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thinking of a Cali no that expensive for the spec

Go on, just tell us the answer.


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Phew, I picked up mine today.


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I was up to £63k before I got fed up. I was two thirds down the list! :D
 
Interesting to note that they offer the 18" wheels with a 17" steel spare. could never figure out why VW don't do that, after all cars come with an emergency thin spare. Admittedly you'd have to carry the punctured wheel inside the Cali until fixed.

The cash register soon starts ringing when you go through the, essential, options.
 
I also went down this route before I placed order for a Cali. My comparison was with a well known company in Shrewsbury and they are very expensive. The boss even said to me "........don't expect it to be any cheaper than a California".
When you think about what needs to be done to a std Transporter before conversion into a camper it kind of makes sense. The converter has to strip out all the std VW built in stuff, roof, windows, seats, etc, etc back to a shell and then rebuild it with all their own roof, windows, stuff/technology etc. I'm sure if a cost build analysis was made the cost of building a conversion must be more than a Cali.

Why would buy a conversion over a cali? 1) to be different, 2) have your own basic spec/colour scheme, 3) beat the Cali leadtime, 4) have the sliding door on the nearside.

I was also very worried about VW's corrosion warranty after a third party had removed the roof and window panels.
 
A lot of people have said to me you paid "how much" a california is more expensive than a converter I believe if you get a decent spec NEW van and a decent converter you are paying the same or more,
 
As above,

I was at a well known convertors looking at their stock when I spotted a Cali in the compound. Went and had a look, asked how much does "one of these" cost, heard the reply and popped along to my local VW Dealer and saved myself quite a large sum of money.

I
 
Seems maybe we got our Cali's 'cos we couldn't afford a conversion?

Cheapskates! ;)
 
Jabberwocky said:
Why would buy a conversion over a cali?
Click to expand...
- Avoid the roof corrosion that will plague owners out of warranty
- Avoid the unnecessarily complex electric / hydraulic roof that will plague owners out of warranty
- Get a 3 seat-belted rear seat (in an SE / Ocean equiv)
- That you can sit on one side and sleep on the (soft) reverse
- Get camping components that can be repaired or replaced by people who know what they are doing and charge 1/3rd of the price of VW 'technicians'
- Get to choose the upholstery and cabinet finishes you want
- Get camper equipment you can diagnose faults with a multimeter not a lap-top linked to Hannover.
Edit - a rear overhead cupboard you can open and close with one hand (and without needing showing how to do it with two)

There are plenty of reasons to buy a Cali, but the conversion market has been catching up whilst VW stand still.
 
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I was looking at some conversions at the Motorhome show Manchester this weekend. I checked out the pop up roof on one, SCA, very nice with a similar aerodynamic front panel to the Cali and great finish. If VW swapped to this type of roof you could forget corrosion and knock probably £3-4k off the price.
 
larrylamb said:
I was looking at some conversions at the Motorhome show Manchester this weekend. I checked out the pop up roof on one, SCA, very nice with a similar aerodynamic front panel to the Cali and great finish. If VW swapped to this type of roof you could forget corrosion and knock probably £3-4k off the price.
Click to expand...
I missed you!
The vans on the Jobl stand had the 2016 and 2017 SCA roofs, the latter having the slatted bed base like the Cali. Really high lift at the rear too. They still have straps to secure them, but latch positively into place. The van on PF Jones' stand had some nice features too.
 
T4WFA said:
- Avoid the roof corrosion that will plague owners out of warranty


There are plenty of reasons to buy a Cali, but the conversion market has been catching up whilst VW stand still.
Click to expand...

Exactly the conclusion I came to when looking at T6 conversions earlier this year. The quality on some such as autohaus and vanworx is superb as well.
 
Very few, if any, offer a 3 year warranty on the Conversion itself.
In fact one of the well known converters I looked at only offered a 1 year/15,000 mile warranty. Seeing as I did 20,000 miles in my first year, of no use to me.
 
larrylamb said:
I was looking at some conversions at the Motorhome show Manchester this weekend. I checked out the pop up roof on one, SCA, very nice with a similar aerodynamic front panel to the Cali and great finish. If VW swapped to this type of roof you could forget corrosion and knock probably £3-4k off the price.
Click to expand...
You could knock a lot more off the price if you opted for a different base vehicle too ;)
 
T4WFA said:
I missed you!
The vans on the Jobl stand had the 2016 and 2017 SCA roofs, the latter having the slatted bed base like the Cali. Really high lift at the rear too. They still have straps to secure them, but latch positively into place. The van on PF Jones' stand had some nice features too.
Click to expand...
Yes, liked the dark metallic macho T6 but didn't match the Cali with engine spec and full a/c etc. Did you see the Hymer panel van with huge pop top?
 
WelshGas said:
Very few, if any, offer a 3 year warranty on the Conversion itself.
In fact one of the well known converters I looked at only offered a 1 year/15,000 mile warranty. Seeing as I did 20,000 miles in my first year, of no use to me.
Click to expand...
The van is still covered for 3 years isn't it? As long as it is, I could accept I may have to replace a broken cable for £10 myself, rather than an £800 Cali control panel or £1000 hydraulic system.....
 
larrylamb said:
Yes, liked the dark metallic macho T6 but didn't match the Cali with engine spec and full a/c etc. Did you see the Hymer panel van with huge pop top?
Click to expand...
No I missed that but I think I tried it last year. I thought then it was a good competitor to mine, but as you know, if I change it will be for a Cali pop top size for everyday use.
I also thought the hymer was a little tight on space downstairs because of the fixed (or fold down) beds, but the pop top bed was huge. It had the wrong balance as a 2 berth (with the option of 4). It seemed better as a 4 berth.
 
T4WFA said:
The van is still covered for 3 years isn't it? As long as it is, I could accept I may have to replace a broken cable for £10 myself, rather than an £800 Cali control panel or £1000 hydraulic system.....
Click to expand...
Plenty of problems with pop-up roofs, fridges etc:etc: as detailed in some other Forums, and warranty cover a year and very limited mileage. Might suit you and others, but not me. Sorry.
Also I question the crash safety aspects of some of the conversions, particularly as to how the "furniture " is secured and how the gas containers are secured and vented.
If the cost of some items requireing repair out of warranty concern you then maybe a Conversion is for you.
Yes, the Control Panel can fail but not frequently likewise the roof hydraulics, so what. It's a California, not a Conversion.
 
One option that's not mentioned is buy the van you want and convert it at your timescales and to your budget!
There are lots of people that take this approach. So you might get someone who spends £2000 on a sound system and £200 for the bed and £50 for a stove.

All sorts of options available

...message ends...
 
My daughter bought a van and had it converted - she dissuaded me from doing the same as I didn't have her very specific requirements (hers was for going paddleboarding and is larger than a T5) and because she said that the quote you get when you start is never the same as you pay in the end because you think of things you want to add, and because the converters say "We quoted for (whatever) but if we use (whatever else) it will be an extra £xx but it will be so much nicer" and you get tempted!
 
We looked at a brand new conversion from a longstanding and reputable company and when we priced it up there wasn't much in it. We felt that the Cali would hold on to it's value better so it would balance itself out over the life of the vehicle. On the conversions I wasn't keen on the carpet and chipboard/MDF – this would also make the vehicle heavier and not so nice to drive IMO.

I'm not sure, but one benefit of a conversion could be that you avoid the VED increase as the base vehicle would be under the £40k mark and you could pay for the conversion separately?
 
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