500-600 Series. For the original A'Van 500 & 600 Hardtop Series, please click here.
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A'van Aspire Hardtop Series (page 3 of 3)
400 Series, 500 Series, 600 SeriesReviewer Photos & Videos
hughCastlemaine Vic.
- 2 reviews
- 3 likes
Minor issues
We purchased our 499ht in 2013 and have traveled over 16000km to Darwin the west coast Perth and back to Victoria. All that time we have had no trouble. We did make a few minor alterations such as under sling the axel because we found the clearance between the top of the tyres and the wheel arch was very small when legal load is carried.
We did also experience water ingress in front window but this can be fixed very simply by adjusting the cam setting on the window latches. With the bed up against the wall making it is a pain. But if you can put up with a small van then I would say it is for price the best value for money available on the market today. Happy caravaning!
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Aspire 525 Leaking front window
We bought our 2011 Aspire a few weeks ago and loved it until today - Heavy rain and it leaked quite badly in the front window- now need to try and work out how to stop the leak before it damages everything.
We also changed the Prostor awning after reading other reviews about them not lasting in strong winds.
1 comment
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x_pacAU
- 4 reviews
Aspire series
Well where do I start upon looking at van in yard was impressed with it listened to all the spin sales person was telling me seemed to know hat he was taking about.After picking van up that's when things got difficult with dealer.
I would ring dealer leave msg ring again no answer ring 3rd time have to leave msg finally got on to some one only to be told sales person is away sick and would get him to contact me when he is back at work.no phone call after 3 weeks so I call again and was left on hold 15 mins .
some things have been fixed but not at all happy.
easy to tow with my 4b4
things that need fixing not fixed(fly screen jams leaking hand pump 3 doors hard to close condensasion in boot dealer) says all is ok
5 comments
AvanA'van
HI x_pac
could you please advise who your purchasing dealer is and we and take up you complaint with them.
[email protected]
the dealer is at penrith
As before the dealer is at PENRITH NSW.
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Find out how A'van Aspire Hardtop Series compares to other Caravans
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PilkoTownsville
We love it
We bought an A-Van Aspire 499 HT through A-Van Brisbane, at the Brisbane Caravan Show in late 2012, we live in Townsville North Queensland which is 1368 km away by road for those who think it is just outside Brisbane. (Don't laugh some people are that geographically challenged). We didn't pick it up until June 2013, so we have had it now nearly 12 months.
The design & weight & price were perfect for us, it had most of the features we wanted, built in battery & charger, shower & toilet, awning & outside table fitted to the side of the van
It ...Read more
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MikeSydney
Great Caravan
We are experienced caravanners and wanted to trade up to a light, reliable, dirt road capable van with a shower and toilet, that would keep its price when we eventually came to sell it.
Over the years we have previously had an Avan fold up camper (too small for us) and also a Avan pop top and we had not any problems and even got nearly all our cost back on selling
We looked at many makes (some of the salesmen are incredibly bad, several ignored or were condescending to my wife, that's a big mistake, others didn't know their products etc ...Read more
etc) anyway we got down to a final choice between Jayco and the Avan and after such good previous experience we stuck with Avan and also because the Avan we liked has a front opening boot and that's a lot more practical for us than a side opening boot. We went to the Penrith Avan dealer, we got a reasonable trade in and then to sell us they threw in a whole lot of the optional extras at no extra costs so we bought from them. We got an Avan Aspire 563 Adventure Pack because its light, its got all the bits we want and its capable of going over any dirt road we are likely to use. We didn't want a caravan capable of bush bashing, that just means extra weight and extra costs both purchasing and towing costs and towing in really rough terrain is not our idea of much fun.7 comments
Hi, since writing our review, we have found a problem with our new Avan Aspire, we have twice had night time major insect invasions coming in over the top of the sliding door, so severe we had to go o... Read more
utside, turn on exterior lights and turn off the interior lights and just wait.. It seems that the insects saw the inside light, landed on the screen door and just came in over the top. There is a gap there where the door slides. We asked Avan for help but all they have offered is to replace the door with another of the same, it seems reasonable to think that if its the same door then we will have the same troubles. The door also jams when we are in dusty areas, its a Adventure Pack model so naturally we go in dusty areas, the door should work to stop insects and should not jam. We are really surprised to have any problems, like we said in the review, its our third Avan and first time we have had any problem that Avan hasn't promptly fixed. That's really surprising.AvanA'van
HI Mike,
It sounds like there may be a problem with the fitting or alignment of you screen door,
please feel free to contact our customer service department and we will have this problem inspected and fixed as soon as possible for you.
