I am thinking of upgrading from a 34year old camper van to a 2000 Jayco Freedom 15ft. It will be my first pop top.
Any feedback on this model of Jayco please?
Dougwe said
01:14 PM Jan 16, 2021
Welcome to the gang Beff, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I'm not a Jayco owner but there are heaps out there. Being a 2000 model I would be checking the vinyl in the pop up section, brakes and bearings just to mention a few items.
Are you sure a pop top is the way to go? At 15' there wouldn't be, if any, difference in weight and the convenience of not having to set up all the time might be worth thinking of a hard top. Just my thoughts.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
hako said
02:34 PM Jan 16, 2021
We recently also bought our first poptop - a 2009 17ft Olympic Sprinter after owning an Avan Cruiser for many years.
We looked at plenty of vans and many were Jayco's and really they seemed to have just as many 'faults' as other brands, generally faded and crumbling outside plastic items, lots of chipboard inside etc and water staining from leaks. Some Jayco's had 'springy' floors. We looked in every cupboard and every opening with a bright torch and the first sign of water ingress and the van was passed by.
We wanted a poptop firstly because of the lower towing height and secondly so we can park it in our garage. Any van left outside soon degrades.
Bottom line is a 2000 Jayco is 20 years old and most design faults should be fixed by now but as mentioned above, go through it with a fine toothcomb.
Good Luck.
erad said
06:23 PM Jan 16, 2021
By now, a 2000 (or thereabouts) model Jayco caravan SHOULD have all the manufacturing faults ironed out. I have a 1999 model 16.5 ft Jayco poptop caravan and it took me quite a few years to get rid of most of the bugs they built into it. Things to check when buying a van of this age:
1 Water leaks: The corners of the roof are the usual places where a leak will occur if it is going to. But check the top cupboards all along, but especially in the corners for signs of leaks.
2 Springy Flooring: Ever since new, the floor in front of the sink has been springy. It still is, but as yet either my wife or I have fallen through the floor.
3 Plumbing: The water hoses tend to leak at the fittings. Mind you, I have modified the plumbing layout a few times so maybe that helped with the leaks.
4 12 V Lighting: The power supply for the 12 V lights was very noisy and I have had 2 of these power supplies fail on me. They just seemed to blow the guts out of the unit. Eventually I replaced the 12 V system with a locally made switched mode power supply (Sorry, I cannot remember the manufacturer). When installing the new system, I also relocated the unit to the front boot for noise reasons, but in retrospect, I think the new unit would be as quiet as anyone could want.
Re the lighting, I have discarded the original 12 V incandescent bulbs and replaced them with LEDs. The difference is chalk and cheese. The first thing I did was to buy a small 240 V fluorescent light and screw it over the sink, because with the original 'Design', you were always working in your own shadow,
5 Cupboards and storage: Our caravan was the basic version and it had 2 large drawers under the beds (we have a twin bed layout). Every other cupboard was simply a storage hole covered by a hinged door. The first thing I did when I got the van home was to make up drawers for every available space to make access so much easier than the original 'holes'. Maybe being a 2000 model you may have more drawers than ours.
One of the first trips we did in our van was out past Camerons Corner, over some very rough corrugated roads indeed. The 2 rear top cupboards fell apart on the rough roads and I had to make some emergency repairs on the road, Most vans would not have this problem, but the cupboards and seats are all just held together with staples, so check that all fixings are firm and tight.
6 The Vinyl lining of the pop top: Check that all the battens in the pockets are working to keep the vinyl popped out under tension when the roof is lifted. You can get new battens quite cheaply if the old ones have been damaged (caught as the roof was being lowered).
7 Lifting handles for the roof: Check that you can lift the roof by yourself. It could be that the gas lift struts are losing their push by now. Our caravan seems to be getting heavier as it gets older, but equally we are getting weaker. Certainly my wife cannot lift the roof any more by herself.
8 Awning: Open the awning out and check the fabric for mould or physical damage. Check that the roller for the awning rewinds the awning smoothly and strongly.
9. Fridge and Gas stove: Check that these items are working correctly - try the fridge on 12 V, gas and 240 V. to replace a 3 way fridge will cost you about $1200 to $1500, so it is worth checking it before you buy and adjust the price accordingly if necessary.
Internal furnishings - Cushion, curtains: Check out the bedding (mattress(es) and the curtains for signs of deterioration. The rubber used in the cushions tends to collapse after a few years of continual usage. This is not a deal breaker, but you don't want to find out too late that the van is not comfortable for you.
