10 reasons not to buy a Cali; Revolution Campers view.

[OGII]

Interesting list of 10 reasons not to buy a VW California by Revolution Camper conversion company. Don't think this has been posted before, search didn't obviously throw up any results.

It gets a bit tenuous in places, almost as if they ran out of sensible reasons but felt they needed the full 10.

Number 8 is Interesting, i.e. VW dealers don't know their products especially after sale. Some truth there.

https://revolutioncampers.co.uk/10-reasons-not-to-buy-a-vw-california/

 

[Cooper68]

Number 11.

If you damage your sliding cupboard door under the sink in your Cali you will need to pay £619 (inc vat). If the cupboard door in your revolution conversion breaks you can go to one of their supply partners located in almost ever industrial estate around the country….. screwfix.

 

[bob_summers]

Fair do's, I agree with most of their points and they look great. But who buys a Cali and suddenly discovers it only seats four? If I wanted to seat six, I'd get something else?

If I want a pink camper van... I can get their base van resprayed. Couldn't I do the same on a Cali?

 

[blondebier]

Yes, yes.

You could have 100 reasons but the roof still looks wrong.

 

[pjm-84]

Disagree with quite a few. Its a narrative that suits their story. I am however interested in the 6 berth / six seat option. Struggling with that one at the moment based purely on physical size.

My only man argued that the door was on the wrong side. I said that very principal effects every RHD vehicle in this country.

Here's my ten, why I didnt buy a conversion

1) Typically wrong rear door arrangement
2) Typically underpowered and or manual and underpowered
3) Typically blinged up on 19 and 20in wheels
4) Depreciation (they have a 2018 model for 44.5k)
5) Pop top doesnt appear as robust and provide sufficent height when raised (now much improved)
6) Durability of the upper bed (big lad). Will take 150kg (That leaves about 40kg for the wife and bedding)
7) Side opening fridge is problematic when I have two dogs lying in the way. I have enough problem retrieving stuff from the cupboard and putting the table up is an "Out" option.
8) Weight - Alucbond panels and doors are considerably lighter as an internal fit out (over ply or lightweight ply)
9) One stop shop with the manufacturer for warranty, repairs and servicing
10) Typically no rear sliding seat and boot taken up with chairs tables etc (didnt like this on the MP)

 

[Borris]

All valid points no doubt. There's no getting away from it, conversion companies certainly do give the punter more choice. Vw really should take note. Example: VW's current colour choices are both stale and far too limited by comparison. The lack of hot water is another Cali failing.

However I'd still rather own a Cali.

 

[GrannyJen]

I got totally jaundiced in both 2013 and 2017 trawling through all the conversions.

Talking about being all the same, they are.

The transporter offers a base on less than 2m wide and 5m long. You can't beat physics, There is only so much you can do with that space and for all the imaginative hype I found nothing that utilised the available space so efficiently as the Cali.

There is so much the Cali could do better, just make the blinds less bland cold grey and instead warmer, broken colour ways, I've never worried about hot water until I got a camper with it, game changing, but, at the end of the day, if you want a loo, hot water, sprung bed, etc. you will not get it all in 4.9m *1.9m.

Oh, a front opening fridge! Don't bore me with that one! I have one in my Ayers Rock that has 40% more capacity than my Cali Fridge and about 70% of the usefulness. Totally bloody useless waste of space with the downside that when you open the door then say goodbye to all the cold air!! The chest fridge in the Cali is simply brilliant and worth the extra hassle of access.

 

[kave]

What a crappy homepage that is: ”You can get a better than california for 30.000 that seats 6”. No interior photos of their 60.000 vans on their site at all.

 

[Louis II]

I always find it a bit sad when companies run out of good things to say about their own products and resort to bad mouthing others.
Is it just me or is cali on the home page the best looking van on the site?

 

[Meoncoast]

Well, a quick look Revolution campervan's fail for me no sliding bench seat in the 3 models shown on their web page.

Total lack of interior pictures of their conversions on their web page in my view but plenty of the exterior views but I already know what a T6.1 looks like.

 

[Wildcamper]

As a non-California owner I think that this list from Revolution is in poor taste. The California is a great vehicle and a good conversion is a great vehicle, both are compromises. It comes down to what works for the individual, in our case a high top conversion of a new high spec LWB T6. GrannyJen mentions one can't fit a loo, hot water, sprung bed etc into a SWB Cali, but you can in a LWB Transporter plus an external hot shower. These were so useful during the Covid restrictions and we now use them more than previously.

 

[Polomint]

I would have liked an oven in the Cali, widen what I can cook in it. Just have to be organised and cook before I go

 

[ThomasHJ]

Get an Omnia oven. Works great for a lot of recipes. None in the least for pre-baked bread rolls for breakfast.

 

[The Blue Merle]

I would have liked an oven in the Cali, widen what I can cook in it. Just have to be organised and cook before I go

Ridge monkey is an oven

 

[Betty67]

As a fairly new cali owner, looked at many conversions and having a van converted still came down to residual value and quality of build, everything else was just personal choice and most cali owner modify to suit.

