Just Browsing Expanda selection

[Andy&Sar]

Hi All,

We're new to the forum and hopefully soon to be Expanda owners. We're thinking a used 18' or 20' to accomodate our family of five plus the ring-ins who tend tag along these days.

My question is what model year represents the best price and spec trade off? It seems the MY14 expandas are a big jump forward from the MY13s in terms of features. Any major improvements in spec from 2014 - current? And finally is there a place on the forum with old Jayco sales brochures. I have managed to get a 2013 sales brochure online and already have the 2016 brochure from last year but I'd love to get the 2014 and 2015 versions.

Any suggestions or tips for a new owner would be appreciated.

Andrew

 

[bigcol]

welcome to the forum @Andy&Sar

I would be biased if I didnt say I love the 2013 16.49.1 Expanda I have - and is the greatest model made - hahaha

thats a good point about the sales brochure, something maybe the Mods may want to have a look at -

tips and suggestions

well, where to start :-

do you free camp or Park stay
what sort of tow vehicle do you have
what is the age range of your tribe
how often to you see yourself hooking up and going away
have you a definitive size you are after 17', 18', 20' ect

 

[Macca_75]

http://web.archive.org/web/20130306001544/http://www.jayco.com.au/?noflash=true

takes a while to load, but you get the idea. Just choose the point in time you want the website to represent.

 

[Andy&Sar]

Thanks Macca75. I'm not sure by what Black magic time machine you can link me through the Jayco website of the past but I really appreciate it. I can now do a thorough review of the MY13, 14 and 15 and work out which one will suit.

Bigcol, thanks for the welcome!!
The vanpark, free camp split is about 50/50 for us.
The tug is a new Pajero Sport which we are loving so far.
Tribe is 7, 12 and 13 and they are on the tall side - we're thinking full size beds for all are in order.
We get away often and just short trips - 2 maybe 3 hours from Adelaide. We have more coastline within 3 hours per capita here than anywhere in Australia so we're leveraging that while the kids are still young
We're reasonable set on an 18' or 20', knowing that the 20' will be at the upper end of the 3.1t towing of the Paj but as I said we don't go far.
We're obviously thinking used but really it can be a split decision in the van market, so I'm looking at the threads were people have gone down the new path.

Wish list,
extended draw bar
larger fridge
inner spring matresses
solar or at least pre wiring

I'm thinking every thing else I can retro fit??

 

[bigcol]

I hate being a "Neigh sayer" but - dont forget, the Paj towball weight to get your 3.1T has to be less than 150kgs (I think it is....... @Bushman )

so you may be limited to your size.........

apart from that - (now that I have annoyed you with a minor technicality) - back to business

extended draw bar - with luck a 2nd hand one may have -
larger fridge - again, 2nd hand depends on original buyer -
inner spring matresses - they are inner spring, just the silly design they had for the end beds make them a pain
solar or at least pre wiring - from about 2012-13 they were all mostly pre-wired for solar, not with Regulators ect - but the cable allocation

again, 2nd hand will be hard to fine the fittings you want - but you can specify on a new Van

I had not seen many vans post 2011 (when we were looking) that did not have solar installed
very few 2nd had vans we looked at had the extended draw bar (why not.........?)
as I said, the end beds (Queen & Double) ARE inner spring - just the stupid bed design
and the larger fridge, well, 2nd had thats a pot luck kind of thing

 

[bigcol]

I hate being a "Neigh sayer" but - dont forget, the Paj towball weight to get your 3.1T has to be less than 150kgs (I think it is....... @Bushman )

so you may be limited to your size.........

apart from that - (now that I have annoyed you with a minor technicality) - back to business

extended draw bar - with luck a 2nd hand one may have -
larger fridge - again, 2nd hand depends on original buyer -
inner spring matresses - they are inner spring, just the silly design they had for the end beds make them a pain
solar or at least pre wiring - from about 2012-13 they were all mostly pre-wired for solar, not with Regulators ect - but the cable allocation

again, 2nd hand will be hard to fine the fittings you want - but you can specify on a new Van

I had not seen many vans post 2011 (when we were looking) that did not have solar installed
very few 2nd had vans we looked at had the extended draw bar (why not.........?)
as I said, the end beds (Queen & Double) ARE inner spring - just the stupid bed design
and the larger fridge, well, 2nd had thats a pot luck kind of thing

 

[Bushman]

I hate being a "Neigh sayer" but - dont forget, the Paj towball weight to get your 3.1T has to be less than 150kgs (I think it is....... @Bushman )

so you may be limited to your size.........

