Any SA members have any experience with/knowledge about the Imagine caravans?

[RedLeg]

Goeie Dag! We are located in Virginia, USA and are seriously looking at an Imagine ComfortVan to replace our current adventure trailer (Taxa Cricket).

COMFORTVAN – IMAGINE

imagine-trailvan.co.za

There are roughly only 3-4 of the Imagine TrailVans in the US and only one ComfortVan. Of course, all are located a long ways away from where we live. I have spoken with two owners here in the US and have been researching SA owners posts on the 4X4 Community forum.

Trailers, Caravans, Towing etc

Section dedicated to trailers and caravans.

www.4x4community.co.za

I wanted to see if any OB members had any info that they could share with us about the Imagine caravans, their maintenance issues, the quality of builds and their customer service. We are in communication with company leadership about ordering a unit. It's a bit strange as there is no dealer in the US, just an Importer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that has experience with the product line and fronts the order/sales process (did so for the other caravans that are in the US). We would go see the closest Imagine caravan (5 hours away) in person before we would place an order.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Dankie!

Leif

 

[Get Out GO]

Hie Leif,

4x4Community forum is about your best bet to get SA owner info Search - 4x4 Community Forum

Any specific reason for choosing the TrailVan (considering there are no dealers in the US this will no doubt make getting parts and service challenging)?

I looked at the TrailVan when purchasing but decided on a Conqueror UEV-440 instead (no longer available the US unfortunately). I was worried about the TrailVan's construction for off-road conditions.

Cheers,
Christoff

 

[RedLeg]

Dankie, Christoff! We are also communicating with another OB member in California who has his 440 listed for sale on the forum. With Conqueror no longer selling units in the USA it’s a bit of an orphan as well. On the Imagine caravan we really like the ComfortVan for it’s size, weight and interior shower and commode (a hit for my wife). As you mentioned, we are concerned about having to be supported by a manufacturer in SA with no defined dealer network/spare parts in the US. So far, in speaking with one of the Directors of the company, they have really demonstrated their commitment to supporting US-based customers. There is a significant difference in the caravan’s suspension compared to the 440. We have had some concerns in that regard as well but figured if it didn’t hold up to traveling in the SA bush how could they still be in business and have such a loyal owner base in SA. We are on the East Coast and don’t have the same type of off-road conditions as the West Coast and Rocky Mountain OB members experience.

We like what we have seen of the 440 in photos and videos online. Our biggest areas of concern are the overall weight, we will be towing with a Jeep Wrangler and the trailer will be nearing the Jeep’s stated towing capacity and the Conqueror proprietary/unique electronics control panel. If that has problems after we purchased a used one, we would have two routes to attempt repairs as we see it; first try to receive support from Conqueror HQ in SA or second, remove it completely and build a replacement solution from separate components available from US-based vendors.

If you wouldn’t mind sharing, how has your experience been with the 440 and Conqueror’s customer service, recalls/warranty issues and quality of the product? In speaking with Dan, the 440 owner, he said that the only thing that was replaced in his unit was the entire control panel for an issue of some type. He’s had no issues with it since it was replaced. They seem to be exceptionally over-built in most aspects which probably reduces their susceptibility to damage but contributes directly to their increased weight.

Thank you very much for any info you can share with us.

V/R

Leif

 

[Get Out GO]

Plesier Leif!

I've had my 440 for about 4 years now with no product or service problems. It is heavy (2182lbs unladen, 3306lbs GVM) but it's very convenient and I tow it with ease (I have a 3.0l turbo diesel).

The electronics panel in the US models is a lot more complicated than the local ones (wireless etc etc). Mine is really simple and I haven't had any problems with it. I use the native AC-DC charger if I'm connected to shore power and then I've added a CTEK DC-DC charger to charge from my rig and a Victron MPPT controller for solar. I don't think it would be an issue to replace the native Conqueror control panel with something like Redarc either.