New van. opinions on 16.49-1 or 16.49-1B (cafe dinnette)

[bensl]

hello all. i am looking for a few real world opinions from people who have lived with one of the above vans on how they like the layout and/or if they wished they went with another model. i have looked at both models on the dealer floor but its hard to get a real impression of them.

the van will be for my wife and i and 2 kids so i initally thought the larger dining and couch area on the 1 would be better as it would allow us all to sit down for a meal together and give us more sitting room. my wife prefers the 1B model as there is a bit more storage and a tv space on top of the cupboard. i guess most meals may be eaten outside if the weather was good anyway.

any opinions would be appreciated. im sure they both would be great but when shelling out decent cash i would hate to wish i had got the other model.

thanks in advance

 

[Ben Stanford]

I haven't had one of these, but of the 2 I would choose the dinette model. I was going to purchase one of these, but then along came the 17.56-1 and it had all we wanted and a little bit more space. The dinette allows you to get in and out of bed without haveing to climb over a chair or squeeze past a table. But as you said the other option provides you with more seating area, so the pro's and con's add up!

 

[Burnsy]

Hi @bensl, welcome mate! We ( wife, 2 kids and myself) previously had the 16.49-1 (non cafe model). We rarely used to eat inside so we took the table out and I made a plug for the hole in floor, that worked really well for us, made heaps of room and if needed for a meal I would bring in the outside table. I mounted the tv on the side of the wardrobe on a bracket that could pull out and face either end of van.
We now have a 18-57-6 and have the same layout, no table but also no lounge next to door. The tv is mounted on the wall next to the door....it's like a small lounge room.
Good luck with your (wife's) decision!
Cheers.

 

[Frosty]

Hi @bensl ,

we have the standard full dinette & to be honest, after owning it for the past 18 months I would go with the 1B model if I had a choice. The lack of direct access to the bed & having to climb round the table & over the bench seat we find now really a bit of a pain. about the only meal we use the inside dinette for is breakfast for our two kids or for our youngest (9) to spread activities over (colouring, craft, board games, etc.). We nearly always eat off a camping table under the awning. I don't think you will miss the dinette space but you'll certainly appreciate a bit more floor space - we would!

A couple of other points I would consider too...

- a larger fridge than the standard 90 litre. I would recommend the bigger one if you can get one.
- if you are planning to tow with a 4WD then I would consider the extra for the OB model as our tourer was a bit of a pain with clearance on driveways & with campground access until we underslung the axle.

Cheers,
Frosty.

 

[davemc]

Have you thought to hire one for a weekend and see for yourself.

We hired a 16.49-4 before we made the choice of what we where buying

 

[crackacoldie]

We have the standard larger table option which is good for us as 5 of us can sit around the table to eat and the longer seat doubles as an extra single bed when required.

 

[bensl]

thanks all. appreciate your thoughts. the van will be secondhand so a little limited as too what options we can get. i have a list of 3 i am interested in looking at. any opinions on below??

http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/buy/details.aspx?R=16165832&keywords=expanda&SearchAction=N&YearFrom=1619&__Ntk=StockAll&__Nne=15&__Qpb=1&Dx=&__D=expanda outback&Ntx=&silo=1701&seot=1&__sid=143E3E29EC15&__N=1549 1552 82 1619 1600 1602 1601&__Ns=p_StockHasPrice_Int32|1||p_StockPrice_Decimal|0||p_StockRankSort_Int32|1&Cr=2&__Ntt=expanda outback&trecs=17

http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/buy/details.aspx?R=15707695&keywords=expanda&SearchAction=N&YearFrom=1619&__Ntk=StockAll&__Nne=15&__Qpb=1&Dx=&__D=expanda outback&Ntx=&silo=1701&seot=1&__sid=143E3E29EC15&__N=1549 1552 82 1619 1600 1602 1601&__Ns=p_StockHasPrice_Int32|1||p_StockPrice_Decimal|0||p_StockRankSort_Int32|1&Cr=0&__Ntt=expanda outback&trecs=17

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Carav...op-Sept-2010/Wodonga/VIC/AdNumber=TP005609673

with the above comments i am now kinda leaning toward the 1B option.... (but will change my mind 1000 times between now and looking...)

 

[bensl]

not sure why 2 of the links aren't working but they are on the caravan sales website.
http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/
no. 2364289 & no. 2511468

 

[crackacoldie]

All comes down to personal preference really, all three appear to be nice units. My 2011 model has a folding table to give greater access to the bed, and while the larger dinette suites us, the restricted access to the bed in the 2010 would be a game changer for us, I would probably gave looked at the cafe dinette model if our table didn't fold.

 

[Frosty]

@bensl ,

they all look great to me but that 09 model sure looks like its got plenty of fruit added to it...

Cheers,
Frosty

 

[Glen Bundesen]

We have a 16.49.3 with the folding table and L lounge. To give more space we have actually removed the table and have a folding table which we carry behind the end bed lid. Yes there is only the 2 of us, but as someone above said, we normally eat outside so the table is just taking up space!. Also you can never have enough storage space.

We purchased ours second hand also, but fortunately it had a roof top air con, larger fridge and 2 solar panels. Larger fridge and solar are great for free camping! So would recommend them (you can add the Solar Panels yourself)

 

[17triton]

We have had both and much prefer the dinette, the other layout drove us nuts with the table on a wobbly dogleg that was a pain getting into the front bed. I altered it and will put the link up when I get a chance. But others who remove the table completely like that as well.

 

[Gavin and Brooke]

The 09' model for me, has the extra battery, larger fridge, rear camera fitted, personally I think it shines more the the others, all vans are outbacks so there's co concern with clearance issues.

Comes down to personal choice and $$$$. choose what suits your family.

Gavin

 

[davemc]

Does the 09 model have air?
What extras do you want or need?

 

[Four_Happy_Campers]

We have a 16.49.3. We love the layout. We have taken the table out (we eat outside). There is so much room. We put a bracket on the cupboard for the TV. My son (15 years old), who is 6'3" sleeps on the couch and there is plenty of room for him. It is nice to have the two couches to lounge around on. If we need a table inside, we bought a cheap $20.00 one from Bunnings (that we move in and out of the van if the need arises).

I agree with @Gavin and Brooke's comments. Also I think an annexe is important for resale value.

 

[bensl]

Thanks again everyone. I had pretty much decided on the 09 dinnette model but when I rang the guy - no aircon! Deal breaker unfortunately with 2 young kids. Going to look one of the others tomorrow.

So bummed to have decided and then find that out. Rookie mistake I guess to assume aircon is standard.

 

[bensl]

Is getting aircon fitted after prohibitively expensive?

 

[DaveS]

Is getting aircon fitted after prohibitively expensive?

depends on the van, if it's prewired and framed for a AC then it's only 90 minutes work, once you figure out where the hole is
if it has no frame or wiring you can add at least 6hrs labour to sort it out, plus the cost of sparkie to tighten the terminals

 

[17triton]

altered layout for a 16-49-1[/URL here is what I did to our 2004 van.

 

[bigbertha]

we have the 16 .49-1b and absolutely love it , plenty of cupboard space and no climbing over things to get into bed we also have 2 kids and find the room inside fantastic ,we had the air con placed onto roof and have even more cupboard space. we use the buffet for tv and kids toys and clothes it also clears up bench space over near the cook top. most of the time we sit outside to eat but plenty of room at table when we need to use it. dont forget to have 12 volt plug put up near front cupboard as its really useful for tv. also had solar panels fitted for free camping.