Dandy wanted

On the lookout to upgrade my Dandy, I have a 1995 4 bert. Interested in a 6 bert with a fridge  Thanks

Hello and congratulations on your first post.
How can we help and are you looking to sell your Dandy first or looking for a Destiny first?
If you want to sell you're welcome to put an ad on here. You can't host pictures for the first 7 days after joining but if you have pictures to post send them to dandycampers (at) live.com and we will host them for you.
BTW what sort of Dandy do you have? You say 4 berth but is it a Dart or the slightly larger Delta?
There are two Destinies on eBay at the moment, they're both on Preloved as well. The older one (it has glass not Acrylic windows) we've seen before at some point, I can remember the yellow stripe.
Anyone else remember when this was last sold?
Are you looking for this type of Destiny or the later one with the bathroom as well? [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  

Preloved also has a Dimension listed at the moment which would also  have a 3 way fridge [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] though curiously the ad says an electric fridge.

Have you had your Dandy for ages and are confident about buying or do you have questions about buying a larger Dandy?
The more you tell us the more we can help.

Hi great to hear from you. I am looking for something in good condition, not looking for a dandy with a toilet but would like a fridge. I have seen the ones on preloved but am a bit nervous about going private in case I bought something with a lot of problems. I have contacted Ian in Riva, like the look of the 1997 destiny, but it does sound a bit pricy.

The Dandy I have is a Dart I think, think it is a 1995 model. I would be able to buy before I sell my own Dandy.

Will have a look at those ones on ebay,would be glad for any feedback you might have on them.

Thanks

Veronica

It all depends on how confident you are at buying secondhand and how practical you are if things go wrong.
Ian is coming in at about £1,000 to £1,500 more expensive than a private sale. Of course what the ones on eBay go for is anyones guess. How far away are they could you make the effort to view? You do realise the ones on eBay are also on Preloved?
Viewing see [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Some would say that £1,000 can fix an awful lot of problems with a Dandy some would look at things completely differently.

If considering buying from Ian I'd ask about the Destiny that has just been sold that had exactly the same features but also had gas struts on the bed . Why are they both listed as the same price and was £3,500 paid for the other Dandy anyway? If somebody says offers considered do you normally offer the full asking price? Part of the reason could be because the previous owner traded up. You can do similar.
If you don't need to sell your Dandy? (BTW it should say on the side what it is if it's from 1995 but see [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) then Ian does comission sales. It saves him the cost of capital to hold stock, his commission is reasonable and if you subtract it from the amount he may sell for you may well end up with more than you would selling privately and without the hassle.

Do try to erect and break down. Highside Destiny beds are surprisingly enough, higher and therefore more difficult to fold and unfold. Gas struts may well be a good idea. Do you want to be discussing a discount or discussing an upgrade included in the price? [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I was at Riva one day and saw one person moving the beds with one hand with the struts fitted.
Do remember the older Destiny on eBay doesn't have an awning. On the subject of awnings if you do end up going to see Ian (if you live a distance away) and buying see if you can take or he can send the awning to TVS at Farnworth to be cut and have zips added. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Can't get the struts fitted within the price?
The one thing missing on these Dandys to me is the underfloor heater. Does ian have one lying around would he consider fitting it? Not essential if you summer camp only or use EHUs normally
Do you have 12S or 13 pin electrics on your car? 12S can be wired in more than one way. Get the Destiny wired up suitably before you come to leave with it.
Anything else you can think of that's a small cost for Ian but saves you hassle or expense.

With a few pounds shaved off the price and a strong sale for you current Dandy you could be closer than you think on price.

Just looking at the Dimension that you mentioned is on Preloved, its the 2005 for 4500, what would be the big difference between it and a Destiny?

roxiemanson wrote:Just looking at the Dimension that you mentioned is on Preloved, its the 2005 for 4500, what would be the big difference between it and a Destiny?

See [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] then probably ignore it (I'll explain) The Dimension is shorter the specs say a 22Cm shorter body but if you look at the erect dimensions it says 56Cm shorter. Now I can't believe each bed is (56 - 22 = 34 / 2) 17Cm narrower so the difference is either because the longer A frame on the old Destiny (132Cm as against 100Cm) projects or because Ian has cocked up the figures. He did on some other numbers previously. So I'd check it's dimensions(ouch) with Ian.
BTW is your insignificant other tall? Do you realise all long Dandys have slightly shorter beds 2" or so.
We don't see a lot of Dimensions come along so no definite ideas on Dimensions.

Important other things:
Don't equate newer to better, a lot of owners think the quality of post 2003 Dandys wasn't as good as the earlier Light Blue ones. Keeping a dandy on the road is not like a caravan. Basic servicing and a pop riveter will give it a life of 40 plus years.
They do all have gas struts. They are not as sparse inside. Better upholstery and things like inner roof in cotton with full sets of privacy curtains. Very nice but not expensive to run up. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
They are heavy. The maximum weight goes up from 750Kg on the Light Blue Destiny Highside to 1,000Kg on the Dark Blue Destiny and Dimension. It is reported by some that the ex works weights are a work of fiction. Don't own one can't say. They all have gas struts as the beds went from aluminium frames to steel.
The Dimension is 103Cm shorter than the Destiny with the same length of A frame. This may well improve the towing dynamics but some report the Dark Blue Destiny to be a bit excitable when towing. You may find this hard to believe as you don't know your Dart is there half the time but see  http://www.dandycampers.org/t2374-riva-destiny-towing-stability
Depending on the type of camping you wish to do you might want to evaluate the ruggedness of the PVC awning as against the lighter weight and more spacious Acrylic one.
If this is the sort of thing you fancy and you can sit on your hands for a while this is also likely price for a Dark Blue Destiny.
If you buy any Dandy already fitted with electrics I recommend that they are examined irrespective of if the electrics as wired by Dandy or retrofit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Do find out why the fridge is described as electric not 3 way.

Thats great information and you have given me, a lot to think about especially about the shorter beds in the longer models as my husband is 6' 2" . Just wondering, if I want to tidy up my Dart, any advice on how to clean the PVC? Also my kitchen unit is beginning to show its age, the surface coating seems to be wearing off. Also wonder is it possible to get a fridge small enough to build into the Dart?

Thanks

I have a designer and I'm 6'4" and no problem with bed length. The sides are PVC and will always give a bit if I need to stretch bit I don't even notice. No problem at all.

I think width would be more of a problem using them as doubles but we have a bed each. The destiny/dimensions have slightly wider beds than the designers etc.

My feeling is the smaller designers etc are easier to tow and push around on site and easier to erect on your own. But the destiny/dimension has more room, more storage etc meaning you may not need to put up an awning.

I must admit the older pale blue high side destinies always seem to get snapped up quickly as long as they don't ask silly money. They are much sought after and fewer about than designers etc.

Have decided to stay with my Dandy Dart and not upgrade to a bigger one. Have started to smarten up Dandy, made some lovely privacy curtains and hope to get my underfloor heater fixed. Also looking to spray or paint my kitchen unit as the finish seems to be rubbing off in parts. Must post a photo of my curtains, they really turned out very well!