10 Air conditioner (if fitted): The Heron 2.2 air con unit in our van still works very well, but it is noisy and because of the poor positioning of the evaporator unit. Hopefully they moved it to the centre of the van by the year 2000 because where they mounted it in our van is hopeless I made up a plywood deflector which clips onto the face of the A/C unit and deflects the cooler air towards the rear of the caravan. That works well for us. It is still noisy, but on a 35 Deg C day we can tolerate the noise. We have also found that it works very well as a heater.
11 Door Lock: Check that the door lock works OK and that the door closes reasonably tightly. I have had 3 door locks fail on me on rough roads. The design was poor and they changed the design on later models. IF your van has a 3 point door lock, I would expect that it would be a lot better than our single point locking.
12 Weights: Jayco have a weight compliance plate on the drawbar, but the figures shown on that plate certainly do not refer to the van I own. Our van was ordered with a specially shorter drawbar, and and air conditioner mounted in the front R hand corner. The towbar ball weight is so heavy that there is no way that I could ever lift it. This has a side effect in that it makes for a very stable rig to tow, but it certainly limits the type of vehicle which can tow our van. No way would I ever try to to it with a regular car. I would get the weights checked by a certified weighbridge before taking delivery of the van.
13 Wheels and Axles: My favourite hobby horse.... I am on my 4th set of tyres for this van now, and I am not completely convinced that the axle is right yet. Take a tape measure with you and measure the distance from the outside edge of the tyre tread at the front and the back of the tyres - as high as you can possible reach. The difference is the tow in or toe out. Check the tyres for uneven wear across the tread. The sheer number of caravan tyres I have seen which have been wearing unevenly scares me. A simple quality control check at assembly would eliminate this as a problem but like everything else at Jayco, quality control is a lovely word... Mind you, most of the other caravan manufacturers are the same so Jayco is not unique - it is just that they sell more vans and hence they sell more faults as well. Most caravans only do a trip or two per year (if that) and therefore tyre wear doesn't normally show up as a major problem. Not so with me....
If possible, jack the van up and check the front spring hanger bushes for wear. While you are at it, check the electrical cabling to the brakes - that the wires are properly supported and the connections are good. Check the wheel bearings too - shake the wheels in the vertical plane and check for loose bearings.
I think that covers all the tings I would look for in a used caravan - ANY used van (not just A Jayco). Obviously if a van has been stored inside a shed all its life it will be in a lot better condition than one which has been exposed to the elements. Good luck hunting for a van.
-- Edited by erad on Saturday 16th of January 2021 06:27:56 PM
I am thinking of upgrading from a 34year old camper van to a 2000 Jayco Freedom 15ft. It will be my first pop top.
Any feedback on this model of Jayco please?
I'm not a Jayco owner but there are heaps out there. Being a 2000 model I would be checking the vinyl in the pop up section, brakes and bearings just to mention a few items.
Are you sure a pop top is the way to go? At 15' there wouldn't be, if any, difference in weight and the convenience of not having to set up all the time might be worth thinking of a hard top. Just my thoughts.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
We looked at plenty of vans and many were Jayco's and really they seemed to have just as many 'faults' as other brands, generally faded and crumbling outside plastic items, lots of chipboard inside etc and water staining from leaks. Some Jayco's had 'springy' floors. We looked in every cupboard and every opening with a bright torch and the first sign of water ingress and the van was passed by.
We wanted a poptop firstly because of the lower towing height and secondly so we can park it in our garage. Any van left outside soon degrades.
Bottom line is a 2000 Jayco is 20 years old and most design faults should be fixed by now but as mentioned above, go through it with a fine toothcomb.
Good Luck.
By now, a 2000 (or thereabouts) model Jayco caravan SHOULD have all the manufacturing faults ironed out. I have a 1999 model 16.5 ft Jayco poptop caravan and it took me quite a few years to get rid of most of the bugs they built into it. Things to check when buying a van of this age:
1 Water leaks: The corners of the roof are the usual places where a leak will occur if it is going to. But check the top cupboards all along, but especially in the corners for signs of leaks.
2 Springy Flooring: Ever since new, the floor in front of the sink has been springy. It still is, but as yet either my wife or I have fallen through the floor.
3 Plumbing: The water hoses tend to leak at the fittings. Mind you, I have modified the plumbing layout a few times so maybe that helped with the leaks.
4 12 V Lighting: The power supply for the 12 V lights was very noisy and I have had 2 of these power supplies fail on me. They just seemed to blow the guts out of the unit. Eventually I replaced the 12 V system with a locally made switched mode power supply (Sorry, I cannot remember the manufacturer). When installing the new system, I also relocated the unit to the front boot for noise reasons, but in retrospect, I think the new unit would be as quiet as anyone could want.