Hi Avan
I have contacted Avan both Sydney and Melbourne and have been offered a door service or another of the same as a replacement door, while that's appreciated I will likely get the same problems... Read more
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Mark435AU
- 3 reviews
- 3 likes
Value for money Avan Aspire HT 499
We not long ago bought the Avan Aspire HT 499 with adventure pack. We love the van and the budget was right for us. General speaking from my experience you always get what you pay for! The AVAN for us is exactly what we wanted, covered all the bases without the too hefty price tag. I believe that when purchasing a caravan of any brand you have to consider how far away you local dealer is and look at the review of your local dealer, as to how they deal with warranty issues!
With the Aspire, we have found that the toilet stopped working, afte...Read more
r researching the Thetford toilet has a 3amp fuse hidden inside after removing the cassette, however this fuse was OK, there was also a 3amp fuse under the bed which had blown, which also runs a few of the lights! After replacing that one with a 5amp fuse have had no probelms! Also minor design fault, that the door to the van if leaving open and clipped back on the van, does not allow the window above the sink to be opened ( does not worry us too much), and also covers the two vents for the airflow for the fridge! ( once when we were using LPG for the fridge and had the door open all day, it appeared to heat up a bit, but we just closed the door and the temperature around the fridge enclosure reduced fine! Lastly the Adventure pack towball height was mounted to the bottom of the drawbar, which for me with a lifted Prado, was way too low. I have purchase 40mm thick steel billet, drilled holes, fitted longer bolts to raise a bit for my vehicle, if you owned a normal sedan the height is probably OK but if you have a remotely high towball mount you will probably need to raise also! With Avan, we are really happy, Compact, light weight, VAN! I would recommend having that desire to fix minor things yourself if buying an AVAN, ( being a tinkerer like me). We love it exactly what we wanted! Inexpensive new Van, Minor things may need attentionSimilar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Ken - Qldbrisbane
- 4 reviews
Good value for money
We bought our Aspire 525 pop top at last years Brisbane show and picked it up at the beginning of 2013. Its a good value for money van and we have done a few trips in it now and are extremely happy with it. Yes there are a few cosmetic things but i wouldnt call them issues and lets face it, you are going to get those with anything these days - pencil marks on some of the doors where they have been marked for the holes for the handles but you dont notice them unless you really look hard. In fact it shows that they are hand made and not mass prod...Read more
uced. Some of the edge beading on the timber inside is a bit mis aligned and the trim around the inside of the front boot is coming loose which can be fixed with some silicone or liquid nails but in my opinion, its a great van and we find it does what we want. Its a good layout with plenty of storage space inside. There are options for where to mount the spare wheel. We had the spare wheel mounted on the rear - it could have gone in the front boot but that takes up valuable storage space in the boot and puts alot of weight over the draw bar. The van tows really well. We bought an after market mattress as we just couldnt get comfortable in the factory supplied foam mattress and it seems that most of the new vans come with similar mattresses. The Coromal Camper Trailer that we had previously had similar mattresses. A Van converted the table which collapses to make a small bed/or day bed which is good for lounging out and watching the TV. I installed some conduits underneath to store the waste pipe so it doesnt contaminate everything i put in the front boot and we bought a shade cloth for the side of the roll out awning. The only criticism's are that the curtains are not really curtains - they just look like curtains and are there to frame the inside of the windows. This means that although the van has fly screens, you can still see in from outside at night if the lights are on. Better to be able to close the flyscreens and the curtains but leave the window open to get some breeze. Another thing to look out for is that when you open the locker underneath the seat, which has a big long door so potential so store some big items, the opening is blocked by the water tank filler pipe that goes right across the middle of the opening which renders the locker practically useless. It may be just this model and i suppose it makes it easy to maintain if necessary. Theres plenty of other storage space and in fact we have not been able to fill all the cupboards anyway. We picked the van up from the Caloundra dealer on Nicklin Way. The hand over service was excellent and they explained how everything worked and even drove me around the block to make sure we had the brake controller set up correctly. If you are looking for a good value for money van, the A Van is well worth a look. Layout, value for money, service on pick up, tows great, good size. Nothing that would stop us buying another one but if i have to put something here, it would be that the curtains are not really curtains.1 comment
