Hi-newby here (& help!) re 2007 18.56OB

[3blokefokeand1mum]

Hi All

New to the forum... what a great site for all things Panda!!

Hubby and I are looking at purchasing our first van.. settled on the 18.56-6 which is perfect for us and two boys.. but need your help!

Looking at two different 2007 models... both hard lid. One is advertised as an outback model, they other we are advised is not.

My question is... how do we know if one is an outback.. silly question I know, but both look the same (the one we are told is an OB model.. has no sticker.. the only difference that we can visually see with pics is chequer plate across the front).

The specifications provided for both are the same, both have deep cycle battery. Neither have solar.

Any advice regarding the actual difference would be very much appreciated. (The OB model is $4000 additional). A basic google search doesn't give me any specs for a 2007 expanda, and finding it difficult to determine what constitutes the outback model Going back 10 years.

Thanks heaps! (Possibly not the area for posting such a question, please forgive me if not). I couldn't see that this questions has been asked before.

 

[1DayIll]

I am not sure about this but the height difference would be a good way of telling. Others on this site will be able to give you more information i am sure.

 

[Tripper]

Here is a picture of one a bit larger that was advertised on here back in 2013, it is the outback model.

Welcome to the site.

 

[NoWorries]

It should have
OB on the compliance plate

 

[NoWorries]

Are you sure they have hard lids ? I thought that did not come out until 2009

 

[3blokefokeand1mum]

It should have
OB on the compliance plate

Perfect!! Something so obvious. Neither of us though of that.
Everything else looks identical about each van. But I'm sure if we did compare side by side the OB would be much higher. Thank you.

 

[1DayIll]

Are you sure they have hard lids ? I thought that did not come out until 2009

They came in about September 2008 as we just missed out on getting one. We were due to leave Melbourne in the July and so could not wait for there release.

 

[3blokefokeand1mum]

By hard lid, I meant not pop top, sorry. Doesn't have the hard lid over the expanda part

Thanks heaps for the feedback! Hoping to gauge your thoughts, is the OB model worth the extra $4K? Both vans look almost identical and both well looked after. We are a family of four (two young kids) and don't have any huge trips plans.. will be using the van just locally in Victoria. The $4000 difference maxes out our budget... & don't know if it's really worth the added extra....but don't want to make the mistake of buying the wrong van. thoughts?

 

[1DayIll]

I do not have the OB and the only real issue I have is the height of the van in that the back end sometimes scrapes on gutters etc so I need to make sure I allow for this and go on an angle. We do a lot of local stuff as well but have also traveled through the Center and West Coast for three months and did some dirt roads, as they say, you drive to the conditions.
In my case, it has never stopped me doing anything I wanted so far and have now have the van 9 years!
I don't believe, may be wrong, that there is much difference above the floor level and you are paying for everything under it!
Not sure if this helps or not and i am sure others will say the OB is the way to go.
You can always use the $4000 for a few extra things and a holiday in the van!

 

[bigcol]

its a bit of an either either sort of thing

if you think you may use it off road (gravel tracks / roads) its worth it

main differences (apart from Ali plate on sides) are
heavier chassis
heavier suspension
better ground clearance
looks nice (my opinion)

if your only going local, and sticking to normal roads, the touring model is a better value for you

you can always get the axle swapped under the springs to give you better ground clearance if needed

 

[willobee]

Additionally at least recently the OB ones have solar standard so if you are off grid it may be a consideration too.
Most of our camping is off grid and we cant do without solar

 

[Drover]

As Big Col said, they were a good looking van I always thought, if you the touring model its not that hard to roll the axle and gain a bit but the tourer will handle your normal dirt road, things like the Tanami Track would require some mods though. The bugs should be all sorted just look around the windows and cupboards for any discolour in the panels which could indicate water leaks.

 

[3blokefokeand1mum]

Thanks heaps everyone!!
We went with the OB model to avoid any mods later on. We think it might be worth it if we go to the Murray camping over the hols.
Pick up later this week. Looking forward to going away, but we might get portable solar later on.

Thanks again... now to sort out insurance and storage.

 

[1DayIll]

Sounds great! have fun with it