Re the lighting, I have discarded the original 12 V incandescent bulbs and replaced them with LEDs. The difference is chalk and cheese. The first thing I did was to buy a small 240 V fluorescent light and screw it over the sink, because with the original 'Design', you were always working in your own shadow,
5 Cupboards and storage: Our caravan was the basic version and it had 2 large drawers under the beds (we have a twin bed layout). Every other cupboard was simply a storage hole covered by a hinged door. The first thing I did when I got the van home was to make up drawers for every available space to make access so much easier than the original 'holes'. Maybe being a 2000 model you may have more drawers than ours.
One of the first trips we did in our van was out past Camerons Corner, over some very rough corrugated roads indeed. The 2 rear top cupboards fell apart on the rough roads and I had to make some emergency repairs on the road, Most vans would not have this problem, but the cupboards and seats are all just held together with staples, so check that all fixings are firm and tight.
6 The Vinyl lining of the pop top: Check that all the battens in the pockets are working to keep the vinyl popped out under tension when the roof is lifted. You can get new battens quite cheaply if the old ones have been damaged (caught as the roof was being lowered).
7 Lifting handles for the roof: Check that you can lift the roof by yourself. It could be that the gas lift struts are losing their push by now. Our caravan seems to be getting heavier as it gets older, but equally we are getting weaker. Certainly my wife cannot lift the roof any more by herself.
8 Awning: Open the awning out and check the fabric for mould or physical damage. Check that the roller for the awning rewinds the awning smoothly and strongly.
9. Fridge and Gas stove: Check that these items are working correctly - try the fridge on 12 V, gas and 240 V. to replace a 3 way fridge will cost you about $1200 to $1500, so it is worth checking it before you buy and adjust the price accordingly if necessary.
Internal furnishings - Cushion, curtains: Check out the bedding (mattress(es) and the curtains for signs of deterioration. The rubber used in the cushions tends to collapse after a few years of continual usage. This is not a deal breaker, but you don't want to find out too late that the van is not comfortable for you.
10 Air conditioner (if fitted): The Heron 2.2 air con unit in our van still works very well, but it is noisy and because of the poor positioning of the evaporator unit. Hopefully they moved it to the centre of the van by the year 2000 because where they mounted it in our van is hopeless I made up a plywood deflector which clips onto the face of the A/C unit and deflects the cooler air towards the rear of the caravan. That works well for us. It is still noisy, but on a 35 Deg C day we can tolerate the noise. We have also found that it works very well as a heater.
11 Door Lock: Check that the door lock works OK and that the door closes reasonably tightly. I have had 3 door locks fail on me on rough roads. The design was poor and they changed the design on later models. IF your van has a 3 point door lock, I would expect that it would be a lot better than our single point locking.
12 Weights: Jayco have a weight compliance plate on the drawbar, but the figures shown on that plate certainly do not refer to the van I own. Our van was ordered with a specially shorter drawbar, and and air conditioner mounted in the front R hand corner. The towbar ball weight is so heavy that there is no way that I could ever lift it. This has a side effect in that it makes for a very stable rig to tow, but it certainly limits the type of vehicle which can tow our van. No way would I ever try to to it with a regular car. I would get the weights checked by a certified weighbridge before taking delivery of the van.
13 Wheels and Axles: My favourite hobby horse.... I am on my 4th set of tyres for this van now, and I am not completely convinced that the axle is right yet. Take a tape measure with you and measure the distance from the outside edge of the tyre tread at the front and the back of the tyres - as high as you can possible reach. The difference is the tow in or toe out. Check the tyres for uneven wear across the tread. The sheer number of caravan tyres I have seen which have been wearing unevenly scares me. A simple quality control check at assembly would eliminate this as a problem but like everything else at Jayco, quality control is a lovely word... Mind you, most of the other caravan manufacturers are the same so Jayco is not unique - it is just that they sell more vans and hence they sell more faults as well. Most caravans only do a trip or two per year (if that) and therefore tyre wear doesn't normally show up as a major problem. Not so with me....
If possible, jack the van up and check the front spring hanger bushes for wear. While you are at it, check the electrical cabling to the brakes - that the wires are properly supported and the connections are good. Check the wheel bearings too - shake the wheels in the vertical plane and check for loose bearings.
I think that covers all the tings I would look for in a used caravan - ANY used van (not just A Jayco). Obviously if a van has been stored inside a shed all its life it will be in a lot better condition than one which has been exposed to the elements. Good luck hunting for a van.
-- Edited by erad on Saturday 16th of January 2021 06:27:56 PM