Had the van 9 months now and so far so good. The only problem that we have had was with the Prostor awning where one of the aluminium castings which attach the pole to the roll out part of the awning ... Read more
broke whilst we sat underneath it having a coffee. I like the Prostor awning and the way it all rolls up into the casing. Its easy to roll out and erect and to put away again, but they dont appear to be very strong. I dismantled it myself and got onto the dealer on the Sunshine Coast. They were helpful and i didnt want to go to the trouble of taking the van to them, then going back to pick it up, so we agreed that they would just supply the part and i would fit it. Due to a lack of communication, the wrong part was initially supplied, but i got onto the manufacturer and between AVan and the dealer on the Sunshine Coast, the right part was supplied and i fitted it myself. Problem fixed and the aftercare service has been very good.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
RP tasHobart, TAS
- 6 reviews
Excellent van but poor worksmanship
We left Hobart and collected our van from the factory in Oct. 2012 as previously arranged but it was not ready. The only problem found externally has been a very loose boot surround but the internal has glue smears in several areas, exposed pencil marks, broken seat top (under cushion), plastic trim twisted, broken and not following the contour of the cupboards at floor and ceiling, drawer falling off tracks, cupboard doors not aligned and jamming, microwave poorly fitted within cutout, bed framing loose.
Our excellent Tasmanian Dealer has...Read more
repaired a few problems and I have also sorted a few but most issues are cosmetic and cannot be "repaired". I cannot remove the glue and pencil marks as the thin paper veneer will not stand too much rubbing or chemicals. I contacted Avan management after our shakedown trip in early November but they have totally ignored my correspondence, I have sent a further letter in January but don't expect a reply. We love the van but there are so many cosmetic defects caused by poor quality control that it feels like a reasonable second hand van. Very disappointed. Design, compact size with ensuite, looks good, easy clean aluminium Poor worksmanship and warranty service4 comments
We brought one in Nov quality control very very poor. Total ignored contact.How are they allowed to get away with this. Victoria
I bought an Aspire 2 years ago and there is no after sales support with this mob. Had a warranty issue denied and absolutely no correspondence by Avan what so everr Even wrote to their head office, no... Read more
reply. Will not buy a van from this mob!!! cheersi Agree i picked up my Aspire 525 in November last year(2013) from dealer in Penrith.Had to wait 4 weeks for the 2nd key and still waiting on weather flap for the anex (the bit that goes along the bot... Read more
tom of van and covers wheels ect) which was NOT supplied when we picked up van.rang them on 23rd DEC 2013 and they have not bothered to contack me to let me know what the go is.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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4.2(17)Questions & Answers
Susanne W.asked
Hello, is there a water gauge on the Avan Aspire 555? We’re about to head away with our new van and can’t find one. Thank you.
2 answers
A Projecta system console was included in the 555 from about mid 2022. Earlier vans I believe did not have this feature. The console shows house battery charge, starter battery charge when the car is hooked up, fresh water tank level and waste water when grey water tanks are included. I wouldn’t get too disappointed if your caravan does not have a water level indicator as our one is a bit hit and miss. One day it will show 50% and the next day 75% then up to 100%. Its all over the place and talking to other caravanners they all say much the same regardless of the brand of caravan. I know when I am getting very low on tank water when the water pump starts making a different sound.
Thank you for your reply. Great to know. Ours is a December 2018 model so it answers our question. Thanks again.
SurferMVasked
Hi everyone, have just ordered a hardtop 499 aspire double. Not sure whether to get underslung axle for more clearance height or if people are happy with the overslung axle height? Pros for underslung is more clearance. Cons, higher centre of gravity. Tow vehicle is 100 series cruiser (no lift)
No answers
RustyGateasked
Does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 2020 Avan Aspire 555-1 HT?
No answers
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judenruss
We had to get the front clearance lights sealed as there was NO sealer at all around them .The window seal was in upside down and the join was at the bottom under the latch so it leaked as well.The p... Read more
op top corners had small leaks - not enough sealer in them either -.All good now though. The pop top lifter at the fron was pulling through the roof as the springs in the cross supports are VERY stiff so had to plate and rescrew from the inside -Be awre of these issues if looking at an Aspire 525 - other than that we are very happy with how it tows as well as the storage and layout .