apart from that - (now that I have annoyed you with a minor technicality) - back to business

extended draw bar - with luck a 2nd hand one may have -
larger fridge - again, 2nd hand depends on original buyer -
inner spring matresses - they are inner spring, just the silly design they had for the end beds make them a pain
solar or at least pre wiring - from about 2012-13 they were all mostly pre-wired for solar, not with Regulators ect - but the cable allocation

again, 2nd hand will be hard to fine the fittings you want - but you can specify on a new Van

I had not seen many vans post 2011 (when we were looking) that did not have solar installed
very few 2nd had vans we looked at had the extended draw bar (why not.........?)
as I said, the end beds (Queen & Double) ARE inner spring - just the stupid bed design
and the larger fridge, well, 2nd had thats a pot luck kind of thing

Nah @bigcol normally you would be correct RE the PJ have the reduced ball weight which is 180kg , however in this case the tug is the new Pajero Sport which has Max tow 3.1 ton with the usual 300kg ball, however he will need to me very aware of the GCM (gross combined mass) which is only 5400kg for the PJ Sport as apposed to the 6030 kg of it's big brother PJ, we've looked at the Sport, but if we maxed our van out to the ATM of 2.7 we'd be way over. As it is at moment we run just over the 2.5 and struggle in with ball weight
While the PJ sport is a nice vehicle it think that smaller engine as a long term tow vehicle with heavy van might not be a good option, but as you know most mid size vehicles are down sizing to smaller engines to meet new emissions regs
My mate has just gone to a Sport after trading his PJ and is towing 21 ft van, no feed back on that yet has he's still getting the vehicle sorted for towing.

 

[Andy&Sar]

Thanks Bigcol. Sound like I might need to be patient in the second hand market or just bite the bullet and put a big smile on the face of my local Jayco dealer. Bushman is correct on the Paj Spt vs big brother Paj. We had the big brother before this one and it was such a good thing I had to test the Paj Spt when upgrading. I've had Landcruisers, a Hilux, Pajero (which did 2 trips up through the middle and did not skip a beat in 4 years) and the Paj Spt has really impressed me. We've been towing a 2.5t boat all summer and it's a great tow rig. The rear axle seems to handle the weight really well and the 8 speed trans makes the whole package just hum. With a kerb mass of 2.1t I'm way under the 5040kg ATM. Bushman you have me worried that I'm reading the specs wrong. The Paj Spt has a kerb mass of 2.1 and your van fully loaded is 2.7 so that's 4.8 which leave 600kg for bodies and stuff in the car before you hit the ATM. Please tell me I'm reading this correctly!

It's a sample size of one, but I've been pleasantly surprised with the PS as a tow vehicle and if it's as trouble free as it's bigger brother was I'll be very happy indeed.

 

[bigcol]

thanks @Bushman unfortunately, I have not been following the Pajero saga as such, hence why I tagged you....

but, that is good to know that the new Sport model is not hassled like the big brother
curious though

 

[Andy&Sar]

So after reviewing the sales material from the last 5 years it seems like 2015-2017 Expandas all have a very similar level of spec and options. The 2014 gained J Tec suspension on the Outback and an interior styling upgrade so this was the most recent significant model year development. I think we'll narrow the search down to a >2015 18' or 20' and just hope for an extended draw bar and large fridge. Thanks for the input. I've copied my notes below comparing one MY to the next. Hopefully this will be useful for other members looking to upgrade.


MY14 over MY13

J Tec suspension std on Outback

Integrated LED strip light to awning std

Solar pre wire std on all models (prev. just Outback)

Double glazed windows with in built roller blinds

Interior styling upgrade – updated selections and delete rubber backed curtains and pelmets


MY15 over MY14

120w solar system std on Outback

ALKO ESC std on caravan

Option for larger fridge

Roof air on selected layouts


MY16 over MY15

Larger fridge std


MY17 over MY16

JHub controller option – delete Drifter LED option

150W solar system option

Roof mounted air on all models other than 14’ and 16’

 

[bigcol]

just to throw a spanner in your works - because I can -

you do know the J-Tec suspension make the Van heavier than the 2013 model the same with beam axle.......

I think it was @dagree who was saying that his 2014 that he brought had the older 2013 chassis (with the beam axles) and was lighter than the same with the J-tec

I can understand independent suspension on a car / 4wd, but could never understand why on a Van - the wheels are too close together

anyway...............

 

[dagree]

I think it was @dagree who was saying that his 2014 that he brought had the older 2013 chassis (with the beam axles) and was lighter than the same with the J-tec

Yep correct

 

[Crusty181]

Yep correct

I think from memory the Jtech added well over 100kg to our 20.63 compared to the previous beam model .... it is pretty good though

 

[Dobbie]

Yep. Agree...again.

and with the additional change in weight......and the fact that it's good and worth it. Any weight increase for safety and handling reasons is worth it, imho.