 

[2into1]

We are perhaps approaching the end of the busiest demand period EVER for campervans, and Revolution campers have 23 unsold vans. Meanwhile, VW have a one year waiting list.
And I imagine half of the most accessible cupboards in a Revolution camper is taken up with water tanks....not very practical.

 

[Cali Phillip]

VW California is like a swiss army knife, flexible, well made (on the whole) and expensive.
Conversions are more flexible but often limited by design, skill and cost.
None have the great kitchen unit with the extruded aluminium curved frame with integrated sliding table, love that.

 

[BrendanJ]

Ridge monkey is an oven

I have a small low voltage microwave permanently set up on back shelf, ( had to install additional 240 volt socket under shelf) perfect for those first M&S curries and ready meals.
I did try it in the front, but just no space and that bloody stupid single 240 volt socket location ( good for nothing)
For a microwave literally used for a few minutes only, location in back is perfect

 

[Curryzz]

I purchased a 1 year old revolution converted vehicle last year & returned it to the them. Iv since ordered a Cali since, I won’t go into detail but a California is the best way to go if you can afford one. I won’t make the same mistake twice.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Both have their pros & cons. We have owned various vans over the years…

Calis are well finished but far too expensive for what they are. The Interior could be more durable but then this might spoil the look. Sliding seat is where it beats the competition as makes the van more versatile. Alu roof corrosion, leaking drains, hydraulic roof, control panel knob, tambour doors seem to be weak points as pop up a lot on the forum.

Conversions look more DIY but are far easier to fix but some do tend to have less powerful engines. Some converters have been around longer than VW have been making the Cali, and have reacted to customers needs by offering a choice of conversion layouts.

You can have a great time in both so it’s down to individual choice at the end of the day.

 

[GrannyJen]

As a non-California owner I think that this list from Revolution is in poor taste. The California is a great vehicle and a good conversion is a great vehicle, both are compromises. It comes down to what works for the individual, in our case a high top conversion of a new high spec LWB T6. GrannyJen mentions one can't fit a loo, hot water, sprung bed etc into a SWB Cali, but you can in a LWB Transporter plus an external hot shower. These were so useful during the Covid restrictions and we now use them more than previously.

I agree with you. The extra half a metre of length completely changes the game and sacrificing the "2m height ability" for a high top means the storage, or a lot of it, can go "upstairs" leaving room for all those desirable facilities downstairs.

 

[66tim99]

Both have their pros & cons. We have owned various vans over the years…

Calis are well finished but far too expensive for what they are. The Interior could be more durable but then this might spoil the look. Sliding seat is where it beats the competition as makes the van more versatile. Alu roof corrosion, leaking drains, hydraulic roof, control panel knob, tambour doors seem to be weak points as pop up a lot on the forum.

Conversions look more DIY but are far easier to fix but some do tend to have less powerful engines. Some converters have been around longer than VW have been making the Cali, and have reacted to customers needs by offering a choice of conversion layouts.

You can have a great time in both so it’s down to individual choice at the end of the day.

No tambour doors now

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I agree with you. The extra half a metre of length completely changes the game and sacrificing the "2m height ability" for a high top means the storage, or a lot of it, can go "upstairs" leaving room for all those desirable facilities downstairs.

We had SWB T25 with a high top. Storage capacity was great but not the prettiest thing to look at…we used to live a small village and one of my neighbours politely asked if I could park it round the corner so he couldn’t see it from his window.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

I agree with you. The extra half a metre of length completely changes the game and sacrificing the "2m height ability" for a high top means the storage, or a lot of it, can go "upstairs" leaving room for all those desirable facilities downstairs.

We have been looking for something a bit bigger than our California but not a motor home (Yet). How do you find the power compared to the a California. Does the 130 give you some decent acceleration? Do you have the rear bed? If so is it comfortable?. Do you regret changing or is it the best thing you did. We have seen some lovely 7.5 metre motor homes for the same price but they are just Tooooo big. And you can hardly take them to Tesco’s...Nice to hear your comments.

 

[Wildcamper]

We have been looking for something a bit bigger than our California but not a motor home (Yet). How do you find the power compared to the a California. Does the 130 give you some decent acceleration? Do you have the rear bed? If so is it comfortable?. Do you regret changing or is it the best thing you did. We have seen some lovely 7.5 metre motor homes for the same price but they are just Tooooo big. And you can hardly take them to Tesco’s...Nice to hear your comments.

We converted a new LWB Highline T6 DSG 150 but we could have purchased a 199/204 4 motion. So one could buy what ever vehicle one wants. We are very happy with the power of the 150, we did try a 199/204. As said previously, the California did not work for us so we have we no regrets going conversion. But, again to repeat myself, we are so glad we did not go cheap conversion and that we retained all the warranties. The bed in ours is downstairs, we have two rear seats that fold in conjunction with the front seats to give a very comfortable double bed - the two singles slide together.